Bearing Fruit: Ministry with Real Results

Thousands of congregations are in serious trouble. Children are not being taught the faith. Disciples are not being made. Lives are not being transformed. The poor are not being blessed. Communities are not being redeemed. These congregations know something is terribly wrong. And in most cases, the problems have little to do with the pastor's prayer life or whether the pastor takes weekly Sabbath time. In fact, in many of these churches members deeply respect their pastors as sincerely spiritual people of utmost personal faith and integrity. But they need more from their pastoral leaders. They need leaders who define ministry in terms of fruitfulness as well as faithfulness. They need pastors and lay leaders who ask about the outcomes of any given ministry or program, not just its process. Mostly, they need a vision of ministry that focuses on changing people's lives. Absent that vision, ministry will fail. In Bearing Fruit, Lovett Weems and Tom Berlin provide readers with the tools they need to assess the fruit their ministry bears in the lives of their congregations, their communities, and the world.

Author: Tom Berlin,Lovett H. Jr. Weems
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: 02/01/2011
Pages: 128
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.40lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781426715907

About the Author
Weems, Lovett H., Jr.: - Lovett H. Weems Jr. is distinguished professor of church leadership emeritus and senior consultant of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Weems was the founding director of the Lewis Center in 2003, coming to the position after eighteen years as president of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. A native of Mississippi, he was a local church pastor in that state for many years. He is the author of several books from Abingdon Press, including a revised edition of his classic, Church Leadership: Vision, Team, Culture, and Integrity. He co-edits the online newsletter "Leading Ideas."Berlin, Tom: - Tom Berlin serves as a Bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. Prior to being elected Bishop, he served as lead pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in suburban Washington, D.C. Tom is a graduate of Virginia Tech and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is the author of numerous books, including Reckless Love, Courage, Restored, Defying Gravity, The Generous Church, and the coauthor (with Lovett Weems) of Bearing Fruit, Overflow, and High Yield.