Church Life
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Why Revival Tarries (Reprinted)
$16.99Add to cartLeonard Ravenhill’s call to revival is as timely now as it was when first published over forty years ago. The message is fearless and often radical as he expounds on the disparity between the New Testament church and the church today. This book contains the heart of his message, A.W. Tozer called Ravenhill “a man sent from God” who “appeared at (a) critical moment in history,” just as the Old Testament prophets did. Included are questions for group and individual study.
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Who Runs The Church
$24.99Add to cart“Many Protestants, individually and denominationally, are divided by differences regarding the form of church government. While these differences are not necessarily as divisive as theological and doctrinal issues, they are significant to churches and church leaders and affect the way Christians do God’s work. This book in the highly acclaimed Counterpoints series offers insights and contrasts into four kinds of church government: (1) episcopalianism (hierarchical, with priests, bishops, and archbishops), (2) presbyterianism (a representative form at multiple levels-church, classis/presbytery, synod/general assembly), (3) single-elder congregationalism (pastor-led local autonomy), and (4) plural-elder congregationalism (another form of local autonomy). Each form of government is explored through (1) description, (2) historical development, (3) hermeneutical assumptions, (4) biblical and theological foundations, (5) an understanding of the nature, number, and relationship of church officers, (6) the practical implications. The contributors are Peter Toon of the Anglican Church (episcopalianism), L. Roy Taylor of the Presbyterian Church in America (presbyterianism), Paige Patterson of the Southern Baptist Convention (single-elder congregationalism), and Samuel E. Waldron of the Reformed Baptist Church (plural-elder congregationalism).” EDITOR: Cowan, Steven B.
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Growth By Accident Death By Planning
$21.99Add to cartA congregation that had been growing in numbers and spiritual vitality reaches a plateau, and then begins to decline. What has happened? Whitesel explains where churches go wrong planning for growth and how they can correct themselves by looking at three related phenomena: the factors that cause initial growth; the erroneous decisions that lead to getting stuck on the plateau; and corrective steps they can take to regain growth and vitality.
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Ducking Spears Dancing Madly
$19.99Add to cartLeadership among God’s people is not a matter of easy answers or simple solutions. There is no foolproof list of character traits that one can acquire and develop in order to be a successful leader. Authentic leadership is a complex interaction of the leader’s gifts and calling, the people’s needs and response, the particular situation of the moment, and, above all, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Birch and Parks believe if we wish to understand the intricate and messy character of leadership in the church, the obvious place to start is Scripture. The Bible portrays leaders not as heroes placed on a pedestal, but rather as flawed and fallen human beings who nonetheless work with the people around them and with the situation at hand to move toward accomplishing the will of God.
Ducking Spears, Dancing Madly is a penetrating look at church leadership through the stories of Saul, David, and other central Old Testament figures. The authors demonstrate that those who have a clear and honest understanding of the triumphs and flaws of the individuals who lead God’s people in Scripture will be better prepared to lead God’s people today. In order to provide that understanding, they engage in a dialogue with the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, texts that portray the people of Israel in frequent social and political transition, and hence in need of effective leadership.
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Treasure In Clay Jars
$25.99Add to cartIf you saw a missional church, what would it look like? What patterns of behavior and practice would you find there? Building on the ground laid by the book Missional Church (Darrell Guder et al.), this volume centers on case studies of nine missional congregations from across North America that are diverse in their denominational affiliations, worship styles, political stances, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Treasure in Clay Jars explores eight concrete “patterns” common to these churches. Although the patterns may be different in each setting, they can be recognized in any congregation seeking to participate in God’s mission in the world. The congregations studied here are “clay jars,” but each carries in its respective witness a remarkable treasure that points to God’s power and purposes.
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Multicultural Ministry : Finding Your Churchs Unique Rhythm
$24.99Add to cartAn inspiring and practical guide for learning how to transition from a unicultural to multicultural church The changing ethnic face of America will increasingly require evangelicals to minister to people of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, including AfricanAmericans, Hispanics, Asians, and others. In Multicultural Ministry, author and pastor David Anderson provides practical ideas to show how both new and existing churches can embrace greater cultural diversity and discover their unique rhythm. Anderson shares many stories from his experiences in planting Bridgeway Community Church, a successful multicultural church that has grown to about 1,500 people, half of whom are AfricanAmerican, 30 percent are Caucasian, and about 15 percent are from other racial and ethnic groups. This book provides transferable principles and practical ideas adaptable for churches of any size and setting. Features include: *How to discover your church’s unique rhythm and identify where you are on the racial reconciliation continuum, and move forward along the continuum *How to move from stadiumlevel repentance to strategylevel realities *Scriptural basis for multicultural ministry *Inspiring stories, specific howto’s, and dangers to avoid
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Exploring The Worship Spectrum
$24.99Add to cartA presentation and discussion of differing worship styles This book helps readers appreciate the richness of worship practiced in the six most prevalent models used in North American churches today: formal liturgical, traditional hymnbased, contemporary musicdriven, charismatic, blended, and emerging. Each model is presented by an advocate of that point of view and then is critiqued by authors from the other perspectives. The lively discussions sort through the tensions of past vs. present, Bible vs. culture, and permitted vs. forbidden. Churches often choose a style of worship for Sunday services that reflects the vision of the founders, matches a particular target audience they want to reach, or is most true to their understanding of the Bible. Thus there is great diversity in worship today_diversity that has often led to tension and even divisions between believers. This book is designed to help readers understand and evaluate different styles of worship, including strengths, weaknesses, blind spots, inconsistencies, and commonalities. This new volume in the Counterpoints: Church Life series is intended to be a forum for healthy dialogue among church members. Discussion and reflection questions for each chapter facilitate group use of this book. EDITOR: Paul Basden
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Body Builders : Strengthening The Church Through Physical Emotional Mental
$14.99Add to cartHow are you treating God’s temple? Gluttony and its resulting effect, obesity, are literally killing Americans.We live lives of excess, proud of the fact that we are “fat and happy.” However, when we’re struggling with gluttony, laziness and obesity, our confidence and energy are stripped, our ministry is hindered, and our lives are cut short.Things must change! In Body Builders, Leslie Nease takes you on a personal journey through her life, while weaving important, encouraging scriptures throughout the text. In this moving story you will learn how to boldly face such issues as: Gluttony and obesity Confidence Laziness Procrastination Balance Food as fuel, not friend or foe Friendships Correction Listening to God’s voice Living a life of excess Aerobics Training with weights Body Builders offers scriptural advice, honest support and creative ideas to help you claim back the body God intended for you to have. It’s time for some “Cross”Training! “…Body Builders gave me a charge! It’s amazing how Leslie pulled together physical, mental, spiritual and emotional fitness with a Biblical foundation.” – Bob Blashke, 27-year missionary to West Africa and author of Quest for Power “What a great book! Body Builders shows you how to be completely fit through the power of the CROSS.” – Linda Smith, creator of Fit Praise and Reebok Aerobic Silver Medalist
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Lifetime Of Church
$30.99Add to cartA Lifetime of Church chronicles the author’s deep involvement in two very different churches. The church of his youth was maintained by a strict social order and a set of predominant customs and traditions. From his earliest memories the author recounts what it was like to grow up in this conservative context, while it brought misery to his mother and was the life passion of her father. A series of extraordinary events culminated in the author becoming a lay minister in this church as a young adult. At the same time, a personal Bible study brought about a new set of beliefs. Following a long and agonizing spiritual struggle, the author helped found an independent community Bible church. For thirteen years the author served this church as the senior pastor, reared his family, operated a community pharmacy, and learned a lot about faith and life.
