Pastoral Helps
Showing 1801–1900 of 3814 resultsSorted by latest
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Surprised By Hope Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99Add to cartMany Christians believe that our future in heaven is all that really matters. But that’s not what the Bible teaches. Premier Bible scholar N. T. Wright takes you inside the Scriptures to grasp the full, breathtaking hope Jesus offers the world, and its implications for how we live our lives today as believers.
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Beyond Maintenance To Mission (Revised)
$27.00Add to cartHere, in a newly revised edition, is a powerful and pertinent guide for congregations wanting to move away from “maintenance thinking” to powerful, creative engagement with the world.
Visionary yet practical, Nessan’s influential book makes a persuasive case for the centrality of mission in the life of the church. Nessan’s model of mission-driven leadership is strongly centered on the community of faith’s worship and draws unique connections between the worship life of a congregation and every aspect of the church’s ministry. Around the twin foci of congregational identity and mission, the chapters in this dynamic book provide solid theological and radical direction on the themes of worship, education, fellowship, stewardship, evangelism, global connections, and social ministry.
Equally pertinent to seminary classroom and parish life, the new edition highlights worship’s centrality, adds a new chapter on prayer and spiritual practices in this framework, significantly revises the treatments of fellowship and evangelism, and adds a full set of materials designed for congregational visioning and planning.
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Turning Point That Changed Everything
$26.99Add to cartIn every person’s life, there comes a moment in time when circumstances or events require decisions and responses that greatly determine the future. This book has no design to be another volume on leadership techniques. Rather, it is a candid exploration of those unexpected turns birthed out of the experience of being confronted with a reversal of circumstances in the life of an individual. Frankly, it is a study about the drama of life. The intention of the author is to give a sincere and straightforward examination of why turnabouts often get high-jacked and fail to live up to people’s expectations. Even more, individuals will find a plea for courage and faith when things do not occur as they once envisioned they would. Consequently, it is a clarion call for courage to go further than some would desire, but also a caution to impatient leaders to be watchful of their own intentions to push a change further than would be wise. In the end, some leaders must be willing to consider a more contemplative life built on valuing people above their own ideological mindset.
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Nearness Of God
$26.95Add to cartWhat distinguishes Christian ministry from other “helping professions”? While many books tell clergy how to run a capital campaign, handle conflict, and lead a vestry, this book helps pastors, chaplains, and lay professionals appreciate the spiritual depth of their calling and reminds them that Christian ministry is Christ’s ministry working through them.
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Our Own Time
$58.99Add to cartThe End Of The Mainline
Billy Graham (1918-)
A “New Breed” Of Presbyterians
Protestant Preaching In Black Africa
Liberation Theology In Latin America
Vatican II And American Catholic Preaching
The Romanian Revolution And The Preaching Of Joan Alexandru
Black Preaching
The Charismatics
A New Age In Britain
The Megachurch
The Young Churches Of East Asia
Additional Info
This magisterial volume is the seventh and last of Hughes Oliphant Old’s history of preaching. Here Old takes up the story with the sixties and the Second Vatican Council and follows it all the way through to the house churches of China and the preaching of the Archbishop of Uganda, known as the “Billy Graham of Africa.” Along the way he looks at the engaging preaching found in Latin America, the rise of the modern megachurch, the role of Joan Alexandru’s preaching in bringing down the house of Ceausescu, and other historically significant moments in preaching. / Full of surprising details and inspiring stories of ministry, this book is a fitting work to round out Old’s monumental, comprehensive series written by a preacher for preachers on the history of preaching in the Christian church. -
12 Keys Leaders Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$22.95Add to cartSince it was published in 1983, the first edition of the original Twelve Keys to an Effective Church has benefited thousands of congregations around the world.
The thoroughly revised and updated Twelve Keys Leaders’ Guide, designed to accompany Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, offers leaders an indispensable, step-by-step resource for creating and implementing their long-range plans. It clearly shows how to examine a church’s strengths and move the congregation toward action, accomplishment, and achievement. This valuable guide thoroughly explains the basic principles of the planning process and gives helpful insights into the dynamics of memory, change, conflict, and hope in congregations. You will discover possibilities to build the momentum, deepen the resources, and advance the strengths of your congregation.
This important resource can also be used to help build an effective, successful business, develop a strong, healthy non-profit grouping, advance an effective, healthy college or university, and create a strong, healthy family.
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English Language Teaching In Theological Contexts
$16.99Add to cartInternational students in North American seminaries struggling with academic work in English … Seminary students around the world finding resource materials that are still only available in English … Regional seminaries in Asia, Africa, and Europe educating people from many language backgrounds by offering instruction in English … These and other factors are the primary reasons for this volume.
Trends in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) have led to specialized English and pedagogy for areas such as business, engineering, hospitality, and so on. The time has come to acknowledge English for Bible and Theology, along with specialized program design, materials, and instruction.
English Language Teaching in Theological Contexts explores various models for assisting seminary and Bible college students in learning English while also engaging in their theological coursework. It features chapters by specialists from countries including the U.S., Brazil, Ukraine, India, the Philippines, and Korea. Part one of the book presents language teaching challenges and solutions in various places; part two focuses on specific resources to inspire readers to develop their own materials.
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Kingdom Experiment Youth Edition
$8.99Add to cartThe people are starting to catch on. There s this guy who has spent his life working in his dad s wood shop, making beds, stools, and some real nice end tables. But, around the age of thirty he gets to thinking a career change is necessary. Only problem is he wants a position that is seemingly already filled, the job of priest. Doesn t stop him. Call him an entrepreneur of sorts, cause he begins preaching and healing in ways no one has ever seen without the employment of the temple. And to top it all off, he starts collecting a good fan base lots of people begin showing up to all his public appearances.
One day, he climbs up on a mountain and says there is a new kingdom at hand, and that this kingdom will be contradictory to everything they have known before.
And the people get the feeling this is only the beginning. You see, they were expecting a king arriving in grand fashion, but instead they got a carpenter, turned speaker and healer, who was about to shake things up a bit.
The Kingdom Experiment is a challenge to live this kingdom intentionally. It won t be easy. And it may get uncomfortable. But if you commit to live what a carpenter started 2000 years ago, you too will experience the kingdom He spoke of.
How it works:
1. Read and discuss each chapter with your group
2. Pick one of eight experiments (challenges to live intentionally) to do throughout the week.
3. Journal your thoughts and experiences
4. Share your experiences as a group the following weekThe point of The Kingdom Experiment is community. And to share stories while we re at it. To grapple with what good news means in the context of this specific time and place. The Kingdom Experiment is an 8-week challenge, but who says it has to end there. Journey with your students through 8 weeks of the beatitudes. With both community and individual challenges each week, this study helps students engage the kingdom in every aspect of their lives.
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Connect : Real Relationships In A World Of Isolation
$22.99Add to cart“In an age where teenagers are deeply engaged in virtual communities and social networks, they’re still feeling alone and isolated. It may sound all too simple, but the truth is that you have the opportunity to make a profound impact on the lives of students with the simple act of spending time with them, one-on-one. Whether you’re a volunteer or the lead youth pastor, getting some students to open up and share their lives can be a challenge. In this practical book you’ll learn the importance of connecting with students on an individual basis and get helpful ideas on how to engage a variety of students in meaningful dialogue. You’ll explore and learn more about connecting with six different types of students, including:
* The “No Way” Kid
* The “Not Interested” Kid
* The “Checking Things Out Kid”
* The “Stagnant” Kid
* The “Growing” Kid
* The “Looking for Ministry”Kid Connect will walk you through the steps to lead you into relationships with students that go beyond the youth room and impact them into adulthood.”
