Pastoral Helps
Showing 2201–2300 of 3814 resultsSorted by latest
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Teenage Girls : Exploring Issues Adolescent Girls Face And Strategies To He
$22.99Add to cartGirls are more than just sugar and spice. We’ve all figured that out. What we haven’t figured out completely is how they’re wired, why they do the things they do, how the world around them affects their choices and opinions, and what that means for youth ministry-until now. In Teenage Girls, you’ll find advice from counselors and veteran youth workers, along with helpful suggestions on how to minister to teenage girls. Each chapter includes discussion questions to help you and other youth workers process the issues your own students face and learn how you can help them and mentor them through this tumultuous time. In addition to the traditional issues people commonly associate with girls, such as eating disorders, self-image issues, and depression, author Ginny Olson will guide you through some of the new issues on the rise in girls’ lives. You’ll understand more about issues related to: Family – Addiction – Emotional well-being – Mental health – Physical welfare – Sexuality – Spirituality – Relationships
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Touch One : How Much Is One Soul Worth To God
$23.99Add to cartTouch One is about Chris Schimel’s experience with a dropin client while Chris was pastor of a church in Northridge, California. This client was “on the edge” from stresses at his job. The counseling experience, based on a true story, lasted more than two years. Chris is forced to focus his attention upon the bizarre antics of this unique visitor, seemingly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. You will feel this strange caller’s pain as he unfolds his tragic circumstances. Chris finds himself caught in the tension between successfully growing a church and feeling compelled to help this one lost soul who keeps showing up at the most inconvenient times. But as Chris reluctantly submits to these awkward visits from this mysterious individual, God teaches him lessons about true success, big and growing ministries, and reaching the masses, as opposed to touching “the one.” Touch One is a moving story that entertains while it gently pierces the soul, changes the heart, and heals emotional wounds. Its biblical soundness is unmistakable, and the honesty it exudes will rejuvenate the spirit. This unique account of one pastor’s encounter with a troubled soul will make you laugh and cry and reevaluate many of your ideals concerning ministry. The author’s honesty and perspectives on the lessons God taught him through the experiences he shares are refreshing, uplifting, and eye opening. Other writings may broach similar ideas, but none addresses these subjects as directly and with such brutal honesty as this book does. Furthermore, Touch One is a fluid story helping to make it and the lessons it contains readable and entertaining to a wide audience beyond pastors and ministry leaders. Through the circulation of Chris’ experience, it is hoped that God might impress upon His church what His heart is concerning ministry motives. This book contains a message that is crucial for the church culture of our day.
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Modern Organ Guide
$15.49Add to cartThe Modern Organ Guide was written to assist organ committee members who are engaged in the task of selecting a new organ or keyboard instrument for their church. This guide seeks to embrace the diversity of music and worship styles that are represented in the Christian church today. Therefore, many types of organs are discussed, from traditional pipe organs to their electronic counterparts, tone wheel organs, and MIDI keyboards. Technological advancements that have been incorporated into these instruments are discussed in order to familiarize committee members with these concepts. Additionally, a wide spectrum of organs is discussed, along with the companies that build them.
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Sermons On The Second Readings Series 2 Cycle C
$36.95Add to cartPaul and the other writers of the epistles were entrepreneurs for early Christianity — and not only did they tirelessly spread the good news, but their pastoral letters are also a marvelous guidebook full of practical wisdom. Because their writers were called on to assist the early faith communities in coping with a variety of problems, the New Testament epistles are chock-full of timeless lessons on living the Christian faith. In this extensive anthology of enlightening sermons based on the Second Readings from Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary, five eminent preachers from diverse denominations apply the nourishing teachings of the epistles to today’s complex challenges. With messages included for every Sunday and major celebration throughout the entire church year, there’s a wealth of ideas and illustrative stories helpful for preaching, teaching, and meditation. These biblically grounded sermons shine the light of Christ on our often confusing world and proclaim the richness of God’s truth, offering readers comfort and hope while challenging them to a more intense faith relationship with the almighty.
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 study -
Prayers Of The People
$14.99Add to cartThis book of prayers is based on the three year common lectionary. All of the texts for each Sunday are listed and the suggested preaching text is highlighted. Most of the prayers which follow reference the text. They are helpful for the busy pastor who gets one of those “weeks that was” with little time to prepare a prayer along with a sermon. They are equally helpful for the lay person who wishes to deepen his/her devotional life. And they are helpful for the seminarian anticipating a first call.
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When Steeples Cry
$21.00Add to cartThe United Methodist Church (USA) has lost more than 3.3 million members. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has lost more than 2.3 million members since 1971. The Episcopal Church (USA) has lost more than 1.1 million members. The Evangelical Lutheran Church (USA) has lost more than 540,000 members, including a loss of 61,871 members between 2001-2002. Forty-five churches closed their doors in 2002. The majority of North American Protestant congregations and denominations, says Hamman, have experienced significant losses since the 1960s. Moreover, the dynamic and growing churches that are changing their traditions experience the loss of what was familiar to them. In many churches, losses past and present remain unnamed and unmourned.
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Experimental Knowledge Of Christ
$16.00Add to cartBiographical Introduction
Sermon 1: The Danger Of Losing One’s Soul While Seeking To Gain The World
Sermon 2: The Experimental Knowledge Of Christ
Sermon 3: The Duty Of Listening To The Gospel As The Voice Of Christ
Sermon 4: Praying For The Spirit
Sermon 5: The Greatness Of The Peace Of God, Which Above Understanding
Sermon 6: The Funeral Sermon Of King George III
Sermon 7: The Coming Of The Son Of Man
Sermon 8: Christ The Physician
Sermon 9: God Attending To The Contrite In Spirit
Sermon 10: God Choosing And Calling Men
Sermon 11: The Saints Loving Christ And Delighting In HimAdditional Info
Print on demand -
Multi Site Church Revolution
$22.99Add to cartHow multi-site churches increase their evangelistic impact. Rather than pouring millions of dollars into constructing new buildings, churches of all sizes are learning new ways to take church to the streets, reaching people in new ways. They extend into gyms and multipurpose rooms, or across town into theaters, schools, and empty warehouses. From the suburbs to urban and rural settings, churches are discovering the advantage of becoming “one church, with many locations.” This book from a new publishing partnership between Zondervan and Leadership Network called the Leadership Network Innovation Series tells the story of this revolution and explains the multi-site ministry approach as a way of serving a variety of target groups and target communities. Through in-the-trenches examples from more than fifty different multi-site churches, it highlights a wide variety of creative approaches and identifies the primary reasons multi-site churches succeed-as well as how they overcome common snags. Written in an extremely practical style, this book guides churches to answer the question, “How could God use our church if we were open to joining this ‘revolution’?”
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Practicing Greatness : 7 Disciplines Of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders
$24.95Add to cartAbout Leadership Network.
Foreword By Ken Blanchard.Acknowledgments.
Introduction Needed: Great Spiritual Leaders.
1. The Discipline Of Self-Awareness.
2. The Discipline Of Self-Management.
3. The Discipline Of Self-Development.
4. The Discipline Of Mission.
5. The Discipline Of Decision Making.
6. The Discipline Of Belonging.
7. The Discipline Of Aloneness.
Conclusion Choosing Greatness.
Notes.
About The Author.
Index.
