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    More Letters for Every Occasion: A Pastor's Sourcebook
    More Letters for Every Occasion: A Pastor's Sourcebook
    More Letters for Every Occasion: A Pastor's Sourcebook
    Ebook167 pages1 hour

    More Letters for Every Occasion: A Pastor's Sourcebook

    By James E. Taylor III

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    About this ebook

    Sending a personal note, email, or letter means that you took time to care. It can be a grace-filled symbol of your ministry outreach and an effective way to offer pastoral concern.

    The book offers more than 90 carefully written, thoughtful sample letters and emails that can be easily adapted for any particular situation. Contents include letters relating to church leadership; preaching and worship; pastoral care; stewardship and finance; administration; community outreach; membership and visitors. There is also helpful information and etiquette regarding email, Facebook, and Twitter.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAbingdon Press
    Release dateOct 1, 2010
    ISBN9781426731228
    More Letters for Every Occasion: A Pastor's Sourcebook
    Author

    James E. Taylor III

    James E. Taylor III is pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He and his wife, Kassi, have a daughter, Edyn.

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      Book preview

      More Letters for Every Occasion - James E. Taylor III

      Image1Image2

      A b i n g d o n P r e s s

      N a s h v i l l e

      MORE LETTERS FOR EVERY OCCASION

      A PASTOR'S SOURCEBOOK

      Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37202-0801 or permissions@umpublishing.org.

      This book is printed on acid-free paper.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Taylor, James E., III

      More letters for every occasion : a pastor's sourcebook / James E. Taylor, III.

      p. cm.

      ISBN 978-1-4267-1007-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)

      1. Church correspondence. 2. Clergy—Correspondence. 3. Form letters. I. Title.

      BV652.9.T39 2011

      253.7—dc22

      2010047459

      11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

      Contents

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      I. LETTERS RELATING TO CHURCH LEADERSHIP