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Recovering From Traumatic Stress
$12.99Add to cartExperiencing symptoms of traumatic stress can be debilitating. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a normal reaction to an abnormal event. Recovering from Traumatic Stress: A Guide for Missionaries provides information and resources for support that can lead to comfort and healing. This book teaches about the symptoms experienced after a traumatic incident and how to recognize them. It offers strength and ways to talk to children and others about traumatic experiences. With God’s help, readers who have experienced traumatic situations can begin to regain a sense of peace for themselves and their families.
Stephanie Laite Lanham and Joyce Hartwell Pelletier are presenters with Sunrise Seminars, a Christian association of mental health professionals based in Maine. The group is dedicated to improving the lives of people through education, insight, and change.
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TalkSheets To Confirm The Faith Of Your Teenagers
$22.99Add to cart“Many churched teens struggle to connect their faith to their everyday lives, and when asked what they believe, you often get the Christianese answers they think they need to give in church. And with most issues of faith, these are things that can’t simply be taught in a four-week series of messages. As part of the bestselling TalkSheets series, TalkSheets: Confirm It! helps teens engage in real conversations where belief can be discovered, Christian words and notions can be unpacked, and faith can be connected with and expressed. Whether you use these TalkSheets as the primary lesson or as a supplement for your youth group, Sunday school class, small group or confirmation class, Confirm It! offers 52 TalkSheets that will allow teenagers to learn more about:
* God
* Jesus
* The Holy Spirit
* The Bible
* Salvation
* Discipleship
* Key Words of FaithAs each TalkSheet presents important issues, interesting activities, and challenging questions, kids will be encouraged to think about opinions, learn about themselves, and grow in their faith.”
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Into The Word
$22.99Add to cartDesigned to spiritually guide anyone seeking more than just a surface reading of the Bible, these 52 weekly studies emphasize personal application and have been written to draw you directly into God’s Word. This roll-your-sleeves-up look at Scripture is a refreshing departure from other Bible studies on the market, prompting you to personally dig into Scripture and discover God’s specific message for yourself.
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Teaching In A Distant Classroom
$30.99Add to cartVeteran educators Mike Romanowski and Teri McCarthy provide an essential guide for Christians teaching in overseas contexts. Providing both the theoretical framework as well as practical tools, the authors offer concrete advice and real-life examples for classroom instruction, daily life and much more.
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Small Group Leaders Handbook
$20.99Add to cartWhat do we mean when we talk about small groups? And more important: what do we expect to happen when people gather in this way? The small group that wrote this book–made up of current and former campus ministry professionals with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship–explores these questions and gives you everything you need to know about small groups, including foundations, key components, life stages, planning, communication, conflict, leadership and more!
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Finding Language And Imagery
$18.00Add to cartSermons use words. And though it appears obvious that preachers should be careful and exacting in word choice, novice preachers often set aside this aspect of preaching in favor of exegetical work and sermonic focus. Nonetheless preachers subscribe to preaching aids, peruse preaching websites, and purchase annuals of sermon illustrations in order to adorn their sermons with apt imagery. Preachers look for others’ words to amplify their own. The weekly work with language is daunting: Preachers must be disciplined to find fresh phrases for sermons and to make good choices about their own words and those borrowed from others as language shapes faith. This volume introduces the power of language to determine reality, the intricacies of language issues for preaching, and the custodial task of preachers for this work.
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Word In Small Boats
$22.99Add to cart“The word travels in small boats, the thought and speech of human beings, living the life of faith like any other believe but set aside for this ministry.” (from the introduction) / Oliver O’Donovan has been preaching and teaching for over three decades, committed to the perpetual voyage that is the service of the Word of God. In The Word in Small Boats O’Donovan offers 32 occasional sermons he has preached over the past twenty or so years. / Content headings: / The Mission of God’s Word / The Community of God’s Word / Tradition, Truth, and the Public / Launched upon Life by God’s Word
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Growing The Church In The Power Of The Holy Spirit
$24.99Add to cartThis biblically grounded book asserts that many leaders overlook the necessary precondition of discerning and cooperating with the empowering will of the Holy Spirit before putting their programs and activities into action. It is a highly practical guide for nurturing relations between believers and the Spirit, in order to better advance the Kingdom of God.
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1 Generation From Extinction
$23.99Add to cartReaching unchurched children with the gospel – lessons from past and present, and strategies for the future
When Robert Raikes started his first Sunday School in 1780, he saw his idea grow to reach 300,000 unchurched children within five years – this in a nation widely ignorant of Christian ideas and values. Mark Griffiths has used Raikes’ pioneering work in examining child evangelism in the UK. Working from extensive local and national research (leading to a PhD), he considers how children ‘tick’, what basic theology is at work in Christian outreach, and what constitutes best practice in child evangelism. His text is studded with insights and observations, and brings together the author’s passion for his subject with the rigour of careful research. This is an unparalleled resource, laying the foundations of future growth.
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Stories Of Jesus For Preschool Children
$14.99Add to cartAll-in-One Bible Fun is the perfect children’s program for teachers on a budget or looking for a simpler approach. Each book is a collection of 13 Bible lessons for children containing a plan with opening, story, activity, and craft. The material is undated so teachers can use throughout the year.
Stories of Jesus features lessons exploring the life and ministry of Jesus.
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Assaulting The Gates
$21.99Add to cartMany churches want to make the transition from an inward to an outward focus, from catering to the needs of members to reaching out into the world to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Too often they try to accomplish this radical change by taking half steps and partial measures, initiating a new program here or adding a new staff members there.
Yet this kind of change requires more. To succeed in changing its core focus this way, a congregation must learn strategic thinking; it must commit itself to seeing the big picture, and to taking the steps necessary to paint that picture afresh. Everyone, including pastors, lay leaders, key teams and groups, and the congregation as a whole must be involved in a process of transformation. Paul D. Borden, author of Hit the Bullseye and Direct Hit, knows that this transformation will not be easy. But if the target is bringing more people into saving relationship with Jesus Christ, what could be more worthwhile?
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Rock Solid Faith
$14.99Add to cartDo your students know how some of the Bible’s most significant passages apply to their lives? Take them to a deeper understanding of the Christian life, teach them how Jesus wants us to live, and show them the loving God who wants us to follow Him! We’ve adapted our best-selling Instant Bible Lessons format to create a series of flexible Bible lessons especially for kids ages 10-12. They will love the variety of activities that match each topic, and you will enjoy the quick and easy preparation. Reproducible. Illustrated.
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Stories Of Jesus For Elementary Children
$14.99Add to cartAll-in-One Bible Fun is the perfect children’s program for teachers on a budget or looking for a simpler approach. Each book is a collection of 13 Bible lessons for children containing a plan with opening, story, activity, and craft. The material is undated so teachers can use throughout the year.
Stories of Jesus features lessons exploring the life and ministry of Jesus.
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Psychology In The Spirit
$38.99Add to cartIn this volume in the Christian Worldview Integrations series, edited by J. P. Moreland and Francis Beckwith, John H. Coe and Todd W. Hall provide an introduction to a new approach to psychology. This model “represents a spiritual formation and relational approach to psychology for the sake of servicing the spiritual needs of the church.” Their goal is to provide a unique model of doing psychology and science in the Spirit. Here you will find an introduction to the foundations, methodology, content and praxis for this new approach to soulcare.
