Part-Time is Plenty: Thriving Without Full-Time Clergy by G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Book Study Group 

A group of people interested in how congregations with part-time clergy can thrive, joined us via Zoom meetups and discussed Part-Time is Plenty: Thriving Without Full-Time Clergy, by G. Jeffrey MacDonald, newly published by Westminster John Knox Press. 
 
The book study group was co-facilitated by Rev. Nicole Diroff, Program Director at The BTS Center, and Rev. Marguerite Steadman, Rector at St. John's Episcopal Church in Bangor.

Rev. Nicole Diroff

Rev. Marguerite Steadman


The BTS Center awarded Jeff MacDonald an Innovation Incubator grant in 2016-2017 for a project entitled "Discovering the New Ministry: Exploring Shifting Roles in Congregations with Bivocational Pastors," and then invited him to share his learnings as the keynote speaker for our 2018 Convocation, "Growing by Half: Part-Time Pastor, Full-Time Church.” This book represents the culmination of his research, and we are excited that Jeff will be joining the book study group for author engagement during the final session on June 12th.


Book Description

Churches experiencing numerical and financial decline may dread the day when they can no longer afford a full-time pastor. Freeing up funds that would go to a full-time salary sure would help the budget—maybe even enough to turn things around—but is it even possible to run effective ministries with just a half- or quarter-time professional?

Journalist and part-time pastor Jeffrey MacDonald says yes—churches can grow more vibrant than ever, tapping into latent energy and undiscovered gifts, revitalizing worship, and engaging in more effective ministry with the community.

Readers of Part-Time Is Plenty get a much-needed playbook for helping congregations thrive with a part-time ministry model. They learn to see the model in a new light: to stop viewing part-time as a problem to be eradicated and to instead embrace it as a divine gift that facilitates a higher level of lay engagement, responsibility, playfulness, and creativity.

You can buy the book Part-Time is Plenty here at 35% off.  For those who want to order from an independent bookstore, we are partnering with Jabberwocky Books.


Although this book study has ended, you can click here to complete a simple interest form, as we may offer a second group at a later date.