Resources

Stilling the Storm: Worship and Congregational Leadership in Difficult Times
(The Alban Institute, 2006)

Description
When congregations go through difficult times, worship will both reflect and influence those difficulties. The practice of worship itself can be a key part of the congregation's healing process. Teacher and consultant Kathleen Smith successfully demonstrates this truth in Stilling the Storm, a book for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the ways that worship intertwines with the life and health of a congregation.

There are three main types of difficulty congregations can face: times of crisis, transition, and conflict. Smith considers their differences, similarities, and implications for worship, and explains the congregational dynamics that accompany such times and the roles that leaders play. She reviews basic principles of worship and the ways that unique moments and regular habits of worship shape the congregation. For each type of difficulty she suggests important themes for congregations and their worship planners.

Smith explores the wide range of liturgical resources available for congregations going through difficult times and how those resources can best be shaped to fit the specific situation they are experiencing. A perceptive guide to the worship we offer to God in all times and situations, Stilling the Storm is an important resource for congregations of all worship traditions.

Author
Kathleen S. Smith is the Director of Continuing Education for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and Calvin Theolgical Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She leads workshops on worship and leadership for pastors and congregations and teaches ministry courses to seminary students.

Endorsements
"Combining pastoral sensitivity with liturgical and theological insight, Smith has crafted a very fine resource for pastors and congregations as they walk together through hard times."
-Christine D. Pohl, Professor of Social Ethics, Asbury Theological Seminary

Vital Worship, Healthy Congregations Series with The Alban Institute
This series is designed to call attention to instructive examples of congregational life and to explore these examples in ways that allow readers in very different communities to compare and contrast these examples with their own practice.  To find all the books in this series, go to Publications and under "Publisher," select "Alban Institute."

Book description from The Alban Institute