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Managing Polarities In Congregations
$42.00Add to cartCongregations often find themselves in power struggles over two opposing views. People on both sides believe strongly that they are right. They also assume that if they are right, their opposition must be wrong-classic “either/or” thinking. A polarity is a pair of truths that need each other over time. When an argument is about two poles of a polarity, both sides are right and need each other to experience the whole truth.
This phenomenon has been recognized and written about for centuries in philosophy and religion. It is at the heart of Taoism, where we find the familiar polarity of yin and yang energy. In the past fifty years, business leaders have come to appreciate the phenomenon, often called dilemma or paradox. No matter what it is called, the research is clear: leaders and organizations that manage polarities well outperform those who don’t.
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Children And The Theologians
$49.95Add to cartConnects theology with the practice of ministry in new ways.
Connects historical themes with modern research about the meaning and development of children.
A magisterial theological survey that sheds new light on the various ways children have been viewed.
Provides a historical and theological rationale for the Godly Play project.The long story of children in theology is told via analysis of some twenty-five theologians, grouped according to six historical periods. Each account examines what a particular theologian thought about children and the experience it was based upon. Four themes that have shaped our attitudes about children in the church emerge from this history, ambivalence, ambiguity, indifferences, and grace. The result of this study is to promote a healthier church, which will respect and utilize the distinctive gifts of children. In so doing, theologians will be better able to help clear the way for grace in the postmodern church.
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Living Reminder : Service And Prayer In Memory Of Jesus Christ (Reprinted)
$16.99Add to cartHow service is prayer and prayer is service
In this rich and deceptively simple book, beloved writer Henri Nouwen speaks–from the heart and from his own experience–of the joys and challenges of religious service. He shows how ministry cannot be separated from spirituality and reveals how anyone involved in religiously motivated service can act as a healing, sustaining, and guiding reminder of Jesus.
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Your Own Jesus (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartWhose Jesus do you believe in? Too many people inherit somebody else’s Jesus. Rather than discovering for themselves who Jesus really is, they depend on their family, friends, or pastor for their spiritual vitality and end up defeated by compromise. In Your Own Jesus, pastor and Casting Crowns’ lead singer Mark Hall explores the meaning of knowing the living Lord.
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Teaching The Faith Forming The Faithful
$45.99Add to cartWith the decline of traditional Sunday school and education programs in recent years, many Christians have not learned the fundamental doctrinal content of the faith. In this text Gary Parrett and Steve Kang set forth a thoroughly biblical vision for intentional teaching of the Christian faith that attends to both the content and process of educational and formational ministries.
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Introducing The Missional Church (Reprinted)
$22.00Add to cartMany pastors and church leaders have heard the term “missional” but have only a vague idea of what it means, let alone why it might be important to them. But what does it actually mean? What does a missional church look like and how does it function? Two leading voices in the missional movement here provide an accessible introduction, showing readers how the movement developed, why it’s important, and how churches can become more missional.
Introducing the Missional Church demonstrates that ours is a post-Christian culture, making it necessary for church leaders to think like missionaries right here at home. Focusing on a process that allows a church to discern its unique way of being missional, it guides readers on a journey that will lead them to implement a new set of missional practices in their churches. The authors demonstrate that living missionally is about discerning and joining God’s work in the world in order to be a witness to God’s kingdom on earth. -
Vision Upon Vision
$35.00Add to cartThis magisterial book examines the changing nature of Christian worship from the earliest years of the New Testament to the liquid modern world. Discounting any notion of an idealized vision of past which each generation seeks to recreate, this groundbreaking book shows that the nature of worship has always involved compromise with public life and has borrowed from the drama of the theatre. He reveals how worship evolved and changed through the great east-west divide, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the 19th century reaction to it. aaAs in his previous, highly praised book, George Guiver’s expertise is a forensic detective, tracing in the default practices and customs of ordinary people going about their prayer in church and alone, a vast body of liturgical DNA. He provides us with tools with which to discover the past and examine a range of assumptions and presuppositions about worship today.
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Mission Shaped Evangelism
$26.99Add to cartThis is a landmark book that will renew our understanding of what the gospel – literally ‘the good news about Jesus’ – is for today’s cultures. It begins with a key challenge – do we believe God speaks in the cultural context, or only in the Christian tradition? Part One – Listening to God in the cultural context explores the radically changing culture in which the church exists today, the rise of new spiritualities, the secularisation of society and religion’s increasingly dubious public image. Part Two – Listening to God in the Christian tradition looks at key periods in Christian history as responses to cultural changes, from the ancient pagan world to modernist faith. What can we learn from the lessons of the past? Part Three moves from theory to practice and tells great stories where innovative evangelism is taking place – from supermarkets to festivals to the internet.
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Worshiping Body : The Art Of Leading Worship
$28.00Add to cartKimberly Bracken Long, by focusing on what presiders do with their bodies, eyes and ears, lips, hands, feet, and heart describes an attitude and style of worship leadership that is both firmly rooted and blessedly free. A wonderful offering for all worship presiders, seminarians, commissioned lay pastors, new pastors, and experienced pastors, The Worshiping Body is essential reading for anyone interested in how their presence and movement during worship make a difference.
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Common Roots : The Original Call To An Ancient Future Faith
$24.99Add to cartRobert Webber’s legacy testifies to the vitality evangelicals experience when insights of the early church inform community life and ministry. His original expression of this theme, presented here with a foreword by David Neff (director of the Robert E. Webber Center for an Ancient-Evangelical Future), promises to stimulate new and ongoing conversations about ancient-future faith.
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Education For Human Flourishing
$35.99Add to cartFar from offering a thin patina of “niceness” spread over standard educational philosophy, Steven Loomis and Paul Spears set forth a vigorous Christian philosophy of education that seeks to transform the practice of education. Beginning with a robust view of human nature, they build a case for a decidedly Christian view of education that still rightfully takes its place within the marketplace of public education.
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Women Out Of Order
$39.00Add to cartWhile there are many similarities among women’s experiences, there are undeniable and important differences as well. Assembling a leading group of theologians, social scientists, and practitioners, this volume pioneers pastoral care of and by women in light of differences in race and ethnic background, class, generations, sexual orientation, and experience with the cultural realities that typically assail women.
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Spirit Filled Small Group
$14.95Add to cartSmall group resources tend to overlook the spiritual side of small group leadership. And yet most would agree that spiritual preparation is the most important aspect of leading a small group. Only Gods supernatural power can draw people to the truth and liberate them to be all that God wants them to be. Only through the Spirits power can we expect to see the miracles that Jesus talked about when He said that if we would abide in Him, we would bear much fruit and even do greater works than He did while He was on earth. The key distinction of this book is the spiritual perspective it gives to small group ministry. So much of the literature about small groups that is already published relates to small group technique and only touches briefly on the Spirits power. This book is a practical reference guide to help small group leadership begin to move in the supernatural realm. The books first priority is to help small group leaders and members trust the Holy Spirit to lead them, empower them and work in their group. Small group facilitators often sense a lack of guidance, power and spiritual authority. Jesus knew His disciples would be powerless without a touch from the Holy Spirit, and so He told them to wait in Jerusalem, saying, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth Acts 1:8. Small group leaders need a power boost to make small group ministry relevant and exciting. The second priority of this book is to help the facilitator identify and mobilize each small group member to use his or her own spiritual gifts. Small group facilitators often feel ill-prepared to identify spiritual gifts of the people in the group. I firmly believe that the small group atmosphere is the perfect place to develop the gifts of the Spirit in each members life, and so it is essential that the facilitator know how to do this. Whatever denominational or non-denominational label a church wears, the most important characteristic, in my opinion, is promoting individual sensitivity, devotion and dependence on the Holy Spirit. In a Holy Spirit-charged atmosphere, cell leaders are best raised up and members are encouraged to minister in their giftedness. Some churches are better at empowering lay people than others. Those that are less adept often make lay people feel they must possess a theological degree much like the pastor has before they can successfully minister to a
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Serving The Word
$18.00Add to cartThis book invites the reader to see how God’s word can become the crux not only of the sermon but of the worship service as a whole. Over the past half-century, worship scholars have found a substantial ecumenical worship pattern in Luke’s story of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance on the road and at the table in Emmaus. In that word-and-meal structure, the relationship between preaching and worship as distinct aspects of liturgical experience breaks down. The preached word, then, and the liturgical event within which preaching is located become integral to each other. This book invites the reader to explore how-through God’s word-preaching informs and is, in turn, supported by the worship event as a whole.
