Pastoral Helps
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God Sense : Reading The Bible For Preaching
$23.99Add to cartThroughout the modern period, history has been the dominant lens through which preachers have viewed the biblical text. The historical-critical method, with its emphasis on the context of a scriptural text’s origins, has been the principal, or sole, tool with which preachers have approached the question of the text’s meaning. Preachers have been in danger of losing the Bible as revelation and with that losing the rich varieties of God-centered meanings that our ancient forebears understood were the purpose of Scripture. He then demonstrates how a critical and informed understanding of the “spiritual” meanings of the text, rather than importing meaning into the text, as is often claimed, opens new possibilities for a faithful proclamation of the biblical witness
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When Suffering Persists
$19.95Add to cartThe pain of loss may pass quickly, or suffering may go on and on. For people of faith, the resulting crisis may be deeper than the loss itself. We look for ways to comfort those who are hurting. But sometimes, in spite of our good intentions, the cliches and simplistic theology we offer only add to their pain and misery. In When Suffering Persists, Frederick W. Schmidt explores ways to understand suffering, and offers a theology that takes the devastating character of suffering seriously, one that truly allows us to help people in pain.
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Inside The Small Church
$30.00Add to cartEven as so-called megachurches capture the attention of many church watchers, small congregations continue to dominate America’s religious landscape in both rural and urban settings. Although sometimes obscured by their larger siblings, these small churches play a prominent role and hold a unique place in both local and national cultures. How can leaders help to keep these often at-risk churches alive and to meet their potential for ministry?
Small-church expert Tony Pappas has gathered a cornucopia of essays into an indispensable book for anyone interested in the rich life of these small but significant congregations. Drawing on classic and updated articles by a variety of writers from his own small-church newsletter The Five Stones; from Alban journals Action Information and Congregations; and adding new pieces developed especially for this volume, Pappas provides timeless ideas on learning to value, pastor, develop, and lead the small church.
In addition to time-honored articles by the editor, other contributors to this volume include Sherry and Douglas Alan Walrath, Gary Farley, Lawrence W. Farris, Loren Mead, Caroline Westerhoff, Steven Burt, Carl Dudley, David Ray, James Lowery, and a host of others known for their work-and love-for the small church. Readers of Inside the Small Church will come away with a renewed love and appreciation for these vital congregations as well as with new skills for ministry.
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Pastoral Theology In The Classical Tradition
$24.95Add to cartModern pastoral care, Andrew Purves believes, has been overly influenced by psychological theory and too often uninformed by historical practice. The result is a pastoral practice that has diminished the reality of God. In this book, Purves aims to reclaim pastoral theology as a theological discipline. He does this by examining classical texts from the tradition, texts that have the, and he argues that a thoughtful reading of these works–by Gregory of Nazianus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter–will force a reevaluation of many of the assumptions that shape contemporary pastoral work. He includes a brief biography of each author, introduces the major themes in each writer’s pastoral theology, and discusses the issues relevant to pastoral work today.
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This Book We Call The Bible
$21.00Add to cartNeither a traditional study of specific books or sections of the Bible, nor a doctrinal study that concentrates on such issues as revelation and authority, This Book We Call the Bible helps lay people focus on the use of Scripture. By dealing with the Bible as a written work and its impact on our hearts, this study provides an increased sense of what the Bible actually is and how we can derive more benefit from reading and studying the Scriptures. Great for individuals and for small- or large-group settings, This Book We Call the Bible includes questions for reflection and discussion with each chapter.
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Giving Counsel : Ministers Guidebook
$34.99Add to cart“Giving Counsel: A Minister’s Guidebook is conversational, engaging, and accessible. I have no hesitation enthusiastically recommending it to beginning students. Advanced students and experienced ministers may find it useful as a reminder of good practice.”
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Discovering A Sermon
$23.99Add to cart“Discovering a Sermon is a treasure-chest of wisdom for preaching written by an academic pastoral theologian who loves to preach and who is keenly aware of how his own discipline of pastoral theology can speak a helpful word to those who teach and learn preaching. Dykstra is not only a scholar, but a self-reflective preacher, able to look deep into his own soul and draw forth insights that will help preachers avoid serious pitfalls, while pursuing what really matters.”
