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.

• Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory
• Impact: Reclaiming the Call of Lay Ministry
• Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations: Revised and Updated
• Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry (Transforming Resources)
• Not Safe for Church: Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations
• A Beautiful Mess: How God Re-Creates Our Lives
• The New Pastor's Guide to Leading Worship
• Living Our Beliefs: The United Methodist Way
• The Art of Teaching the Bible: A Practical Guide for Adults
• Glorify: Reclaiming the Heart of Progressive Christianity