Parish Resource Library

Recommended for study, teaching & devotional purposes

Visit us often as this database will be constantly updated. And send us your reviews or recommendations to help us grow this resource. 

Quick Links for navigating Parish Resources

  1. Bible Reading & Study
  2. Studies based on Seasons of the Liturgical Year
  3. Sexuality & Gender Issues
  4. Parish Resources on the Holy Spirit
  5. Resources on Prayer
  6. Youth Ministry
  7. Confirmation/Catechesis for Adults, Youth & Children
  8. Apologetics & Christian Worldview
  9. Ethics, Social Justice, Political Engagement
  10. Discipleship & Formation
  11. Evangelism and Church growth
  12. MAID/Assisted Suicide
  13. Anglicanism
  14. For Pastors/The Pastoral Vocation
  15. Confronting Abuse in the Church
  16. Healing
  17. Grieving

1. Bible Reading & Study

i. Day-to-day devotionals and guides

Alpha Film Series Episode: How and Why Should I Read the Bible

One-to-one Bible Reading by David Helm

A Habit Called Faith by Jen Pollock Michel

  • Find online.
  • Description: “With vulnerable storytelling and insightful readings of both Old and New Testament passages, Jen Pollock Michel invites you into a forty-day Bible reading experience. Vividly translating ancient truths for a secular age, Michel highlights how the biblical text invites us to see, know, live, love, and obey. The daily reflection questions and weekly discussion guides invite both individuals and groups, believers and doubters alike, to explore how faith, even faith as small as a mustard seed, might grow into a life-defining habit.”

Through the Bible, Through the Year by John Stott

  • Find online.
  • Description: “John (Stott) has given us 365 short commentaries with readings from the Old Testament (up to Christmas), the Gospels (up to Easter) and the rest of the New Testament (to the end of August) contained within the book.”

Living & Active: Anglicans Growing in God’s Word (ACA Video Series)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Our newest ACA resource is a series of 6 short videos, designed to encourage ordinary Anglicans to read Scripture daily. Accessible and conversational, this guide is very well suited to sharing with your parish in segments as (for example) an opening devotional at parish council, or in other informal settings. Each video ends with discussion questions.”

Ten Minutes with the King (St. Peter Publications)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “For busy people who find lengthy Bible study difficult, this “Ten Minutes” series of books is suggested. Various New Testament books are divided into short sections, giving verse-by-verse commentary, a brief prayer for the day, and thought-provoking questions.”

ii. Understanding the Bible…

The Bible Project

  • View online.
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “A non-Anglican resource I recommend is The Bible Project. They have various introductory courses on the Bible and hermeneutics for free online that are very well-crafted, presented, and they are so approachable. They recently offered a mobile app as well that assists you in reading the Bible through the year with commentaries and background material about the context and history of the text.” -The Rev. Orvin Lao, Toronto

The True Story of the Whole World by Craig Bartholomew

God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts

  • Find online.
  • A free online video resource, based on the book is also available here.

The 30-minute Bible by Craig Bartholomew

Series on the Bible from Grove Books

  • Find online.
  • Description: “We would like Grove Books to be your first call for comment on contemporary issues that is based on biblical principles, engages with best practice, and offers practical application. We are evangelical and Anglican, and seek to engage with, learn from and speak to others.” (Note: Grove has series on many other topics as well.)

Crossways Biblical Overview Studies by Dr. Harry Wendt

  • Find online. 
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “Not Anglican, but written by a Lutheran, and worked well in our parishes. We used almost all of them. I particularly appreciated the visual/graphic nature of the materials.” -The Rev. Gene Packwood

iii. Resources on specific Biblical Books

Mark for Everyone by N.T. Wright

  • Find online.
  • Description: “N.T. Wright helps us find our way around Mark and allows us to feel the urgency and excitement of Mark’s Gospel in a way that is new and fresh. Wright helps us to find it full of interest and delight, with a powerful message that comes home to the church to today and tomorrow just as much as it did to the church of yesterday.”

The Throne, the Lamb and the Dragon: A reader’s guide to the book of Revelation by Paul Spilsbury with Foreword by J.I. Packer

  • Find online.
  • Description: “The book of Revelation has long intrigued, puzzled and even frightened its readers. Surely it is the most misunderstood book in the Bible. And some faulty interpretations of Revelation are so entrenched in the consciousness of Christians that they are regarded as “gospel truth” and provide riveting plot lines for end-time fiction. But behind the ancient multimedia show that is Revelation lies a message both simple and profound…”

On Earth as it is in Heaven

  • Find online.
  • A study on Revelation from St. John’s, Vancouver (ANiC)
  • Includes audio files of the series sermons and downloadable copies of the study

After Dispensationalism: Reading the Bible for the End of the World (by Brian P. Irwin with Tim Perry)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “What God wants his people to know about the end times. Christians’ fixation on the end times is not new. While eschatological speculation has sometimes resulted in distraction or despair, Scripture does speak about the end. So what does God most want us to know and do with prophecy?”