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Community Of The King (Revised)
$26.99Add to cartThe Church is the Community of the King. What on earth is the kingdom of God? Howard Snyder probes the relationship between the kingdom of God and the church as we know it in our daily life. The church is a part of God’s dramatic plan to reconcile all things to himself, “things in heaven and things on earth.” The New Testament calls this reconciling work the kingdom of God. Snyder pleads for a model of the church which emphasizes the God-given gifts of all members as he sets forth his theology of the church and gives practical guidelines for those concerned about church life and growth.
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Christian Assembly : Marks Of The Church In A Pluralistic Age
$24.00Add to cartWhat is church? What makes the church one? While these questions may seem innocuous, church has become conflicted territory, with internal factions, external pressures, and ecumenical turmoil all calling for a more positive, sturdy, more resilient notion of Christian community.
Wengert approaches the questions as a Reformation historian. He shows how the New Testament notion of ”marks” of the church was taken up by Martin Luther and developed by Phillip Melanchthon not as a descriptive tag but as a criterion for authenticity in Christian community. Lathrop, a liturgical theologian, shows concretely how those marks can stamp the worship life of a congregation as well as the evaluative work of congregations with their pastors, bishops, superintendents, and conference ministers. -
Global House Church Movement
$13.99Add to cartA major church shift is happening all around the world. God is once again bringing back the power and simplicity of New Testament style Christianity. The Lord is raising up the global house church movement. Do you want to reach your friends and your nation with an approach to church life and church planting that is biblical and effective? If so, read this book. “This is an excellent, scholarly and pastoral introduction into the fascinating phenomenon of the house church movement.”-Wolfgang Simson
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Family Ministry Desk Reference
$30.00Add to cartIn groundbreaking fashion, physician and lay minister Pat Fosarelli provides this quick reference and how-to-manual for pastors and church groups charged with the care of families facing difficult situations. Each chapter in this one-of-a-kind resource opens with a vignette illustrating complex and prevalent problem facing families today and continues with a presentation of facts and figures about the problem and an outline of the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges that are posed for family members. Immediate, suitable responses to these problems are proposed for pastors, church boards, and individuals committed to the care of families. In addition to its user-friendly format, this book includes a listing of resources to obtain even more information and an area for readers to write the names of resources in their own communities.
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Season Of Ash And Fire
$20.99Add to cartIn addition to prayers and liturgies for Ash Wednesday through Ascension Day, this book includes suggested themes and symbols for the Sundays of Lent, daily Scripture readings for Lent and the fifty Days of Easter, household prayers for Lent and Easter, and an order for Lenten study groups. A Selected Scripture Index is included. This book has been designed for ease of use in both thematic and lectionary-based worship services.
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Get Ready Get Set Grow (Revised)
$17.95Add to cartEstimates are that as many as three-quarters of mainline Christian congregations are located in small towns or rural areas — and many of these areas are diminishing in population. So is it inevitable that small town and rural churches will decline in membership and close in the next few decades?
“Not necessarily!” says Gary Exman. During his years as the pastor of a small-town parish, his congregation reversed the trend and grew dramatically. By applying the principles of the “church growth” movement, Exman’s church revitalized a dying Sunday school, increased average worship attendance by 50 percent, and quadrupled church offerings.
Get Ready… Get Set… GROW! is a practical handbook that shows how you can achieve results like that in your congregation as well. Exman identifies the unique problems facing small town and rural churches, and in this book he offers proven strategies for conquering the cancer of declining membership and building stronger congregations.
There is untapped potential in the small towns and open country of our land — and Get Ready… Get Set… GROW! can help you discover it.
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Methodist And Radical
$38.99Add to cartContributors from diverse backgrounds in the United States and around the globe reflect on radical and liberation traditions in Methodism in their own context. In conversation with contemporary Methodism and the Wesleyan heritage, each chapter focuses on the question how radical and liberation traditions provide new visions for the present and future of the church. Contributions include: Ted Jennings Jr., John J. Vincent, Joerg Rieger, Josiah Young Jr., Andrew Sung Park, Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Stephen Hatcher, Jose Miguez Bonino, Harold Recinos, Rebecca Chopp, Cedric Mayson, Jong Chun Park, and Jione Havea.
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Beyond The Ordinary
$26.00Add to cart1. Strength One : Growing Spiritually
2. Strength Two : Meaningful Worship
3. Strength Three : Participating In The Congregation
4. Strength Four : Having A Sense Of Belonging
5. Strength Five : Caring For Children And Youth
6. Strength Six : Focusing On The Community
7. Strength Seven : Sharing Faith
8. Strength Eight : Welcoming New People
9. Strength Nine : Empowering Leadership
10. Strength 10 : Looking To The FutureAdditional Info
Results from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, the largest project of its type ever conducted in the United States, have prompted this second book from Westminster John Knox Press authors/ researchers Cynthis Woolever and Deborah Bruce. Their original work, A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations: Who’s Going Where and Why, explores the practices and activities of worshipers in more than 2,000 U.S. congregations, encompassing more than 300,000 worshipers across a representative sample of denominations and faith groups. This new book describes the qualities that are evident in strong congregations and develops congregational applications from those findings. Like the first book, it is helpfully illustrated with charts, graphs, and cartoons. -
Logic Of Renewal
$25.99Add to cartThe Western church is currently awash in a sea of renewal movements so much so that she is in danger of drowning. Across the church’s many denominations and great theological divisions there is a persistent quest for change, reflected in repeated calls for “revival,” “reform,” revitalization,” and “restoration.” We now have so much literature on the topic that one is hard-pressed to keep up with it, let alone evaluate it critically.
In “The Logic of Renewal” William Abraham helps church leaders and members get their bearings in the renewal debate by analyzing the most salient proposals for church renewal that have surfaced over the last fifty years. In successive chapters he pairs outspoken figures who (in all but one chapter) represent strongly contrasting convictions James T. Draper and Dennis Bennett, Lesslie Newbigin and John Shelby Spong, Rosemary Radford Ruether and Cardinal Ratzinger, Martin Luther King Jr. and Archbishop Romero, Alexander Schmemann and Gilbert Bilezikian, Don Cupitt and Edward Norman, C. Peter Wagner and R. R. Reno. Abraham gives special attention to the theological assumptions of each proposal, highlights its overall strengths and weaknesses, and develops his own proposals for church renewal through interaction with those under review.Articulate, bracing, and constructive, “The Logic of Renewal” will redefine the way Christians think about church life.
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Prophetic Song : Gateway To Glory
$15.49Add to cartGod is releasing a new sound in the church worldwide-prophetic song. Prophetic song is spontaneous, given fresh by the Holy Spirit. It is powerful, releasing an atmosphere of God’s presence in the church. It is intimate, drawing us into face-to-face and heart-to-heart encounters with God. This book is broken into four main parts. Part One centers on the sound of many waters, which is released when believers in the church mingle their voices in free worship. Part Two focuses on David and his legacy of prophetic song lyrics in the book of Psalms. Part Three deals with the gift of prophecy in song. And Part Four tells how to give prophetic song its place in the church. Prophetic Song: Gateway to Glory will help pastors, prophets, worshipers, and intercessors fulfill their roles in the new sound God is releasing worldwide in His church.
