- Open Source Church, by the Rev. Landon Whitsitt. Core ideas found at: http://www.alban.org/bookdetails.aspx?id=9574
- Good to Great and the Social Sectors, by Jim Collins, found at: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Social-Sectors-Monograph/dp/0977326403/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308682010&sr=1-1 or http://amzn.to/mSTdm6
- The Great Emergence, by Phyllis Tickle. A wonderful long-term context setter for all the turmoil going on now in Christianity. Found at: http://amzn.to/kVH85r.
- Three books from PCUSA Research Services: A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations, Beyond the Ordinary: Ten Strengths of U.S. Congregations and Places of Promise: Finding Strength in Your Congregation’s Location.
Web sites:
- http://www.stmaa.net/?q=content/let%E2%80%99s-build-house-all-are-welcome, the strategic plan Leta Anderson, our professional planner, helped lead for St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Or, if this is easier, it’s at: http://bit.ly/lAK0m0
- http://www.newchicagochurch.com/ New Church, Chicago.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U A video about new paradigms in education with possible lessons for our task force
- http://www.alban.org/ The Alban Institute, which consults with churches on many subjects
- http://www.pcusa.org/news/2010/12/21/wcrc-drafts-programmatic-objectives-next-6-years/, or http://bit.ly/iS07hf. We’re not the only ones doing a strategic plan. So is the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
- http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/today/what-presbyterians-believe-special-issue/, or http://bit.ly/mc2gUk. The new “What Presbyterians Believe” special issue of Presbyterians Today magazine.
- http://www.pcusa.org/resource/us-congregational-life-survey-fastest-growing-pres or http://bit.ly/juqt7s. A PCUSA pdf to browse, 20 pages of graphs and statistics showing what growing churches do differently than others.
- http://www.patheos.com/community/breyeschow/2011/06/22/we-are-presbyterian-2011-videos/ or at http://bit.ly/ivcja6. This is the “We Are Presbyterian” video project.
- http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=9687 = An Alban Institute piece about “Reimagining Organization” by Donald Zimmer.
- http://churchfromscratch.org/stop-starting-with-church = A YouTube video about new thinking about church.
- http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=9740 = An Alban Institute piece about doing good ministry in an old urban setting.