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Handbook For Multi Sensory Worship 2
$36.99Add to cartWidely known for their innovative use of multimedia elements in worship, Kim Miller and worship team of Ginghamsburg Church provide more practical guidance for planning and conducting contemporary worship celebrations. Through the skillful blending of contemporary media such as music, film, and drama with the timeless truths and stories of the Bible, these celebrations help postmodern persons – particularly those who have little or no experience with the Christian faith – experience God’s love and become faithful followers. Included in this second volume are thirty new and complete worship celebrations, each organized around a central metaphor and theme designed to articulate the needs of and connect with the life experiences of the congregation.
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Escape From Church Inc
$22.99Add to cartThis book was born out of a passion for the church–and for you, one of its pastors. If you struggle with burnout and disillusionment, if something within you keeps insisting, “This isn’t what it’s supposed to be about!” then Pastor Glenn Wagner offers a model for pastoring that can radically reshape how you relate to your congregation. Wagner guides you into new vision, new values, and a new way of pastoring that begins not with doing, but with seeing and being. “I believe the one problem underlying all the others is that we have moved both pastors and churches from a community model to a corporation model,” says Wagner. “If we go back to the very beginning, back to the Lord’s bedrock idea for his people, what do we find? We find shepherds and sheep.” Escape from Church, Inc. offers hope to the weary and water to the thirsty. Find out for yourself, in both biblical and practical terms, how the model of the shepherd is best suited to growing a healthy, effective church — and discover deep satisfaction and joy in your role as pastor.
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Letting Go Of Worry And Anxiety
$13.99Add to cartAttention, chronic worriers: it is possible to reduce the intensity, frequency, and duration of painful episodes of anxiety without medication. Licensed counselor Pam Vredvelt draws from twenty years of clinical experience, scientific research, and scriptural insight to offer the reader tools for living a more peaceful and tranquil life. While worrying is for many a deeply embedded habit, because it was learned, it can be “unlearned,” and with compassion and sound advice, Pam shows how.
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Letting Go Of Disappointments And Painful Losses
$13.99Add to cartProfessional counselor Pam Vredevelt constantly hears the question “How do I let go of the pain I feel?” Whether it’s a soured friendship or dissatisfying job, a wayward child, or unrealistic expectations, every person has to deal with lingering disappointment and its clouding effect on attitude and relationships. God does not intend that pain to cripple, distort, and consume his children. Getting “unstuck” is possible, Pam writes, through the use of a few simple and practical tools that lead to peace of mind and tranquility of heart. We’ve all heard the expression, “Let go and let God.” With compassion and warmth, Pam Vredevelt show how.
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Preaching To Every Pew
$24.00Add to cartThe growing cultural diversity of American society is mirrored in the pews and parishes of mainline denominations and represents a dynamic challenge to the effective proclamation of the gospel on Sunday mornings. Preaching to Every Pew, based on extensive field research, takes on the challenge of preaching in such a context. The authors map an approach to culture from four signifigant perspectives: ethnicity, class, displacement, and religious beliefs. They describe the signifigant ways in which culture influences human beings, detail how cultural influences affect and complicate communication in general and preaching in particular, and then recommend practical strategies for improving communication in culturally diverse settings. Preaching to Every Pew is an invaluable aid to pastors and seminaries yearning for more effective ways to proclaim the gospel.
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Truths That Build
$17.99Add to cartTruths That Build provides 14 foundational principles that Dick Everson calls the “Truths That Build A Premier Church.” Each principle explains what every Christian should focus on and gives practical insight to Christian living. These Truths That Build will encourage the reader who puts them into practice and ultimately strengthen the local church.