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StormFront : The Good News Of God
$23.99Add to cartHow does one authentically hear and live out the gospel in North America? This new book attempts to answer this question in a way that reveals much about the nature of Christian faith today and its relation to contemporary culture.
In keeping with the aims of the acclaimed Gospel and Our Culture series, “StormFront” investigates how the gospel intersects American culture and seeks to reorient the church to its full and proper missional vocation. Four authors noted for their understanding of modern church life offer a sober yet hopeful critique of American culture that focuses on consumerism and the privatization of religion, and they challenge the Christian church to embrace its corporate task to be salt and light to the world.
Amid the many books on the subject, this one is distinctive in its concern for application. By constrasting contemporary life with a thoroughgoing reading of the biblical narrative, the authors help American Christians discern how our cultural location makes it difficult to live out the transformative message of the gospel. Few readers will fail to be engaged by the lessons offered here.
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10 Commandments For Pastors New To A Congregation
$17.99Add to cartThe opening months of a new pastorate are decisive for how that ministry will unfold, so great care should be taken to begin wisely and well. Simply transplanting programs and habits that worked elsewhere, ignoring the specific dynamics of the new congregation and its people, making too few significant changes, or making too many insignificant changes will create problems for the new pastor that may never be overcome. “Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation” offers specific, down-to-earth principles and guidance on how to make a good beginning, one that will lay the foundation for years of fruitful ministry.
Drawing on twenty-five years of parish ministry, during which he has mentored many new and transitioning pastors, Lawrence Farris here provides ten guidelines, illustrated with relevant examples, that identify potential pitfalls and show how to avoid them. Such areas as preaching, pastoral care, self-care, community and denominational commitments, and role clarity are addressed with an emphasis on practical approaches to ministry in a new setting. Farris also gives clear advice on how to learn the new congregation and its setting, how to set appropriate personal and professional boundaries, and how to stay focused on what matters most in a new ministry.Lively, practical, and brief enough for the new pastor to have time to actually read it, “Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation” is a must-read both for pastors on the move and for individuals preparing for first-time ministry.
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Inspirations From Above
$16.99Add to cartYour church sign can be an awesome ministry in itself. Inspirations From Above gives instruction on how to make your sign ministry successful. The author shares his hands-on experience in the sign ministry, providing more than 1,200 proven “attention-getting” sayings that minister to the soul.
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Healing Bodies And Souls
$19.00Add to cartHale and Koenig, national leaders in health ministries, offer a practical and engaging primer on developing a variety of initiatives for pastors, parish nurses, lay leaders, and concerned parishioners. Their short volume mixes real-life congregational case studies with vital information to equip congregations in helping properly manage illness, navigate the healthcare labyrinth, manage or avoid disability, and even provide some life-saving and presentative medical services. While their case studies report on the many kinds of engagement congregations have taken on, each chapter also provides basic information on the most common healthcare challenges – diabetes, skin cancer, strokes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, breast cancer, prostate cancer, glaucoma, and depression – and what can be done in local congregations.
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Your Church Can Thrive
$17.99Add to cartThe author describes the four main groups of people churches can reach with their ministries: those in the pews, those who walk in, friends and family of current members, and those who live in the neighborhood. He then provides short-term steps and long-term strategies for teaching out to these groups, drawing them into the church, and helping them grow into disciples of Jesus Christ. This book helps readers focus the development of the ministries and programs of the church on those whom the church is trying to reach.
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Take The Next Step
$25.99Add to cartTransformational leaders know how to build on their church’s identity. They know how to make the story of change the next chapter in the book of the congregation’s life, rather than throwing the book away and trying to start over. An astute student of management and leadership theory, Weems offers congregational leaders essential insights into how they can bring about authentic and faithful growth. Includes congregational case studies, visual illustrations of key ideas, and insights from other leadership experts.
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Broken Cisterns
$14.99Add to cartBroken Cisterns is a forthright and honest look at the true state of affairs in the Church, with radical conclusions and urgent appeals for change. It is a prophetic insight into what is wrong and what can be done, coming out of the author’s lifetime of dealing with traditional Christianity. Taken from Jeremiah 2:13, the author contends that the Church has made the same mistake as ancient Israel in forsaking God, the “fountain of living waters,” and building “broken cisterns” to take His place. It is not too late to change, and the Bible tells us how.
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Search To Belong
$19.99Add to cartA practical guide for those struggling to build a community of believers in a culture that wants to experience belonging over believing Who is my neighbor? Who belongs to me? To whom do I belong? These are timeless questions that guide the church to its fundamental calling. Today terms like neighbor, family, and congregation are being redefined. People are searching to belong in new places and experiences. The church needs to adapt its interpretations, definitions, and language to make sense in the changing culture. This book equips congregations and church leaders with tools to: * Discern the key ingredients people look for in community * Understand the use of space as a key element for experiencing belonging and community * Develop the “chemical compound” that produces an environment for community to spontaneously emerge * Discover how language promotes specific spatial belonging and then use this knowledge to build an effective vocabulary for community development * Create an assessment tool for evaluating organizational and personal community health
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Finding A Spiritual Home
$19.95Add to cartThe Jewish community has lost some of the most sensitive spiritual souls of this generation. They are Jews who were looking for God and found spiritual homes outside of Judaism. Their journeys traversed the Jewish community, but nothing there beckoned them. The creation of synagogue-communities in which the voices of seekers can be heard and their questions can be asked will challenge many loyalist Jews. It will upset and enrage them. But it would also enrich them.
-from Chapter 18
In this fresh look at the spiritual possibilities of American Jewish life, Rabbi Sidney Schwarz presents the framework for a new synagogue model-the synagogue community-and its promise to transform our understanding of the synagogue and its potential for modern Judaism.
Schwarz profiles four innovative synagogues-one from each of the major movements of Judaism-that have had extraordinary success with their approach to congregational life and presents practical ways to replicate their success.
Includes a discussion guide for study groups and book clubs as well as a new afterword by the author describing developments in synagogue change projects since the book was first published. -
1 Body One Spirit
$25.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
This volume offers insights and implications for church leadership, worship styles, conflict resolution and much more.
As society diversifies, local churches find themselves interacting with people from every tribe and tongue. But not every church is equipped to handle the realities of ethnic and racial diversity in their congregational life. Sociologist George Yancey’s pioneering research on multiracial churches offers key principles for church leaders wanting to minister to people from a variety of racial and cultural backgrounds. Insights from real-life congregations provide concrete examples of how churches can welcome people of all heritages, giving them a sense of ownership and partnership in the life of the church. Here is an essential resource for pastors and church leaders committed to cultural, ethnic and racial reconciliation in their congregations. -
Empowered Church Leadership
$25.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Have you been guiding your church using secular marketing ideas and leadership strategies? Instead, Dodd issues a clarion call for pastors and laypersons to build their ministries on the New Testament apostolic principles of prayer, followership, partnership, servanthood, and willingness to run against the current. Learn to lead where God wants you to go.
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Lutherans Today : American Lutheran Identity In The Twenty First Century
$27.99Add to cartIn the middle of the twentieth century, American Lutherans were newsworthy enough to find themselves on the cover of “Time” magazine. Their claim to fame? In an era when American churches were beginning to look and act alike, Lutherans’ strong confessional nature and stress on theology as well as their liturgy and ethnicity set them apart. They were “Protestants with a difference” at a time when differences were supposed to be dissolving in the American melting pot.
