bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kleinparteien bei den Landtagswahlen in Österreich (1945–2023): eine Analyse der Erfolgsfaktoren
Authors: Träger Hendrik , Samstag Svenja , Rustenbeck Heinrike
Published: March 2024

Einschlägige Befunde der deutschen Parteienforschung aufgreifend, werden alle österreichischen Landtagswahlen seit 1945 hinsichtlich der elektoralen Erfolge von Parteien, die nicht im Nationalrat vertreten waren respektive sind, ausgewertet: Welchen Kleinparteien gelang der (wiederholte) Einzug in die Landesparlamente? Der Beitrag zeigt unter anderem, dass sich die Kleinparteien gegenwärtig in einer Hochphase befinden. Hinsichtlich der Erklärungsfaktoren für die Wahlerfolge wird deutlich, dass das Führungspersonal der Parteien und die Abspaltungen von etablierten Parteien besondere Relevanz haben. Außerdem werden Herausforderungen bei der Übertragung von aus der deutschen Parteienforschung bekannten Konzepten auf Österreich thematisiert.
Dictatorships in Twenty-First-Century Latin America
Authors: Hurtado Osvaldo
Published: March 2024

Written by former President of Ecuador Osvaldo Hurtado, Dictatorships in Twenty-First-Century Latin America explores the most important Latin American political phenomenon to emerge in the first two decades of the twenty-first century: democratic governments elected by citizens have become autocratic governments through the manipulation of the constitutional order and the legislative and judicial functions. Unlike traditional Latin American dictatorships, those of the twenty-first century have not been established by the military but by civilian politicians who were voted into power by the people to govern their countries subject to the provisions of the constitution and the law. Once the leaders assumed the presidency, however, they ignored the constitution under which they were elected and replaced it with one tailored to their political ambitions, using the broad powers assigned to them to remain in power indefinitely. This is what Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, and Nayib Bukele in El Salvador have all done. Hurtado explains the paradox of this new Latin American authoritarian trend occurring when, for the first time in the history of the subcontinent, democratic institutions governed in all countries, with the sole exception of Cuba.
Rising Above Office Conflict
Authors: Fowler Clare E
Published: March 2024

A light hearted guide offering step-by-step advice that empowers readers to understand and overcome the conflicts they face at work.

Building on 20 years of workplace disputes, this book brings practical tools for resolving conflicts right into the employee’s hands. With a humorous and engaging approach, this book is a guide for everyone frustrated at work. The characters described are relatable, and the suggestions are described in a simple, easy-to-adopt plan.

Why is conflict in every workplace? Because there are so many different types of people with different needs, and no idea how to work together. Clare Fowler provides a hilarious overview of 2 wonderful personalities and 18 difficult ones (Micromanager, Chatty Cathy, The Hulk, Inappropriate Ivan, etc.) and gives you strategies for dealing with them. Explaining common processes for resolving conflict, she provides a quick and ready guide for any employee hoping to manage conflict, rise above the fray, and move forward successfully with everyone they work with. She offers suggestions for preventing conflict from reoccurring. Worksheets and solutions explorers will help you to find an easy plan for rising above your office conflict.
When Women Stood
Authors: Allred Alexandra
Published: March 2024

An unapologetically candid and illuminating history of women and their fight for equality, told through the influential world of sports.

From early Amazons to modern-day athletes, women have been fighting for their rightful place in the world. The history of these female athletes—whether warriors on the battlefield or competitors in the sports arena—has often been neglected, yet it is through sports that women have changed society, gaining entry into education, travel, politics, and more.

When Women Stood is an eye-opening chronicle of the amazing women who refused to accept the status quo and fought for something better for themselves and for those who would follow. Featuring exclusive insight from athletes such as Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Kathrine Switzer, Nancy Lieberman, Briana Scurry, and Nancy Hogshead-Maker, this book includes the stories of female football players, Olympic athletes, powerlifters, and soccer stars, of historians, archeologists, crusaders, and scientists.

Women’s sports history cannot be told without also telling the story of the fight for gender and racial equality, economics, medical biases, gay and transgender history, violence, religion, media, abuse, and activism. When Women Stood is the first to go beyond the record books and gold medal counts to truly dig into the vital role women and sports have played in instigating change in society as a whole. And it shows that, despite seemingly unsurmountable odds, the true spirit of the female athlete can never be restrained.
Muhammad Ali
Authors: Shelton Margueritte
Published: March 2024

An intimate portrait of Muhammad Ali that explores his ascent to greatness in the prizefighting ring and his extraordinary accomplishments as a celebrated humanitarian.

Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest boxer of all-time. Yet, outside his record-breaking achievements in the ring, he was admired by millions of people worldwide for his compassionate heart and altruistic endeavors. Throughout his life, Ali demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing justice and freedom that should never be forgotten.

In Muhammad Ali: A Humanitarian Life, Margueritte Shelton shows how the “People’s Champion” transformed his success in the boxing ring into a powerful platform to further his fight against inequality, injustice, and oppressive politics. Ali ascended to greatness during a violent decade of protests and revolutionary movements, and Shelton vividly portrays the personal journey of this bold young dreamer as he pursued athletic glory to become a champion in the ring and a champion for human rights.

Featuring a rare collection of letters as well as exclusive interviews, this book offers unique personal perspectives on the man who became world-renowned as the “Greatest of All Time.” With an emphasis on Ali’s humanitarian endeavors, Muhammad Ali reveals that the champion’s greatest achievement was his lifelong fight to transform the world as a messenger of peace.
State Tax Policy
Authors: Brunori David
Published: March 2024

In the updated fifth edition of State Tax Policy, David Brunori analyzes critical challenges facing state governments. He identifies the important issues and examines possible solutions in formulating and implementing state tax policy. This is the only book that provides students and professionals with a concise, approachable, and up-to-date introduction to the intricacies of state tax policy.
Behind Her Badge
Authors: Dennis Ann Marie
Published: March 2024

I’ve been called a “badass cop” throughout my career but the truth is that isn’t the real me – at least, not how I’ve ever viewed myself. Behind that veneer there has always been an insecure little girl who struggled to find her way in life. I was in search of strength and self-confidence when I entered my law enforcement career, but I ended up suffering new traumas that I was ill prepared to cope with.

I struggled to find success in the tough, gritty, male dominated world of policing. I faced biases, repeated layoffs, and became a seasoned undercover officer working as a prostitute, drug addict, and thief.

I left law enforcement and returned to college, where education and research offered me enlightenment to the realities of policing that I was too submerged into the subculture to see. I was forced to come to grips with the many mistakes and misconceptions I made while working as a police officer and only now do I understand how institutional biases are perpetuating many of the same mistakes I made in policing today.
Surveillance and the Vanishing Individual
Authors: Lindau Juan D.
Published: March 2024

Surveillance and the Vanishing Individual is an investigation into the impact of the spread of digital technologies and practices, and especially the wide-spread practice of mass surveillance, on privacy and personhood. The book argues that the quest for prediction, certainty, and control lying at the heart of the state’s security apparatus destroys an essential component of human dignity and fundamentally undermines liberalism.

The book begins with a discussion of the rise of the digital age and the historical import of this development. Subsequent chapters of the book examine different cultural understandings of privacy, the philosophical discussion of its centrality to human existence, and the form and extent of its legal protection. Lindau explores the reasons behind the rise of mass state surveillance, the modest legal restraints governing its use, and its deployment against activists, protestors, and dissidents and its impact on individuals and on privacy. The book then turns to a discussion of the rise of “surveillance capitalism” and, because this is not just—or even primarily—a U.S. phenomenon, examines the political, social, and other impacts of social media around the world. The book includes a case study discussing the global use of surveillance during the Covid-19 pandemic and the implications of this development before concluding with reflections on the relationship between mass surveillance and liberalism.

The book will appeal equally to readers across the social sciences and philosophy, and to students in courses on privacy, surveillance, and democracy. Lindau expertly explores the social, political, and economic consequences of digitization and one of its essential features – the appropriation and “mining” of ever large troves of personal information. The book primarily focuses on the experience of the United States but includes a comparative cross-national and cross-regional analysis and a discussion of the link between different regime types and state surveillance.
Nothing But the Tooth
Authors: Yang Teresa
Published: March 2024

Readers will enjoy Teresa Yang's "practical approach to smile care" (Booklist) that will make "will make readers’ next trip to the dentist a little less intimidating" (Publishers Weekly).

Provides practical information and advice on topics related to dental and overall health.

Have you ever visited a new dentist and been told you need a “smile makeover,” with the implication that if your teeth were whiter and straighter, you would be more successful and happier? Or maybe you’ve never had a cavity – and now, suddenly, you have a half dozen that require immediate attention. Perhaps you’ve been told you need a root canal or a crown or implant. What are all these things? Which procedure is best for your situation?

Did you leave those offices thinking, “It’s not really bothering me. Do I need to get all this work done?”