Seven Tips for Reading Revelation Realistically by Zach McIntosh

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright

  • Find online.
  • While the book is not only focused on the Book of Revelation, it touches on many related themes.
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “At Little Trinity Church, we’ve used N. T. Wright’s Surprised By Hope video series, which is free on YouTube. There are six videos and it was very well received by more than 50 participants in our parish.” -The Rev. Orvin Lao.
    • Another priest said “The material is excellent but was not totally accessible for folks in my parish.”

 

2. Studies based on Seasons of the Liturgical Year

Road to Coronation: A Lenten Series from Sola Publishing by Dr. Harry Wendt

  • Find online. 
  • The leader’s guide may be found here.
  • Description: “This six-session study paints a vivid portrait of Jesus—a Servant King who welcomed outcasts as family, touched and raised the dead, performed miracles that made astonishing theological statements, and confounded the spiritual authorities of His day.”
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “This was particularly good—we used it in our parish for Lent.” -The Rev. Gene Packwood.

Wilderness Way: Meditations on the Ascended Life by the Very Rev. Dr. Donald P. Richmond

  • Find online.
  • Pdf also available: email anglicancommunionalliance@gmail.com
  • Description: From Anglican Renewal Ministries, A series of weekly Meditations to enrich your Lenten Journey 

Images of Pilgrimage: Paradise and Wilderness in Christian Spirituality and The Soul’s Pilgrimage, Volume 1, both by R. D. Crouse.

  • Find online.
  • While not specific to any season of the church, there are plans to publish Images of Pilgrimage as a Lenten study, with an accompanying study guide.
  • Description: “Robert Crouse sought, in his teaching and preaching, to recover for our time a vision of human life as pilgrimage. His vision of human existence speaks to our current experiences of loss and spiritual confusion by recalling an account of our common humanity as both moved by and fulfilled in love. His writings provide for us a redeeming work of recollection and spiritual renewal pointing to the pilgrimage of hope that alone does not disappoint.  For the doubter, Crouse offers certainty; for the sufferer, hope; for the weakened, strength, for the pilgrim, a way.  With breathtaking precision of thought firmly grounded in the word of God and the theology of the church through the ages, he inspires all with a desire to discover this universal and yet intensely personal way of pilgrimage to the new Jerusalem.”
  • Read a review by The Rev. Dr. Peter Armstrong.

 

Leaning into Lent

  • Find online.
  • Description: Anglican Renewal Ministries’ Lenten video series in which ARM board members discuss the ways in which we are called to observe a Holy Lent: self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and reading and meditating on the Word of God.

 

3. Sexuality & Gender Issues

Beautiful Story (Produced by the Church of England Evangelical Council)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Christians believe that the gospel is good news for all people and for all time. But since the narratives of our contemporary culture don’t always echo a biblical worldview, the church needs to be clear about how the gospel challenges and transforms human experience – including in our relationships and sexuality. The Beautiful Story is a 30-minute film that explains how a biblical vision for human sexuality is good for individuals, the church and society as a whole. It is intended to galvanise and support discussion in local churches around sexuality and relationships and to provide the case for what many call a traditional Christian viewpoint.”

Resources from Sam Allberry

  • Sam Allberry studied theology at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. He is a priest in the Church of England and has served on its General Synod. He has served in campus ministry and at St Mary’s Church in Maidenhead. He recently moved to the United States and serves a Immanuel Church, an inter-denominational church in Nashville, TN. Sam describes himself as “same-sex attracted” and is committed to teaching and living according to the Biblical teaching on sexuality.
  • Resources from Sam Allberry can be found here.
  • Many of his talks are available on youtube. A short video by Sam Allberry on Pastoral Response to Transgender people may be viewed here.

Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Wesley Hill

  • Find online.
  • Formerly a Professor at ACNA’s Trinity School for Ministry, Hill is now an associate professor of New Testament studies at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and serves as a priest at Pittsburgh, PA’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
  • Description: “Hill explores the three main struggles that have been part of his daily effort to live faithfully:
    • What exactly does the gospel demand of gay and lesbian Christians, and how can it enable them to fulfill its commands?
    • How do Christians who experience homoerotic desires live with the loneliness such desires entail? Is there any relief for it? What comfort does the gospel offer?
    • Can those of us who struggle with homosexuality please God and truly experience his pleasure in the midst of sexual brokenness?”

A Better Story: God, Sex and Human Flourishing by Glynn Harrison

  • Find online.
  • Description: “With clarity and wisdom, Glynn helpfully assists us in navigating a minefield of explosive and emotive issues. He shows why and how the sexual revolution has transformed the thinking of so many, and yet how it has failed to deliver on its grand promises. In its place he tells a beautiful story of where our sexuality is designed to lead us, and where all our longings can find ultimate fulfilment. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Every Christian facing these issues should read it.”

Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction by Caleb Kaltenbach

  • Find online.
  • An audio version is available for free with a Hoopla account here
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “Some practical ideas on living in the tension between grace and truth. Not scholarly or erudite, but real, giving what seem to me to be accessible and useful strategies on living out ACA principles in our day.” – The Rev. Gene Packwood

Resources from Mark Yarhouse

Begotten, Not Made by Oliver O’Donovan

  • Find online.
  • Description: This book touches on various ethical issues, including the transgender question. “The sex into which we have been born (assuming that it is physiologically unambiguous) is given to us to be welcomed as a gift of God.”
  • For a discussion on O’Donovan’s thought on this question, see the Mere Fidelity podcast: “The Transgender Question” here.