Subsequent years have posed serious questions to Lutheran identity, as disputes about the true nature of Lutheranism and the meaning of the Lutheran confessions, the structure of ministry, ecumenism, sexuality, and multiculturalism have all left their mark on Lutheran denominations. In “Lutherans Today” several historians, social scientists, journalists, and other leading experts map out the place of Lutheranism in the landscape of contemporary American Christianity and explore the directions in which it is heading in the new millennium.
Presenting new and original research, the book is divided into two sections. The first examines change and movements within American Lutheranism. Distinguished church historian Mark Noll here sets the scene by arguing that the predicament of American Lutheranism has always been the struggle to remain faithful to the enduring witness of the European Reformation while also accommodating itself to the democratic pluralism of the New World. Six other chapters discuss the Missouri Synod, the “Lutheran Left,” the Called to Common Mission agreement, the evangelical catholic movement within Lutheranism, the rise of “megachurches,” and Lutheran charismatics.
The second section considers trends and issues related to Lutheran identity, including politics and the pastorate, the impact of immigration and multiculturalism, the loss of Lutheran identity at Lutheran colleges and universities, and conflicting patterns of commitment among Lutheran youth.
As a whole, “Lutherans Today” will be valuable not only to all Lutherans but also to those interested in the development and current state of religious life in America.
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Uneasy Conscience Of Modern Fundamentalism
$17.99Add to cartOriginally published in 1947, “The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism” has since served as the manifesto of evangelical Christians serious about bringing the fundamentals of the Christian faith to bear in contemporary culture. In this classic book Carl F. H. Henry, the father of modern fundamentalism, pioneered a path for active Christian engagement with the world a path as relevant today as when it was first staked out.
Now available again and featuring a new foreword by Richard J. Mouw, “The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism” offers a bracing world-and-life view that calls for boldness on the part of the evangelical community. Henry argues that a reformation is imperative within the ranks of conservative Christianity, one that will result in an ecumenical passion for souls and in the power to meaningfully address the social and intellectual needs of the world.
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Serving In Your Church Nursery
$16.99Add to cartA well-run nursery is a tremendous asset to a church. The responsibilities are demanding, but with prayer, patience, and commitment, you can minimize the frustrations and maximize the difference you make in the lives of children three and under and their parents. Whether you’re leading your church’s nursery ministry, serving in it, or just thinking of getting involved, you will welcome the expert insights, encouragement, and resources this book offers.
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In One Body Through The Cross
$13.99Add to cartThe Princeton Proposal is a landmark statement on the present situation and future possibilities of modern ecumenism. Drafted by sixteen theologians and ecumenists from various church traditions, who met over a period of three years in Princeton, New Jersey, this document seeks to steer contemporary efforts at church unity away from social and political agendas, which are themselves divisive, and back to the chief goal of the modern ecumenical movement the visible unity of Christians worldwide, of all those who are reconciled “in one body through the cross.”
Since the study group that produced this statement was instituted and its participants were chosen by an independent ecumenical foundation, the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology, their “unofficial” work presents especially profound and creative reflection on the ecumenical task. With this report the study group members do not claim to speak for their churches, but hope to speak to all the churches out of shared concern for the founding ecumenical imperative “that they all may be one . . . so that the world may believe.”
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Passion Driven Congregation
$25.99Add to cartWhat can sustain a church’s growth over a lengthy period of time, especially across a change in senior pastors? Long, successful pastorates are customarily followed by brief, unhappy ones, and then by a period of stagnation and even decline. Succesive pastors of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, demonstrate how a theologically and socially progressive church can be faithful to its particular character and still experience significant, sustained numerical growth.
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Unfinished Business : Returning The Ministry To The People Of God (Revised)
$24.99Add to cartA comprehensive listing of field-tested programming material designed to supplement a church9s creative process of service planning The Source is an encyclopedic catalog of music, drama, and video resources compiled by the Willow Creek Association. It provides worship planners and creative directors with a quick, topical reference to help them relate sermon topics, drama, music, and movie clips to a unifying theme. Complete with a clear, thorough user9s guide, this one-stop workbook for effective worship planning covers more than 130 topics. Major headings include Christian Life Issues, Holidays and Special Services, Identity of God, Life Issues, Relationships with God, Social Issues, Seeker Issues, and Relationships. This revised edition is geared to meet the needs of both seeker-oriented churches and traditional churches that use contemporary music or drama or video in their services.
New features include:
* A worship chorus section, including over 150 songs from Integrity, Maranatha!, EMI, Vineyard, Word, and more
* Interviews with programming directors from various WCA churches focusing on how different churches use the arts in their specific settings -
Built By The Owners Design
$14.95Add to cartEvery church needs to reach out and bring in new members in order to remain a living, vital entity — yet there are many different ideas about what is the best way for Christian congregations to foster real growth. In recent years, what has been termed the “Church Growth Movement” (as exemplified in such best-selling books as The Purpose Driven Church and The Habits Of Highly Effective Churches) has come to the forefront with its agenda of meeting felt needs and targeting specific audiences. At the same time, there has been a less-publicized but pointed reaction to what some perceive as the church growth movement’s misdirected zeal. And while the church growth movement has been very successful with new churches, its methods often fall short of satisfying the growth needs of established congregations.
In Built By The Owner’s Design, Danny Von Kanel invites you into the drawing room of the Master Designer to examine His blueprints for evangelism and church growth. Employing the plumb line of God’s Word, he makes it clear that God’s way of growth and outreach is most effective. Von Kanel draws on a careful analysis of more than 50 churches in the Southern Baptist, United Methodist, and Presbyterian (USA) denominations to offer a viable alternative that charts a middle ground between overzealousness and declining attendance, identifying a proven framework that can support lasting growth in diverse situations. Several checklists are included that help you systematically evaluate your own congregation and develop a tailor-made growth plan based on your specific circumstances. Grounded in solid research and Von Kanel’s own experience in several growing ministries, Built By The Owner’s Design is an immensely practical resource that belongs in every pastor’s library.
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Emerging Church : Vintage Christianity For New Generations
$24.99Add to cartAround 25 years ago the evangelical church underwent a shift with the arrival of seeker-style churches. A whole generation of baby-boomers resonated with that approach and the movement was used greatly by God. But now there are rumblings around the country that the generations of teens, twenties, and thirties have changing perceptions and preferences. Some of the very “spiritual” things that were removed from church are the very things that post-Christian generations are connecting with and finding attractive in a church. The Emerging Church addresses this change and provides practical ideas on how churches can adjust and be more effective to reach emerging generations. Dan Kimball, founding pastor of Graceland, does not present his church as “the” new model, but offers a road map to help open the eyes of churches to some changes that are occurring in various places around the country. Kimball explains the postmodern shifts and what practical implications that has for worship, preaching, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership. He provides an encouraging cross-generational bridge between a new bread of young church leaders and those who have been in ministry for some time. Features include: * Sidebar response comments from Rick Warren, Howard Hendricks, Brian McLaren, Sally Morgenthaler, Chip Ingram, and Mark Oestreicher. * Graphs and charts summarizing shifts in the church and culture * Appendix with samples of Graceland vintage faith worship services * Appendix of recommended resources for reaching emerging generations * 2 color interior throughout
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Christly Gestures : Learning To Be Members Of The Body Of Christ
$29.99Add to cartThe church is not only the central place of Christian worship but also a place of faith-filled education. Christly Gestures reframes the very meaning of religious education, exploring what the form and content of Christian learning would look like if local churches truly saw themselves as the body of Christ.