Nothing But the Tooth is a ready guide to dental health that answers all your questions and the ones you didn’t even know to ask. It begins with the most important question: how to choose a competent and ethical dentist – and ends with a discussion about technological advances in the dental field. Topics such as the cost of dental treatment, pediatric and geriatric dental needs, and the link between sleep apnea and your mouth are covered. Most importantly, it guides readers to a better understanding of the link between dental and overall health.
Baseball at the Abyss
Authors: Taylor Dan
Published: March 2024

The untold story behind one of baseball’s biggest scandals and the men who saved a tarnished game.

In the winter of 1926, Major League Baseball became enveloped in scandal. Two of baseball’s biggest stars, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, were accused of fixing and betting on games. Sportswriters called the scandal worse than that of the infamous “Black Sox.” The reputation of baseball was in tatters.

In Baseball at the Abyss, Dan Taylor reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how baseball was saved after the banishment of Cobb and Speaker. It was all set in motion by one unlikely individual—Christy Walsh, the business manager for Babe Ruth and baseball’s first player agent. Taylor follows Walsh and Ruth as the agent arranges for the Babe to star in a motion picture and presses for Ruth to hire a fitness guru, change his habits, and train while in Hollywood. The results were astonishing. The scandal was soon forgotten as a reinvigorated Babe Ruth enjoyed his greatest season in 1927, slugging 60 home runs and powering his New York Yankees to heights never seen before.

Baseball at the Abyss features fascinating details of the 1926 scandal and the incredible resurgence of the national pastime when it seemed the game was permanently tarnished. It’s the story of a remarkable year in baseball history and the men who restored glory to a troubled game.
Finding China's Lost Generation
Authors: Israel John
Published: March 2024

In December 1968 Mao Zedong proclaimed that China’s educated urban youth should move to the countryside to be reeducated by the poor and lower middle peasants. Some seventeen million who responded to his call spent the better part of a decade laboring in remote and impoverished regions.

Returning to the cities in the late 1970s, undereducated, unemployed, and manifestly unprepared to contribute to China’s post-Maoist future, the rusticated youth were dubbed the “Lost Generation”. How then, could China transform itself into an economic and military behemoth without the support of an entire generation of educated men and women?

A close look at a group of young Beijingers suggests that at least some of the rusticated millions reentered urban life with assets that enabled them to play a creative role. “The Beijing Fifty-five” were atypical insofar as they had volunteered to carve rubber plantations out of a tropical wilderness on China’s southwest border a year before the wave of involuntary recruits. However, their struggle to survive cultural, political, and physical challenges was typical.

Drawing from the spoken and written testimony of the Fifty-five, this book shows in dramatic detail how “The Lost Generation” survived the tribulations of the Mao years to help build today’s China.
Justice at Trial
Authors: Brosnahan James  J.
Published: March 2024

Follow a trial lawyer’s career through the demanding, often controversial, and suspenseful world of jury trials, tension-filled appeals and the different worlds of courtrooms, jail cells, corporate boardrooms, and law firms. Each of the cases in the nineteen chapters were selected from a total of his 150 jury trials to reflect issues of current importance, including refugees on the Mexican border, gargantuan gender battles inside one of the largest corporations in the world, sexual taboos on national television, accusations of terrorism, government agents who cheat, innocent prisoners in our jails, the constitutional right to speak and print the truth, bringing law to a war zone, poverty and murder on Native American Reservations, current problems of hunger in America, and more.
The Baby Market
Authors: Moody Anne
Published: March 2024

A passionate and revealing examination of the unethical processes taking place within the U.S adoption system today.

Written by the director of an adoption agency and the author of The Children Money Can Buy, The Baby Market illustrates the dramatic changes that have taken place in infant adoption over the past two decades, resulting in what feels like a wild west of adoption in which money is the might that makes right and the law is very hard to find. The book follows the true stories of women who choose adoption for their babies, some of them making this choice multiple times. There are also stories from adoptive parents who relate their experiences with scams, disappointments, emotional and financial exploitation, and the dubious “assistance” of baby brokers. The process of adopting a baby involves struggle, uncertainty, and even heartache but, for many people, somehow manages to end happily when birth and adoptive parents create connections that respectfully and even joyfully meet their need for one another. The Baby Market provides welcome encouragement and much needed information about how to avoid the numerous pitfalls inherent in adoption and offers suggestions for the reform of a corrupted adoption system.
The Holiness of Doubt
Authors: Hoffman Joshua
Published: March 2024

The Holiness of Doubt is a timely and essential contribution to the study of sacred Jewish texts. What does it mean for a book of faith for millions of people to be riddled with the uncertainties evoked by hundreds of questions? Rabbi Joshua Hoffman has chronicled the questions of the Torah and offers personal insights and the accumulated wisdom of interpretations, ancient and modern, to discover the meaning of questions and the holiness of doubt. This book offers the reader a chance to see the wisdom of the Torah refracted through its questions.

