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From 1939 to 1968 the Judicial Council of the former Methodist Church rendered Decision Numbers 1-255. This and other volumes of decisions are listed below. These are generally published in book format each quadrennium following The General Conference. In the interim between the quadrennial editions the most recent decisions are included in The General Minutes each year. All Judicial Council Decisions can be found on the Internet at www.umc.org. DECISIONS JUDICIAL COUNCIL 1940-1968, 1-255, ISBN 9780687104055 DECISIONS JUDICIAL COUNCIL 1968-1988, 301-609, ISBN 9780687104109 DECISIONS JUDICIAL COUNCIL 1989-1992, 610-684, ISBN 9780687104116 DECISIONS JUDICIAL COUNCIL 1993-1996, 685-798, ISBN 9780687058143 DECISIONS JUDICIAL COUNCIL 1997-2000, 799-905, ISBN 9780687026968

..." will undoubtedly stimulate debate among readers of this challenging prophetic book."

John Wesley's Life & Ethics offers a comprehensive analysis of John Wesley's personal and social ethical thought. Ronald Stone places Wesley in a social location and examines his ethical thought biographically. He argues that in the case of John Wesley, the Christian traditions provide a biblically informed deontological ethic of love. This ethic is grounded in the Christian community to form the individual and in social reform to transform the nation within the limits of Christian realism concerning human nature and social order. The volume covers Wesley's complete ethical reflection and teaching and, at appropriate points, places them in comparative perspective to other 18th century ethics and social thought contributors. Ethical topics addressed include abortion, vocation, family, money, social nature of humanity, politics, economics, imperial relations, and war and peace. This book will be a supplementary text in Ethics classes, primarily in United Methodist schools. It will also be a useful text in Methodist history classes. Methodist scholars and pastors interested in a social biography of Wesley will want to own this book.

Here are twenty tested church-growth strategies that have been implemented by church consultant William Easum with more than 4,000 church leaders across the United States and Canada. The Church Growth Handbook provides diagnostic tools, which now can be used with The Complete Ministry Audit, also by Easum.

The first volume of a 3 volume series of studies organized into 13-sessions each.> Leader material is interspersed within the book. Sessions include: What Can I Discover About Christian Faith? What Can I Know About God? How Can I Understand Jesus? What Can I Believe About the Holy Spirit? What Is the Bible? How Can the Bible Help Me? Does the Bible Mean What I think it Means? How Can I Make Sense Out of Evil? What Can I Believe About the Devil? What Do the Church and the Bible Teach About Life After Death? What Is the Second Coming? What Is Sin?>

"Mission" has become, for North American Christians, an ambiguous and often uncomfortable term. The power of the idea of mission is that it defines those specific actions of God which proclaim the gospel and build God's kingdom.

Living Grace is the most comprehensive expression of systematic theology for United Methodism to appear in the 1990's. It meets the long-felt need to provide partners in ecumenical dialog a clearer exposition of Methodism's theology, as founded upon biblical witness, apostolic heritage, the Protestant Reformation, and the Wesleyan Revival.

In Prayer and the Common Life, pioneering theologian Georgia Harkness argues that in response to the troubles of the world around us--one that is consumed with materialism, constantly at war, and filled with social injustices of all kinds--what is most needed is a revitalization of "vital, God-centered, intelligently grounded" prayer. Instead of prayer that merely insulates one from the world, focusing on psychological states or absolving a person from taking action, Harkness advocates prayer that "makes a difference in the common life"--that is, prayer that transforms both the person praying and the world for which he or she prays. The problem, says Harkness, is that many people simply have never experienced this kind of transforming prayer and have become skeptical about the effectiveness of prayer in their lives. She therefore describes "vital" prayer from three directions. The "foundations" of prayer relate prayer to the basic structures of Christian faith and show how prayer includes elements of adoration, thanksgiving, confession, petition, intercession, commitment, assurance, and ascription to Christ. The "methods" of prayer include hindrances to prayer as well as suggestions of how it may be engaged in both private devotions and congregational worship. And the "fruits" of prayer center on the ways vital, transforming prayer can contribute to peace in one's life and in the world. Written in the same accessible style that characterizes her other works, Georgia Harkness's Prayer and the Common Life addresses concerns that are still relevant to today's readers. "Scholarship and fine writing are united with a devotional approach to the supreme experience available to the human soul." -- Christian Herald "One of the most simple, comprehensive, and helpful books on prayer that we have." -- Journal of Bible and Religion "This marches straight toward its goal, which is to provide a manual ... for people who want to pray but know not how." -- Christian Century "This book is a rare combination of information and inspiration. It answers the whats, whys, and hows of prayer. It will inspire the slothful to new zeal in prayer; it will help the dissatisfied to find satisfaction in prayer; it will give the zealous new joy in prayer. . . . Deserves a place in every preacher's library." -- Review and Expositor