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Scope Of Our Art A Print On Demand Title
$31.99Add to cartIn The Scope of Our Art a diverse group of theological teachers explores the spiritual dimensions of their vocation as religious educators. Drawing on a rich array of resources, including Scripture, The Rule of St.Benedict, medieval women mystics, the Methodist theologian Georgia Harkness, and Simone Weil, as well as their own teaching experiences, the contributors discuss the vital relationships between academic and spiritual formation, religious commitments and teaching practices, and individual and institutional vocation.
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More Childrens Sermons To Go
$18.99Add to cartEver wonder if anybody remembers your children’s sermons? This idea book is for you! Each of the 52 messages features a scripted talk about God, his love, and his Word; materials list; related Bible verse; and suggestions for inexpensive take-home tokens to help youngsters better understand and recall the lesson. Great for family devotions, too.
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When Your People Are Grieving
$17.99Add to cartThis book calls upon pastors to embrace their positions of leadership and to be a means of grace and mercy to grievers during trying times. Harold Ivan Smith provides insight into the grieving process, giving pastors a better understanding of what to expect as they minister.
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Preaching The Psalms
$20.99Add to cartIn recent years the church has rediscovered the Psalter as a source of inspiration and language for the praise of God in worship. Yet, in spite of this fact, the Psalms are often neglected in preparing for one of the central acts of worship:preaching. Even among those whose preaching follows the lectionary–with its weekly visit to the Psalter–many preachers assume that other texts will lend themselves better to the task of preaching. J. Clinton McCann and James C. Howell propose to address this perception by demonstrating that the Psalms offer the preacher broad and rich possibilities for the congregation’s engagement with Scripture in preaching. The book includes several sample sermons that will further clarify the author’s points regarding the Psalms as a source for Christian preaching.
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Preaching Mark
$21.00Add to cartThis new resource examines the major literary units and unique perspective of Mark’s Gospel to help the pastor in sermon preparation. Thurston guides the reader through each of the lectionary readings, attempting to answer the questions: Why did Mark preserve this story” Why was it important for his community? And what does it mean for us today? Included in each chapter are suggestions for further reading, and appendices provide a list of the lectionary readings and an annotated bibliography. This volume makes accessible the wealth of materials Mark’s Gospel offers for Christian life and reflection.
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Equipping Church Guidebook
$29.99Add to cartThis is a hands-on ministry resource manual to help churches develop leaders and systems for lay mobilization. The approach is open-ended so that a variety of types and sizes of churches can use it. Charts and worksheets are included. The material has been tested through several years of use in churches that have received the privately distributed notebook format. Now updated and extensively revised, this volume serves as a practical companion to The Equipping Church. That book provides the philosophy and challenging vision for lay mobilization. This book provides the practical tools for implementation. Part 1 covers planning for lay mobilization. Part 2 covers building a lay ministry program. The markets include church staff members along with denominational leaders. It also is designed for use by lay leaders in churches who want hands-on help to mobilize the laity for ministry.
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Word Among Us
$17.50Add to cartAn essential handbook for preachers and a lively, informed devotional companion for those who prepare for worship by reading the Scriptures, this commentary on the Principal Service readings for Year A offers: Variations in interpretation Background history Links between passages Theological significance Language sources Illustrative quotes
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Young Lions : Chrisitian Rites Of Passage For African American Young Men
$34.99Add to cartThis resource introduces and supports a mentoring program that offers African American young men, Positive peer group involvement, Hands-on skill development, Knowledge of the African American culture, Relationship with Christian African American men as role models. This resource provides the tools and encouragement needed to help leaders of African American young men experience the joy of supporting and challenging youth to grow as Christ’s disciples. Includes practical tips for getting started, a comprehensive leadership recruitment and training plan, complete meeting outlines and directions, reproducible pages for participants, and an interaction oriented mentor guide.
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Balance
$9.99Add to cart20/30 Bible Study for Young Adults targets adult learners in their 20’s and 30’s. Each volume in the series challenges you to examine a powerful biblical image that defines and shapes your life. The 20/30 volumes honor your experience and encourage you to look at your own questions, goals, and beliefs as you study the Scriptures that expand on the biblical images. You juggle multiple demands-school work, family, friends, church, day-to-day “stuff” like paying bills and dealing with junk mail-but do these activities each receive the proper priority at the proper time? Balance: Living With Life’s Demands will help you sort through various claims on your life and put your priorities into a healthy and manageablle perspective.