Divided according to the weekly Torah portions as traditionally studied in the Jewish community, this book explores the purpose of questions in the text and becomes a unique interpretation of the Torah on its own. There are also summaries for the portions which do not contain questions to explore what impact the absence of questions has on the Torah as a whole.

In confronting doubt, we gain a renewed permission to explore the deepest questions of our time. We can discover, like our ancestors dreamed, that the wisdom of the biblical tradition echoes eternal truth in every generation.
A Lamp for the Dark World
Authors: Sharma Parvati
Published: March 2024

Akbar the Great is a very familiar figure to most Indians. Hailed as a brilliant warrior, a great administrator, and a visionary ruler whose ideas of pluralism and tolerance sought to unify India with all its diversity of peoples and religions, he is also an increasingly contested figure in the national discourse. And familiar though he might be, Akbar is a mystery too, locked in his own legend: a man to admire but difficult to know.

What was Akbar really like—as a child, a father, a friend, a foe? What were his moods like – his anger, his melancholy, his passions and his laughter? How did a thirteen-year-old fatherless boy, surrounded by ambitious advisors and warlords, become one of the world’s most powerful monarchs; and how did he deal with his dizzying rise? Was Akbar a sceptic or did he believe he had divine, miraculous powers?

With revealing psychological insights into Akbar’s complex and magnetic personality, this biography is also the story of how Akbar’s ideas and ideals of kingship evolved through his reign; of how he came to concentrate in himself both political and religious authority; of his instances of megalomania, his doubts, and his yearning for justice. Rich in detail, and with a cast of unforgettable characters, it sparkles with humor and drama too, as it vividly evokes the world he lived in.

Deeply researched and beautifully written, Parvati Sharma’s portrait of Akbar the Great brings alive as never before a man imperfect and extraordinary, who ruled for fifty years and has lived in the Indian imagination for close to half a millennium.
Knowledge as a Feeling
Authors: Swanson Troy A.
Published: March 2024

Much of information science theory assumes a type of rationality in how individuals process the world around them but the impact of misinformation and disinformation along with the polarization of society into competing information factions calls for new understandings around our relationships to information. Advances in neuroscience and psychology shed new light on how the brain processes information using both conscious and unconscious systems. Current theory in neuroscience emphasizes that the mind is not a unified whole but a network of networks constructing reality to anticipate needs. Knowledge is not a rational process but centers around the feeling of knowing which is the net output of competing brain processes. The feeling of knowing assumes a group context and offers a social epistemological stance that judges knowledge within this group context. With knowledge built into groups, power dynamics allow work to be accomplished but also privilege some group members over others.

The feeling of knowing has significant implications for information science challenging theoreticians and practitioners to reconsider how individuals process information. For information behavior, the feeling of knowing offers a fuller picture looking at conscious and unconscious processing in the production of knowledge. For information literacy, the feeling of knowing sheds light on how individuals evaluate information and synthesize new sources into their existing knowledge. Ultimately, the feeling of knowing leads us toward new reflective and metacognitive tools that help meet this moment in the evolution of our information ecosystem.

This book explores the idea that knowing is a feeling that results from the interactions of the brain’s unconscious and conscious processes and not through the accumulation of facts. It's intended to help librarians, educators, and information scientists better understand what neuroscience and psychology are teaching about what it means to know and how our brain learns.
The Connected Species
Authors: Williams Mark A.
Published: March 2024

Human beings have succeeded as the most dominant species on earth in large part due to our need to connect and cooperate. It was our ability to socialize and connect that catapulted our species to phenomenal heights of innovation, through collaboration and specialization. This drive has fine-tuned our unconscious perception of faces, facial expressions, body language, and touch. Our primitive drive to connect changes how we perceive the world and the people around us. We see, hear, empathize with, and understand others differently depending on whether they are a member of our in-group or not. This unconscious drive to connect can draw us together, but it also emphasizes the differences between groups. And it is getting worse, as overcrowding, technology, and the media often focus us on our differences. We become more and more divided into groups as a result.

