Ministry Mantras: Language for Cultivating Kingdom Culture

Briggs and Hyatt (Eldership and the Mission of God) team up again to produce a collection of sayings they recognize as wise, truthful, compelling, and memorable, and that encompass basic principles of ministry, for the purpose of making concrete spiritual tools easily accessible to busy church leaders. Acknowledging the power of language to create culture, they argue that an intentional shared vocabulary that speaks "to what we value most" will empower "a local Jesus community." The book divides into two main sections, one for leaders and one for the community, with subsections of two or three pages on useful focus phrases. For example, for leaders, the topic "Pastoral Care" includes "Don't wonder when you can just ask"; for the community, the topic "Conflict" features "Disagree without disengaging." The authors rightly claim that although these phrases are simple, they're not "bumper sticker theology," and illustrate each nugget of wisdom with stories from their own ministry contexts and reflections on scripture. These pages contain much practical guidance that church leaders of many denominations may find spiritually thought-provoking and useful in engaging faithfully with their own congregations. (Dec.)