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Creative Bible Lessons In Galatians And Philippians
$26.99Add to cartGrace, growth, freedom, and faith are the themes of these 12 dynamic lessons based on the letters from Paul to the Christians in Galatia and Philippi. As the next volume in the popular Creative Bible Lessons series, Creative Bible Lessons in Galatians & Philippians comes power-packed with the teachings of Paul. Six lessons from each book will guide you and your students through many of the Gospel’s central truths, including:
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Transforming The Stone
$22.99Add to cartThe author contends that to preach is to engage a specific community of Christians in a process of growth and change over time. While every parish has its unique attributes and needs, there are some basic dynamics at work in moving a congregation through resistance and towards transformation. It is on these dynamics that the author focuses our attention as she describes a program of preaching meant to refashion a people.
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True Happiness : Psalm 1 And 107
$21.99Add to cartThe purpose and the theme of the Psalms, as it is of the entire Bible, is to reflect on humanity’s relationship with their Creator and what He has done for them and their salvation. Here Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes an in-depth look at two psalms that are sure to cause readers to pause and consider their own lives. Psalm 1 addresses our need for the elusive feeling of happiness and reveals the true secret for finding it. As readers understand God’s righteousness and loving-kindness, they sing the song of the redeemed, which is the focus of Psalm 107. In these expository sermons on a life of happiness and praise, this renowned preacher applies his ability to faithfully bring forth God’s Word while speaking directly to the hearts of listners. They are lessons that are as necessary today as they were decades ago, now available to a broad audience.
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Worship Centered Teaching
$13.99Add to cartRelating faith to teenagers is tough. How do we pass the faith to the next generation? Help your teens take their faith beyond the walls of the church and into the story of God. Help your teens put faith and worship into practice in everyday life. Get Worship-Centered Teaching.
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Principles And Practice Of Preaching
$31.99Add to cartFor years I have had two growing convictions: first, that a person learns to preach, insofar as anyone ever learns, by preaching continuously in a normal pastorate; and second, that the learning never ceases. Throughout the book, therefore, I have had in mind simultaneously the young man just beginning his ministry and the experienced preacher who feels the need of restudying his methods…A person learns to preach by preaching regularly over a period of years while at the same time his appraising and improving his techniques in the light of recognized principles. This book is designed as just such an ‘on-the-job’ aid…”
“Technical proficiency is not attained once and for all…the preacher who would be skilled must win his skill afresh every week. Skill is the ability to use knowledge effectively. Knowledge is forever increasing and undergoing revision. Methods of utilizing it must, therefore, undergo modification from time to time.”
“Preaching procedures must be adapted to the several stages of the minister’s own growth and to the changing conditions of the people. Methods effectual in one period of life will not necessarily suffice for other periods. Even though the principles of effective preaching remain constant, the way in which they work out varies as situations change. Hence, homiletical methods need to be revised several times within a single lifetime. This book is planned to aid the experienced pastor who finds it advisable at intervals to evaluate and re-evaluate his techniques of sermonizing.” (excerpts from the Preface by Ilion T. Jones)
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Games 3 : For Youth Groups
$22.99Add to cartThe newest volume in the best-selling Ideas Library is Games 3! A huge collection of over 400 of the newest, most fun, creative, youth-group-tested games ever imagined! Indoor games, outdoor games, water games, balloon games, wide games, living room games, large and small group games, all kinds of wacky games, rowdy games, silly games, quiet games, hilarious games, games with a point–brand new games to keep your group laughing, playing together, and building community at the same time. Perfect for youth leaders and recreation directors.
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Cherry Log Sermons
$22.00Add to cartInternationally recognized preacher and accomplished teacher Fred Caddock pastors a small country church in the mountains of north Georgia-Cherry Log Christian Church. These sermons on a variety of topics and texts show the homiletical variety and skill long associated with Craddock, including his deft use of storytelling, an astounding ability to interpret the biblical text for our day, and a keen pastoral sensitivity to the everyday needs of listeners.