Author Brett Webb-Mitchell begins with the writings of Paul, using them to clarify the biblical image of Christ’s body as the community of believers. Taking this powerful analogy to heart, he suggests that Christian education must not only nurture the minds and spiritual lives of church members but also educate their bodies into the “Christly gestures” – performing acts of faith that imitate Jesus and embody the gospel in daily life. In the quest for a richer, more relevant understanding of Christian education, Webb-Mitchell provides meaningful answers to questions concerning the purpose, context, ways, and means of educating Christians today.
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Ministry Loves Company
$25.00Add to cartIn Ministry Loves Company John Galloway provides new and veteran pastors with insights on establishing and maintaining a vital parish ministry while remaining invigorated by the practice of ministry. Drawing on the image of a congregation as a family, Galloway uses anecdotes to describe the life of a congregation and the life of a pastor, who have both been called to be the body of Christ. Poignant, memorable, and often humorous, Galloway’s reflections derive from his own personal experiences as a pastor. Ministry Loves Company uniquely addresses the many challenges facing today’s pastors and serves as a practical guide for those veteran pastors who are seeking to remain courageous and excited about parish ministry.
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Called To Parish Ministry
$17.50Add to cartToday men and women of all ages and all walks of life are drawn to service in the church, but many question where they should begin. This book helps answer many of those questions, like: What is parish ministry? How and why did it develop? What special qualities will I need? What roles can I eventually play? Who will help me to grow spiritually?
This comprehensive and practical resource will be an indispensable guide in helping to discern one’s call to be a parish minister.
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Discover Your Windows
$19.99Add to cartIn this dynamic book, Church Doctor Kent Hunter explores ten worldviews (windows) that greatly affect your life and your church. Based on research of over 18,000 church members, Hunter reveals that most tensions in churches are focused on symptoms rather than the issues that lie behind them – conflicting worldviews.
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House Of Prayer For All Peoples
$28.00Add to cartContrary to the oft-repeated truism, there are churches in America where Sunday is not the “most segregated day of the week,” as Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook convincingly demonstrates in her compelling exploration of congregations tackling racial justice issues. Yet the truism continues to haunt many congregations, and Kujawa-Holbrook reveals, through story and thoughtful analysis, what it means to create and live out multiracial community.
Focusing on six congregations from different denominations, geographical regions, and settings, the author shows us the joys and struggles in their intentional pursuits of a more diverse and just community. The stories in A House of Prayer for All Peoples will inspire leaders to explore their congregation’s history, study their community’s demographics, and, most of all, search their souls for ways they can develop and celebrate the diversity in their midst. The book is capped by an extensive annotated resource list for readers who want to explore the topic further.
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21 Positive Principles For A Powerful 21st Century Church
$15.49Add to cartThe author, Dr. Dennis Davis, builds the thesis of this book on the premise that there are irrefutable, undeniable laws, both moral and physical, that govern the universe. He contends that these God-establiched laws cannot be broken. They can be denied, but not broken, as the law will always remain intact. He also contends that God has established “laws” that guide the growth, success, and future of the Church, and that when one operates within the framework of these laws (principles), there will be a natural consequence of both numerical and spiritual growth.
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Transforming Congregational Culture
$22.99Add to cartWe’re living in a postmodern society where mainline church membership is declining and congregants are aging. What’s the key to bringing about renewal? Transforming Congregational Culture, says Anthony Robinson. Arguing that “cultural change” goes deeper than just adding new programs, he suggests ways to lead life-transforming worship; implement Christian formation for all ages; involve people in ministry; be sensitive to the Holy Spirit; and more.
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Wellbeing
$30.00Add to cart“This is the first book in the new SCM “”Society and Church”” series, which attempts to make sense of the Church and Christianity in a secular society and context, and explore what the former can legitimately contribute to the latter. “”Wellbeing”” is an absolutely central concept in our secular lives, is used with increasing frequency in all sorts of contexts – eg. the Boots website is “”www.wellbeing.com”” – and it is therefore crucial that we understand how it relates to life, meaning and personal identity in the 21st century. Through a combination of story, personal reflection and philosophical analysis, Alison Webster attempts to get “”under the skin”” of wellbeing, and show how the concept is evolving in contemporary culture. She shows how the agenda generated by wellbeing is like that which traditionally has been generated by religion and spirituality: which is why “”meeting spiritual needs”” is such big business in health and social care. Webster argues that the Christian tradition still has much to offer in transf
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Effective Small Churches In The 21st Century (Revised)
$23.99Add to cartIn a complete revamping of his much admired Making the Small Church Effective, Dudley tackles such recent developments as shifts in institutional loyalty and how individuals identify with large groups and organizations. Enunciates those key components for building mature, faithful, unified Christians.
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Church Of Irrisistible Influence
$22.99Add to cartA city set on a hill, inescapably visible. A lit lamp brilliantly illuminating the darkest room. With compelling metaphors, Jesus described the church and its impact on the world. And indeed, filled with the Holy Spirit, the early church demonstrated a spiritual energy and depth that transformed the surrounding culture. Don9t let your church settle for less! Using bridges as a metaphor for “irresistible influence”–or i2, as he calls it–Robert Lewis shows how your church can become a strong, well-traveled link between heaven and earth in your community. In this engaging and uplifting book, Lewis tells the stories and shares the experiences and lessons of Fellowship Bible Church to show * what it will take to reconnect your church with your community * the how-to9s of “incarnational bridge building” * true stories of i2 in action * how to expand the i2 effort through new partnerships and adventures * requirements of the church in the 21st century Discover how the power of incarnational bridge-building can impact your church and your community at the annual Church of Irresistible Influence conference. For information, contact Fellowship Associates: www.fellowshipassociates.com; phone (501) 975-5050.
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60 Second Guide To Denominations
$14.99Add to cartThis easy-to-use, non-biased resource guide to all the major denominations in the US includes a summary of doctrinal beliefs, and is perfect for the new believer or the long-time Christian.
An alphabetical listing of over 300 denominations
Information concerning the church beliefs on over 20 major topics
Brief overview of church group history
Statements of faith
Stands on current issues and events of relevance for today
Contact information for denominational headquarters
A summary of doctrinal beliefs in a completely non-biased manner -
To Live In Peace
$30.99Add to cartHow are Christians to understand and respond to our distressed inner-city communities? Building on both the perspective of God’s new creation and the view from the neighborhood, Mark R. Gornik’s To Live in Peace shows how the life of the church, the strategies of community development, and the practices of peacemaking can make a transformational difference.
Centering the book is the story of Baltimore’s New Song Community Church, a church that stands as a witness to what can happen when the risks of the gospel are taken. Engaging with a wide range of theological and missiological perspectives, Gornik demonstrates how placing blame for the current conditions of life in the inner city on the residents themselves fails the test of critical analysis and the witness of Scripture. Yet his proposals also show ways that the church can work with the community to overcome structural obstacles to human flourishing.
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Strange New Word Of The Gospel
$24.50Add to cartIn today’s postmodern culture many people are turning to religion, but they are not necessarily finding their way back to the church. Most believers in America and other Western countries are “post-Christian.” Though baptized and brought up in a church, they no longer believe and practice the Christian faith. In such a time, the great challenge facing the church is re-evangelization. This volume provides serious theological reflection on Christian mission within postmodern, post-Christian culture. Written by respected scholars representing the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox traditions, these chapters point out elements of the gospel that will help the church speak effectively to contemporary society, particularly in the United States.