      Letter That Casts a Vision for the Church

      Letter Updating Vision Casting

      Letter Covering Year's Accomplishments

      Devotional for the Congregation

      Letter to a Visiting Leader

      Letter to Church about Summer Programming

      Letter to Congregation Explaining the Advent Season

      Letter to Congregation Explaining Lent

      II. LETTERS RELATING TO PREACHING AND WORSHIP

      Letter to Person Angry with Sermon

      Letter Concerning Worship Complaint

      Letter Informing Congregation of Special Days Emphasizing Hospitality

      Invitation to Local Teachers to Attend Special Worship Service

      Letter to Worship Committee

      Letter Concerning Infant Baptism

      Letter Concerning Adult Baptism

      III. LETTERS RELATING TO MEMBERSHIP AND VISITORS

      Letter of Membership Transfer to another Church

      Letter to Inactive Member #1

      Letter to Inactive Member #2

      Letter Welcoming New Member

      Letter Inquiring about Membership Interest

      Letter Asking Frequent Guest to Consider Membership

      Letter to First-Time Visitor

      Letter to Second-Time Visitor

      Letter to Third-Time Visitor

      Letter to Fourth-Time Visitor

      Letter to Fifth-Time Visitor

      Letter of Welcome from Pastor

      IV. LETTERS RELATING TO PASTORAL CARE

      Letter to Friend Concerning Disagreement

      Letter at Anniversary of Death

      Letter of Apology on behalf of the Church

      Letter to Parents about Their Child's Death

      Note to Parent as Child Leaves Home

      Note to Member Whose Spouse Is Ill

      Letter to Family Regarding Inappropriate Behavior of Youth

      Letter to Couple Experiencing Difficulty in Marriage

      Letter of Congratulations after Marriage

      Letter to Member Who Is Dying

      Note to Child Who Submitted a Prayer Request

      Letter to a Parishioner Making a Complaint

      Note to a Member Recovering from a Small Accident

      Invitation to Pastor's Home for Dinner

      Letter of Encouragement for Personal Testimony

      Letter Concerning Adoption of Child

      Birthday Cards

      Letter Celebrating College Graduation

      Letter of Congratulations for High School Graduation

      Letter of Congratulations for Eagle Scout Award

      Letter of Congratulations for First Grandchild

      Letter of Congratulations on Retirement

      Letter Recognizing Retiring Pastor

      Letter of Congratulations to Seminary Graduate

      V. LETTERS RELATING TO STEWARDSHIP AND FINANCE

      Pastor's 10 Commandments of Church Finance

      Letter of Acknowledgment of a Gift

      Three Months before a Stewardship Program

      One Month before a Stewardship Program

      Two Weeks before a Stewardship Program

      One Week before a Stewardship Program

      Kickoff of a Stewardship Program

      One Week into a Stewardship Program

      Three Weeks into a Stewardship Program

      Four Weeks into a Stewardship Program

      Concluding a Stewardship Program

      Letter about Church Debt and Giving

      Letter Soliciting Assistance for Member in Financial Difficulty

      Letter Outlining Expectations of People Receiving Church Funds

      Loan Agreement with Family

      Letter Acknowledging a Gift to the Memorial Fund

      VI. LETTERS RELATING TO ADMINISTRATION

      Letter of Appreciation to Former Pastor

      Letter to Previous Pastor

      Letter about Receiving Bid on Church Work (Decline and Receipt)

      Letter of Encouragement for a Staff Member

      Letter Welcoming New Staff

      Letter of Appreciation for Church Staff and Key Volunteers

      Letter to Person Agreeing to Serve on a Church Committee

      Letter about Organizing a Child Care Team

      Letter to Administrative Council Asking for Feedback

      Notification of Committee Meetings

      Letter to Hospitality Team Member

      Letter of Thanks for Service to Church

      Letter to Person Leaving Committee

      Letter Surveying Interest in Serving on a Committee

      Letter for Networking Team

      VII. LETTERS RELATING TO COMMUNITY OUTREACH

      Letter Seeking a Charitable Match from a Business

      Letter Declining Invitation to Speak at an Engagement

      Letter to Welcome New Neighborhood Resident

      Letter in Response to Request to Use Building

      Letter to Area Homes Informing Them of an Upcoming Youth Function

      VIII. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

      Email

      Facts about Facebook

      Texting Rules and Etiquette

      Examples of Texting

      Twitter

      Examples of Tweets

      Acknowledgments

      If you are listed below, you deserve your own letter from me as a way to express my sincere thanks for your investment in me as a person, pastor, and friend. Until those letters come, please know how pleased I am to have you in my life.

      To my friends: Jesse, Marc, Chris, Aaron, Brenna, Quin, and Joe—thanks for putting up with me. Also, big thanks to the Aprentis Crew: Pat, CJ, Ben, Matt, Andrew, Deidre, and Lyle.

      To my professors: James Bryan Smith, Anathea Portier Young, Laceye Warner, and Joe Bessler. I hope you know how grateful I am.

      To the Kansas West Conference: Gary Brooks, Cheryl Bell, Dianne Tombaugh, Craig Hauschild, Rick Just, Kevin Hopkins, Andrew Conard, David Smith, and Bishop Jones. You have blessed me in ways that can never be returned.

      To my family: Jeff, Terry, Anthony, Melissa, and Mom—I love you guys! Dan and Sarah, Justin and Krysha, Katie and Tyler—thanks for letting me be a part of something so fun. Jeff and Theresa, Vicki and Robert, Mike and Sandra, thanks for being there for Little Jeff and Jimmy.

      Edyn, you are certainly an Echo of Eden. And Kassi—being a husband to you and a dad to Edyn is the greatest gift I've ever received. (If anyone is reading this and wondering why I didn't say to my wife and baby, You're the greatest gift next to Jesus, know that Jesus doesn't need the publicity. Jesus knows he is my hero.)

      Thanks to Charles Kyker, Bill Quick, and Adam Hamilton for offering your encouragement.

      Last, to Skip and Kathy Armistead: Skip,

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