The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory by Abigail Favale (Ignatius Press 2022)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Weaving personal experience with expert knowledge, Dr. Abigail Favale provides an in-depth yet accessible account of the gender paradigm: a framework for understanding reality and identity that has recently risen to prominence. Favale traces the genealogy of gender to its origins in feminism and postmodern thought, describing how gender has come to eclipse sex, and how that shift is reshaping language, law, medicine, sexuality, and our own self-perceptions.”
  • View online: a video introduction to Favale’s thought.

When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan T. Anderson (Encounter, 2019)

Transgender by Vaughan Roberts (2016, The Good Book Company)

  • Find online.
  • Description: Transgender is written at a more popular than academic level and offers a conservative evangelical critique.
  • His argument, based around a biblical theological framework, and other resources can also be accessed in this talk.

Gender Dysphoria by Rick Thomas and Peter Saunders of the Christian Medical Fellowship

  • Find online.
  • Description: A short (6pp) guide with scientific and medical detail.

Martin Davie

Resources on Pornography

Good Pictures, Bad Pictures: Porn-proofing today’s young kids by Kristen A. Jenson (Jr. version also available for ages 3-6.)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Want a natural and comfortable way to talk to your kids about pornography? This newly revised edition of the original bestseller makes that daunting discussion easy! Good Pictures Bad Pictures is a read-aloud story about a mom and dad who explain what pornography is, why it’s dangerous, and how to reject it.”

Resources specifically addressing the debates around sexuality
in the Anglican Church of Canada

General Synod 2016

General Synod 2019

  • “Vancouver Statement”: Following the defeat of the Motion to change the Marriage Canon at General Synod 2019, Anglican Communion Alliance and the Communion Partners Canada bishops issued a joint statement.
  • A highly controversial Memo from the Chancellor of the Anglican Church of Canada (released in June of 2016) was used by many ACoC bishops to justify proceeding with same-sex marriages in their dioceses beginning in 2016 and continuing up until now, despite the failed attempt to change the Marriage Canon. The Anglican Communion Alliance requested a Legal Opinion from two of the top Canon lawyers in the Anglican Communion, Mark Hill and Norman Doe. This Opinion was released in January of 2021 and was an extremely strong repudiation of the Chancellor’s memo and the bishops who had relied on it.
  • “On Canons and Conversion“: The Anglican Planet’s February 2021 editorial addresses the recent treatment of Canons in the Anglican Church of Canada.
  • More material related to the Legal Opinion can be found here.

Transgender Issues in the Anglican Church of Canada

  • In 2022, the Anglican Church of Canada released a “Trial Pastoral Liturgies for Journeys of Gender Transition and Affirmation.” To participate in the feedback process, you can sign up here.
  • Here is one substantive engagement with the document, from ACA Board Member, The Rev. Dr. Peter Armstrong.
  • The Anglican Planet’s February 2022 editorial addresses the trial liturgy. View article here.
  • Update: At General Synod 2023, these Liturgies were approved for use.  ACA encourages bishops not to authorize these liturgies, given the theological issues at stake, questions around legal liability (particularly if used with minors), and questions around process, particularly as our liturgy shapes our doctrine. We expect to have further resources on this topic in the coming months.

 

4. Parish resources on the Holy Spirit

Resources from Frances McNutt

  • Learn more.
  • Description:“Francis was a teacher, pioneer, and theologian instrumental in restoring the healing ministry to the Church, especially through the Charismatic Renewal movement.”

Saints Alive: Living Life in the Spirit Today

Wind and Fire (from Anglican Renewal Ministries)

Taste and See (Anglican Renewal Ministries magazine)

5. Resources on Prayer

Book of Common Prayer App

Prayer by Hans Urs Von Balthasar

  • Find online.
  • Description: “This is perhaps the best and most comprehensive book on prayer ever written. From the persons of the Trinity through the Incarnation to the Church and the very structure of the human person, this book is a powerful synthesis of what prayer is and how to pray. The testament of a great theologian on something which is most personal and interior, contemplative prayer.”

Alpha talk on Prayer

Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Framed around the nighttime prayer of Compline, Tish Harrison Warren, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary, explores themes of human vulnerability, suffering, and God’s seeming absence.”

Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

  • Find online.
  • Description: In the overlooked moments and routines of our day, we can become aware of God’s presence in surprising ways. How do we embrace the sacred in the ordinary and the ordinary in the sacred?

6. Youth Ministry

Youth E-Source (from Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod)

  • Find online.
  • Comments/Reviews: “For youth and adults. Check out the ‘Free Resources’–some of which may need to be adapted for an Anglican context, but there are still some excellent resources. An example is this article on ‘Reading Revelation Realistically’” – Siobhan Laskey

Nua

  • Find online.
  • Description: “NUA Films is a Scripture Union Ireland Resource, which is an interdenominational organisation working closely with churches of all denominations helping young people engage with Jesus and His teachings.”