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Serving In Church Visitation
$19.99Add to cartWhether visiting people in their homes, in the hospital, or in a restaurant over a cup of coffee, the simple act of connecting with others is filled with powerful possibilities. The act of friendship is an inroad to hearts and lives that creates trust, value, and incredible potential for ministry. This book helps you to find how the Bible models the importance of visitation, what kind of person makes a good visitor, what type of visits are possible, and much more.
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Serving In Your Church Music Ministry
$19.99Add to cartWorship is a slice of eternity that Christians can participate in on earth, and nothing can facilitate our experience of worship like music. This wise, concise guidebook will help you harness your God-given musical talent as a gift to the body of Christ, in a way that brings joy to both God’s heart and yours. This book discusses words of worship, planning for worship, serving with your voice, and much more.
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Serving As A Church Greeter
$7.99Add to cartGreeters are the welcoming arms that people long to find in a church. This practical guidebook will help you reach out to people who need to experience the warmth of belonging to a church family. This book sheds light on the ministry of church greeters, the need for warmhearted greeters, developing a user-friendly foyer, and much more.
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Serving As A Church Usher
$7.99Add to cartYour importance as an usher can’t be overstated. Your impact is enormous both in meeting the needs of people and in keeping the church service running smoothly.
Serving as a Church Usher sheds light on:The Ministry of Ushers
The Functions of an Usher
An Usher’s Standard of Excellence
The Authority and Responsibility of Ushers
Ushers as Greeters
Zondervan Practical Ministry Guides provide you with simple, practical insights for serving in today’s churches. Written by experienced pastors and church workers, these easy-to-read, to-the-point booklets address the fundamentals of different ministries as practiced effectively in real life. You’ll find biblical insight and wise, field-tested advice you can apply today, as well as discussion questions to help you think through and integrate what you read. -
Serving By Safeguarding Your Church
$18.99Add to cartChurch ought to be the safest place on earth. Here’s how to fulfill that goal in practical ways, from developing a security structure and team, to assessing interior and exterior building security, training ushers and greeters to be sensitive to security, forming an emergency reaction team, establishing financial accountability, and much more.
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Redeveloping The Congregation
$26.00Add to cartWhat makes it possible for a church to reverse course from decline or stagnation into longlasting vitality? How can a church immigrate from a congealing present into a compelling future? What can a congregation do to experience continuous, deep change rather than just temporary, surface improvement? How does a person lead redevelopment?
The three authors of this book address these and other questions by building on an eight-step framework for lasting change developed by John P. Kotter, noted former professor of organizational behavior at Harvard Business School. His work on organizational change is heralded in the secular world as foundational, and Smith, Sellon, and Grossman have found that his findings hold true for congregations as well.
Each chapter in this book comprises three sections: mentor, companion and coach. The mentor section discusses principles and concepts to be addressed in each of the eight steps; the companion section gives readers a sense of what leading change is actually like for a congregational leader; and the coach section provides specific ways for leaders to develop the unique change processes that will be effective in their church. Foreword by Anthony G. Pappas.
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Telling The Truth
$24.99Add to cartThis thoughtful book provides cultural analysis, probes some of the most important turning-points of biblical theology, describes the experiences of those who are proving fruitful in contemporary evangelism, and exposes readers to those who are thinking hard both strategically and practically about reaching the postmodern world.
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Worship By The Book
$24.99Add to cartToday’s believers gather on Sundays just as they always have—but what should biblical worship look like in the 21st century? The authors explore how creative, biblically sound, and spiritually rewarding worship unfolds in the Presbyterian/Reformed tradition, the liturgical practices of the Anglican/Episcopal church, and the “free church” perspective. Includes sample services.
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How To Keep The Pastor You Love
$25.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
While Paul urges the church to “overwhelm them with appreciation and love” (1 Thessalonians 5:13), research and anecdotal evidence shows that most pastors experience little support when they need it the most. The result? One long-time pastor reports that he thinks about quitting the ministry as often as twice a week, and an estimated twenty-five percent of all ministers relocate every year.
In Jane Rubietta explores the “flip side” of pastoral care–caring for your pastor. She breaks down the largely unexamined myth of the superhuman pastor. And she provides everything you need to know to build healthy, caring, mutually sustaining relationships among your church and its leaders.
Ministers and their families can profitably read the book along with lay leaders to become more aware of where they need the help and encouragement of their congregations. Questions at the end of each chapter guide pastoral families in reflecting on their own experiences–both positive and negative–of life in the church.
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Cell Groups And House Churches
$9.99Add to cartAre small groups new? This book provides a historical backdrop to much of what is happening in cell groups and house churches today. It points us to valuable lessons which the modern church can learn from history.
Examine how cell groups and house churches developed in the centuries since the Reformation. Explore the writings and practices of the Reformers such as Luther and Bucer, as well as the Pietists, Moravians, Methodists and others. These writings show clearly that when God moves in restoring His church, there is a renewal of small groups to aid discipleship and growth into holiness, often resulting in a greater concern for reaching the lost.
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Church As Learning Community
$36.99Add to cartNorma Cook Everist contends it is meaningful to say that in ministries of adminstration, outreach, and pastoral care, the church is functioning as a learning community. Whenver and wherever Christians are being formed into the image of Jesus Christ through ministry. Christian education is taking place. Christian education is the name of this process of formation. Building on this central insight, Everist has written a major new introduction to the tasks and practices of Christian education.
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Help Our Church Is Growing
$14.00Add to cartIt’s the secret, unspeakable dream shared by every minister. After years of diligent work in an average-sized church, you glance up one Sunday and notice a new family. The next month you notice another. Soon it seems like somebody new arrives almost every week. Suddenly you are the leader of a living, breathing, growing church!
Like any roller coaster ride, this one begins with a long, slow ascent. Attendance climbs. Giving climbs. Expectations climb. Of course a few problems crop up along the way, because, as with every other roller coaster, this one has a long and often scary downside. Even as your church continues to climb in every measurable statistic, you, the spiritual leader, may well find yourself in a virtual free-fall as you struggle over how to manage the impact this change will have on your congregation.
What can you, as a minister in a growing church, do to survive the pitfalls that lie just around the corner? What do you do when the old ways no longer work?
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Staff Talk : 52 Devotions For Church Staffs
$16.95Add to cartDo you ever find yourself searching for an appropriate prayer or devotion to open a staff meeting with? If so, this book is a comprehensive resource you’ll return to again and again. A year’s worth of brief meditations, all uniquely suited for building a sense of community and trust among your personnel, are in this extraordinary volume. Wil Jackson draws on his extensive personal experience to share practical, effective insights in imaginative and engaging language. A wide variety of themes and topics are covered, including sections on building a covenant relationship, employing good management principles, and equipping laity for ministry within the body of believers. There’s even material especially appropriate for retreat settings.
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Ending With Hope
$23.00Add to cart“Why is it we do funerals so well but often balk at even recognizing the death of a congregation? Couldn’t we do grief ministry and funerals as well for social groups as we do for individuals?” challenges Gilson Waldkoenig, in his seminary classes. Waldkoenig, associate professor of church in society at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, contributes his special insights on the subject of church endings, in this unique and important book.
Ending with Hope grows out of the understanding that although closing a congregation is in many ways about dying, it can also be about new life. Closing a congregation does not have to be about failure but can be about redirecting resources for new ministry.
Contributors represent eight denominations and include more than a dozen pastors, lay leaders, judicatory staff, and others who have “been there”-who have helped congregations through the painful closing process. Resources include models for assessing whether a congregation should close; reflections on members’ and pastors’ experiences during closing; case studies; guidance for deciding what to do with a building; suggestions for selecting and preserving documents and artifacts; rituals for healthy closings; a survey of historical trends regarding closings; and other helpful materials.
