No One Told Me

Brief Description

No One Told Me was written by veteran ministers about issues and experiences best learned on the church field rather than in the seminary classroom. Topics include dealing with conflict, working with volunteers, teamwork, supervision, vision, worship, relationships, and many more. While most books are theoretical and of a textbook nature, this book is unique in that it is written by practitioners about lessons that can only be learned in the actual praxis of ministry. It is helpful to both current and prospective ministers.

About the Author

James E. Hightower is minister of pastoral care at First Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama. He is a licensed professional counselor, a pastoral care consultant, and the author of several books.

Table of Contents

Editor’s Note

Chapter 1 – You Can’t Get Your Blessing from a Church
Why are you driven to please your church members?
Can the church give you a sense of self-worth?
How do you make peace with your past?

Chapter 2 – Whose Vision Is It Anyway?
Just what is vision, anyway?
Is vision a theory or an action?
How can you lead a congregation to overcome past problems and develop vision?

Chapter 3 – Sunday’s Coming – Again
Have you noticed that Sunday comes every seven days whether you are ready for it or not?
What is an appropriate form of worship?
How can you order worship so that it is biblically grounded and sensitive to the needs of the congregation?

Chapter 4 – Be Prepared: Fights Are Inevitable
Can peace exist in the local church?
Is conflict always bad?
How do you deal with church problems?
Can you survive church fights?

Chapter 5 – Lone Ranger or the Brady Bunch: Working as a Team
How can you experience a sense of community with other ministers?
How do you lead the staff and congregation toward teamwork?
What is the role of the team leader?
How can differences between staff members be handled?

Chapter 6 – Finding and Nurturing Volunteers: The Never-Ending Task
How do you staff the many jobs in a church?
Is there really someone to fill every volunteer position?
How much freedom or supervision is appropriate for volunteers?

Chapter 7 – No One Told Me I’d Be Supervising People
Can you demand quality work from volunteers?
Can you fire volunteers?
How can you inspire volunteers to dedication and hard work?