The temptation to focus only on their own internal problems and issues is powerful for congregations. Without realizing it, even churches that have a long tradition of outreach and social involvement become centered on issues of institutional survival and preservation. Worst of all are congregations that adopt a "fortress mentality," addressing the larger community rarely, and only in the "language of Zion" when they do. This tendency to isolation and insularity flies directly in the face of the gospel imperative to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Christian congregations exist as God's redeeming presence in the communities in which they are located. If churches are to live as though they take that seriously, they must learn to give themselves away to the community. The focus of every ministry and program must be to reach and make disciples of the unchurched. In this book, Paul Nixon paints a picture of what community based ministry is all about. Drawing on his experiences within a congregation that has seen twenty-five years of increased worship attendance, he lays out practical steps that churches can take to plant themselves firmly within the lives of the communities they serve. He demonstrates how churches can organize their facilities to become community centers, establish multiple locations for ministry throughout the community, and empower every member to become a minister of the congregation. Written with an infectious sense of hope, this book will become a critical tool for church leaders seeking to transform their congregations into outward-looking bodies of witness.

Churches know that if they are to reach people raised in an electronic culture, they must use the tools that this culture makes available. For people accustomed to checking their e-mail hourly, surfing the Internet daily, and receiving most if not all of their information through electronic media, our customary reliance on the printed page and the spoken word will no longer be good enough. Yet, recognizing this, where do you start? How does a congregation with little or no experience in the daunting world of the Web, projection technology, and computer presentations begin? Faced with too many choices and too little prior knowledge, congregations are opting not to use the new tools that electronic culture makes available, hence bypassing opportunities to spread the gospel and make disciples. John Jewell studies the issue confronting most congregations: the crucial question of knowing the appropriate ways to begin to use the new electronic media. In this helpful and practical guide, he offers simple incremental steps that churches can take to expand their ministries through electronic media. He outlines basic tools that are required to set up the congregational web page, focusing on software and designs that those with little or no experience in Web artistry can employ. He reviews different kinds of projection systems, understanding that most church budgets are not capable of purchasing the largest, most state-of the art equipment to start with. He explains how PowerPoint [MicroSoft trademark] and other presentation software can greatly enhance and extend the teaching and preaching ministry of the church, laying down fundamental principles for clean, simple, effective presentations. Animating all of the author's discussion is his concern that people start where they are, rather than insisting on an 'all or nothing' approach.

The reading of Scripture holds a central place in Christian worship. Every week the Word of God becomes flesh again as the words of the biblical text are read aloud. Those who take on the responsibility of reading Scripture in public do so knowing its importance, but rarely having the chance to train in how to do it better. Most readers have never been given the opportunity to consider how each act of public reading of Scripture is an interpretation of the text, nor have they been given the tools for an effective and faithful reading performance. These are the tools that Clay Schmit seeks to offer in this practical guide to the public reading of Scripture. He begins with a brief overview of the meaning and importance of the spoken word in worship. He then goes on to provide practical, detailed instructions on how to understand the text for reading, practice reading it aloud with proper emphasis, and deliver it in such a way that it becomes alive to the congregation. The book concludes with several appendices, including a pronunciation guide for biblical words and an annotated bibliography that will point the reader in the direction of further study.

Chances are, no church is immune to the drug demographics in America. Pointing out that addiction is a pervasive problem in North American society, Lynn Dann provides pastors and other pastoral caregivers with crucial help in understanding the needs of the addicted, their families, and the congregations of which they are a part. He draws on years of experience as a pastor and a certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor to offer practical guidance on how to recognize the addicted and minister effectively to them. Dann begins by outlining, in clear and accessible terms, the best contemporary thinking on the nature of addiction. From there he moves to a discussion of the particular resources that Christian churches can add to the treatment of addiction and the support of the addicted and their families. Finally, he includes tools for preaching and teaching on the nature of our drug-obsessed culture and biblical themes related to the care of the addicted. Those who are just beginning in pastoral ministry, as well as those who have engaged in it for many years, will find this an invaluable resource for knowing how to deal with this tragic and increasingly prevalent problem.