Bearing Fruit
Ministry with Real Results
Published February 2011
They need leaders who define ministry in terms of fruitfulness as well as faithfulness. They need pastors and lay leaders who ask about the outcomes of any given ministry or program, not just its process. Mostly, they need a vision of ministry that focuses on changing people’s lives. Absent that vision, ministry will fail.
In Bearing Fruit, Lovett Weems and Tom Berlin provide readers with the tools they need to assess the fruit their ministry bears in the lives of their congregations, their communities, and the world.
About the Authors
Lovett H. Weems JR.
Lovett H. Weems Jr. is distinguished professor of church leadership emeritus and senior consultant of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.?Weems was the founding director of the Lewis Center in 2003, coming to the position after 18 years as president of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. A native of Mississippi, he was a local church pastor in that state for many years. He is?a graduate of Millsaps College, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, and Wesley Theological Seminary. Dr. Weems is the author of several books published by Abingdon Press, including a revised edition of his classic,?Church Leadership: Vision, Team, Culture, and Integrity.
Tom Berlin
Tom Berlin serves as a Bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. Prior to being elected Bishop, he served as lead pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in suburban Washington, D.C. Tom is a graduate of Virginia Tech and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is the author of numerous books, including Reckless Love, Courage, Restored, Defying Gravity, The Generous Church, and the coauthor (with Lovett Weems) of Bearing Fruit, Overflow, and High Yield.