Grove Books

  • Find online.
  • Comments/Reviews: “These are not specifically Anglican but great for youth.”

Youth Alpha

The Road from the Diocese of Norwich in the Church of England

  • Find online.
  • The Road’s youtube channel
  • Comments/Reviews: “This is a brilliant series of short but effective apologetic videos–great for young people but good for all ages, actually.” – The Rev. Dr. Brett Cane

7. Baptism & Confirmation Resources 

Christian Foundations (From Wycliffe College, Toronto)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “The Christian Foundations small group resource offers an engaging introduction to the good news of the Gospel, the story of the Bible, church history, the creeds, and core practices of the faith. The material has been designed for people with no Christian background, and for those wanting to refresh their basic grounding.”

Alpha

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Alpha is an 11-week course that creates a space, online or in person, where people are excited to bring their friends for a conversation about life, faith and Jesus.”

Parish Alive Video Series

  • Find online.
  • Description: Excellent resources on Baptism (by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Andrews) and the Trinity (by Dr. Edith Humphrey).
  • Comments/Reviews: “I have used the baptism video for many pre-baptismal preps–it provides a good balance of deep theology and practical examples, and is accessible for most people.” -The Rev. Richard Hetke

ACNA Catechism

  • Find online.
  • Description: “This catechism (a text used for instruction of Christian disciples) is designed as a resource manual for the renewal of Anglican catechetical practice. It presents the essential building blocks of classic catechetical instruction: the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue).”

Life Explored

  • Find online.
  • Description: A resource of Christianity Explored, which was developed over a ten-year period under the ministry of John Stott and Richard Bewes at All Souls Church, Langham Place in Central London. The series “has been updated and revised to reflect lessons learned during these years.”
  • Comments/Reviews: “Life Explored is an exciting new way to share the gospel in today’s highly visual culture. The seven interactive sessions are based on stunning films shot all over the globe. Life Explored will help people uncover what they’re really living for, and see how, in Christ, God meets their deepest desires for happiness.”

Pilgrim Series

  • Find online.
  • Description: The Pilgrim series (from the Church of England) has been described as “similar to Alpha” but more overtly Anglican. “Pilgrim is a teaching and discipleship resource that helps inquirers and new Christians explore what it means to travel through life with Christ.” –Recommended by the Rev. Orvin Lao

The Good and Beautiful Series by James Bryan Smith

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Throughout the series, which includes The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life, The Good and Beautiful Community, and The Good and Beautiful You, Smith encourages you to read, journal, pray, discuss, and participate in weekly spiritual exercises to help you engage with the text. As you work through the books individually (or more ideally in a group setting) you’ll discover your heart being shaped by the truth of Christ—and your life being changed.”

Diocese of Albany Confirmation Guide

  • Find online.
  • Description: “The Diocese of Albany’s primary goal for those being confirmed is that they are able to make a mature profession of faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He, Jesus, came to this earth to make possible the restoration of our relationship with God through His life, death, resurrection and ascension. Beyond this essential goal, the Diocese of Albany seeks to equip people to be disciples, or said differently, to answer the question, ‘How then do we live?’”

 

8. Apologetics & Christian Worldview

Olive Tree Media

  • Find online.
  • Description: Stream engaging videos and documentary series covering topics including the historicity of Jesus, the spread of the global church, Christian family and relationship dynamics, and belief blockers – all designed to help you, your church and your friends and family understand the gospel and its impacts more clearly.

Telling a Better Story by Joshua Chatraw

  • Find online.
  • Video preview of the book here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sgoOJaL6I4
  • Description: “Apologetics can strike non-believers as an offensive attempt to proselytize, while some Christians see it as unsophisticated. In Telling a Better Story, Josh Chatraw presents an inside-out approach to evangelism—focused on Jesus, attuned to our postmodern moment, and respectful of unbelievers. Containing chapters on cultural understanding and difficult issues, and presenting a holistic and contextualized gospel, it’s a road map to effective witnessing.”

The Secular Creed by Rebecca McLaughlin

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Black Lives Matter; Love Is Love; Gay Rights Are Civil Rights; Womens Rights Are Human Rights; Transgender Women Are Women. You may have seen signs with some of these messages in your neighborhood. They offer us an all-or-nothing package deal in short, a secular creed. In this provocative book, Rebecca McLaughlin helps us disentangle the beliefs Christians gladly affirm from those they cannot embrace, and invites us to talk with our neighbors about the things that matter most. Far from opposing love across difference, McLaughlin argues, Christianity is the original source and firmest foundation for true diversity, equality, and life-transforming love.”

Live your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions that make us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed by Alisa Childers

  • Find online.
  • Description: “In Live Your Truth (and Other Lies), Alisa will help you to: uncover the common lies repeated within progressive circles; hold on to the soul-restoring truths that God’s Word offers; be empowered to live the way your Creator designed you.”

 

9. Ethics, Social Justice, Political Engagement

Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask about Social Justice by Thaddeus Williams

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth offers a discerning look at two versions of ‘social justice’ where we can distinguish a biblical, life-giving, vision from a worldly, self-destructive one.”
  • Watch Williams speak here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drZh6YNNVo4

Grove Books: Series on Ethics

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Grove Books is an evangelical Anglican resource with aims ‘to stimulate and equip Christian community by providing clear and concise explorations of Christian living and ministry.’ Their Ethics series features various authors writing on a range of topics including the environment, sexual violence, poverty, capitalism and bio-medical ethics.”