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Complete New Testament Resource For Youth Workers Volume1
$29.99Add to cartMore than 200 sessions that include Message outlines, Study questions, games, video clips, and daily devotions for students. For youth workers who are pressed for time or just want some help with their teaching calendar or small group prep, this resource will get weekly use.
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Perspectives On Your Childs Education
$19.99Add to cartIn Perspectives on a Child’s Education, proponents of four very different learning options present their faith-based positions on how a parent should answer the question, Where should I send my child to school? Troy Temple (International Center for Youth Ministry) is convinced every Christian parent should consider public schooling. G. Tyler Fischer (Veritas Academy) believes open admission Christian schools are best for Christians and non-Christians alike. Mark Eckel (Mahseh Center) favors covenantal Christian schools that don’t enroll non-Christians. Michael Wilder (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) advocates homeschooling. For each contributor’s chapter, a counterpoint chapter from the other contributors follows with a goal of determining which view is most in line with what the Bible teaches.
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Can Words Express Our Wonder
$21.00Add to cartThis comprehensive guide focuses on much more than the practicalities of preaching and will be welcomed by clergy, ordinands and lay preachers from all denominations. It emphasises the spiritual formation of preachers by the Bible, by life experience and by the Christian tradition and the development of wonder and discusses the many resources available for this before going on to examine the significance of the liturgical and pastoral contexts in which preaching takes place. aaAn overview of past approaches to preaching includes an examination of various strands in the transformation of preaching over the last forty years and consideration of theologies of preaching. From these wide resources, various methodologies are explored culminating in a worked example of the practicalities of preparing and giving a sermon, from first engagement with the Scripture readings to voice control.
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Finding Organic Church
$14.99Add to cartWhat is an organic church? It’s a community of people framed by a common life in Christ, not religious programs. A community whose foundation is birthed by God, not built by methods. A vibrant family of Jesus where genuine, authentic relationships are fostered.
Influential leader and author Frank Viola is calling the church back to its biblical and spiritual roots. It’s a call grounded in a profound truth: In all things spiritual, origin determines destiny. This is why so many religious congregations today are struggling to survive. It’s not because of bad planning, but poor planting. So how do we return to God’s original plan and purpose for His church?
Viola presents an essential guide for finding, planting, and nourishing organic church communities. Within this comprehensive guide, he unearths rich spiritual insights from God’s word and revisits the original design for His church. Drawing from both scripture and real-world experience, this comprehensive guide offers fresh and practical tools for finding and planting life-changing churches that won’t just grow, but thrive.
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Glory Of Preaching
$30.99Add to cartDarrell Johnson’s book is for any pastor or student who wants to cultivate a deeper pulpit approach, one that participates in the transforming mystery of God working through our less-than-perfect proclamation. Here is a solid foundation for preaching the good news as if God was living, Jesus was resurrected and the Holy Spirit was faithfully at work among us.
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Gods Answers To Lifes Difficult Questions Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartStress. Failure. Loneliness. We are all facing similar obstacles in an overly busy, sometimes lonely, always challenging world. In his newest six session group study DVD-God’s Answers to Life’s Difficult Questions-pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren helps you find the simple, straightforward answers in ancient Scripture that lead to purpose, peace, and a life of significance – starting today.
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Living With Confidence In A Chaotic World Participants Guide (Student/Study Guid
$14.99Add to cartPractical instruction for living a confident life in a world filled with chaos and crisis.In the New York Times best-seller What in the World Is Going On?Dr. David Jeremiah summarized ten prophetic clues that are coming truein our own generation. In light of these chaotic events, how can wecontinue to live a life of commitment and confidence? Looking through the lens of the same verses that speak of Christ’s return Dr. Jeremiahnow points us to the habits we must establish that will form a pattern for living with certain hope in our uncertain times. They include howto stay:
Centered in Christ
Committed to the Word
Compassionate toward others
Connected to the church
Consistent in your walk
Calm in your heart
Certain of His coming
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Relationships Unfiltered : A Handbook For Youth Workers Volunteers Pastors
$19.99Add to cartIs youth ministry ready for truly relational youth ministry? No strings attached? Author Andrew Root examines the motivations and outcomes of what youth ministry has called relational ministry and provides new thoughts and tools for youth ministry volunteers and veterans.
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Caring For People Gods Way
$26.99Add to cartCaring for People God’s Way presents Christian counseling in a systematic, step-by-step manner that outlines the process as practically as possible. It then applies the process to the most common issues faced by Christian counselors: personal and emotional issues, trauma, grief, loss, and suicide.
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Darkness Yielding : Liturgies Prayers And Reflections For Christmas Holy We (Exp
$29.99Add to cartThis rich resource of ready to use liturgies and reflections for the richest seasons of the Christian year sold out within a year. Its timeless qualities found a ready and eager readership among all looking for fresh inspiration for these annual celebrations. aaThis new edition includes extra seasonal reflections from Rowan Williams and Martyn Percy, and a new liturgy for Maundy Thursday from Jim Cotter. In addition it offers: probing reflections by outstanding thinkers to inspire preaching and personal devotion, complete liturgies for a Christmas Eve vigil, Maundy Thursday foot washing and watch, a Good Friday devotional service, an Easter Eve vigil, a dawn celebration of the Resurrection, a set of meditations on the Stations of the Cross and the Seven Words from the Cross, and seven Good Friday addresses by WH Vanstone.
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Word Is Very Near You Sundays
$31.99Add to cart“For the many thousands of clergy, readers and lay preachers who, week by week, seek inspiration as they prepare sermons on the set lectionary readings, here is an expert, wise and extremely down to earth guide. He may have a PhD and have taught at the University of Cambridge, but John Pridmore’s preaching skills were forged in a parish in one of the most notorious areas of London’s East End where there was absolutely no room for platitudes or escapist readings of the Scriptures. He quickly learned that in such a context, the Bible actually did have some real, gritty meaning for today or it had none at all. With this approach, and with his outstanding gifts as writer, he has written on the lectionary readings each week in the “”Church Times”” for the last three years. Wisdom, strongly tempered by reality, shines out from every paragraph as he skilfully explores, interprets and applies the set readings. Many such lectionary commentaries and companions exist already, but John Pridmore’s contribution to this genre will be widely welcomed.