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12 Dynamic Shifts For Transforming Your Church
$18.99Add to cartThat today’s mainline churches are in crisis is apparent; a solution is less obvious. In this constructive new book E. Stanley Ott points a way ahead, describing twelve shifts in philosophy and practice that can help congregations build need-responsive, disciple-growing churches full of life and vigor.
Arguing that the weakness of the church today is a loss of personal spirituality and congregational vitality, Ott challenges local churches to discover how to adjust the style of their ministries to attract new people while encouraging current members. Ott examines the characteristics of “traditional” churches, extols the features of new, “transformational” churches, and lays out proposals to help established congregations make the transition.
Well balanced by an honest assessment of the church’s present and a positive vision for its future, this book is must reading for pastors, church leaders, and members of every congregation.
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Way The Church Ought To Be
$17.99Add to cartHave you ever wondered? What is the Christian church? Is it a building, or is it much more? How should the church operate? What kind of leadership do we need, and where do we find them? How should we view spiritual gifts? Should we accept and use them or reject them for being too divisive? Should we evangelize or wait for God to do the job? Who is part of the church? How do we join? Do we sign a membership book, take a class, or are we automatically a part of the Christian church because we are Americans? Is there a blueprint hidden away somewhere that can help us discover the answers to these questions? Take heart- God’s blueprint for the Christian church is not hidden in some ancient medieval monastery or buried in a mysterious cave guarded by mythical beasts, but is found on the pages of the Bible. Anyone who cares to investigate can read those pages and will discover how God wants His church to be. The Way the Church Ought to Be was written to speak clearly to the following simple truths: God has a blueprint (pattern) that reveals how His church should be. God meant for His blueprint to be acknowledged and followed. Those who build their churches in disregard for that blueprint are building upon the sand. Those who build their churches according to God’s blueprint will experience His blessings, power, and favor. The Way the Church Ought to Be is a simple manual on how Jesus Christ builds His church. Hopefully it will become a source of blessing for believers who are seeking a genuine move of the Holy Spirit in our day.
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Song Of Songs (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartSong of Songs, the latest 8-week Studyguide, gives the reader insight into Song of Songs — one of the richest and most beautiful books of the Bible. This guide offers reflection on the intimacy God intends for marriage and the intimacy God desires to have with us. Written for those who long for more closeness with God and more depth in their relationships. This book is ideal for those who want to learn more about Song of Songs; engaged or married couples seeking a greater understanding of God’s design for intimacy; pastors and counselors looking for a guide to use in pre-marital counseling; and those who want to learn more about God’s desire for intimacy with his children and his Church.
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Faithful Yet Changing
$6.99Add to cart“I have a passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ, a love for the people of God, and an ache for the brokenness of the world,” declares Mark S. Hanson, newly elected presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Here he sets forth his vision for the church-a church faithful to the Scriptures and its tradition, yet changing to meet the new challenges of our diverse, fragmented world.
Bishop Hanson issues an urgent call to mission marked by witnessing, worshiping, engaging, equipping, inviting, connecting, changing, and praying.The book invites congregations, pastors, and lay leaders into a “holy conversation” to envision the future of the church and its mission.
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If It Could Happen Here
$17.99Add to cartIn this informative book, Jeff Patton describes six “levers” for transforming a small-membership church: prayer, discerning a clear vision, indigenous worship, growth groups, membership that means something, and lay pastoring. Filled with solid insights on how the principles Patton has developed can be applied in different contexts, this book will offer hope to all leaders of small-membership congregations who know that there is more to life in Jesus and want to experience it.
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Spiritual Maturity : Preserving Congregational Health And Balance
$19.00Add to cartLike all human bodies, the body of Christ that we call “church” needs to attend to its health or it may become ill. Renowned pastor, preacher, and teacher Frank Thomas believes that many congregations exhibit a number of dysfunctional habits in conducting business that lead to rifts, divides, and even congregational splits. Often they are caused by leadership styles that are ineffective and controling. Thomas examines how poor congregational leadership is often the result of personality conflicts among leaders and how many key leaders–both clergy and lay–participate in keeping unhealthy methods alive. Thomas’s book will help lay and clergy leaders improve the health of their congreagation by taking a close look at the styles of church leadership, methods of information flow, and levels of participation that exist within the body. Thomas offers a holistic solution based on a model of spiritual maturity for creating and preserving a healthy comgregation.
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Church God Blesses
$12.99Add to cartIn this second book of a three-book series on the way God wants to pour out his blessings, best-selling author Jim Cymbala describes the kind of church God wants to bless and use mightily for his kingdom. Cymbala, who pastors The Brooklyn Tabernacle and has seen his church grow from a handful of the faithful to a vibrant, multi-ethnic and growing beacon of hope in the city, believes that God desires to bless the church but that the church is often more interested in programs and “fads.” He outlines the qualities that God is looking for in the church and shows how any church can become a vessel for God’s blessings. Through the use of stories from his own congregation and this pastor’s wise insights from Scripture, this book will satisfy the hunger every Christian has to see the church become what God intended it to be.
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Christian Community : 10 Studies For Individuals Or Groups
$12.99Add to cartOne of the greatest gifts that Christ has given us is each other. Through Christ’s body, the church, we discover our unique gifts and experience worship, healing and power. In ten studies, Rob Suggs leads us to grow in community–loving and nurturing one another, and in reflecting Christ’s love to the world around us.
Now available in IVP’s revised LifeGuide Bible Study format, Christian Community features questions for starting group discussions and for personal reflection, as well as a new “Now or Later” section following each session.
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Word And Power Church
$18.99Add to cartYou don’t have to head overseas to find a war. In the church, the rhetorical cross-fire between evangelical and “spirit-filled” Christians over the past hundred years has been withering. “No scriptural foundations,” is the charge evangelicals have leveled at the charismatics. “No spiritual power,” the latter have countered. The boundaries are clear. The positions are taken — and guarded. Either you’re a Word person or a Power person. Today, though, such black-and-white, either-or thinking is giving way to the liberty and promise of a Word and Power church. Pastor Doug Banister shows why we cannot afford to settle for less. It’s time to bury our differences — which are largely artificial — and discover the incredible potential that arises when evangelicals combine their strengths with Pentecostals and charismatics. Taking a long, careful, and honest look at the Scriptures, at church history, and at the state of the church and the world today, Pastor Banister reveals why Pentecostalism and evangelicalism need each other. Each tradition possesses strengths that are essential to a balanced, life-changing faith. The Word and Power Church shows how these “two mighty rivers” add to, rather than subtract from, each other. At the cusp of a new millennium, they are in fact merging into one river. Word and Power churches may experiences turbulence where the waters meet, but they teem with life, hope, faith, and power to reach a desperate world with the Gospel. Filled with personal anecdotes, this fascinating, thought-provoking, and candid book supplies the why-tos and how-tos of a Word-and-Power approach. What you won’t find is preferential treatment of one view over another. What you will find are thoughtful biblical insights that will challenge you and inspire you. And you’ll discover practical guidance for charting your own course — whether as an individual or as a church — toward a faith that embraces the truth of the Word and the power of the Spirit. As a solidly evangelical seminary graduate and pastor, Banister admits to having disdained charismatics. That is, until meticulous study of God’s Word convinced him that miraculous gifts of tongues, healing, and prophecy are indeed valid for today. As he details his journey beyond categories, Banister explores the reasons for the age-old rift between the two camps and the ways in which healing is taking place in new Word and Power churches all over America. When evangelicals and charismatics bring togeth
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Lighting Of The Acolyte
$12.95Add to cartTo err is human. Fortunately, so is the ability to laugh at our mistakes. And this collection of actual bloopers and blunders from church newsletters, bulletins, and pulpits across the country will keep you laughing for a long time to come.