Additional Info
Based on his extensive experience as coach and mentor to many thousands of Christian leaders across a broad spectrum of ministry settings, Reggie McNeal helps spiritual leaders understand that they will self-select into or out of greatness. In this important book, McNeal shows how great spiritual leaders are committed consciously and intentionally to seven spiritual disciplines, habits of heart and mind that shape both their character and competence:The discipline of self-awareness-the single most important body of information a leader possesses
The discipline of self-management-handling difficult emotions, expectations, temptations, mental vibrancy, and physical well-being
The discipline of self-development-a life-long commitment to learning and growing and building on one’s strengths
The discipline of mission-enjoying the permissions of maintaining the sense of God’s purpose for your life and leadership
The discipline of decision-making-knowing the elements of good decisions and learning from failure
The discipline of belonging-the determination to nurture relationships and to live in community with others, including family, followers, mentors, and friends
The discipline of aloneness-the intentional practice of soul-making solitude and contemplation
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Money Matters Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$17.99Add to cartThe Celebration Of Creation
The Freedom Of Simplicity
The Life Of Generosity
The Trust Of Rightful Ownership
The Joy Of Faithful Stewardship
The Faith In Promised Provision
The Commitment To Ultimate SacrificeAdditional Info
A complete stewardship study to help congregations discover the art of generosity.Proven principles of financial management found in the Bible, such as debt-free living, simplicity, planning, and generosity. Ideal for use as a self-study guide toward personal Bible-centered financial freedom, or as a small-group participant’s guide.
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Conversations With Barth On Preaching
$30.99Add to cartReaders of William H. Willimon’s many books have long discovered the influence of Karl Barth, one of the most significant theologians of the twentieth century. In this new book, Willimon explores that relationship explicitly by engaging Barth’s work on the pitfalls and problems, glories and grandeur of preaching the Word of God. This Swiss theologian, says the author, expressed one of the highest theologies of preaching of any of the great theologians of the church. Yet too much of Garth’s understanding of preaching lies buried in other sources. Willimon brings this material to light, introducing readers to Barth’s thought on both the meaning and the practice of preaching.
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Needs Based Evangelism
$18.99Add to cartBy meeting needs of people through intentional ministries, churches will grow; but more importantly they will fulfill their biblical mandate to care for those who are hurting and suffering.
Being a Good Samaritan church begins with the leadership. It requires an absolute commitment to address the needs of people in order to invite them to become disciples of Jesus Christ. But in order to compete with and appeal to unchurched people in today’s secular and consumer-driven society, the church needs to be entrepreneurial in its method of evangelist outreach. In this book, Rev. Robert Pierson, shows how churches can better organize ministry in order to be effective witnesses. By meeting felt needs of people through intentional ministries, the church will grow to be sure; but more importantly it will fulfill its biblical mandate to care for those who are hurting and suffering.
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Sideswiped By Eternity
$25.00Add to cartDr. Joseph L. Roberts has, for the past thirty years, been the pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, the former pulpit of the Reverends Martin Luther King Senior and Junior.
The sermons in this collection demonstrate Dr. Roberts’s commitment to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the mission of his church, the lives of his parishioners, and the message of Jesus Christ. Roberts addresses such topics as the need for prophetic voices in today’s world; the challenges of living individualistically and in community; burden sharing as a key to a meaningful life; the relevance of grace and faith today; and the importance of renewal through relationship with God and our fellow human beings.
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Women In The Wings
$16.95Add to cartTurn ordinary sermons into memorable occasions with this set of 20 dramatic monologues that can be used by female pastors, lay speakers, or other worship leaders. Women In The Wings highlights the role of women in the Christian story, as scripture passages are brought to life and interpreted by the women who were there. Each monologue tells the story of a biblical character, or of someone who might have witnessed the biblical narrative unfold.
Women In The Wings provides a user-friendly approach to communicating the gospel through drama — each thought-provoking monologue comes with theological reflections (“Making It Preach”) plus staging instructions and performance tips (“Making It Play”) that makes it accessible for anyone. And this material isn’t just for use in worship — it’s also great for women’s retreats or as discussion starters for Bible study. If you let the women in these monologues share the pulpit with you, together you’ll preach the Word in fresh and meaningful ways.
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Resurrecting Excellence : Shaping Faithful Christian Ministry
$24.99Add to cartChristians are of two minds about excellence. We commend excellent teaching, seek out excellent health care, and celebrate excellence in the arts. When a Christian life or congregation is described as excellent, however, we suspect that ambition or success may be getting the better of us.
Resurrecting Excellence aims to rekindle and encourage among Christian leaders an unselfish ambition for the gospel that shuns both competition and mediocrity and rightly focuses on the beauty, power, and excellence of living as faithful disciples of the crucified and risen Christ. Drawing on ancient traditions and on contemporary voices, L. Gregory Jones and Kevin R. Armstrong offer both a theology of excellence and compelling portraits of pastors, lay leaders, and congregations that embody “a more excellent way.”
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New Pastors Guide To Leading Worship
$17.99Add to cart14 Chapters
Additional Info
This practical book is for new pastors as they move into the role of worship leader and planner. When faced with the weekly rhythm of planning and leading worship, new pastors sometimes find themselves overwhelmed with the tasks. Barbara Day Miller centers on pastors and their identity as worship leader, on guidelines for leadership, and on the “why” and “how” of the worship service. She also explores the pastor’s role in guiding the planning of the worship service and the connecting of the congregation with the historical practices of the church. Brief narratives from other church leaders provide encouragement and useful guidelines for grounding worship-leading in the historic model of the liturgy. -
Practicing The Faith (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartSessions include:
What is the church supposed to be?
Why should I go to church?
What is Christian commitment?
What are the sacraments?
What can I do to get closer to God?
What happens when I pray?
How does God answer prayer?
Why should I pray?
How can I develop a personal prayer life?
Is suffering God’s will?
Does God care when I suffer? -
Dont Step On The Rope
$16.99Add to cartWhat makes a good team? What makes a good team leader? How can I develop my team? If you’re looking for answers to these questions, you’ll find the answers in this book. Through thirty years of climbing expeditions with friends, Walter Wright has learned a lot about mountaineering, about his team mates, and about working on and leading a team. He shares with us the tales of expeditions (successful and not so successful) and the lessons he and his team have learned from those experiences.
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Gods Potters : Pastoral Leadership And The Shaping Of Congregations
$35.99Add to cartPastoral ministry is an occupation in flux. In this comprehensive study Jackson Carroll considers the many factors – changing roles among clergy and laypeople, the opening of ordination to women, an increasing shortage of clergy, and more – that are shaping congregations and ministers today. Building on Paul’s image of Christians as “clay jars,” Carroll paints a portrait of “God’s potters” – pastors whose calling is to form their congregational jars so that they reveal rather than hide God’s treasure.
A veteran clergy watcher, Carroll uses data from what is likely the most representative survey of Protestant and Catholic clergy ever undertaken, as well as focus group interviews and congregational responses, to take a hard look at who is doing ministry today, what it involves, and how pastors are faring in leading their congregations. Significantly, his study covers clergy from a broad range of traditions – Catholic, mainline Protestant, conservative Protestant, and historic black churches.
Replete with pertinent tables and figures, God’s Potters culminates with specific strategies for strengthening pastoral leadership and nurturing excellence in ministry.
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This Incomplete One
$21.99Add to cartUnique! Bush has pulled together an amazing variety of sermons occasioned by the death of a young person, encompassing both historical figures and our contemporaries: Barth, Claypool, Coffin, Edwards, Rutledge, Schleiermacher, and Van Tholen. . . . How to handle a difficult, wrenching situation.
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Preaching And Teaching The Psalms
$32.00Add to cartRenowned and beloved psalms scholar James Luther Mays shares in this book some of his most influential ideas about the psalms and shows the reader how this rich Old Testament poetry can be taught and preached in the church. The book’s editors, Patrick Miller and Gene Tucker, have carefully brought together Mays’s best insights into the meaning of the psalms and shown us in his sermons how a master with a love for the church handles these beautiful texts.
Mays begins by explaining the basic concepts needed to understand and interpret the psalms and reviewing the scholarship and trends in psalms interpretation. Throughout he treats the psalms not just as ancient texts for scholarly study but as the basis for prayer and faith in the church today.