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Tithes And Offerings
$14.99Add to cartIn the book of 1 Chronicles is a story about a King named Solomon. King Solomon burnt 1,000 offerings to God. It was such a big offering that it moved God. He was moved so much he himself came to visit Solomon. Imagine how awesome it would be to have God himself come visit us because we did something to touch his heart. How much more awesome would it be to hear him say to us, ask anything of me. When we give to the Kingdom of God, the windows of heaven will open. For Solomon, God himself came to him, he didn’t send a messenger. God loves a cheerful giver and he gave Solomon the opportunity of a lifetime. Don’t tithe to be blessed. Tithe because you’re already blessed! w w w . t i t h e s a n d o f f e r i n g . c o m Israel carried God’s presence in the ark. We carry His presence in our hearts.
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Relational Leadership : What I Learned From A Fisherman About Leading A Chu
$11.99Add to cartThis engaging and insightful book contains a baker’s dozen of realistic expectations written for those who desire to lead in the local church. Based on principles from his father, a shrimp boat captain, author Kerry Willis guides readers on a journey to discovering some simple yet profound rules of relationships.
With solid biblical examples, Relational Leadership outlines thirteen expectations that leaders should use to clearly communicate to and with their teams support systems. These non-negotiable rules of servant leadership, as Willis calls them, are designed to help guide leaders as they effectively model and communicate leadership.
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Taking Your Church To The Next Level (Reprinted)
$22.00Add to cartAll local churches experience a predictable life cycle of growth and decline. But if a church is on a downward trend, how can it turn around? Taking Your Church to the Next Level explains the impact of age and size on churches and outlines the improvements that must be made at each point for a church to remain fruitful and faithful to its mission. McIntosh deftly describes the cycles of fruitfulness and the importance of continual improvement to diminish destructive forces that keep a congregation from its mission. Church leaders, pastors, and all who care about the church and desire to see it experience biblical growth will benefit from the sage wisdom offered in these pages.
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Quick Reference Guide To Marriage And Family Counseling
$32.00Add to cartWe all know of families or marriages in crisis. When those suffering in such situations turn to us for help, where do we turn? The Quick-Reference Guide to Marriage and Family Counseling provides the answers. It is an A-Z guide for assisting people-helpers–pastors, professional counselors, youth workers, and everyday believers–to easily access a full array of information to aid them in (formal and informal) counseling situations. Issues addressed by Clinton and Trent include affairs and adultery, communication in marriage, parenting, sibling rivalry, and many more. Each of the forty topics covered follows a helpful eight-part outline and identifies: 1) typical symptoms and patterns, 2) definitions and key thoughts, 3) questions to ask, 4) directions for the conversation, 5) action steps, 6) biblical insights, 7) prayer starters, and 8) recommended resources.
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In The Beginning Was The Word Cycle C (Revised)
$15.95Add to cartIn the Beginning Was the Word provides a powerful tool for focusing attention on the scripture readings and facilitating worshipers’ active participation in weekly services. For each Sunday and major celebration in the church year, Dallas Brauninger arranges one assigned passage from Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary as a dramatic choral reading – allowing anyone (of whatever age) who can read and speak to become a leader in worship. The texts are drawn from the New Revised Standard Version. Also included are practical tips for effective performance, as well as a handy pronunciation guide, scripture index, and listing of the required number of participants for each week’s reading.
Worship can be enhanced by exploring different ways to read the lessons. One resource which can be a great asset is In the Beginning Was the Word. Speech choirs provide opportunities for a broad spectrum of church members to make a short-term commitment to participate in worship. This experience can blend generations and build a sense of community within congregations.
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How To Multiply Your Church
$21.00Add to cartChurches in North America are bigger than ever, but their slow rate of growth cannot keep up with population increases. Existing churches simply cannot add enough new believers! The good news is that by multiplying–steadily and strategically planting new churches that, in turn, plant new churches–the global Church creates more of what Ralph Moore calls harvest points. In How to Multiply Your Church, Pastor Moore shows church leaders and pastors why multiplication is the key to growing God’s global kingdom in their communities, and he offers them proven methods for implementing multiplication in their existing churches. Countless leaders have found an indispensable resource in starting a new church because of Pastor Moore’s vast firsthand experience and practical wisdom. How to Multiply Your Church is the next leap forward for those who long to see God’s kingdom increase.
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Proclaiming The Gospel
$24.00Add to cartThis volume captures central emphases of the Lutheran tradition for use in preaching, especially its distinctive use of the Bible, its Archimedean theological insights, and its notion of preaching’s place within the larger liturgical and societal setting. Working from across the whole array of seminary disciplines, the faculty of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary forges this practical resource around a single vision: the Church of Christ lives from the power of the Word of God, both the law and the gospel. Preaching this Word is a means of grace by which God creates and shapes a redeemed community. This book reflects biblically, theologically, historically, and practically on what it means for the church to preach the gospel of God in the contemporary world.
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Pastoral Counseling Handbook
$24.99Add to cartHealing from past wounds requires hard work. It involves effectively examining of an individual’s past, as well as remaining conscientious of the changes in his or her present behavior, thinking, and spiritual life.
But what if, after all of that listening and examining, you still don’t know what to say, what to do, or where to start?
The Pastoral Counseling Handbook offers the much needed message of hope for the hurting and for those who desire to help them. Based on the healing work of Christ, author Ruth Hetzendorfer uses her personal experience of years of counseling to provide the steps and ideas to help you gain understanding and wisdom, and more effectively counsel others.
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Philippians Colossians First And Second Thessalonians
$19.99Add to cartWritten with the busy youth worker in mind, books in the Studies on the Go series will provide Scriptural depth and substance to be tackled in a manageable timeframe. The questions are real and get straight to the point. As students study Philippians, Colossians, and First and Second Thessalonians, they will learn how to find joy in their journey, discover practical instructions of faith, and get encouragement for times of trial.
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Middle School Ministry
$22.99Add to cartIf you’re working with middle schoolers, you know that ministry to early teens can be a little nuts sometimes! This calling requires a unique set of skills and knowledge. In this comprehensive guide from two middle school minister veterans, you’ll find everything you need to understand and effectively minister to middle school students. You’ll feel prepared and equipped to meet young teens where they are and lead them towards a life with Jesus.
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Still More Middle School Talksheets
$22.99Add to cartYour students are always talking- Lucky for you, the best-selling TalkSheets series just keeps going- In Still More TalkSheets for Middle School Students, you’ll find 50 creative ways to get your youth group talking about things that matter. Covering issues of life and faith, the one-page, reproducible handouts are easy to use and can facilitate meaningful discussions in your youth group.
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10 Commandments
$55.00Add to cartWith this volume, WJK is proud to introduce an exciting new phase in the renowned Interpretation commentary series. Instead of focusing on individual books of the Bible, these new additions to the expanded series will focus on the Bible’s most enduring passages and most vital themes, bringing to these topics the insight and faithful wisdom that are longtime hallmarks of the Interpretation series. In this first offering, Pat Miller studies the Ten Commandments as ancient document and as contemporary guide. With careful attention to each commandment in its original context, this book shows the reader the modern relevance of these basic principles, as well as how the ideas of each commandment influenced the New Testament and the history of Christian thought. More than an intellectual exercise, The Ten Commandments applies the call of the commandments to modern-day issues. For example, Miller discusses how the commandment “You shall not kill” relates to manslaughter, murder, execution, and war, and suggests that the story of Ruth may be read as a commentary on how to honor one’s father and mother. Future volumes are underway to address passages such as The Lord’s Prayer and the Sermon on the Mount. Issues of violence, wealth, or eschatology will be addressed as well. Surely this expanded Interpretation series will be an excellent resource for all those who teach, preach, and study the Bible.
