MEDIA ADVISORY, Jan. 21, 2019 /
Christian Newswire/ -- In a LifeWay.com blog post "Twenty-Five Signs of a Healthy Church," Marvin Owen points out, "There's no question that church health is a work of God. But there's also no question that He uses people to accomplish it. As a healthy person gives attention to proper diet, adequate rest, and regular exercise, healthy churches give attention to those things that are most important for their vitality."
Author John R. Cionca, PhD, compares the pursuit of church health to a sailing voyage in his new book, Your Church at Its Best. He helps church leaders understand that, in order for an ocean voyage to be safe and successful, the structure, bridge, masts, sails, rigging, and rudder must all be in working condition. The same is true for a successful church, which requires four crucial elements: structural integrity, effective leadership, dynamic community, and essential resources. These four essentials comprise Dr. Cionca's holistic approach to effective congregational ministry. Broken into four parts, Your Church at Its Best examines sixteen crucial components of a healthy church, along with best practices for keeping a ministry running smoothly.
He challenges readers with these questions: "What would your church look like running on all eight cylinders? If your church was at its best, what would be happening that is not happening now? If your congregation was experiencing maximum health, what would it be doing? Can you envision a better tomorrow for your church? Can it grow in missional effectiveness?" According to Cionca, "The answer is a definite yes."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John R. Cionca, PhD, is the executive director of Ministry Transitions, Inc., a Christian ministry dedicated to helping church leaders and churches plan their future. He is also Emeritus Professor of Ministry Leadership at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Cionca has served as a lead pastor, interim pastor, youth pastor, minister of education, seminar leader, and transitions coach. He has advised over five hundred pastors and ministry leaders and consulted with nearly three hundred congregations. John is the author or editor of ten books, including Before You Move: A Guide to Making Transitions in Ministry; Dear Pastor: Ministry Advice from Seasoned Pastors; Search Counsel: A Devotional Coaching Guide for Call Committees; Solving Christian Education's Ten Toughest Problems; and Teamship: 52 Inspirational Readings for Leaders.
LEONARD G. GOSS led editorial efforts at B&H Publishing Group, Crossway Books, Zondervan Publishing House/HarperCollins Publishers, Mott Publishers, and the Evangelical Book Club. He began his publishing career with John Wiley & Sons, and now with his wife operates GoodEditors.com, a boutique editorial services firm (
www.goodeditors.com). Len is the author of
A Brief Style Guide to Good Writing for Authors and Editors and
A Guide for Authors, Editors, and Proofreaders in the Preparation of Manuscripts. With his wife Carolyn he has authored
The Little Style Guide to Great Christian Writing and Publishing, and with Don M. Aycock he has authored
The Little Handbook to Perfecting the Art of Christian Writing, Writing Religiously, The Christian Writer's Book, and
Inside Religious Publishing. His own faith story is included in the books
Mere Christians and In Their Own Words.