The book’s second section contains Mays’s expositions of nine different psalms, including Psalm 8, Psalms 22, and Psalm 23, and eight of Mays’s sermons on the psalms. The book is ideal for clergy who want to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the psalms, as well as further their skills in preaching and teaching the well-loved Old Testament poetry.
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Seeing God In Diversity
$15.95Add to cartHere readers will find a parish study resource that promotes tolerance, diversity, and inclusiveness by looking at two biblical stories from multiple points of view – the story of the returning Jews in the Book of Exodus and the story of the new Christian community in the Book of Acts. The lessons of these ancient communities – and the way they dealt with many of the issues we face today – lead readers to put themselves in the place of each group and re-examine their faith and work for greater inclusiveness in their own communities.
Lessons are arranged as six two-hour sesssions, and include background commentary for study leaders, readings, activities, and discussion questions. -
Winning On Purpose
$20.99Add to cartUsing an innovative sports analogy, John Kaiser provides proven biblical principles of leadership to help board members, pastors, lay leaders, denominational executives, consultants, and dedicated church members succeed in their respective missions. He also discusses how these strategies can be tailored to fit the requirements of specific denominations.
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Letters To New Pastors
$21.99Add to cartPresenting true-life pastoral experiences as correspondence from a fictional mature minister, Jinkins’s heartwarming work provides new clergy the insights of a wise and seasoned guide. Exploring questions about cultivating a personal spiritual life, balancing conflicting demands, and navigating between culture and faith, he delves deeply into the struggles, surprises, and rewards of congregational leadership.
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Communion Services
$14.99Add to cart1. Communion Elements Vessels And Methods Of Serving Communion
2. Communion Services For Holy Days And Seasons In The Liturgical/Church Year
3. Communion Prayers For Specific Events In The Life Of Churches And IndividualsAdditional Info
This book introduces the practice of Communion and offers a collection of Communion prayers and ready to use resources for worship. Included is information on Communion elements, vessels, and methods with answers to commonly asked questions. Knowles Wallace gives four possible orders of Communion, various ways to offer Communion, and prayers and resources for speciifc seasons and holy days in the church year from Advent through Thanksgiving. -
Pastoral Prayers In Public Places
$14.99Add to cartPart of pastor’s role in the community is to pray publicly. The pastor is often the offical “pray-er” at all kinds of community events – the high school football game, the opening of the new grocery store, the county shcool board meeting, kindergarten graduation – to name a few. But the pastor must also pray knowing that there are believers (of many persuasions) and nonbelievers present. In addition to the prayers in this book, there are brief setting descriptions and Scripture references. These prayers can be used with little or no adaptation.
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Stewards Of The Story
$24.00Add to cartIn this insightful study, James Earl Massey offers an expanded version of the Twelfth Annual William E. Conger, Jr. Lectures on Biblical Preaching that he delivered at Beeson Divinity School in February 2004. Through a unique collection of informative lectures and illustrative sermons, the highly esteemed teacher and preacher considers four dimensions of the preacher as steward of the gospel story. Pastors will warmly welcome this book as it provides them with both practical guidance and insight about their identity as preachers.
James Earl Massey is Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies and Preaching, emeritus, at Anderson University School of Theology in Anderson, Indiana. Prior to moving to Anderson, he was for five years Dean of the Chapel and University Professor of Religion and Society at Tuskegee University. Prior to that, he served for twenty-two years as senior pastor of the Metropolitan Church of God in Detroit. For five years he served as speaker on the Christian Brotherhood Hour, the international radio broadcast of the Church of God, in Anderson, Indiana. He has preached and lectured at more than one hundred colleges, universities, and seminaries in the United States and on four continents. He is a life trustee of Asbury Theological Seminary and served on the editorial boards of Christianity Today, Leadership, Preaching, and The New Interpreter’s Bible. His several books include The Responsible Pulpit, Designing the Sermon, The Burdensome Joy of Preaching, and Sundays in the Tuskegee Chapel. He is a frequent featured speaker at national preaching conferences and workshops.
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Preaching Without Contempt
$24.00Add to cartHelps preachers to identify the ways the Christian preachers perpetuate the long tradition of Christian anti-Judaism.
Addresses: supersessionism, portrayals of the law, pharisees, relationship between the testaments, preaching the passion, and misrepresentations of Judaism.
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Remember The Future
$23.95Add to cartA primer for churches on sound asset managment by an Episcopal priest and Controller of the Dioceses of New York.
Remember the Future is a result of years of hands-on consulting work with struggling congregations by Jerry Keucher, who served on the staff of the Diocese of New York for 13 years. Keucher notes that many, if not most, congregations in mainline churches have declined in the past forty years and that this shrinkage in numbers “has deeply affected the psyches” of congregational leaders. Using a positive tone and attitude to help congregations imagine health instead of decline, Keucher offers clear, step-by-step methods and advice on analyzing and managing all aspects of congregational assets.
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Ministry Staff Member
$19.99Add to cartThis comprehensive resource provides counsel and direction for associate staff members. It can be used to train new staff members, for orientation with seminary interns, for in-service training in church staff meetings, or as a reference tool to consult if facing staff tensions and challenges. Topics covered include knowing your job, embracing your role as a servant leader, serving responsibly, getting along with others, living a balanced life, and avoiding things that get in the way.
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Basic Business Principles For Growing Churches
$10.95Add to cartPastors are schooled in theology and ministry, but few receive training in the fine points of church administration. Learning how to handle a congregation’s finances “on the job” can be a harrowing experience. Yet efficiently managing your church’s business affairs is a key element in keeping current members satisfied with their pastoral leadership — and in attracting the new members you need for your church to grow in size and influence.
In Basic Business Principles For Growing Churches, Arnold Cirtin shares expertise gained from more than four decades of corporate and academic experience. He provides a clear and helpful primer for pastors with limited training in business administration on such practical topics as accounting, fiscal management, and marketing.
This is an indispensable book for pastors of small- and medium-sized churches (who typically are also their congregations’ principal financial officers), as well as for church treasurers, trustees, and other financial board members. When you follow the guidelines in Basic Business Principles For Growing Churches, your church will be fiscally responsible, managed efficiently, and able to maximize its growing stewardship of God’s resources.
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In Every Corner Sing
$15.99Add to cart“In the literary tradition of Parson Woodforde and Georges Bernanos, here is the moving, wise and funny diary of a country vicar at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, it raises profound questions about the nature of ministry and the future of the church through its gentle yet acutely observed portraits and stories. Previously self published under the title “”Church Wardens I Have Buried””, it is used as a text book on ministerial training course.”
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Reproducible Pastoral Training
$25.99Add to cartPatrick O’Connor highlights specific action-oriented principles from the teachings of George Patterson as he guides the reader through the various aspects of cross-cultural ministry: the gathering of new believers, the development of new churches, the mobilization of new churches into a movement, the training of new leaders, and the departure of the pioneering ministers.
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Finding Jesus Discovering Self (Student/Study Guide)
$23.95Add to cartThis book invites readers to see Jesus with new eyes and then explore, know, experience, and live questions about how 2,000-year-old stories and events happen in the world and in our lives today.
Each chapter focuses upon a passage from the Gospels. A narrative by one of the authors recalls a personal experience reflecting the ancient text. Questions to which there are no “right” answers offer multi-dimensional opportunities to explore the stories and wonder. -
Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 8 Cycle C
$47.95Add to cartCreating a fresh sermon every Sunday that speaks to the people in your pews can sometimes seem like an overwhelming challenge — but if you have the all-new edition of CSS’ acclaimed Lectionary Preaching Workbook at your fingertips, you’ll never feel that way again! With penetrating reflections on Cycle C lectionary passages and a thorough discussion of preaching themes plus a rich variety of supporting illustrations, this comprehensive volume is the perfect starting point for your weekly homiletic research. Carlos Wilton combines a scholar’s deep insight into the biblical texts with a pastor’s practical understanding of how to connect them with modern life, and his astute commentary is sure to stimulate your thought process and provide plenty of seeds for developing messages with maximum impact. A handy, easy-to-use sermon planning template is also included to facilitate the process of building your sermon. The Lectionary Preaching Workbook is an indispensable tool that helps you to powerfully proclaim God’s Word while getting the most out of your limited preparation time.