Thousands of church secretaries, pastors, and parishioners from several denominations in over thirty states were willing to share their most embarrassing typos, stories, and tongue-tied trip-ups. The author has chosen the very best of them all, included them here for your church secretary, pastor, parishioners — and you — to enjoy.
So, if you have ever said to yourself “only I could make a goof like that!” come share a laugh with Linda Jump and several of your fellow human beings.
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Case For Excellence
$17.95Add to cartHere are over 50 case studies of very real clergy/church situations: crises, problems, legal issues. Each one provides background to the situation, a description of the event, an analysis, and an evaluation by the person(s) involved suggesting how it might have been handled differently.
This fascinating collection of studies describes clergy life on the front lines. Pastors, seminary students, and even congregational staff and members will learn not only what those other churches have faced, but what they might encounter in the parish … and how they might best deal with it.
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Praise And Worship Team Instant Tune Up
$19.99Add to cartWritten for both volunteer and staff church worship leaders and musicians, this easy-to-understand resource provides straightforward, practical advice on ways to upgrade a music team’s sound and ministry. Many churches using contemporary Christian music formats in their worship services (the number of churches is growing every day) are led by highly motivated yet nonprofessional music leaders. They want to re-create the sound, feel, and flow they hear on popular Praise and Worship CDs, but they don’t know how to make that happen. They often feel frustrated with long, unfocused rehearsals that result in a thin, insubstantial sound.
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Stay Out Of Court And Stay In Ministry
$12.95Add to cartStay Out Of Court And Stay In Ministry is written to help pastors prevent costly and career-ending lawsuits. It sets forth the most common legal claims asserted against religious organizations, and the defenses churches have successfully raised.
… We describe real-life legal claims against churches and analyze the outcomes, pro or con. We focus on the claims most frequently asserted against churches. Some of the trends defy conventional wisdom. For example, there are few suits for clergy malpractice, but many successful suits for slippery sidewalks. (from the Introduction)
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Soul Of Wit
$20.99Add to cartA delicious collection of the very best of wit, satire and humorous quotations about the Church, its clergy,the people who put up with them – and vice versa. Spanning the centuries from Chaucer to the present day, it is a glorious send tip of the human foibles that so often ger in the way when the Church tries to live up to its calling. Many familiar figures from literature and letters arc inducted, but there arc endless surprises and novelties too, making The Soul of Wit not only a book to give great pleasure, but an essential resource for speakers, writers and preachers too.
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If Only That Horse Were A Member Of My Church
$12.95Add to cartEnter this provocative collection of inspirational and often amusing anecdotes, one-liners, poems, and parables, and share in the “Inspirations of Artichokes” and “The Strength of a Child,” learn to recognize “A Living Thief” and a “Burma Buddhist,” and experience the self-realization of “The Gossiping Preacher.”
These 201 gentle lessons in faith, love, and Christian living will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone.
The volume includes a handy topical index, and is perfect for pastors and laypersons who need a humorous or poignant anecdote, an illustration for a sermon or speech, a short message for a bulletin or newsletter — or a ray of sunshine on a rainy day.
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Journey To Jesus
$29.99Add to cartIn this book, Robert Webber proposes an alternative: a model of worship that emphasizes the fact that those who come to worship are at very different points in their spiritual lives. Rather than ignore these differences or gear all worship to those already established in the faith, Webber argues that churches should openly recognize the stages of faith through which their members are passing, structure their worship and ministry to celebrate these stages, and openly encourage Christians to move from spiriual infancy to maturity in Christ.
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Adopted By God
$16.99Add to cart192 Pages
Additional Info
In an age of family breakdown, loneliness, and insecurity, we need more than ever to grasp the meaning of being sons and daughters to our heavenly Father. Surprisingly, theologians have devoted little attention to the biblical teaching on adoption. This book views the many facets of God’s saving grace through the lens of the Bible’s family imagery. Combining careful exegesis with gripping personal stories of father-child relationships, Robert A. Peterson brings home the warmth and wonder of biblical adoption. -
Inside The Small Church
$30.00Add to cartEven as so-called megachurches capture the attention of many church watchers, small congregations continue to dominate America’s religious landscape in both rural and urban settings. Although sometimes obscured by their larger siblings, these small churches play a prominent role and hold a unique place in both local and national cultures. How can leaders help to keep these often at-risk churches alive and to meet their potential for ministry?
Small-church expert Tony Pappas has gathered a cornucopia of essays into an indispensable book for anyone interested in the rich life of these small but significant congregations. Drawing on classic and updated articles by a variety of writers from his own small-church newsletter The Five Stones; from Alban journals Action Information and Congregations; and adding new pieces developed especially for this volume, Pappas provides timeless ideas on learning to value, pastor, develop, and lead the small church.
In addition to time-honored articles by the editor, other contributors to this volume include Sherry and Douglas Alan Walrath, Gary Farley, Lawrence W. Farris, Loren Mead, Caroline Westerhoff, Steven Burt, Carl Dudley, David Ray, James Lowery, and a host of others known for their work-and love-for the small church. Readers of Inside the Small Church will come away with a renewed love and appreciation for these vital congregations as well as with new skills for ministry.
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Truths That Build
$17.99Add to cartTruths That Build provides 14 foundational principles that Dick Everson calls the “Truths That Build A Premier Church.” Each principle explains what every Christian should focus on and gives practical insight to Christian living. These Truths That Build will encourage the reader who puts them into practice and ultimately strengthen the local church.
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Equipping Church Guidebook
$29.99Add to cartThis is a hands-on ministry resource manual to help churches develop leaders and systems for lay mobilization. The approach is open-ended so that a variety of types and sizes of churches can use it. Charts and worksheets are included. The material has been tested through several years of use in churches that have received the privately distributed notebook format. Now updated and extensively revised, this volume serves as a practical companion to The Equipping Church. That book provides the philosophy and challenging vision for lay mobilization. This book provides the practical tools for implementation. Part 1 covers planning for lay mobilization. Part 2 covers building a lay ministry program. The markets include church staff members along with denominational leaders. It also is designed for use by lay leaders in churches who want hands-on help to mobilize the laity for ministry.
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Communion Of Saints
$19.99Add to cart240 pages
Additional Info
The contents of The Communion of Saints is as follows What is the Communion of Saints?, Union with Christ, Baptized into Communion, Members Only, United in Love, Assembly Rwquired, The Communion Table, Gifts and Graces, Relief in Outward Things, Mutual Edification, All in the Family, Worldwide Communion, For All the Saints, Appendix: Spiritual Gifts Questionaire, Notes, Leader’s Guide, Index of Scripture, Index of Names -
Churchless Christianity
$26.99Add to cartThe purpose of this book is to describe a fact and reflect upon it theologically. The fact is, there are thousands of people who believe solely in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but who have no plans to be baptised or to join the local church. Churchless Christianity is based on research from the early 1980s among non-baptized believers in Christ in Tamil Nadu, India. This revised edition includes all the original text plus five additional chapters and a new foreword.