Thy Kingdom Come: ls Social Justice the end goal of Christianity? L’Abri Canada lecture/podcast by Clarke Scheibe

A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory by Dr. Timothy Keller

  • Find online.
  • “In the Bible Christians have an ancient, rich, strong, comprehensive, complex, and attractive understanding of justice. Biblical justice differs in significant ways from all the secular alternatives, without ignoring the concerns of any of them.”

One: A biblical discussion on racism, ethnicity and justice

 

10. Catechesis/Discipleship & Formation

Renovare

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Founded by Celebration of Discipline author Richard J. Foster, Renovaré is a Christian nonprofit that helps people in becoming more like Jesus…Renovaré offers resources and community for a deeper, more transformative life with God.”

Renewing the Church: Discipleship & Formation in a liminal time(ACA webinar with the Rev. Dr. Peter Robinson of Wycliffe College, Toronto)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “As we slowly begin to move out of the restrictions around COVID many of us are wondering what this ‘new’ world will be like.  This is particularly true for the Church where the shift to online worship services has allowed some to stay connected but has surely exacerbated the decline in attendance as many others seem to have drifted away.  Meanwhile, many Church leaders are tired and overwhelmed while wondering how or if local Church communities might regroup or move forward.  It is easy to forget that God is still at work.  Could it be that in the midst of these difficult times we will see God doing something new and if so how can we best put our time, focus, and energy into those efforts that will align with what God is doing? In conversation with people like Dallas Willard and James K.A. Smith this webinar explores the place of discipleship and formation in the Church.”

Parish Alive Video Series

  • Find online.
  • Description: Excellent resources on Baptism (by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Andrews) and the Trinity (by Dr. Edith Humphrey).
  • Comments/Reviews: “I have used the baptism video for many pre-baptismal preps–it provides a good balance of deep theology and practical examples, and is accessible for most people.” -The Rev. Richard Hetke

Nua

  • Find online.
  • Description: “NUA Films is a Scripture Union Ireland Resource, which is an interdenominational organisation working closely with churches of all denominations helping young people engage with Jesus and His teachings.”

Images of Pilgrimage: Paradise and Wilderness in Christian Spirituality and The Soul’s Pilgrimage, Volume 1, both by R. D. Crouse.

  • Find online.
  • While not specific to any season of the church, there are plans to publish Images of Pilgrimage as a Lenten study, with an accompanying study guide.
  • Description: “Robert Crouse sought, in his teaching and preaching, to recover for our time a vision of human life as pilgrimage. His vision of human existence speaks to our current experiences of loss and spiritual confusion by recalling an account of our common humanity as both moved by and fulfilled in love. His writings provide for us a redeeming work of recollection and spiritual renewal pointing to the pilgrimage of hope that alone does not disappoint.  For the doubter, Crouse offers certainty; for the sufferer, hope; for the weakened, strength, for the pilgrim, a way.  With breathtaking precision of thought firmly grounded in the word of God and the theology of the church through the ages, he inspires all with a desire to discover this universal and yet intensely personal way of pilgrimage to the new Jerusalem.”
  • Read a review by The Rev. Dr. Peter Armstrong.

Teaching Kids the 10 Commandments 

  • Find online.
  • Description: Excellent resource for younger children. 

Grove Books: Discipleship

  • Find online.
  • Description: Grove Books is an evangelical Anglican resource with aims “to stimulate and equip Christian community by providing clear and concise explorations of Christian living and ministry.”

Tending Soul, Mind and Body: The Art of Spiritual Formation (A Centre for Pastor Theologians Series; edited by Gerald L. Hiestand and Todd Wilson)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Throughout his ministry, Jesus consistently demonstrated his concern and love for the whole person: soul, mind, and body. That task is carried forward today by pastors and church leaders, who are called to care for people in the midst of individual circumstances as well as seismic cultural shifts. How might that calling be informed by recent developments in psychology? How should the church attend to matters of mental health? How might psychology and counseling aid us in our spiritual formation?”

The Liturgical Home

  • Find online.
  • Description: “A new channel on Anglican Compass, serving the Anglican Family. The Liturgical Home is a place where you can learn all that you need to know on incorporating your faith into your home.”

Grow at Home by Winfield Bevins

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Perhaps you’re new to the idea of family discipleship. It’s simple, really. Family discipleship is when parents help their children become disciples of Jesus Christ in the home through reading the Bible, praying, worshiping, and doing missions together. It starts in our marriages, by loving our spouses with the love of Christ. It happens by teaching, loving, and sharing our faith with our children.”