Each Sunday’s material includes:
* a listing of applicable Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal lectionary texts
* a theme for the day
* commentary on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel lessons
* possible preaching approaches
* a pastoral prayer
* numerous illustrations to flesh out the message -
Hear My Voice Cycle A-C
$29.95Add to cartOf the four lectionary texts for each Sunday, the Psalms are the least frequently used as a basis for sermons — yet the Psalms are incredibly rich in the very life substance that makes preaching relevant. From personal suffering to the absence of God, from national failure to the burden of personal sin, the Psalms are filled with the pathos of the human struggle for and with God. If you want to tap into this abundant source of sermonic material, Hear My Voice is an invaluable tool that you won’t want to be without. It’s a comprehensive collection of informative homiletical commentaries on the Psalm texts drawn from the pages of the acclaimed preaching journal Emphasis. Covering the complete three-year cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary, these brief explorations provide numerous starting points for developing solidly scriptural sermons that also speak to contemporary life. Convenient features include cross-referencing of multiple occurrences of the same text so that you can consider alternative approaches, plus a helpful index. While targeted primarily to preachers and homiletics students, Hear My Voice is an inspiring volume with accessible commentary for anyone who wants a better appreciation of the Psalms and how they speak to us today.
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Voices Of Repentance
$12.95Add to cartThis book offers busy pastors a complete package of thematically related resources for Lenten preaching and worship. With services for each week in Lent plus Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, as well as a Good Friday tenebrae service, Voices Of Repentance provides everything needed to create compelling worship throughout the Lenten season, either for a midweek series or for regular Sunday services. Each week’s resources feature a monologue sermon that tells the story of someone who sought redemption in the baptismal waters of the Jordan. These spiritual contemplations view the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion from a unique perspective — that of everyday people who lived through them. Each service also includes a children’s object lesson and a convenient order of worship.
Monologues feature these characters:
* John the Baptist
* a Pharisee
* a Sadducee
* a well-dressed man
* a well-fed woman
* a tax collector
* a Roman soldier -
Spotlight On Jesus
$16.95Add to cartLooking for a novel approach to the children’s sermon — something more creative than a simple story or object lesson? This collection of 40 dramatic sketches in readers’ theater format will teach your young people about the events of Jesus’ life — while also actively involving your members in the worship service. Each scene vividly relates a story from the Gospels in easy-to-read dialogue that can be performed with minimal rehearsal by teenagers or adults — providing a memorable illustration that’s certain to captivate the attention of everyone in your congregation. Discussion questions accompany each skit, so you can maximize the educational value by focusing youngsters’ attention on the main themes. Ideal for use during the “children’s moment” in Sunday morning worship, these brief pieces are also a perfect resource for children’s church, Vacation Bible School, youth meetings, and many other settings.
Sketches include:
* Jesus And The Shepherds Of Bethlehem
* Jesus And The Devil
* Jesus Preaches In Nazareth
* Jesus’ Parable Of The Prodigal Son
* Jesus And The Rich Young Man
* Jesus Predicts Things To Come
* Jesus In The Upper Room
* Jesus On The Road To Emmaus
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Services For Special Days
$18.95Add to cartLooking for worship material specifically tailored for holidays and other special, out-of-the-ordinary occasions? If so, then you’ll draw on this compendium of services for fresh ideas throughout the year. Each of these 13 services actively involves the congregation through the singing of several hymns, as well as scripture and dramatic readings which can be performed either with or without costumes. Because these flexible services can be presented with as few or as many participants as desired, they are ideal for both large and small congregations. Many of these versatile pieces can even be used without a pastor, so this is an excellent resource to have on hand for pastoral vacations or other occasions when the laity is in charge of worship. Best of all, this collection couldn’t be more convenient to use — every service comes with brief instructions and a sample form for your worship bulletin.
Services are included for:
* New Year’s Day
* Valentine’s Day
* Ash Wednesday
* Lent
* Palm/Passion Sunday
* Maundy Thursday
* Good Friday
* Easter
* Pentecost Sunday
* Trinity Sunday
* Reformation Sunday/All Saints’ Day
* Thanksgiving
* Christmas Eve -
People Who Met Jesus
$14.95Add to cartIn the latest installment of his popular series examining the basics of the Christian faith, Ron Lavin takes another look at the final days of Jesus’ life on earth through the eyes of the people whose lives were changed by their encounters with the Lord. Lavin examines their stories, both familiar and little-known, and highlights how their experiences intersect our lives. By telling the story of Jesus, they point us toward God.
People Who Met Jesus is an ideal Lenten group study resource — each chapter includes questions for stimulating discussion. It’s also excellent for adult Sunday school or new member classes throughout the year, as well as for sermon preparation or personal meditation.
Other titles in the Another Look series:
* I Believe; Help My Unbelief (on the Apostles’ Creed)
* Stories To Remember (on the Parables of Jesus)
* Abba (on the Lord’s Prayer)
* Saving Grace (on the Word and Sacraments)
* The Big Ten (on the Ten Commandments) -
Sharing The Easter Faith With Children
$25.99Add to cartIt is easy to share the Christmas story and faith with children. The story lends itself well to pageants and other celebratory events for children. It is not as easy to share the Easter story and faith with children because the messages and images are complex. In many congregations, children are featured in palm parades on Palm Sunday but not specifically planned for at other holy week services. This book explores what the Easter message can mean for children as they grow up. Brown helps congregations and families share the Easter message with children and include the children meaningfully in Lent, Holy Week, and Easter observances. The volume includes a reproducible booklet for parents.
This carefully researched and well-grounded, practical resource from a respected Christian educator will strengthen a congregation’s educational ministry with children and support parents as they shape the faith of their children.
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Instant Skits : Using Improv To Create Memorable Moments In Ministry
$24.99Add to cartUsing Improv to Create Memorable Moments in Ministry The Skit Guys bring you more than 200 skits to use in your youth group. Indexed by topic and Scripture reference, you can illustrate just about any lesson you want. Plus, each skit is ready to go and will allow all your students to participate in the teaching, whether or not they can act. They’ll laugh, they might cry, and in the end, they’ll learn something important.
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Fivefold Ministry Made Practical
$15.99Add to cartHow to release apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip today’s church
Taking a look at how the fivefold ministers relate to the church today…Discover how the fivefold ministry was created to work within the local church, the training ground for ministry. These ministers-apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers-are coaches who equip and train God’s people in releasing His power for works of service. Learn how proven fivefold ministers can be mentored and released in the body of Christ.
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Jump With Jesus
$12.95Add to cartGet children excited about church while guiding them to the knowledge and love of Jesus with this resource book brimming with fun and educational material based on Bible verses and Bible-related themes. Specifically targeted for preschool and early grade youngsters, Jump With Jesus provides an endless source of creative, engaging ideas for parents, Sunday school teachers, and Christian daycare providers.
Included are dozens of…
* craft and activity ideas
* short action rhymes with physical movements
* poems for recitation
* brief dialogue skits that let children role-playJump With Jesus is a treasure trove of classroom and program material that stimulates young children while promoting Christian values and spiritual growth.
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Wounded For Us
$10.95Add to cartBy focusing on the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf — and powerfully linking it to our lives today — this comprehensive resource offers a compelling approach to observing Lent that truly prepares worshipers to experience Easter’s new hope, new possibilities, and new life. Based on the ancient tradition of the five wounds of Christ, Wounded For Us identifies places where we find ourselves hurting, then connects them to one of the wounds Jesus suffered and explores how Christ’s resurrection offers reconciliation and healing.
