The Equipping Church Guidebook

Like a building site well-stocked with quality raw materials, your church abounds with possibilities—life-changing ministries just waiting to be developed. The Equipping Church Guidebook shows you how. Refining and expanding groundbreaking material, this in-depth approach helps you identify, equip, and empower lay ministers who will profoundly influence your church and your community.

Behind this volume lies a massive body of research on hundreds of equipping churches across the country. Now you and your leadership team can reap the benefits with this exhaustive, hands-on resource. Nothing else compares with it. Designed and field-tested by today's leading architects of equipping ministry, Leadership Training Network, The Equipping Church Guidebook is a blueprint for custom-building the systems and culture that are ideal for your church.

Part one, Building an Equipping Ministry Vision and Culture, explains what an equipping church is, walks you through the conceptual stages, and helps your church transition to equipping vision and values.

Part two, Building an Equipping Ministry System, helps you lay relational and strategic foundations, and then build on them an equipping system that gives structure and effectiveness to every aspect of church life.

The Equipping Church Guidebook includes
* Detailed information, clear instructions, and helpful examples
* Abundant charts, graphs, and diagrams
* Worksheets and assessment forms to help you apply the concepts in this book
* Practical suggestions and checklists
* 'Contractors Conferences' to foster dialogue and decision-making as a leadership team

Together with The Equipping Church, this guidebook helps you and your leadership team catch and implement the vision of Ephesians 4:11-13—equipping the saints for works of service that lead to spiritual maturity—in your church. One of the most challenging and exciting journeys in your church's life lies ahead of you. Let the adventure begin!

A hands-on ministry resource manual to help churches know how to develop leaders and systems for lay mobilization. A companion to The Equipping Church, this open-ended approach is applicable to a wide variety of churches.

Author of The Equipping Church and co-author of The Equipping Church Guidebook, Sue is celebrating her 19th year in full time ministry. Sue served as the founding Executive Director of Leadership Training Network (LTN) for eight years and more recently as the Directional Leader and Executive Director for Leadership Connection. Sue is currently serving as Executive Consultant for Church Volunteer Central, a division of Group Publishing. Sue continues to consultant and train nationally on the vision and mission of an equipping church. Additionally, Sue has served as adjunct faculty at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Guest Lecturer at Princeton Theological Seminary and is currently serving as adjunct faculty at Fuller Theological Seminary. In 1985, Sue developed the office of Lay Ministry at her local church, Brentwood Presbyterian Church, where she served in a volunteer capacity as its full-time director for eight years, part-time Director of Leadership Development for two year and currently serves her congregation as a lay leader and consultant in the area of leadership development. She founded and was the first President of the Southern California Association for Lay Empowerment and Development (LEAD). Sue was privileged to participate in the launch of City as Parish, in Pittsburgh and Fresno, in 1999 and to broker the partnership between One by One Leadership Foundation and Leadership Network.

She has three grown children and is the grandmother of three, a six-year-old granddaughter and twin grandsons who are four. She has also been blessed to share in the life of foster daughter who recently graduated from college. Sue resides with her husband in Southern California. Autor de 'The Equipping Church' y co-autor de 'The Equipping Church Guidebook.' Sue esta celebrando su 19 anos en ministerio. Sue sirvio como la directora ejecutiva de Leadership Training Network (LTN) por ocho anos y mas recimiente como la lider y directora ejecutiva de Leadership Connection. Actualmente elle sirve comoc consultor ejecutiva para Church Volunteer Central, un division de Group Publishing. Sue continua a consulatr y ensenar nacionalmente sobre la vision y mision de la igelsia que equipa. Ademas, Sue ha servido como facultad del adjunto en el seminario Teologico del Bautista de la puerta de oro, conferenciante de la huesped en el seminario Teologico de Princeton y esta sirviendo actualmente como facultad del adjunto en un seminario Teologico de Fuller. En 1985, Sue desarrollo la oficina del ministerio puesto en su iglesia local, la iglesia presbyterian de Brentwood, en donde ella desempeno servicios en una capacidad voluntaria como su director a tiempo completo por ocho anos, el director por horas del desarrollo de la direccion por dos anos y sirve actualmente a su congregacion como lider de la endecha y a consultor en el area del desarrollo de la direccion. Ella fundo y era el primer presidente de la asociacion meridional de California para el empowerment y el desarrollo puestos (LEAD). Privilegiaron a Sue para participar en el lanzamiento de la ciudad como parroquia, en Pittsburgh y Fresno, en 1999 y al corredor la sociedad entre uno por uno la fundacion de la direccion y la red de la direccion. Ella tiene tres ninos crecidos y es la abuela de tres, una seis-ano-vieja nieta y los nietos gemelos que sean cuatro. Tambien la han bendecido para compartir en la vida de la hija foster que graduo recientemente de universidad. Sue reside con su esposo en California.

Brad Smith (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) is president of Leadership Network. As a former U.S. Senate aide, consultant to churches and business, and founding pastor and church planter, Brad has developed people-equipping processes in a variety of settings.