Here, Mark Williams shows us how to recapture the drive for connection in a way that will help us look past our differences and reconnect, even with those whom we perceive to be outside our groups. He starts by discussing the human brain’s specialization for connection and how it evolved, and the fascinating way we automatically process the thoughts and feelings of others. He focuses on how connection works in practice and why it is important for learning, innovating, health and wellbeing. He then explores the negative consequences of our drive for connection and explains how it contributes to racism, sexism, nationalism, and many other social issues of our day, as well as its impact on our individual health and wellbeing. He ends with a positive perspective by examining how we can use our drive for connection to expand our in-group and extend multicultural societies for the good of our planet.
Data Duped
Authors: Gibson Derek W. , Camm Jeffrey D.
Published: March 2024

Gives you the superpower to be a healthy skeptic when consuming data and information.

Data Duped is a book about how we are commonly deceived by numbers in our everyday lives. From lotteries, product warranties, and weight loss fads to misleading headlines and social media posts, there is no shortage of confusing or misleading information. Numbers are used to manipulate our decisions and impact our lives in ways that may not be immediately apparent. Data Duped will help you avoid being fooled by these messages and to develop a sense of ‘data defense’ by learning what types of questions to ask and how to maintain a healthy level of curiosity and data skepticism.

Data Duped guides readers to discern the differences between the plausible and the ridiculous along a journey of informed critical thinking and data literacy. With historical parallels alongside practical and relatable examples, readers will learn how to spot the ‘malarkey’ from the truth and how to avoid being hoodwinked by misinformation.
Guarding the Caesars
Authors: Sheldon Rose Mary
Published: March 2024

Guarding the Caesars is the story of the survival of the Flavian emperors in Rome. The dynasty produced three of the most famous and productive rulers in the Roman Empire. Vespasian built the Colosseum. Titus won the Great Jewish War of 66–70, and his men were responsible for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Domitian, perhaps Rome’s greatest builder, is responsible for many of the buildings we connect with Rome today. He was without a doubt among the most controversial of all Roman rulers and the subject of much debate still today.

The Flavian dynasty begins with the death of the four successors to the Julio-Claudians and ends with the dramatic assassination of Domitian in his own palace. In between, there are numerous attempts to kill the sitting emperor. Seventy-five percent of all Roman emperors died of assassination—the highest rate of any monarchy in the world. This is the story of how the emperors’ security services tried to keep three of them alive.
A Storied Past: Collections of the Historic Odessa
Authors: Zimmerman Philip
Published: March 2024

A Storied Past: Collections of the Historic Odessa captures the historical character and significance of two important late-18th-century houses, each of which retains a high percentage of original furnishings and locally made objects. Over the past several years, the collections have undergone careful examination and interpretation. One hundred are published along with four interpretive chapters. Relatively few historic sites have received this level of investigative treatment. Additionally, several of the hitherto-unpublished objects relate to others already in the decorative and fine arts lexicon.

Using rich archival and genealogical sources, Philip D. Zimmerman brings to light here for the first time an extraordinary array of decorative and fine arts from the collections at the Historic Odessa Foundation. This well-documented group of family objects provides an intimate glimpse into the daily life of members of the Corbit and Wilson families in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and also sheds light on the history of Odessa, Delaware, and the larger region. Particularly strong holdings of furniture made by John Janvier and his talented sons and nephew allow informative contrasts with products made in Delaware, Phil­adelphia, and elsewhere. Needlework and other textiles made by Corbit and Wilson women char­acterize their handiwork. Other objects tell other stories. Some, labeled by their nineteenth-century owners for posterity, document evolving trends in early collecting and historic preservation. The richly illustrated book includes more than 200 photographs, including many details and historic images, along with careful physical descriptions and historical documentation. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, A Storied Past illuminates a wealth of furnishings, works of art, and artifacts with common provenances and interlocking histo­ries and places them into the artistic, social, and historical contexts of their time.

The collections documented here furnish the Corbit-Sharp (1774) and Wilson-Warner (1769) houses, built on adjoining lots by a tanner and a merchant and now maintained by the Historic Odessa Foundation. Subsequent generations valued and preserved the two houses and many furnish­ings. The Wilson house opened in 1923 as the first historic house museum in Delaware. The Corbit house remained in family hands until H. Rodney Sharp bought it in 1938 to preserve it. Furniture owned in the family of John Janvier, the noted cabi­netmaker in Odessa, was added in the 1970s, and the Foundation has continued to acquire Corbit and Wilson family furnishings as well as locally made furniture in the years since.

Those interested in historic houses and late 18th and early 19th century life, American antique collectors (especially of furniture), and those with local interests will find this book interesting.
How To Build Relationships in the Music Industry
Authors: Hovinga Arlette
Published: March 2024

Musicians: are you frustrated with promoters and other industry people leaving your emails unanswered? Do you wish to promote your projects but don’t know how to approach the right people?