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Proverbs
$22.99Add to cartWritten with the busy youth worker in mind, books in the Studies on the Go series will provide Scriptural depth and substance to be tackled in a manageable timeframe. The questions are real and get straight to the point. As students study Proverbs, they will learn that knowledge is not enough-they also need God’s wisdom to handle daily challenges.
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Team Jesus : Planting Churches The Master’s Way
$14.99Add to cartChurch planting is best taught by church planters and Paul Kim is one of the best. Over the last thirty years, he has led the churches of which he has been pastor to start twenty-five churches in the United States, Korea, Japan, Central Asia, and East Asia. Of the twenty-five, twenty-two are still alive and well, an almost unheard of survival rate in church planting annuals. Kim attributes this success to planting churches the “Jesus way,” using teams composed of “homegrown workers” who are trained and mentored by the mother church to plant daughter churches. While his primary focus has been on multicultural church planting, the principles Kim has learned both from his experience and from his study of how the Master began the first church are applicable in any church planting endeavor. For Kim, church planting is not theory but a divine mandate. This book reveals his heart and clearly spells out the Master’s plan for church planting.
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Gift Of Presence
$13.99Add to cartUnfortunately, suffering is a part of living. None of us have escaped this fact. Even so, it’s difficult to know how to console someone going through a broken place.
In The Gift of Presence, Bishop Joe Pennel offers practical help to give confidence and skill to clergy and laity serving the broken hearted. With a central message on the importance of simply being there, Pennel combines practical “how-to’s” with prayers, readings, and services. This small, casebound book outlines real ways to help through planning visits, writing notes, finding scriptures and prayers to read, avoiding cliches, and thinking through the theology of God, humans, and suffering.
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ChurchMorph
$24.00Add to cartIt is estimated that 80 percent of churches across the theological spectrum are either stalled or in decline. In ChurchMorph, internationally respected church observer Eddie Gibbs goes beyond an analysis of the causes to show how many churches and faith communities are actually breaking the downward trend. He expertly maps current converging church movements–emerging and missional churches, mainline renewal groups, megachurches, urban mission, new monasticism, alternative worship, and expanding networks–and offers a positive assessment of the reshaping of today’s church.
Gibbs argues that more is required of Western churches than adopting new programs if they are to missionally engage within their context. The church must re-image itself, resulting in its reconfiguration and a comprehensive change in its self-understanding; it must morph in order to be defined by its mission in the world. Gibbs identifies trends that provide signs of the kingdom, reflecting on how different ecclesial communities are working out what it means to be “church” in a post-Christendom environment. He provides a range of examples from North America and the United Kingdom to offer encouragement and assurance that God has by no means abandoned his church.
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Kairos Preaching : Speaking Gospel To The Situation
$22.00Add to cartSometimes lectionary preachers struggle when situations present themselves in parish life. A congregational member dies, two lives are joined in marriage, a contentious social justice issue demands attention, or a public event like 9/11 shakes us to the core. Although lectionary and worship allow us to deepen our appreciation for the Bible and the themes and emphases of the Christian calendar, they sometimes fail to allow preachers to speak the gospel directly to the situations that occupy their congregations. This book is designed to help pastors and seminarians discover resources they already have to unpack situations and understand them theologically in light of their task of preaching the gospel.
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Sermons On The Gospel Readings Series 3 Cycle C
$37.95Add to cartIn this complete set of insightful and inspiring sermons for every Sunday and major celebration in the church year, an experienced group of five master preachers skillfully places readers right in the middle of the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Weaving together the authors’ diverse experiences and viewpoints with the powerful story of Christ’s ministry, these eloquent messages provide a wealth of ideas for fellow pastors as well as an astute understanding of the gospel message for contemporary living that will revitalize the faith of all readers and draw them closer to Christ.
This essential resource is useful for:
? Fresh homiletical approaches to the lectionary texts
? Inspiring preaching illustrations and sermon starters
? Understanding scripture passages
? Adult study and discussion groups
? Personal devotions and Bible studySome of the captivating sermons included in this collection are:
? Don’t Burn the Cookies!
? A Concert of Praise
? The Ashes of Our Lives
? Hit Me with Your Best Shot
? Low-Carb Christians
? The Forgiven Love a Lot!
? Checked the Ditch Lately?
? But I Really Like the Best Seat in the House!
? Where Would You Go to Meet Jesus?
? Begging and Bragging
? Knowing Who’s in Charge…and many more!
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Teaching Godly Play (Revised)
$22.95Add to cartEstablished market
With CPI’s recent acquisition of Godly Play Resources, this anchor edition complements a complete line of popular resources
An original, creative and child-honoring approach to Christian education in the churchThis revised and expanded version of Godly Play founder Jerome Berryman’s 1995 handbook is for current and future users of Godly Play. With this revision, the book’s original formatting has been redesigned to complement the eight volumes in The Complete Guide to Godly Play series. Illustrations have also been updated, and the text now better reflects the playful spirit of Godly Play. Up-to-date research in childhood development and instruction has also been incorporated in this comprehensive update.
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Interpreting The Bible
$18.00Add to cartThis volume provides preaching students and clergy with introductory knowledge of current approaches and methods in biblical studies, familiarity with the questions and aims that pertain to them, and facility with various methods of biblical exegesis. Approaches to biblical interpretation are then examined in light of the questions and concerns that arise specifically in the context of preaching. Methods of biblical interpretation are reviewed and explained in succinct fashion and related directly to the dynamics that give rise to the sermon and shape exegesis for sermon preparation, namely, the preacher’s engagement with the text, the author’s context, and the congregation. This volume enables preachers to approach the biblical text with greater clarity.
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Youth Worship Source Book
$29.99Add to cartUnit Topics
1. Introduction To Worship
2. Opening And Closing Worship
3. Music In Worship
4. Prayer
5. Visuals
6. Scripture
7. Preaching
8. The Body And The Senses
9. Offering
10. The Lord’s SupperAdditional Info
Given a chance, high school youth have a lot of ideas and energy to bring to congregational worship. How can they be encouraged, trained, and involved in worship leading?This book brings education together with hands-on participation. Each of the 10 units introduces one aspect of worship-openings and closings, public prayer, visual art, and others-and offers curriculum modules that not only teach youth about it, but also put it into practice. Each unit includes helpful ideas for times when youth may be in charge of a service or involved in an element of worship.
As a “source book,” this volume is meant to be used in a modular way, allowing you to pick which elements are most relevant to the needs and structure of your group. While written with Mennonite youth in mind, the material can easily be adapted for intergenerational and ecumenical settings as well.
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Pastoral Care Of Alcohol Abusers
$16.00Add to cartOver 120 million American teens and adults use alcohol at one time or another. While in most situations these individuals are able to use it responsibly and with moderation, no one is immune to its destructive use – which makes it a significant public health issue. Many drinkers find that their otherwise responsible use turns problematic and abusive when faced with depression, trauma, grief, undue social pressures, or other tempting and potentially addictive behaviors. Not all of these people become full-fledged alcoholics, but they do develop an alcohol problem that needs careful and sensitive pastoral care to understand the underlying issues for their alcohol abuse. Because of this, clergy and other pastoral counselors need to develop competence in recognizing alcohol abuse problems, including alcoholism, identifying when to make referrals, helping persons to find available community resources, and training congregational members to provide support to affected individuals and families.
