{"id":10944,"date":"2010-01-06T04:23:04","date_gmt":"2010-01-06T04:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2010\/01\/06\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/"},"modified":"2010-01-06T04:23:04","modified_gmt":"2010-01-06T04:23:04","slug":"ourtop10resourcesin2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2009 we added dozens of new downloads to our extensive pool of training resources. Week by week we address new ministry topics and try to make our store as comprehensive as possible. And we learn a lot about which topics are important by the resources that you, our readers, choose to download.<\/p>\n\t\t

So, in the tradition of end-of-year recaps, below are the 10 most popular downloads on BuildingChurchLeaders.com in 2009. <\/p>\n\t\t

10. Strengthening Small Churches<\/a>—Training Theme\n\t\tA smaller congregation presents its leaders with unique strengths and challenges. Learn from Moody professor John Koessler, pastor\/blogger Chuck Warnock, and others.<\/p>\n\t\t

9. Giving and Receiving Feedback<\/a>—Best Church Practices\n\t\tA survey of your congregation can be eye-opening. But it’s a lot of work to build—especially one that returns trustworthy responses. These forms can help.<\/p>\n\t\t

8. Evangelistic and Newcomer Ministry<\/a>—Best Church Practices\n\t\tDoes your church have a good system for welcoming and following up with newcomers? Bolster it with these sample materials, along with the outreach strategies included.<\/p>\n\t\t

7. Outreach to Young Adults<\/a>—Practical Ministry Skills\n\t\tYoung adults are leaving and avoiding our churches. How to reach them? These articles from Ed Stetzer, Scot McKnight, and others can help.<\/p>\n\t\t

6. Engaging Everyone in Worship<\/a>—Worship Essentials\n\t\tLearn from Andy Crouch, songwriters Keith and Kristyn Getty, and others about drawing your congregation into worship.<\/p>\n\t\t

5. Building a Culture of Discipleship<\/a>—Training Theme\n\t\tHelp your church become a place where every member is taking on the task of discipleship.<\/p>\n\t\t

4. Church Staff Evaluations<\/a>—Best Church Practices\n\t\tPerformance appraisals can guide and motivate your staff. Assemble yours with the help of these sample forms.<\/p>\n\t\t

3. Church Job Descriptions<\/a>—Best Church Practices\n\t\tGet sample job descriptions for more than a dozen different church roles. People work better when the expectations for them are clear.<\/p>\n\t\t

2. Elder\/Deacon<\/a>—Orientation Guide\n\t\tElders and deacons carry weighty responsibilities. These articles can help them grow in the areas most important for their roles.<\/p>\n\t\t

1. Usher\/Greeter<\/a>—Orientation Guide\n\t\tThis long-standing favorite helps to equip the church worker that everyone sees.<\/p>\n\t\t

Honorable mentions:<\/h2>\n\t\t

\n\t\tChurch Facilities Manager<\/a>—Orientation Guide<\/p>\n\t\t

\n\t\tFostering Financial Stewardship<\/a>—Best Church Practices <\/p>\n\t\t

\n\t\tPlanning Prayer Services<\/a>—Worship Essentials<\/p>\n\t\t

Free sample favorites:<\/h2>\n\t\t

\n\t\tSpiritual Growth<\/a>—Assessment Pack<\/p>\n\t\t

\n\t\tSpiritual Disciplines<\/a>—Cartoons<\/p>\n\t\t

\n\t\tMotivating Leaders<\/a>—PowerPoint<\/p>\n\t\t

For reference, take a look at our Top 10s for 2008<\/a> and 2007<\/a>. Or browse our whole store.<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2009 we added dozens of new downloads to our extensive pool of training resources. Week by week we address new ministry topics and try to make our store as comprehensive as possible. And we learn a lot about which topics are important by the resources that you, our readers, choose to download. So, in Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[3160],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[142,154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[156],"tax_ctp_tags":[3604,3609,3615,3641,3793,4419,4652,5160],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-10944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-tim-avery","tax_publications-leadership-journal","tax_ctp_tags-church-attendance","tax_ctp_tags-church-growth","tax_ctp_tags-church-membership","tax_ctp_tags-communication","tax_ctp_tags-discipleship","tax_ctp_tags-management","tax_ctp_tags-planning","tax_ctp_tags-time-management"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nOur Top 10 Resources in 2009 - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The most downloaded of the year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009 - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The most downloaded of the year.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/ogimage.png?resize=1200,628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tim Avery\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"CMS Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3\"},\"headline\":\"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/\"},\"wordCount\":399,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/\",\"name\":\"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009 - CT Pastors\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"The most downloaded of the year.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"description\":\"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Christianity Today\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"caption\":\"Christianity Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3\",\"name\":\"CMS Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CMS Admin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009 - CT Pastors","description":"The most downloaded of the year.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009 - CT Pastors","og_description":"The most downloaded of the year.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/","og_site_name":"CT Pastors","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","article_published_time":"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/ogimage.png?resize=1200,628","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Tim Avery","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CTpastors","twitter_site":"@CTpastors","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/"},"author":{"name":"CMS Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3"},"headline":"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009","datePublished":"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00","dateModified":"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/"},"wordCount":399,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/","name":"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009 - CT Pastors","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website"},"datePublished":"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00","dateModified":"2010-01-06T04:23:04+00:00","description":"The most downloaded of the year.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","name":"CT Pastors","description":"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization","name":"Christianity Today","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","caption":"Christianity Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3","name":"CMS Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CMS Admin"}}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009","url":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":"Tim Avery","creator":"Tim Avery","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"CT Pastors","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2010-01-06T04:23:04Z","datePublished":"2010-01-06T04:23:04Z","dateModified":"2010-01-06T04:23:04Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Our Top 10 Resources in 2009\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/ourtop10resourcesin2009\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"\"},\"articleSection\":\"Uncategorized\",\"author\":\"Tim Avery\",\"creator\":\"Tim Avery\",\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2010-01-06T04:23:04Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-01-06T04:23:04Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-01-06T04:23:04Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/christianitytoday.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","byline":{"writer_byline":"Tim Avery","writer_byline_override":""},"primary_category":null,"secondary_categories":[],"featured_video":null,"related_articles":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10944"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10945,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10944\/revisions\/10945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_authors?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_books","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_books?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_categories?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guides","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guides?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_format?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_multimedia","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_multimedia?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_point_editor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_point_editor?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_publications","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_publications?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_tags?post=10944"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_topics?post=10944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}