Wounded For Us draws an imaginative analogy between Jesus’ wounds and these areas in our lives where we are wounded:
* Head (crown of thorns) — our thoughts
* Side (piercing) — our spirit and emotions
* Back (scourging) — our hopes and dreams
* Hands (nails) — our relationships
* Feet (nails) — our actionsWith sermon and worship material for Ash Wednesday, the Sundays in Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, Wounded For Us provides a complete package with everything needed for developing meaningful, thematically unified services throughout the Lenten season. Each sermon suggests an action plan that applies the “cure” of the gospel to our wounds, and reproducible outlines that help the congregation focus on the main themes are also included.
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Lent Holy Week Easter And The Great 50 Days
$19.95Add to cartThis long-awaited companion volume to Howard E. Galley’s classic The Ceremonies of the Eucharist provides clergy, liturgical assistants, and altar guild members with clear, step-by-step guidance for the liturgies of Lent and Easter. In addition to background material for the traditions and theology of each season, Mitchell includes specific preparations and instructions for each liturgy of the paschal cycle-Ash Wednesday through Pentecost-as well as Tenebrae, the Way of the Cross, the Vigil of Pentecost, the liturgies of the catechumenate, and the chrism mass. He also provides helpful ideas for how the often complex liturgies of these seasons can be done simply and well by small congregations.
Based on the liturgies of The Book of Common Prayer and the latest edition of The Book of Occasional Services, this ceremonial guide also draws on the paschal liturgies of other Anglican traditions, including those in Canada’s Book of Alternative Services.
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Committed To The Call
$16.49Add to cartMinisters have a wonderful privilege, yet an awesome responsibility of proclaiming the gospel. God is calling men and women to be His voice to this generation, but many are being attacked from every direction. Temptation, stress, burn-out, financial strain, and other problems are causing some to trade the Bible for another career that appears to be less demanding. Reports indicate that for every ten individuals who enter the ministry at age twenty-one, only one of them will retire from the ministry. This book deals with some of the issues causing them to walk away from their calling. Ministry can be difficult under the best of circumstances. Each day ministers are wounded and bruised because of unfair treatment by peers and parishioners alike. Ministry can be a lonely life and the demands can be overwhelming. How does a minister continue when it seems like the promises of God have failed? How can he stay clean in a dirty world? How should the minister respond to injustice and unfair treatment? In order to complete the calling victoriously, ministers must keep their eyes on the One who called them. Each minister has been uniquely gifted and called to fulfill God’s mandate to the world.
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Where 20 Or 30 Are Gathered
$29.00Add to cartWhile worship is the primary purpose of all churches, worship in the small church is distinctive. Whether a house church, a new church plant, a rural church along a country road, or a city church whose neighborhood demographics have shifted, these small faith communities present unique opportunities and challenges for worship leaders.
Peter Bush and Christine O’Reilly draw on their passion and experience equipping lay people to plan and lead worship to answer the question, what makes for effective worship leadership in family-size congregations, where fewer than 50 people gather Sunday by Sunday to worship? Addressing the needs of small churches in rural, suburban, and urban contexts, the authors discuss the characteristics of family-size congregations, the variety of ways they are organized, the joys and challenges of worship and preaching in small congregations, and best worship practices in small congregations. The challenges of the multi-point or yoked pastoral charge and of congregations without clergy receive special consideration.
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Mile Post Devotional 1
$13.99Add to cartThe Next Mile resources are designed to assist local churches and agencies plan and conduct effective ministry. Participants in the short-term mission experience include the goer, sender, local church, goer’s family, mentor, host, and those to whom the STMer ministers.
The mission experience that is well-planned and carried out will affect the life of each participant in their continuing journey to become more like Christ. These devotionals are designed to keep the passion and joy of service alive long after the experience is over.
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Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit Series 5 Cycle C
$17.95Add to cartWhether it’s bedtime stories for young children, scary tales around the campfire, or shared narratives from the “electronic hearth” of television, stories are a primary mode of human communication. For preachers, they’re a key part of the homiletic toolbox — captivating stories are an essential way to connect with listeners and capture their attention. Jesus knew this — he was a master storyteller, and in his sermons he didn’t lecture, he told parables to illustrate his message and help his audience remember important points.
With Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit, you’ll have an invaluable source of fresh, imaginative stories right at your fingertips. Gregory Tolle sheds new light on Cycle C lectionary texts with modern parables that take you inside scripture in memorable and inspiring ways. Tolle’s thought-provoking reflections remind us that God’s grace is always present in our daily lives, especially in places and events we least expect to find it. This book isn’t just a collection of preaching illustrations and “sermon starters” — it’s also powerfully uplifting devotional reading that’s certain to enrich your spiritual life.
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7 Wonders Of The Faith
$8.95Add to cartIn Seven Wonders Of The Faith, Charles Reeb addresses some of the most burning questions that people in the pews are asking — about issues that often become stumbling blocks to faith. He offers scripture-based answers that will enrich and strengthen the faith of believers while also planting seeds of faith in the hearts of unbelievers. His dynamic messages engage readers and speak to our elemental concerns, inviting us to confront them in an effort to discern a truly mature spirituality. This is an excellent resource for adult Sunday school curriculum, a sermon series, or enlightening personal reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of God.
Chapters include:
* I Wonder If God Exists
* I Wonder Why Bad Things Happen To Good People
* I Wonder Why My Prayers Go Unanswered
* I Wonder About God’s Will For My Life
* I Wonder About The Miracles In The Bible
* I Wonder About The End Of The World
* I Wonder About Life After Death -
Sunflowers Sparrows And Salt
$29.95Add to cartSunflowers, Sparrows, And Salt provides a year’s worth of simple, Bible-based lessons perfect for use in the classroom or the sanctuary, coupled with easily reproducible, ready-to-use activities that keep young people interested while helping them grasp the main concepts. There are coloring pages for younger children, plus puzzles and word games for older children — all working together to reinforce scriptural wisdom and Christian values. The lessons follow the seasons of the year, with material for both general and special occasions. This all-new collection of children’s sermons and activity pages from popular CSS author Julia Bland is sure to become an indispensable resource for pastors and Sunday school teachers.
Lessons are included for these special days:
* New Year’s Day
* Valentine’s Day
* Palm Sunday
* Easter Sunday
* Mother’s Day
* Memorial Day
* Father’s Day
* Independence Day
* Labor Day
* Thanksgiving
* Christmas -
Life Everlasting : The Essential Book Of Funeral Resources
$49.95Add to cartThis comprehensive volume is a must-have resource for every pastor. It contains over 100 sample sermons from preachers across the denominational spectrum, plus a vast array of prayers, scripture readings, and other material for planning and conducting meaningful funeral services. A convenient CD with text files for quick tailoring to specific circumstances is also included.
The sermons cover a wide range of topics, including:
* honoring the long and fruitful lives of faithful Christians
* comforting the families and friends of children who left this world too soon
* dealing with troubling questions about God raised by those who have suffered
* offering solace to the loved ones of those who have died suddenly and unexpectedly
* demonstrating how the image of God is present even in difficult and unsavory people
* celebrating a variety of distinctive “characters”
* addressing the difficult issues associated with those who have committed suicide
* witnessing the Christian message of salvation to the unchurchedLife Everlasting is also packed with other valuable resources:
* children’s messages that help young people grasp the meaning of death
* prayers and other liturgical material, including calls to worship and responsive scripture readings
* an extensive selection of scripture texts, each with brief “sermon starter” ideas
* lists of appropriate musical repertoire, including hymns, choral music, instrumental music, and music for soloistsWith all this in one volume, Life Everlasting provides a complete set of practical tools for making funerals powerfully effective moments of ministry that reaffirm the central Christian message of Jesus Christ’s victory over death.
