Fortress Press

The Pastor as Moral Guide

Rebekah L. Miles (Author)

Adultery, divorce, racism, teen pregnancy, white-collar crime, living wills—these are among the many complex moral issues that Christians face and for...

The Pastor: A Spirituality

Gordon W. Lathrop (Author)

Renowned liturgical theologian Gordon Lathrop has composed a rich, meditative, and explicitly ecumenical spirituality for working pastors - whatever and...

The Pastor: Readings From the Patristic Period

Philip L Culbertson (Author), Bradford Shippee (Author)

The Right Road: Life Choices for Clergy

Gwen Wagstrom Halaas M.D. (Author)

Many clergy are in startlingly bad health. Not only do they regularly report depression, stress, and serious family and financial problems, they also exhibit...

The Skilled Pastor: Counseling as the Practice of Theology

Charles W. Taylor (Author)

A splendid volume detailing the specific skills necessary for sound pastoral guidance in various situations. The author integrates theological reflection...

Transforming Leadership: New Vision for a Church in Mission

Norma Cook Everist (Author), Craig L. Nessan (Author)

Transforming Leadership sets forth the core values and leadership practices that can bring fundamental transformation to the life of the local church. Based on...

Understanding and Dismantling Racism: The Twenty-First Century Challenge to White America

Joseph Barndt (Author)

More than 15 years have passed since Joe Barndt wrote his influential and widely acclaimed Dismantling Racism (1991, Augsburg Books). He has now written a...

When the Center Does Not Hold: Leading in an Age of Polarization

David R. Brubaker (Author), Everett Brubaker (Contributor), Carolyn Yoder (Contributor), Teresa J. Haase (Contributor)

Over the past forty years, polarization has permeated nearly every level of American life, including the intimate spheres of faith and interpersonal relationships. In When the Center Does Not Hold, David R. Brubaker, with contributions by colleagues Everett Brubaker, Carolyn Yoder, and Teresa Haase, offers relevant, practical mentorship on navigating polarized environments, equipping leaders to both manage themselves and effectively lead others in highly polarized and anxious systems. In this book, readers will find hope.

Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality: Lessons Learned from Hard Conversations about Sex, Gender, Identity, and the Bible

Mark Wingfield (Author), David P. Gushee (Foreword by)

Journalist and pastor Mark Wingfield describes how the congregation he serves undertook a study of how churches respond to the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members. Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality is for congregational leaders and others who want to understand the debates about human sexuality and who desire to follow a process to discuss the topic and make decisions about how congregations and individuals will respond to these issues.

Organizing Life: Leadership and Human Flourishing

Barbara J. McClure (Author)

The idea that a leader has all the authority and all the answers is wrong. Top-down authority and presumed knowledge are not effective modes of leadership in the long run. A more collaborative and distributed model of leadership is required for the sustainability of faith-based organizations in a rapidly changing world.

Cultivating Competence: The Ministry of Leadership Development

Sarah B. Drummond (Author)

The challenges of leadership in the early twenty-first century require an all-hands-on-deck approach to ministerial leadership. The days of "born leaders" are behind us in this complex and fraught cultural season. Ministers must know how to grow in their leadership and to foster growth in others.

ReEngaging ELCA Social Teaching on Abortion

Caryn D. Riswold (Author)

Riswold calls us to think together about the ELCA’s 1991 social statement on abortion. Our social, political, and legal context has changed drastically since this statement was written, but one thing remains the same: we as Lutherans are called to compassionate community. Riswold’s engaging prose invites readers into thoughtful conversation.

ReEngaging ELCA Social Teaching on The Church in Society

James M. Childs Jr. (Author), Roger A. Willer (Foreword by)

Childs contextualizes this foundational statement, helping us think creatively about how we are called to be the church today. Grounded in scripture and Lutheran theology, he charts the history of Lutheran public witness, deftly connecting it with our present. How are we guided to speak today? Exploring this book will spark generative conversation.

Stuck: Why Clergy Are Alienated from Their Calling, Congregation, and Career ... and What to Do about It

Todd W. Ferguson (Author), Josh Packard (Author)

This book lets pastors who feel stuck know that they're not alone or crazy, and it's not their fault. It helps congregations better support their clergy. And it joins in the conversation about reshaping seminary training and professional development.

Unraveling Religious Leadership: Power, Authority, and Decoloniality

Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi (Author)

Unraveling Religious Leadership invites readers to reconsider foundational assumptions in Christian communities. Drawing upon decolonial frameworks and realities beyond white, eurowestern, modern ideals of who leaders are and what they do, this work pulls on the threads of colonialism and empire to create new possibilities for religious leaders.

Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future

Dwight Zscheile (Author), Michael Binder (Author), Tessa Pinkstaff (Author)

Leading Faithful Innovation offers a practical, hands-on approach to addressing the challenges of change in the church and our culture. This three-step process is not another program or add-on to what readers are already doing. It is an ongoing way of following God that allows the Spirit of God to drive the energy among the people of the church.

Preaching the Gospel of Justice: Good News in Community

Jennifer L. Ackerman (Author)

The call to holistic preaching has many dimensions. Are we called to preach the good news of God's grace? Advocate for justice? Is preaching worship? A prophetic act? "Yes," Ackerman answers--to all of the above. Through personal stories, biblical examples, and concrete advice, readers will learn how to join gospel and justice in community.

Youth Ministry as Peace Education: Overcoming Silence, Transforming Violence

Elizabeth W. Corrie (Author)

Youth Ministry as Peace Education offers clergy, students, and practitioners a new approach to youth ministry--to equip young people to transform violence and oppression as part of their Christian vocation. In this theologically robust and pedagogically innovative and tested resource, Elizabeth W. Corrie shows that youth, like all of us, are meant to work to establish God's shalom--peace, justice, and well-being--on earth as it is in heaven.

The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going, Second Edition

Ryan P. Burge (Author)

In The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going, Second Edition, Ryan P. Burge gives readers a nuanced, accurate, and meaningful look at the growing number of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. This second edition includes substantial updates.

20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America

Ryan P. Burge (Author)

The way most people think about religion and politics is only loosely linked to empirical reality, argues Ryan P. Burge. In 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America, Burge strives to be an impartial referee and to overcome these caustic misperceptions by using both rigorous data analysis and straightforward explanations.