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And Still The Hour Shines
$23.95Add to cartAre you tired of going with the flow of the rest of the world? Do you want to stand out from the crowd and be counter-cultural, perhaps even revolutionary? While this may seem to be a tall order to many of us, the blueprints for personal and cultural change have been with us for centuries in the words of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Considered by many to be the most powerful message ever recorded, the Sermon on the Mount flies in the face of much of what our society esteems. In a world that thrives on stress, irreverence, and greed, Jesus describes a life of spiritual contentment, deep piety, and abundant generosity. And Still the Hour Shines… journeys through the Sermon on the Mount, examining everything from the Beatitudes to its teachings on prayer and giving. As Stephen Crotts unearths the simple yet profound messages in this passage, holding these principles up against our current societal standards, he calls us to embark on a different journey, living as examples of hope and goodness for the rest of the world to see. This resource is ideal not just for personal study but also for sermon inspiration and small group study.
And Still the Hour Shines… calls us to shine as beacons of light, guiding a world in darkness to its savior.
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Spiritual Leadership For Church Officers
$22.00Add to cartThis timely new leadership guide for the PC(USA) is written for church officers who are looking for a deepened relationship with God as they serve the church. Author Joan Gray challenges elders and deacons to see themselves as spiritual leaders and equips them to act as spiritual leaders alongside their pastors. After all, even the most dynamic and gifted pastor will be hamstrung if the congregation’s lay leaders are lethargic, conflicted, or spiritually anemic. Gray lays out a variety of leadership styles and helps leaders understand when each might be appropriate. She goes on to provide resources for dealing with interpersonal relationships in the church and identifies ways churches can create an atmosphere that is supportive of the spiritual leadership of elders and deacons. She also explores things the officers themselves can do to become more effective.
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How To Lead A Church To Reach People And Grow
$19.49Add to cartThis book presents a unique approach to church growth. It is written mainly to help churches that are declining, but will help all churches. The underlying premise is that churches do not grow and reach new people because they do not know how, or because they are so poorly structured and organized that they spend most of their time and efforts in conflict. This disrupts the fellowship and leaves very little time and energy for reaching new people. The subtitle could be, “Fifteen Essential Steps To Growth”- Basic growth and administrative principles. The combining of these areas makes this a unique book. Young has brought together these basic elements, from over 40 years of experience. . The book is a practical guide for a local church to follow to function efficiently and effectively, and reach people for Christ. When the steps are followed, and in the proper order, the church can pretty well be assured of growth and effective ministry.
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Church Rituals Handbook
$15.99Add to cartAccent the participation of the whole family of faith by discovering the meaning and blessing of holy rituals!
The Church Rituals Handbook provides pastors with a meaningful tool for the services they perform as shepherds of the flock of God. Covering a wide array of services, from less common rituals to the more known practices, this updated and expanded edition gives pastors immediate practical helps to service preparation. This helpful resource includes: instructions, an order of service, suggested hymns, Scripture readings and ecitations for:
The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
The Reception of Church Members
The Sacrament of Baptism
Marriage
Installations
Includes Calls to Worship, Offertories Ideas and Prayers and lesser known rituals
John Wesley’s Covenant Service
A Service of healing
Service of Reconciliation
Seasonal services including Advent, Easter, and Christmas -
Introduction To Pastoral Counseling
$23.99Add to cartGrounded in empirical research and richly illustrated with case studies, this introduction continues the theoretical, practical, and theological expansion of Pastoral Care and Counseling. Because of increasing cultural diversity and the fact that more training is done outside of seminaries in non-seminary related colleges and universities, there is fragmentation in the discipline. This makes a coherent orientation to pastoral care and counseling as a ministry increasingly difficult. To address this confusion, author, Loren Townsend, calls us to readdress basic understandings. He also makes the case that pastoral identity can function as a unifying concept.
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Transitional Ministry : A Time Of Opportunity
$24.95Add to cartMulti-denominational look at transitional ministry
Professional resource for local and national judicatory leaders, local congregational leaders, clergy
Transition is the word we use to describe the time following significant change. In congregations, that change might be the departure of the pastor, a catastrophe such as Hurrican Katrina or 9/11, or simply the changes caused by growth. Transition calls for clergy with special training to respond to the needs generated by the special time. “Task, training, and time limit” are the hallmarks of transitional ministry. Trained intentional interim clergy must have the skill and experience to lead congregations during transition.
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Preaching The Atonement
$32.00Add to cartPreaching the Atonement is a unique teaching tool that offers a theological discussion of ten important Bible passages connected with the sacrifices of Christ. It brings historical and literary questions about the text into dialogue with Christian tradition in order to draw out the implications of the passage for preaching the doctrine today. In each chapter, a complete sermon on the passage in question is presented, followed by a commentary that sets the sermon in the context within which it was preached and highlights the strategy of the preacher in the theological interpretation of the text and its incorporation into the rhetoric of the sermon.
Sermons are provided by the authors as well as David Southall, Spurgeon’s College, London, UK; Kent Anderson, Northwest Baptist Seminary, British Columbia, Canada; A. Katherine Grieb, Virginia Theological Seminary; and David Schlafer, Episcopal priest and preaching consultant, Washington, D.C.
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Making Sense Of Scripture Participant Book (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartAcknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: What Is The Bible?
Chapter 2: Is The Bible True?
Chapter 3: How Is The Bible The Word Of God?
Chapter 4: Where Did The Bible Come From?
Chapter 5: How Can I Read The Bible With Greater Understanding?
Chapter 6: Is There A “Center” To Scripture?
Chapter 7: What Kind Of Authority Does The Bible Hold?
Conclusion
For Further ReadingAdditional Info
In Making Sense of Scripture, David Lose invites the reader to engage in a conversation, one that he imagines discussing around his kitchen table, about seven major questions of the Bible. More than a standard biblical reference book, Making Sense of Scripture is a dialogue that encourages readers to bring their questions or doubts to the table when reading Scripture. During this conversation, there are different opportunities for the reader to interact with the Bible, ultimately leaving room for personal transformation of the heart and mind. -
Making Sense Of Scripture Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$19.99Add to cartIntroduction
Welcome
Convictions
Overview Of The Leader Guide And Session Components
Advice And Counsel
About The Book Of Faith Initiative
Session Schedules And Variations
Using A Retreat Format
Covenant
Invitation Letter
Session 1: What Is The Bible?
Session 2: Is The Bible True?
Session 3: Is The Bible The Word Of God?
Session 4: Where Did The Bible Come From?
Session 5: How Can I Read The Bible With Greater Understanding?
Session 6: Is There A “Center” To Scripture?
Session 7: What Kind Of Authority Does The Bible Hold?Additional Info
Lead your small group as they ask questions and engage in conversation about seven big questions of the Bible. Making Sense of Scripture is a flexible course, and this leader guide contains suggestions for a variety of session times. Options for using this study in a retreat format are also included. -
Emergent Psalter
$32.95Add to cartMany alternative and emerging church communities have begun exploring ancient music and liturgical traditions despite a lack of high-quality, published liturgical music which does not require (or even desire) an organ and a four-part choir. The Emergent Psalter serves to provide that resource. Featuring music written for two emerging communities (Transmission in New York and Church of theApostles in Seattle),this book is an excellent resource for anyone producing an alternative worship service or thinking of starting one.