Promoters are often overwhelmed by hundreds of emails a day so getting that first moment of contact just right can be daunting. Emails are sometimes drafted poorly; social media presence is either lacking or spammy; and there is no real aim other than pushing for immediate results—except that isn’t how the industry works: We are not in the sales business. We are in the people business.

That is the mantra of this book. Featuring interviews with dozens of industry professionals—many with diverse backgrounds and from across the globe— How to Build Relationships in the Music Industry presents valuable insights, do’s, don’ts, tips, and anecdotes that will help any musician present their next project in a way that works in the long term. Arlette Hovinga helps all musicians understand key characteristics of effective, professional communication in the music business which will ultimately lead to better relationships, more bookings, and a stronger following.
Behavioral Covenants in Congregations
Authors: Rendle Gil
Published: March 2024

This down-to-earth workbook gets to the heart of modern congregational life: how to live creatively together despite differences of age, race, culture, opinion, gender, theological or political position. Alban Senior Consultant Gil Rendle explains how to grow by valuing our differences rather than trying to ignore or blend them. He describes a method of establishing behavioral covenants that includes leadership instruction, training tools, resources (visual models, examples of specific covenants), small-group exercises, plans for meetings and retreats.
Called for Life
Authors: Clayton Paul C.
Published: March 2024

Called for Life reflects on our calling to serve God and neighbor in the context of retirement. People facing retirement ask a variety of questions, each framed by a different perspective. "Will I ever be interested in retiring?" some baby boomers ask. "Who am I now?" newly retired clergy ask. "What, if anything, is God calling me to do and be after retirement?" all inquire. This book is built on the assumption that most people don't want to spend the last third of their lives doing nothing. What they want is a life that is worth living, an occupation that will help others, and a retirement in which they can continue to exercise their calling. Clayton uses examples from his own experience and from others, laity and clergy, to explore retirement and the three components of our calling: our identity, our gifts, and our occupation. He also examines the role of community in our calling and retirement, the challenges of the transition into retirement, options for meaningful activity, the importance of identifying our purpose, doing and being in retirement, and the final call to death. Readers will be encouraged to see retirement as an opportunity to do what they have always wanted to do and to become the kind of person they have wanted to be.
Choosing the Kingdom
Authors: Dally John  A.
Published: March 2024

Today the Christian faith is moving through one of the greatest sea changes in its two thousand year history, and we can no longer assume we know exactly what kind of animal preaching is or ought to be. Choosing the Kingdom is both a work of theology and a how-to guide for preachers who want to rethink both the form and the content of their preaching to move a congregation from maintenance to mission. As a post-Christendom church reorients itself toward the mission of God, what might preaching look like? If we're truly living through one of the great sea changes in the history of the Christian faith, can preaching remain the same? Do we speak as bureaucrats in an imperial hierarchy, anticipating automatic acceptance of our message, or as servants of the reign of God, bringing news of God's activity in history as fresh as today's headlines? Is the announcement of the gospel a demand for submission or an invitation to wisdom? Choosing the Kingdom explores these issues and offers an entirely new orientation to sermon preparation. It offers concrete suggestions for a reconception of preaching for those whose imaginations have already been captured by the possibilities inherent in a missional identity.
Church on the Edge of Somewhere
Authors: Thompson George B.
Published: March 2024

Most congregations today exist in what George Thompson calls the "middle of anywhere." They live comfortably with their surrounding culture, focusing their energies on serving the needs of their current members. These congregations have many strengths and gifts that they can exercise without changing a thing. But Thompson envisions a deeper, more prophetic call for congregations to explore the meaning of being in the world but not of it--a church on the "edge of somewhere." Thompson sees a church that is deeply engaged in ministering to the community while calling on others to commit to doing the same. By analyzing the interaction between a congregation's focus of identity and their stance with the world, Thompson has created a helpful grid for congregations to place themselves on today's cultural map. A congregation that sees itself as existing on the margins of society will look different than one that sees itself as embedded in society. A congregation that hears a call to serve the surrounding community will look different from one that focuses on its internal needs. Knowing where they stand now is the key for congregations to discover where they must go in the future to fully live out their call to be God's people in the world.
Community Ministry
Authors: Dudley Carl S.
Published: March 2024

In this era of "faith-based initiatives," congregations increasingly find themselves in the business of establishing and supporting community ministries-daycare for infants and toddlers, respite care for elders, and programs for housing rehab and home repair, tutoring, and social justice advocacy. In this volume, Carl S. Dudley revises and updates his earlier book, Basic Steps toward Community Ministry, which Loren Mead called "the most valuable book on parish ministry I've seen in a decade."
Entering the World of the Small Church
Authors: Pappas Anthony G.
Published: March 2024