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Mans Question Gods Answer (Revised)
$24.99Add to cartFilled with discussions on more than 200 topics and issues that separate us from the perfect will of God, Man’s Question, God’s Answer is not just a book for counsellors. It is also a vital and powerful tool for personal evangelism. LuAnn Bransby has designed this book to reveal the consequences of sin as well as the blessings of God to those who overcome. Its easy-to-use format will help you take control over your life and circumstances, and help others who face similar problems and issues. If you are searching for the right answer to a difficult situation or sinful behavior, this is the book to read!
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Christian Woman Set Free
$14.95Add to cartSeventeen hundred years is enough! Edwards leads the call to vanquish the inequality of women in the kingdom of God. His weapons of revelation? History, the Greek language, and his own witness of women in churches who are free.
The author challenges Christian ministers to take up the cause of eliminating inequality in the church and dare to discover what happens in the body of Christ when all members function.
The author goes to the root of our present-day Bible translations and lays the axe to the centuries-old tree of mistranslation. You will be shocked to discover that the King James Version does not say what the original Greek text said about women in Paul’s letters (and neither do most other Bible translations).
This book brings to light the mindset that has held both women and men prisoners of misconceptions through the centuries. Reading The Christian Woman…Set Free liberates the reader of any doubt regarding a woman’s place in the kingdom of God. (You will be awed as you see that the greatest friend of women in all of human history, the Lord Jesus Christ, broke all the rules of his day in regard to the treatment of women.)
Best of all, what makes The Christian Woman…Set Free unique is that it is not based on theory, nor is it an intellectual treatise. It is a revolutionary document forged on the anvil of the author’s experiences in daily church life. Edwards writes from a matrix where equality is a way of life and full participation in the church is the territory of both men and women. Edwards give you the practical how-to of the way to experience this freedom in your gathering. There are testimonies in the book of women who experience freedom to share in all the functions of the church. In their churches there is no specific leader, but all are joint leaders.
The Christian Woman…Set Free is a fast paced, high-energy book that takes dead aim at the very foundation of our present-day mindset concerning women and men in church life.
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Holy Hospitality : Worhsip And The Baptismal Covenant
$17.95Add to cartWhat does it really mean to “proclaim the good news of God in Christ” and to “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers?” These promises from the baptismal rite of the Book of Common Prayer have become very familiar to most Episcopalians, but they have yet to be fully lived out in most congregations. In this lively and accessible guide, Clayton Morris argues that everyone present on Sunday mornings has a ministry of hospitality, coming together in a proclamation of welcome to all.
Praise for Holy Hospitality
“For some, Holy Hospitality will raise eyebrows, and for others it will bring a sigh of relief. Morris has named the elephant in the worship space and recognized that its tail and trunk extend into daily life. He does not give the answers but pointedly asks congregational leaders to contextualize worship in terms of mission and ministry. It is well worth reading and reflecting upon by persons who are seeking to embody the fullness of the gospel imbedded in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer or its equivalent books in Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist, and other churches.”
–The Rev. Daniel Benedict, retired Worship Resources Director, General Board of Discipleship, United Methodist Church“Holy Hospitality is an excellent primer for those who are just beginning liturgical leadership and is full of wisdom and friendly reminders for those who have been at it for a while. Everyone involved in parish worship–presiders, deacons, musicians, altar guilds, ushers, worship committee members–will profit from the rich experience that Dr. Morris brings to bear.”
–The Right Rev. J. Neil Alexander, Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta“Holy Hospitality sets the stage for a renewed conversation about worship and how people are drawn into God?s own mission. Though written from an Anglican perspective, the shape and content of this book invites worship planners from other traditions into the dialogue, the hospitable back and forth of feeding and being fed.”
–The Rev. Michael Burk, Ph. D., Executive for Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America“Clayton Morris has crafted a useful and very thoughtful handbook and guide to congregations intending to enhance the welcome they offer newcomers. The theology offered here, always mindful of matters of justice, has a hospitable baptismal heart.”
–The Rev. William Seth Adams, B.D., Ph.D., retired Professor of Liturgics, Episcopal Seminary o -
3rd Level Tithing
$12.49Add to cartThe inspirational writing for this book is the result of a question the Holy Spirit dropped into my spirit … Who gets the tenth part? As a result of this question, I began to search the Scriptures referencing the “tenth part tithing,” which revealed the process leading to tithing at the third level, who gets it, and the blessings thereof. Tithing at the Third Level is a biblical ordinance of God in representing a holy offering without sin. This method of tithing is revealed in Scripture. It is designed to add increase to tithers (Deuteronomy 8:18) for the purpose of promoting the work of the kingdom. This intriguing study will not only inspire you, it will also instill a greater desire to sow with purpose into the kingdom. It’s my belief and experience that third-level tithing is God’s method of rebuking the devourer, sowing up bags with holes (Haggai 1:6; Malachi 3:11), and as a result causing tithers to reap a bountiful harvest.
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From Pew To Pulpit
$18.99Add to cartIn recent years, many lay preachers and bivocational pastors have assumed responsiblity for weekly preaching in local churches. While many of these individuals can preach a fairly good sermon, they haven’t necessarily gotten detailed instruction in the how-tos of preaching. This practical guide addresses choosing the right text and topic; listening to one’s first impressions of the text; keeping liesteners in mind; making engaging use of stories; and delivering with passion. It also includes suggestions for resources, including Bibles, commentaries, other print resources, and websites.
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Touch One : How Much Is One Soul Worth To God
$15.49Add to cartTouch One is about Chris Schimel’s experience with a dropin client while Chris was pastor of a church in Northridge, California. This client was “on the edge” from stresses at his job. The counseling experience, based on a true story, lasted more than two years. Chris is forced to focus his attention upon the bizarre antics of this unique visitor, seemingly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. You will feel this strange caller’s pain as he unfolds his tragic circumstances. Chris finds himself caught in the tension between successfully growing a church and feeling compelled to help this one lost soul who keeps showing up at the most inconvenient times. But as Chris reluctantly submits to these awkward visits from this mysterious individual, God teaches him lessons about true success, big and growing ministries, and reaching the masses, as opposed to touching “the one.” Touch One is a moving story that entertains while it gently pierces the soul, changes the heart, and heals emotional wounds. Its biblical soundness is unmistakable, and the honesty it exudes will rejuvenate the spirit. This unique account of one pastor’s encounter with a troubled soul will make you laugh and cry and reevaluate many of your ideals concerning ministry. The author’s honesty and perspectives on the lessons God taught him through the experiences he shares are refreshing, uplifting, and eye opening. Other writings may broach similar ideas, but none addresses these subjects as directly and with such brutal honesty as this book does. Furthermore, Touch One is a fluid story helping to make it and the lessons it contains readable and entertaining to a wide audience beyond pastors and ministry leaders. Through the circulation of Chris’ experience, it is hoped that God might impress upon His church what His heart is concerning ministry motives. This book contains a message that is crucial for the church culture of our day.
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Whats Theology Got To Do With It
$30.00Add to cartTheology can be a loaded word for mainline Protestant congregations. It often suggests the dogmatic or implies fault lines for conflict. But when unleashed from its narrow academic sense, “theology” offers a powerful way to get at many of the issues that impact the health and vitality of congregations.
Anthony Robinson carefully defines theology as the “core convictions” that help members of a congregation understand their common perspective and shared identity. Theology is the foundational Christian experience, the wisdom that both forms and transforms lives. Rather than avoiding theology, congregations should openly express their beliefs and values to clarify their purpose, argues Robinson. Instead of trying to define the boundaries of belief, a “center-set” congregation will zero in on a reasonably clear core faith.
He examines the problems that occur when congregations are reluctant to focus on theology and are unsure of their beliefs. They risk having a weak identity with nothing at stake. They risk being little more than an exclusive social club. Absent core convictions, structure replaces Spirit, indirection replaces healthy dialogue, and agendas replace leadership.