Marks of a Movement by Winfield Bevins

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Marks of a Movement calls us back to the disciple-making mandate of the church through the timeless wisdom of John Wesley and the Methodist movement. With a love for history and a passion for today’s church, Winfield helps us reimagine church multiplication in a way that focuses on making and multiplying disciples for the twenty-first century. We in the Western Church need a movement of historic proportions once again. What would such a multiplication movement look like for us today? We must look to the past to gain wisdom for the future. And as we look at the pages of church history, there is no better example of a multiplication movement in the West than the Methodist movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Marks of a Movement highlights the lessons and key insights that enable us to learn from the past and reapply this timeless, biblical wisdom for today.”

The Good and Beautiful Series by James Bryan Smith

  • Find online.
  • Description: “James Bryan Smith believes the gospel is about change in our lives today, not just our eternal destiny. In The Good and Beautiful Series he aims to help Christians develop a robust discipleship by helping them understand who God is, what it means to be a Christian, how to live in community, and how to address toxic self-narratives that hinder spiritual growth.”

The Jesus Way: The Essential Christian Starter Kit by the Rev. Dr. Peter Walker

  • Find online.
  • Description: “The Jesus Way is an exciting book that presents the Christian life for readers at any stage of their spiritual lives from the novice to the mature.”

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright.

  • Find online.
  • Video series online.
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “At Little Trinity Church, we’ve used N. T. Wright’s Surprised By Hope video series, which is free on YouTube. There are six videos and it was very well received by more than 50 participants in our parish. The series is very well presented by Wright and one does not need to have read the book to go through the course.”  -The Rev. Orvin Lao
    • NOTE: Another priest said “The material is excellent but was not totally accessible for folks in my parish.”

Gospel in Life by Tim Keller

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Gospel in Life is an eight-week course on the gospel and how it is lived out in all of life- first in our hearts, then in community, and out into the world.”
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “Eight sessions with videos—fantastic!” -The Rev. Tim Haughton

One to One: A Discipleship Handbook by Sophie De Witt

  • Find online.
  • Description: “The gospel is all about changed lives. Peter, James and John, transformed by Jesus’ teaching, were commanded to’ go and make disciples of all nations’. You too may have been influenced by an individual within your own journey to faith. One To One [based on De Witt’s experiences at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate] unpacks the practical and spiritual implications of this ministry, and shows how we can support each other ‘one to one’.”

The Walk: Steps for New and Renewed Followers of Jesus by Stephen Smallman

  • Find online.
  • Description: “The Walk is a book written to those who have an expressed desire to follow Christ as his disciple. It assumes no prior understanding of what that means, nor does it assume that the person has actually come to a point of professing faith. It uses as a starting point a Roman pagan who is newly converted and wondering, “what next?” but also regularly addresses those who have grown up ‘Christian’ and may take for granted the realities that would be new to a recent convert.”
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “A book I used in one-to-one discipleship for a time – a ‘first steps along the way’ kind of study.” -The Rev. Tim Haughton

11. Evangelism & Church Growth

Good News Initiative with Carrie Boren Headington

  • Find online.
  • Description: “We create resources to help you share the beauty of Jesus with others. We pray that the resources below will become valuable tools for you. Our heart is to equip you with everything that you need to make a difference in the lives of those you are closest to.”

Divine Renovation by Fr. James Mallon

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Coaching and tools to help your church escape maintenance mode, reclaim its purpose, and get back on track for mission.”
  • Comments/Reviews: “Two things to note here: First, this is a Canadian story and a Canadian church. Second, it is a mainline church so it will speak to Anglicans. It is the story of the ‘divine renovation’ of a Roman Catholic Church–where the mission and vision of the church go through an overhaul in light of the Gospel. Lots of helpful advice in a way that is doable for Anglicans.”  -Richard Hetke, St. Mary Magdalene Church, Napanee, ON (Diocese of Ontario).

Grove Books: Evangelism

  • Find online
  • Description: Grove Books is an evangelical Anglican resource with aims “to stimulate and equip Christian community by providing clear and concise explorations of Christian living and ministry.”

Liturgical Mission: The Work of the People for the Life of the World by Winfield Bevins

  • Find online.
  • Description: “In Liturgical Mission, Winfield Bevins argues that the church’s liturgy and sacramental life are in fact deeply missional. He explores the historic practices of the Christian church, demonstrating how they offer a holistic framework for everyday Christian discipleship and mission in the twenty-first century. The result is a book that not only invites all Christians back to the historic liturgy of the church, but also invites those already in liturgical churches to rediscover the missional life that has too often remained latent in their own traditions.”

Ever Ancient, Ever New: The Allure of Liturgy for a New Generation by Winfield Bevins

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Author and teacher Winfield Bevins introduces you to a growing movement among a new generation of Christians who are returning to historic, creedal, and liturgical practices of Christianity. Filled with stories illustrating the excitement and joy many young adults have found in these ancient expressions of Christianity, this book introduces you to practices and principles that will help you personally experience God in ancient and new ways. According to the author, the liturgy, when rightly appropriated, is one of the best ways for us to make disciples in a postmodern context.”

 

12. MAID/Assisted Suicide

More resources coming soon.

“MAID and Pastoral Care: Navigating Pastoral Care in the Context of Assisted Suicide” (Anglican Communion Alliance webinar)

  • Find online.
  • Description: Abp. Gregory Kerr-Wilson; The Rev. Dr. Peter Armstrong and Dr. Julia Lee, M.D. offer theological, pastoral and medical perspectives.

