Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition

by Alice Mann

Publisher:

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

, 2001

Overview

Pastoral-to-program size change is frequently described as the most challenging of growth transitions for congregations. Now Alban senior consultant Alice Mann, author of The In-Between Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations, addresses the difficulties of that transition in this resource designed specifically for a congregational learning team. Conceptualized and developed by Mann for an Alban on-line seminar program test event conducted with 12 congregations in transition, her newest book features a five-step process enabling the learning team to engage a wider circle of congregational leaders and members in study, discernment, and planning. Never-before published resources include discussion of a major new concept—passive barriers to growth—plus Mann’s “System Change Index” tool to help congregations measure their progress from pastoral-size to program-size ways of operating. From preparing the congregation’s board and members, selecting the person to guide the learning process, and recruiting the learning team, to creating and celebrating a plan for congregational learning and action, Mann provides all the resources a congregation needs to address this significant size transition period.

Product Details

• Title : Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition
• Author: Mann, Alice
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication Date: 2001
• ISBN: 9781566996150

About Alice Mann

Before joining the staff of the Alban Institute, Alice Mann served for two decades in the dual roles of local pastor and nationally recognized consultant-trainer in the field of parish development, with emphasis on incorporating new members; redeveloping struggling congregations; defining judicatory roles in growth and revitalization; breaking through size plateaus; and deepening parish spirituality. She frequently assists churches with self-assessment, long-range planning, and the development of context-sensitive strategies for growth. In training workshops and planning retreats, Alice-engages large and small groups in practical learning and candid conversation about the choices church leaders face today.