Central to the book is the notion that Christianity is a revealed religion apart from our own personal preferences. The Bible as Scripture offers a doorway to God and a critical unifying narrative. The Trinity, as a powerful metaphor, provides a balanced approach to fulfilling a congregation’s purpose. Core convictions about God as creator, the person and work of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are crucial to a congregational vitality.
Too many mainline Protestant churches are theologically “underfunded.” Congregations are strengthened when what they believe backs what they do. Indeed, theology, it turns out, has everything to do with it.
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Competent Pastor : Skills And Self Knowledge For Serving Well
$30.00Add to cartWhat does it mean to say that a pastor is competent? And how does a competent pastor function? This book is intended to help pastors, seminarians, and lay people who work with pastors understand and answer these two questions.
Competence in ministry is a moving target. A ministry technique that works in one parish may not work in another. What works today may not work five years from now. But a competent pastor will be able to adapt to changing locations and changing times. A competent pastor will be happy in her job-or able to figure out why she’s not happy and how to move forward. A competent pastor won’t get stuck-or when he does get stuck, he’ll know what steps to take to get unstuck. Competence, defined by author Ronald Sisk as “the ability to do what needs to be done,” requires ministers to understand themselves and others and to keep a realistic perspective on their lives. Competent pastors function by moving toward this kind of understanding and perspective.
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Loving The Church Blessing The Nations
$30.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Rediscovering the role God designed for the church in mission is a critical issue facing the missions movement today. That role is to glorify God by planting churches among every tongue, tribe, and nation. Planting churches amid unreached peoples is a complex process. It calls forth every ministry gift and the contribution of every believer.
Imagine a businessman, a construction worker, a schoolteacher, and an engineer all working together to support the development of a local church amongst an unreached people group in another part of the world. Most Christians will not leave home and go elsewhere to minister. If they are to participate in God’s global mission, they must be affirmed, developed and released right where they live, in the context of their local church. This book shows how churches can become centers of mission vision and implementation and so accomplish God’s design for the local church.
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Clergy Burnout : Recovering From The 70 Hour Week And Other Self Defeating
$23.00Add to cart1.Painful Pastoring
2.Burnout And Codependence
3.Personalities And Codependence
4.The Church And Codependence
5.Holiness And Spirituality
6.Becoming Gospel-centered
7.Developing Spiritual Maturity
8.Regaining Balance
9.Stretching And Bridging
10.Knowing The Boundaries
11.Becoming Empowered
12.Un-trashing The TempleAdditional Info
In this highly accessible book, Fred Lehr clarifies the nature and practice of clergy codependence. In short, insightful, and highly readable chapters, filled with many examples and stories from his own life and those he has counseled, Lehr identifies the typical forms codependence takes in the life and ministry of clergy:1.the chief-enabler, the one who keeps things functioning;
2.the scapegoat, the one on whom everything’s blamed when it goes wrong, the one who’s responsible;
3.the hero, the example, the pure and righteous one;
4.the lost child, the one no one really knows or cares about;
5.the rescuer, the one who saves the day, makes the visit, fixes the problem, makes everything all right again;
6.the mascot, the cheerleader, the one who offers comic relief, brings down the tension level after a heated discussion. -
Myth Of The 200 Barrier
$18.99Add to cartThere are two different ways of being a church – pastor size and program. The transitional church is really a hybrid of these two cultures, and this dual nature produces stress and tension where the idea of a 200 barrier often becomes a self-fulfilling expectation.
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7 Deadly Sins Of Small Group Ministry
$22.99Add to cartAssessment and solution for seven common obstacles to building small groups. It’s one thing to start a small group ministry. It’s another to keep the groups in your church healthy and headed in the same direction. Whatever your church’s approach may be-whether it is a church with groups or of groups- sooner or later, as a leader, you’ll need to do some troubleshooting. That’s when the expert, to-the-point guidance in this book will prove its worth. The beauty of this book lies in its unique diagnostic process. It allows you to assess, diagnose, and correct seven common “deadly sins” that can drain the life from your church’s small group ministry. In The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, what would take you years to learn through trial and error is distilled into some of the most useful information you can find. Drawing on the knowledge they’ve gleaned from working inside Willow Creek Community Church, from consulting with hundreds of churches, and from conducting conferences and seminars worldwide, small group experts Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson furnish you with proven, real-life solutions to the toughest problems in your small group ministry. This is not theory-it is hands-on material you can read and apply today.
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Pastoral Care To The Aged
$14.95Add to cartHere, in handy pocket or purse-sized format, is a nuts-and-bolts guide to visiting the elderly in a variety of settings, to offer pastoral care and spiritual comfort. Kirkwood offers readers a thorough overview of the aging process, including the challenges of dementia and a look at the unique emotional and spiritual needs of the elderly. This book offers help to those who want to make visits to the elderly more meaningful.
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Prayers From The Darkness
$20.95Add to cartThe “difficult psalms” shock us with their cries of pain, anger, and alienation. Lyn Fraser, following the lead of Walter Brueggemann, shows how to integrate these “psalms of disorientation” in Sunday morning worship, pastorla care, and any situation of extreme need.
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Images Of Pastoral Care
$34.99Add to cart“Robert Dykstra’s reading of the pastoral theological tradition is masterful. This book is at once a history of the field, woven together around living illustrations of key moments and metaphors, and a fresh conceptualization. Its three-part grouping of classical, paradoxical, and contemporary/contextual ‘images of care,’ its well-chosen and carefully edited excerpts of each image, and its wisely crafted introductory remarks make this a real gold mine. Seldom does one find a book that is so useful both for ministers desiring a basic introduction to pastoral care and doctoral students seeking a sophisticated understanding of the field. We are indebted to Dykstra for this multifaceted contribution.”
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Touching Place : A Handbook For The Ministry Of Healing In The Local Church
$12.99Add to cartThis is a practical handbook for all local churches that are developing the ministry of healing. It explores biblical teaching on healing, healing through the sacraments, creating prayer ministry teams, training, planning and conducting healing services, accountability, boundaries and confidentiality, the ministry of listening and much more. In a sensitive area where the highest standards of conduct are vital, here is a wise and balanced guide.
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Children Matter : Celebrating Their Place In The Church Family And Communit
$35.50Add to cartChildren today are no longer expected to be “seen and not heard,” yet in many churches children are involved only in programs designated for them. “Children Matter” offers a full discussion of children’s spirituality and shows how the faith community can effectively nurture its youngest members.
Speaking from their experience with children’s ministry in a range of Protestant traditions, the authors draw on the Bible, history, and psychology to lay good foundations for such ministry before discussing the specific content and contexts of faith formation. Finally, they provide wise and practical advice on putting together interesting programs without losing sight of their main purpose. Rather than focusing on innovative ways to use technology, “Children Matter” emphasizes relationships between people and encourages the church to welcome all children as valued participants in the people of God. It will challenge and refresh anyone invested in ministry with children. -
Wondrous Depth : Preaching The Old Testament
$34.00Add to cartEllen Davis is concerned by what she calls a “shallow reading” of Scripture–a reading of what we think we already know instead of an attempt to dig deeper for new insights and revelations. Wondrous Depth is a collection of essays in which Davis argues for a more engaged reading of Scripture that opens the reader up to new knowledge and understanding. Davis also demonstrates that preaching and biblical interpretation are essentially related to one another in that it is essential for preachers to engage in thorough reading and interpretation of Scripture from the pulpit and to encourage their congregations to read the Bible with depth and sensitivity as well.
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Super Simple Bible Lessons
$19.99Add to cartHave you ever needed a Bible lesson QUICK! This resource solves your problem. Super Simple Bible Lessons contains sixty Bible lessons covering both the Old and New Testaments. Each lesson includes a story, a Bible verse, and a super simple craft activity that will reinforce the story. Each craft activity is reproducible. Make as many copies as you need for your class of two or twenty. An easy-to-use index helps you locate specific stories for the children
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Soul Stories : African American Christian Education (Revised)
$23.99Add to cartStories take on a fresh cross-generational orientation with emphasis on linking stories of family identities, events, relationships, and story plot with Bible stories and exemplary Christian faith stories in the African Diaspora.