“No Man is an Island” (Sermon by the Rev. Jacob Dell)

  • Find online.
  • Excerpt: “Whether we think we can cheat death by prolonging life or by dying on our own terms, resurrection reminds us that we do not set the terms. God sets the terms.”

“Watchers on the Wall” (Anglican Planet editorial)

  • Find online.
  • Excerpt: “We need the House of Bishops to speak clearly, yes to the wider Canadian society, but first of all to Anglicans across Canada who need leadership on this issue.  It will be important to encourage and inspire Anglicans to advocate for better support for those living with disabilities, the lonely, and those needing palliative care.  But that will not be enough – we also need clear teaching on theological themes such as the meaning of suffering for the Christian, and God’s Providence and sovereignty over all of our lives…”

 

13. Anglicanism

17th-Century Anglicanism (Video series by the Rev. Dr. Ross Hebb)

  • Find online.
  • Description: Dr. Hebb of the Diocese of Fredericton offers this series of talks on the tumultuous history of Anglicanism in the 17th Century.

The Heritage of Anglican Theology by J.I. Packer

The Anglican Way by Thomas McKenzie

  • Find online.
  • Description: Tragically, McKenzie died in a car accident in 2021.  He had most recently served as a priest in Nashville, TN in an ACNA parish.  However, his book does not focus on the political battles of recent years; instead it is an accessible and inviting introduction to life as an Anglican Christian.  “The Anglican Way is a guidebook for anyone interested in following Jesus as an Anglican Christian. Written for both the newcomer and the person who wants to go deeper, this book answers hundreds of questions about history, theology, worship, and more. Learn about this ancient but fast-growing branch of the Body of Christ. Let this guide help you as you walk the Anglican Way.”

14. For Pastors/The Pastoral Vocation

Pastoral Theology: A Reorientation by Martin Thornton

  • Find online.
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • From a review by Canadian priest Cole Hartin on the Living Church Covenant blog: “Especially as our congregational gatherings have diminished over the pandemic, Thornton’s outlook — if he is correct — makes it possible to see the deep value in our worship and prayer, even if we have a lower Average Sunday Attendance than we did two years ago.”                                         

Feed My Sheep by Ros Clark

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Jesus said he is the Good Shepherd that God’s people need to lead and protect them. This short but meaty book explores the meaning of ordination and what it means to serve as under-shepherds of the flock. It looks at how to nourish congregations through preaching and the sacraments, and the wider context of the Anglican Communion. Essential reading for anyone considering or involved in Anglican ministry. Authors include: Lee Gatiss, Mike Smith, Julian Henderson, Tim Ward, Nigel Atkinson, Andrew Atherstone and Michael Nazir-Ali.”

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World (by John Mark Comer)

  • Find online. 
  • Description: “Dallas Willard once called hurry ‘the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.’  I live in one of the most secular, post-Christian cities in our nation, and the longer I’m here, the more convinced I become that he’s right: hurry is the issue under all the other issues. The root cause beneath so much of the anger and anxiety of our cultural moment. And followers of Jesus are not immune to culture’s pain. Many of us live with a low-grade fatigue and chronic anxiety that rarely, if ever, goes away. We careen through our days at breakneck speed, and wonder where God is in the fray.  The reality is, most of us are just too busy to live an emotionally healthy and spirituality vibrant life. Hurry is incompatible with the way of Jesus. The love, joy, and peace that form the nucleus of Jesus’ kingdom are all impossible in a life of speed. We must, as Willard went on to say, ‘Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.'”

Stephen Ministry

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Stephen Ministry offers a proven and effective way to organize, equip, and supervise a team of congregation members—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and the community experiencing life difficulties.”

Overcoming Burnout (from the Healthy Rhythms Podcast)                                                                         

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Sooner or later, it seems like all ministry leaders hit a point where they can’t go any further. Maybe you’re at that point. Maybe you’re close. Wherever you are, you need practical steps and healthy rhythms to propel you back into a place where you’re leading from an overflow instead of scraping the bottom of the barrel. Join Wayne Cordeiro, Winfield Bevins, and Keri Ladouceur as they discuss ways to prevent burnout and how to recover when your limits have been pushed too far.”

Clergy Burnout by Fred Behr

  • Find online.
  • Description: “In this highly accessible book, Fred Lehr clarifies the nature and practice of clergy codependence. In short, insightful, and highly readable chapters, filled with many examples and stories from his own life and those he has counseled, Lehr identifies the typical forms codependence takes in the life and ministry of clergy: the chief-enabler, the one who keeps things functioning; the scapegoat, the one on whom everything’s blamed when it goes wrong, the one who’s responsible; the hero, the example, the pure and righteous one; the lost child, the one no one really knows or cares about; the rescuer, the one who saves the day, makes the visit, fixes the problem, makes everything all right again; the mascot, the cheerleader, the one who offers comic relief, brings down the tension level after a heated discussion.”