This demonstrates amazingly, with unflinching honesty and a wonderfully redeeming sense of humor, a resource especially helpful in motivating change and growth by mobilizing the natural strengths of small churches. For you who have been looking for a reliable guide to interpret the world of the small church, look no further since this provides all the insights you need. Includes images and models and strategies that reflect the profound uniqueness of the small church. It clearly shows leaders how to lead within the dynamics and culture of the small congregation. This is theologically sound and eminently practical. A must reading for anyone who is or plans to be a leader in a small church. Excellent for small roup study.
Feeding the Flock
Authors: Chandler Russell
Published: March 2024

Comparing running a church as to running a restaurant.
From Nomads to Pilgrims
Authors: Bass Diana Butler , Stewart-Sicking J.
Published: March 2024

In The Practicing Congregation (Alban, 2004), Diana Butler Bass explored the phenomenon of "intentional congregations," an emerging style of congregational vitality in which churches creatively and intentionally re-appropriate traditional Christian practices such as hospitality, discernment, contemplative prayer, and testimony. Against the steady flow of stories highlighting "mainline decline," The Practicing Congregation suggested that there is a new and often overlooked renaissance occurring in mainline Protestant churches. The success of The Practicing Congregation made it clear that the next step was to provide examples that would illustrate the concepts laid out in that initial work. In From Nomads to Pilgrims, the editors continue to build this narrative, gathering specific stories of congregational vitality and transformation from participants in their research at the Project on Congregations of Intentional Practice, a Lilly Endowment Inc. funded study at Virginia Theological Seminary. Including stories from a variety of faith traditions across the U.S., From Nomads to Pilgrims explores: how intentional congregations develop ; how they negotiate the demands of interpreting traditional Christian practices in a postmodern culture ; how these practices lead to congregational and personal transformation. Each chapter is an instructive case study, illustrating a unique expression of the vitality experienced by a congregation that intentionally reclaims a traditional Christian practice. The pastors who have been involved in these congregations’ stories share their practical wisdom gained through the experience of leading these churches.- how intentional congregations develop- how they negotiate the demands of interpreting traditional Christian practices in a postmodern culture- how these practices lead to congregational and personal transformation.
Heart, Mind, and Strength
Authors: Jones Jeffrey D.
Published: March 2024

Leadership, observes Jeffrey Jones, is never about you. What happens to you as a leader stems from a vast array of issues and dynamics over which you have little or no control. Leadership, Jones also insists, is always about you--Christ's disciple, part of the system, an individual with your own anxieties and a personal life that shapes both your personhood and your relationships.Heart, Mind, and Strength is about dealing with the tension between these two realities. What we know is important. So is who we are--maybe even more so. Of course, admits Jones, no book can tell u s everything we need to know about leadership--the "what" of it. And certainly no book can shape our personhood--the "who" of leadership. Jones, however, shares both theoretical and practical insights that will inform the "what' and influence the "who" of your leadership in transformative ways. Jones organizes the book around the daily practices of leadership, treating it as both a skill and an art. Heart, Mind, and Strength will enhance your practice of ministry by providing well-grounded theory related to the practical concerns you encounter in the daily work of balancing what you know with who you are.
Imagining Church
Authors: Shockley Gary A. , Shockley Kim
Published: March 2024

Imagination is one of the great gifts bestowed on us by our Creator, observe authors Gary and Kim Shockley, and it can be the spark that ignites a fire of change in our lives. Drawing on their more than thirty years of pastoral and church consulting experience, the Shockleys illustrate the power of imagination using personal stories born of their own quest to be faithful in ministry. They also show readers that imagining church is a shared experience among God's people. When we imagine the church--forming a mental image of what we believe the church is and ought to be--we are co-creators with the Master Designer, Chief Architect, and Greatest Creator, and can help others imagine church. They remind leaders, "If you can't see it, neither will anyone else." The Shockleys outline how we in the church are now laborers in a new kind of vineyard--one that requires a new way of thinking and acting in our postmodern world. They invite readers to step into the flow of God's activity and, using the gifts God has given us, cooperate in the work of ministry and mission. Rather than suggesting one model or process for church effectiveness ("do it this way and grow"), Imagining Church helps congregational leaders to think more imaginatively about how God is at work in our present ministry contexts. This will help to open ourselves anew to the Spirit of God--the Divine Artist--who is ready to fuel our desire to be the co-creators we are meant to be for the sake of the church.
In Search of the Unchurched
Authors: Klaas Alan  C.
Published: March 2024