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Living A Life That Matters
$9.99Add to cartIf It Makes You Happy … – If It Makes You Happy … It Could Be Very Bad – Who Knew Pleasure Would Be So Disappointing? – If It Feels Good, Do It? – What Does It Mean? Fill in the blank: My life would be meaningful if _________________. If you’re observant, you’ll see all kinds of ways people are trying to fill in that blank. Some want more money, more influence, more pleasure-MORE. So, does it work? Will devouring all that the world has to offer lead to satisfaction? The book of Ecclesiastes is about by someone who tried to answer that question. Whether it was sex, drugs, money, power, food, relationships, or knowledge, King Solomon tried it all and documented what he discovered as he searched for a purpose to his life. Look Around lets you gaze over Solomon’s shoulder as he indulges every pleasure, exercises every power, and emerges with a radical conclusion about how to live. You’ll find ways that his search for meaning connects with yours, and how your story can connect with your friends’ as they seek meaning in the world.
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Super Simple Bible Lessons
$19.99Add to cartHave you ever needed a Bible lesson QUICK! This resource solves your problem. Super Simple Bible Lessons contains sixty Bible lessons covering both the Old and New Testaments. Each lesson includes a story, a Bible verse, and a super simple craft activity that will reinforce the story. Each craft activity is reproducible. Make as many copies as you need for your class of two or twenty. An easy-to-use index helps you locate specific stories for the children.
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Leading From The Second Chair
$26.95Add to cartAbout Leadership Network.
Foreword (Greg L. Hawkins).Preface.
1. Living In The Paradoxes.
2. Am I A Second Chair Leader?
THE FIRST PARADOX
Subordinate-Leader.3. Taking It From The Top.
4. Crossing The Line.
A Word To First Chairs On The Subordinate-Leader Paradox.
THE SECOND PARADOX
Deep-Wide.5. A Matter Of Perspective.
6. Building The Team . . . One Relationship At A Time.
7. Putting It Into Practice.
A Word To First Chairs On The Deep-Wide Paradox.
THE THIRD PARADOX
Contentment-Dreaming.8. Contentment In The Second Chair.
9. Dreaming In The Second Chair.
10. Leaving The Second Chair.
A Word To First Chairs On The Contentment-Dreaming Paradox.
Epilogue.
The People Behind The Stories: Profiles Of Second Chair Leaders.
Bibliography.
Acknowledgments.
About The Authors.
Index.
Additional Info
LEADING FROM THE SECOND CHAIR will raise awareness of the need for strong leaders in secondary positions. It will describe the value they can bring to their organization and to primary leaders when they are serving at their full potential. It will reshape the way they view their role, with an emphasis on their own responsibility as leaders. It recognizes the unique challenges and frustrations of serving in a subordinate position and equips these leaders with the attitudes and skills that they will need to survive and thrive in this new paradigm.
Because of the scarcity of resources for second chair leaders, particularly those in the church, this book will offer a practical way to improve the performance of any organization. Leading Congregational Change discussed the importance of a “vision community”–a diverse group of key members who discern and implement the vision for a congregation–to guide the transformation of a church. This work will extend the theme of an empowered leadership team as we explore how individual clergy and laity can lead effectively. -
Welcome Pastor : Building A Productive Pastor Congregation Partnership In 4
$12.95Add to cartA 40-day devotional guide to help churches with new pastors strengthen their relationships with God and one another. Much time, effort, and prayer goes into selecting a new pastor. However many pastors get off to a poor start because the members of the congregation and the new pastor don???t have an effective means for getting to know each other.
This study helps congregations and pastors get off on the right foot and build a successful partnership that starts strong and endures. A poorly begun pastor-congregation relationship results in hurt and frustration, eventually lurching to a miserable conclusion. Churches invest a lot into finding a pastor, and this book will help make sure your church gets the relationship off to a great start.
Getting a new pastor off to a good start is critical to the over 100,000 churches facing changes in leadership each year. This 40-day congregation-wide study provides the foundation for a successful ministry partnership.
“Welcome Pastor” is the first book to offer a clear, simple process for building a successful partnership between a new pastor and a congregation. Its combination of devotional readings and dialogue is easy and pleasurable to read without being simplistic or trite.
People Who Will Benefit From This Book
Congregational Group Study
Pastors and Church Leaders
Pastoral Search Committees
Denominational Leaders
Seminaries: Teaachers and Students -
New Perspectives On Breaking The 200 Barrier
$12.99Add to cart1. What Are Choice Points?
2. Common Choice Points
3. A Choice Point Growth Strategy
4. The 200 Barrier
5. Spiritual Preparations
6. Planning
7. Implementing
8. Leading
9. Conclusion: You Can!Additional Info
Your church can rise from its plateau and Break The 200 Barrier!New Perspectives On Breaking The 200 Barrier is directed to both the pastor and the layperson and offers insights and strategies that will help your church move beyond the average and into the extraordinary. Based on current church trends, new research, and years of experience, strategist Dr. Bill Sullivan returns to the topic of his earlier work, Ten Steps To Breaking The 200 Barrier (1988), and revisits the challenges churches face when trying to grow beyond an attendance of 200. This time he focuses on how the decisions of the congregation affect the church as a whole. He stresses why it is important to train the people, as well as the pastor and church leaders, to understand and accept the changes that come with growth and the desire to expand Christ’s kingdom.
New Perspectives On Breaking the 200 Barrier will help your church:
* Examine the decisions made toward church growth and understand how to make better choices
* Develop a strategy for dealing with tacit assumptions that remain fixed and unresponsive to change without placing all of the responsibility on the pastor
* Focus on prayer and faith with new insight
* Recognize that the gate of change is locked on the inside and it is the congregation that holds the key -
Pastoral Care In Hospitals (Reprinted)
$38.95Add to cartBringing comfort to the sick or dying is never easy. Drawing from his own experience, Kirkwood shows laypeople and clergy what’s helpful—and what’s not—and provides a “theology of visitation” to guide your time with friends and patients. Includes an all-new section on the best practices for hospital chaplains; and prayers for specific circumstances.
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Tween Bible Puzzles
$18.99Add to cartTween Bible Puzzles is a reproducible book of Bible activities that can be used with Tweens in Transition or can be used as a stand-alone activity book for tweens. Tween Bible Puzzles contains two puzzles per week for an entire year and covers the Old and New Testaments. Reproducible puzzles allow teachers to select activities that supplement learning in their classroom for only pennies a week. Through reflection questions included with each puzzle the students will begin discussion of the lesson to assist in long-term memory and life application.
Tweens Bible Puzzles contains 104 Bible activities, a scripture index, topical index and answers sheets for all the puzzles. Clear, easy to use indexes help teachers find just the right activity in a snap!
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Guide To Preaching
$20.99Add to cartPreaching can be an extremely daunting experience for many but is an essential part of any service or Christian occasion. It is so important for the preacher to engage with their listeners and present their message clearly. A Guide to Preaching will do just that – an authoritative, comprehensive yet immensely readable book containing a treasure chest of facts, styles, inspiration and lively examples from around the world for old hands or those new to preaching. A Guide to Preaching covers every aspect of the task of preaching, from planning a sermon that takes account of biblical, personal, church and liturgical background through to using stories, imagination, dialogue, drama, news bulletins and much more. An entire chapter is devoted to developing the skills of rhetoric, and it includes plenty of practical advice and examples to help you understand, develop and review your own style. Roger Bowen has edited this guide with contributions from David Edwards, David Gitari, Simea Meldrum, Esther Mombo and Vinoth Ramachandra. “”This is a helpful book from which most preachers will learn something.”” Stella Mills, Rural Theology (vol. 5, issue 68)