The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart by Dr. Harold Senkbeil

  • Find online.
  • Comments/Reviews:
    • “This book is not a manual on church strategy, metrics, or leadership theory. It is pastoral theology at its best. Written from the heart of the Lutheran tradition, The Care of Souls draws on the classical sources of Christian wisdom and reaches out to the entire Body of Christ. Every pastor, and everyone who wants to be a pastor, should read this book.” –Timothy George, founding dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; general editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

Funerals: The Care of Souls by Tim Perry

  • Find online.
  • Description: “In Funerals, Tim Perry recovers the rich theology inherent to the Christian funeral: communion with the saints in death, peace in forgiveness, hope in the resurrection, and joy in life eternal. Perry guides pastors through the practice of funerals, from planning the service to preaching the eulogy, and offers wisdom for the hard cases.”

Grove books on Leadership and Pastoral Ministry

“Read this Before you Accept that Call to Be Rector” by Neal Michell

  • Find online.
  • Excerpt: “The calling of a new rector is a discernment process for both the candidate and the search committee. I have participated in four rector searches as a candidate and overseen numerous searches as a canon to the ordinary. I have found that most of the emphasis seems to be on the search committee and its discernment of which priest God might be calling to serve a church as rector…”

 

15. Confronting Abuse in the Church

On Preaching the Rape Texts (Mere Fidelity podcast with Jen Pollock Michel; March 28 2022 episode)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Jen Pollock Michel joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to discuss the troubling — and important — passages of Scripture that deal with sexual violence.”

“In Lament” from the Church of England Evangelical Council

  • Find online.
  • Description: The CEEC describes the materials as ‘first steps’ in helping local churches reflect on, lament and address ​existing and potential issues surrounding power and abuse.

“When Spiritual Heroes Fail Us” (L’Aubri Lecture/podcast with Clarke Scheibe Jan. 15, 2021 episode)

  • Find online.
  • Description: “…It was discovered that Jean Vanier, an important figure in Canada and around the world, and who many had considered a living saint, had over the decades taken advantage of six vulnerable women. How are we to understand such an incongruity? How are we to respond when our trust is betrayed, and our confidence is lost in the power of the gospel itself? We will look at how we can reflect and respond when our spiritual heroes fail us.”

 

16. Healing

Order of St. Luke

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Our mission is to bring the healing presence and love of Jesus Christ to individual lives, and return healing ministry to its place in the church.  We are committed to an ecumenical leadership and membership, and welcome all those who affirm a faith based on the great historical creeds of Christianity.”  OSL Chapters throughout Canada offer training and support for members, and sponsor healing conferences and missions.  The Order of St. Luke holds regular cross-country calls for “anointed teaching and healing conversations.”

Christian Healing Ministries

  • Find online. 
  • Description: This vision of this ecumenical ministry is “to make Christian healing prayer a way of life in families, churches, and medical professions.” 

Tending Soul, Mind and Body: The Art of Spiritual Formation edited by Gerald L. Hiestand and Todd Wilson

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Throughout his ministry, Jesus consistently demonstrated his concern and love for the whole person: soul, mind, and body. That task is carried forward today by pastors and church leaders, who are called to care for people in the midst of individual circumstances as well as seismic cultural shifts. How might that calling be informed by recent developments in psychology? How should the church attend to matters of mental health? How might psychology and counseling aid us in our spiritual formation?”

Pathways to Promise

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Pathways to Promise, founded in 1988, is an interfaith assistance and resource center that provides virtual and in-person support to faith, spiritual and non-spiritual communities. Through training, consultation, liturgical and educational materials, program models, and assessments, we educate and affect change that creates welcoming and supportive caring communities for persons with mental health challenges, disabilities, and addictions and those who care for them.”

Troubled Minds

  • Find online.
  • Description: “In Troubled Minds Amy Simpson, whose family knows the trauma and bewilderment of mental illness, reminds us that people with mental illness are our neighbors and our brothers and sisters in Christ, and she shows us the path to loving them well and becoming a church that loves God with whole hearts and whole souls, with the strength we have and with minds that are whole as well as minds that are troubled.”

 

17. Grieving

Losing Susan: Brain Disease, the Priest’s Wife, and the God Who Gives and Takes Away by Victor Austin

  • Find online.
  • Description: “In this personal story of love and loss, seasoned pastor-theologian Victor Lee Austin shares how caring for his wife during her long, painful struggle with brain cancer and its aftereffects brought him face-to-face with his God and with his faith in unsettling ways. God gave Victor what his heart most desired–marriage to Susan–then God took away what he had given. Yet God never withdrew his presence. Weaving together autobiographical details and profound theological insights, this powerful narrative of suffering and love is told with bracing honesty. It shows that while we cannot tidily make sense of God’s role in suffering, we are called to turn to him in the face of pain and death.”

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

  • Find online.
  • Description: “In April 1956, Lewis, a confirmed bachelor, married Joy Davidman, an American poet with two small children. After four brief, intensely happy years, Lewis found himself alone and inconsolable. This is the unflinching account of how a stalwart believer lost his sense of bearings in the “mad midnight moment” of grief in the loss of a spouse.”

Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren

  • Find online.
  • Description: “Framed around the nighttime prayer of Compline, Tish Harrison Warren, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary, explores themes of human vulnerability, suffering, and God’s seeming absence.”