What's working and not working in your congregation? You'll explore the factors that inspired and motivated changes to reverse decline as other congregations wrestled with the same issues you're facing: ministry to current members, ministry to the unchurched, worship, changing neighborhoods, and more.
Ministry Greenhouse
Authors: Hillman, George  M.
Published: March 2024

Known as "the internship guy" at Dallas Theological Seminary where he teaches, George Hillman talks daily with students about God's movement in their lives. The goal of Ministry Greenhouse is to help seminary and Bible college students, their supervisors, and the lay leaders who work with them create the best environment for leadership development through a beneficial internship. An internship is not busy work or cheap labor but is instead fundamental to the development of a leader. Hillman first makes a case for internships, arguing that the purpose of the seminary or Bible college is to train both theologians and practitioners. He explores the meaning of "call," identifies the ingredients of a successful internship, discusses strategies for establishing goals for an internship, and offers guidance for reflecting on learning during an internship. Hillman also provides tools for identifying competencies and sample goals. A great internship experience places a student in an environment where God can work through him or her in the lives of other people an din the student's own life to develop calling, character, and competencies. Ministry Greenhouse shows students, their supervisors, and the congregations and other organizations they serve how they can create just such an environment.
Playlist Judaism
Authors: Olitzky Kerry M.
Published: March 2024

"Every Jewish institution," writes Kerry Olitzky, "is undergoing significant change and is in danger of becoming irrelevant to the majority of North American Jews. All these institutions will have to reimagine themselves if they are to survive and grow. And the most numerous of these institutes is also the most vulnerable: the synagogue."

The synagogue as we know it developed in response to a variety of needs, often in an attempt to create new communities for education and assembly as populations moved from urban centers to the suburbs. These needs have changed, and the synagogue is no longer the center of social and professional life. Change is necessary, but what a synagogue that serves the new needs of American Jewish religious life look like?

In Playlist Judaism, Kerry Olitzky offers provocative proposals to help synagogues face today s challenges, from turning the synagogue inside out so that it is reaching out to the community around it, to recognizing intermarriage as an opportunity for synagogues, and encouraging synagogues not to forget the Boomers. It is an engaging look at what creative thinking has to offer congregations today. In his foreword, Ron Wolfson says that the book will provide "leadership teams with a plethora of practical proposals to chart an exciting and engaging future for their congregations."
Preventing Sexual Abuse in Congregations
Authors: McClintock Karen A.
Published: March 2024

Are you ready to abuse-proof your congregation? If one child or adult is spared the confusing ordeal of unwanted touch, it will be worth your time to read this book. In this comprehensive resource, Methodist pastor and pastoral psychologist Karen McClintock demonstrates that sexual abuse in congregations is preventable and gives clergy and lay leaders the tools they need to prevent it. This book shows congregations how to protect children and vulnerable adults, prevent sexual harassment either by clergy or of clergy, and strengthen clergy families by raising awareness of the occupational and emotional risks inherent in pastoral ministry. When you have finished this book, you will be familiar with the conditions in parishes and in the mental health of the individuals within them that lead to risky behaviors. You will be equipped to recognize and set sexual boundaries for yourself and to open dialogue about these issues in your congregation. You will have laughed at, celebrated, and honored human sexual power, pleasure, and vulnerability. You will have gained the knowledge you need, and perhaps the courage, to communicate these ideas within your congregation so that children and vulnerable adults are protected.
Rekindling the Mainline
Authors: Compton Stephen C.
Published: March 2024

Not only do new church starts in significant numbers bring systemic change and renewal to mainline denominations, but new church development brings similar change to individual aging congregations in their vicinity. Author Stephen Compton argues that a decline in new church starts in the last half of the 20th century was the major contributor to the decline of mainline church groups—not liberalism or lack of faith, as is often cited. He shows in this book how introducing considerable numbers of new congregations into these old denominations can cause these venerable institutions to revisit the meaning of "church" and "congregation," develop a clearer vision of their collective mission, and grow in their ability to bring about positive change in the world. In effect, he contends, new churches in an aging organization do not merely make it grow. They make it change in ways that make it more effective in its mission and ministries. This book will appeal to leaders across denominational lines, including those not ordinarily called "mainline," and especially to pastors and leaders of older congregations.
Stilling the Storm
Authors: Smith Kathleen S.
Published: March 2024

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 congregations. 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 situation, Stilling the Storm is an important resource for all congregations of all worship traditions.