SPE History

Begun in 2002 through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Memphis Theological Seminary, Sustaining Pastoral Excellence is a ministry to support Christian pastors, their families, and their congregations...


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What we are learning 

Excellence in pastoral ministry is a gift of the healing and sustaining grace of God in the life of the whole person. Through faithful relatedness to God and others, good pastors maintain balance (wholeness) in their lives and ministries. 

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Taking a Break from the Lord's Work

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Body and Soul (From Faith and Leadership)

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All around the Church: Improving a Congregation's Health in Every Corner of the Building (From Hope

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Sustaining Pastoral Excellence

Archived RESOURCES


Parish Nursing

Resources on Parish Nursing (from Hope and Healing) http://www.hopeandhealing.org/parishnurses.aspx


Young Adults

Study on religion finds young adults less affiliated but not less believing (LA Times article)

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/22/local/la-me-beliefs22-2010feb22

  

Religion among the Millennials – from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
http://pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx  
 

Survey: 72% of Millennials 'more spiritual than religious' (USA Today article)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-04-27-1Amillfaith27_ST_N.htm  

  


2009 Book of the Year - Academy of Parish Clergy

2009 Book of the Year - Academy of Parish Clergy http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8994


Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry (Alban, 2009) by Bruce G. Epperly and Katherine Gould Epperly has been named the 2009 Book of the Year by the Academy of Parish Clergy. “Tending to the Holy invites pastors to embody their deepest beliefs in the routine and surprising tasks of ministry. It integrates the wisdom and practices of the Christian spiritual tradition with the commonplace practices of pastoral ministry.  Bruce and Katherine Epperly utilize a variety of spiritual disciplines—especially Benedictine, Celtic, Ignatian, Rhineland, and process spiritualities—to provide a framework for helping clergy nurture the awareness of God, creative imagination, and personal well-being in every aspect of their ministerial lives.” (from the Alban Institute)


The Pleasures of Eating by Wendell Berry -- The Center for Ecoliteracy

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Web of Creation: Ecology Resources to Transform Faith Communities and Societies

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Study and Worship Resources for congregations:

Free religious study guides and DVD of National Parks film clips
http://earthministry.org/nationalparks/nationalparks

Resources for congregations – includes worship resources
http://earthministry.org/resources

United Methodist study guide to “God's Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action” as adopted by the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church in November 2009
http://hopeandaction.org/main/resources/study-guides/


Commentary on the Current Financial Crisis from Sojourners

A Bad Morality Play: What Have We Learned from the Financial Crisis – From Sojourners (requires a free registration)
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Articles related to “Money” from Duke Faith and Leadership

- Finding Redemption in Recession – From Duke Faith and Leadership click here

  

-Rendering Unto God – From Duke Faith and Leadership
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-No Small Battle: Facing the Financial Crisis – From Duke Faith and Leadership click here


Building An Ethical Economy – An Upcoming Teleconference

-Building an Ethical Economy: Theology and The Market Place
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-At St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Memphis on Feb. 19-20  click here


Houses of worship: still divided by race

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Resources for Black History Month

- Resources for Black History Month //click here

- Resources for Black History Month (From The African American Lectionary) //click here

- The African American Lectionary //click here

- Resources for Black History Month //click here


RESOURCES -- HAITI

- Praying for Haiti //click here

- Why Lord? Haiti and the God-Question (Blog of the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke University Divinity School) //click here

- Worship Resources for Natural Disasters //click here


Love God, Love Your Neighbor

A Baptist church in Washington, D.C., with a history of commitment to social justice, leverages its real estate assets to help revitalize the congregation and engage community partners.

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Are You Real Hungry or Fake Hungry?

“Our appetites can be quite the pranksters. They often fool us into thinking we’re hungry, when often, we may be suffering from something completely different. Knowing (and actually listening to) when your body really needs food and when it needs something else will help you avoid extra pounds, and even improve the quality of your emotional life.”

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Avoiding, or dealing with, burnout (Jim Harnish)

“You and your organization may love the hard-charging approach to your work. But the only people for whom you are irreplaceable are your family and your friends.”

 

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