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Deal With It
$19.99Add to cartEven though anger is a regular part of every teen girl’s world, there are godly and appropriate ways students can respond to situations that make them angry. Deal With It is a curriculum that will help girls deal with their anger. Through activities that include reading and responding to stories about Maria, a fictional teen, students will learn to recognize their anger and find healthy ways to express their emotions.
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Prayer Book Guide To Christian Education
$36.95Add to cartA Christian educator’s one-volume guide for how to teach week by week according to the ethos and tradition of the Episcopal Church ethos while still connected to experience and faith in daily life. This guide to education and formation is based on the Book of Common Prayer, the cornerstone of Anglican liturgy and theology. Keyed to the Revised Common Lectionary, all activities and lessons are structured on the seasons and lessons for Years A, B, and C. The Guide stresses the major themes of baptismal theology and shows how teachers, parents and children can live the liturgical cycle in its Christian formation ministries at church and at home.
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Deacon Relationships Through The Body Of Christ
$16.99Add to cartBe the leader God intended you to be! Churches often elect deacons and fail to give them the training they need to accomplish their task, assuming that if one is qualified to become a deacon, he doesn’t need training. This assumption has proven injurious both to the individual deacon and to the body of Christ. Dr. Ledbetter is one of the most qualified leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention to assist deacons in becoming the leader God intended them to be. As a pastor, he worked with deacons in four growing churches. Since entering evangelism in January 1984, he has conducted several hundred deacon retreats in both small and large churches across America, in addition to conducting revivals. To be an effective leader, a deacon must have a right relationship with Christ, his family, his church, his pastor, and with himself. This book discusses each of these relationships and provides spiritual insights that will help not only deacons, but every Christian leader to become all God intended them to be.
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Walking With Christ
$12.95Add to cartThe road Christ calls us to travel takes us on a journey of learning, in both exciting and mundane times. Through sermons based on his own life’s journey, Michael D. Wuchter illustrates how we can draw closer to the heart of God in stimulating times like overseas missions and also in such simple things as gardening, cleaning out a wallet, camping, or going to an amusement park. For those seeking to deepen their understanding of God, Walking with Christ reflects on one man’s journey of faith, and encourages us to embark on our own.
In this fourth book of sermons, Michael Wuchter gives us even more creative images to convey and carry the words of the gospel. On Earth Day, he imagines a creation bogged down by government regulations; he balances the dangers of prayer with the risks of a roller coaster ride; and he comes to terms with the true meaning of sin and grace while camping next to some unruly families from Brooklyn.
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Psalms For Preaching And Worship
$45.99Add to cartA full, stimulating discussion of the psalm readings in the Revised Common Lectionary by notable contributors. Highlights the literary, spiritual, and theological dimensions of Israel’s prayerbook. There is also a rich discussion of imagery, along with drawings from ancient artifacts, based on Keel’s Symbolism of the Biblical World.
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Christianity Encountering World Religions
$38.00Add to cartGiven the unique religious climate of the twenty-first century and the challenges to Christian mission it poses, Christianity Encountering World Religions proposes a new, albeit very biblical, model for mission. Specifically, it is a model for interacting with people of other faiths. The authors term this model giftive mission, as it is based on the metaphor of free gift. They suggest that seeing mission activity through the lens of giving the greatest gift possible–the gospel message–not only has the potential for greater missionary success but also enables us to more closely imitate God’s gracious activity in the world.
The book begins by addressing preliminary matters: the current state of religion, the biblical material, and the presuppositions readers bring to the subject. Part 2 explores eleven practices that constitute giftive mission. Each practice is illustrated through the story of a figure from mission history who embodied that practice. Part 3 addresses method: how to apply the eleven practices in specific cultural and religious settings. The concluding section of the book ties all the prior discussion together and presents a compelling case and vision for giftive mission. Mission scholars, students, and practitioners will benefit greatly from this probing study.
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Shame And Grace
$14.99Add to cart1. The Heaviness Of Shame
2. The Varieties Of Shame
3. The Sources Of Shame
4. Grace And The Healing Of Our Shame
5. The Lightness Of GraceAdditional Info
Recognizing and remedying the undeserved shame that burdens our spirit and crushes our joy-from the author of Forgive and Forget.If you persistently feel you don’t measure up, you are feeling shame-that “vague, undefined heaviness that presses on our spirit, dampens our gratitude for the goodness of life,” and diminishes our joy. The good news is that shame can be healed.
With warmth and wit, Lewis B. Smedes examines why and how we feel shame, and presents a profound, spiritual plan for healing. Step by step, Smedes outlines the road to well-being and the peace that comes from knowing we are accepted by “the grace of One whose acceptance of us matters most.”
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When Do I Cry Wolf
$13.49Add to cartMany churches have found themselves on the brink of a great breakthrough for God only to have everything torn apart and victory snatched away. Doubts and questions may plague church leaders’ minds concerning what happened to their church. The answer may be that the church has been ravaged by a wolf. Just what is a wolf in the church? How can a wolf in sheep’s clothing be identified? How is a leader to deal with a wolf? Tackling these questions in a straightforward manner, When Do I Cry Wolf? is a book designed to uncover the deception and work of the enemy within the church. It gives valuable tools and insights for dealing with this problem without creating an air of paranoia and confusion. Sound scriptural advice and encouragement give much needed answers that will aid those called to guard God’s “sheep.”
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Footprints Of The Future
$10.99Add to cartYoung people today are experiencing overwhelming feelings of loneliness and rejection. They need to understand that the Savior, Jesus Christ, understands their emotions. He is our High Priest who “can” be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; and that He, like us, was tempted, but He was without sin. This generation faces unique pressures and difficulties. Dr. Proctor helps address these issues with insightful and spiritual advice. In Footprints of the Future: A Youth Journal, Dr. Proctor provides both practical and spiritual answers to pertinent issues facing this generation. These issues include: Anger Attitude Bitterness Forgiving Others Obedience Prayer This book is a must-read for every young person because at some point in their lives, they will confront these emotions. Dr. Proctor has written a book that is very easy to read and he has included ready references and space for journaling.
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More Power In The Pulpit
$28.00Add to cartIn this companion and sequel to the best-selling Power in the Pulpit (Westminster John Knox, 2002), which has sold over 11,000 copies, more of Americas best-known and most influential African American preachers describe how they prepare their sermons. Each preacher also presents a sermon that highlights his or her particular method of sermon preparation.
Contributors to this volume include: Willette Alyce Burgie-Bryant, William S. Epps, C. E. McLain, Otis Moss Jr., Otis Moss III, Veronica R. Goines, Cynthia L. Hale, Melvin V. Wade Sr., Raquel A. St. Clair, and Walter S. Thomas Sr.
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Feasting On The Word Year B 4
$55.00Add to cartSeason after Pentecost 2 (Propers 17-Reign of Christ) With this popular new lectionary commentary series, Westminster John Knox Press offers one of the most extensive resources for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes of the series will cover all the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints Day.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. They might focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text, or they might explore connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays for each one. Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time.
In Ordinary Time, the Old Testament lections in Feasting on the Word are from the complementary stream for Year A, split between the complementary and semicontinuous streams for Year B, and from the semicontinuous stream for Year C. Essays on the alternate lections will be available on the Feasting on the Word web site beginning for Year C in May 2010.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. They might focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text, or they might explore connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays for each one. Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time.
In Ordinary Time, the Old Testament lections in Feasting on the Word are from the complementary stream for Year A, split between the complementary and semicontinuous streams for Year B, and from the semicontinuous stream for Year C.