Craddock’s insights collected here are great for laypersons seeking honest spiritual direction and are suitable for pastors and preachers looking for models for their own sermons and for all those readers who delight in the Christian gospel phrased in imaginative and challenging ways.
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Preaching From Luke Acts
$17.99Add to cartThe context for this book is rooted in the life of the local church. We desire to integrate biblical scholarship and homiletical theory with the task of preaching Luke/Acts. Our prayer is that the responsible integration of these resources will increase the ability of the Holy Spirit to empower preachers for faithful proclamation of God’s word. To that end we give God the glory
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More Junior High And Middle School Talksheets Updated
$16.99Add to cartIn an hour (or less!) your kids are gonna look at you with that “OK, so what are you gonna make us do” look. You’ve exhausted the first 50 TalkSheets for middle schoolers and now you’re scrambling for more. Yup, you’ve got them here?50 more updated TalkSheets to get your youth thinking about real-life issues–on everything from pornography to spiritual growth. Get your kids out of the church gymnasium and into some hardcore discussion. These TalkSheets have been working for leaders like you for over a decade. And, hey, they’re hardly any work for you! Just pick one, make copies, and see your kids get real with themselves and each other. It’s the best thing since, well – the first 50 TalkSheets! So get going!
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More High School Talksheets Upcated
$22.99Add to cartIn an hour (or less!) your kids are gonna walk in, sit down, and give you that “OK, entertain us” look. Resist the urge to play Bible Pictionary again for the fifth time! You’ve hit it off with–and exhausted–the first 50 TalkSheets for high schoolers and now you’re looking for more. Look no further. Inside are 50 more revised and updated TalkSheets to get your kids talking about real-life issues–on everything from pornography to spiritual growth. These TalkSheets have been working for leaders like you for over a decade. And, hey, they’re hardly any work for you! Just pick one, make copies, and sit back to see your youth get real with themselves and each other. It’s the best thing since, well – the first 50 High School TalkSheets! So get going!
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High School Talksheets Psalms And Proverbs Updated
$22.99Add to cartKing David and Solomon knew a thing or two about God–in fact, what they wrote still applies to teenagers today. And, it’s no secret that teenagers learn more from conversing among themselves than from having somebody talk at them. High School TalkSheets Psalms and Proverbs–Updated! contains 50 discussion starters on topics of perennial relevance and high interest to teenagers such as?
* trusting God
* freedom from fear
* staying spiritually healthy
* dealing with evil in the world
* sharing Christ with others
* and many, many moreThese TalkSheets spring from the wisdom books of the Old Testament and are more relevant and helpful to your youth than you may think! They are designed in one-page reproducible handouts with provocative questions and compelling design–useful ammo to get bored church kids and unchurched kids alike talking and thinking about what the Bible says about issues that matter to them.
High School TalkSheets Psalms and Proverbs–Updated! can stand alone as simple and effective discussion starters. Or youth workers can unwrap the topic into a full-blown Bible study, thanks to leaders’ instructions that come with each TalkSheet – detailed suggestions for further group exploration, Bible references galore, Internet resources, and activities to pursue in and out of the meeting.
TalkSheets are versatile! Youth leaders can use a TalkSheet to enhance an existing lesson (each TalkSheet is identified by topic, so youth leaders can quickly find a TalkSheet on the topic they’re teaching on) – or they can use a TalkSheet as an entire lesson in itself (if the youth leader is a good facilitator, and if the students enjoy exploring a topic in a directed discussion) – and TalkSheets are perfect for student leaders to use with small groups
High School TalkSheets Psalms and Proverbs–Updated! is the perfect small-group discussion-starting resource for youth meetings, small groups and cell groups, Sunday school, and camps and retreats.
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High School Talksheets Updated
$24.99Add to cartIt’s meeting time again and your high schoolers have spent the last twenty minutes talking about spring break and prom dates. A handful of guys are shooting hoops in the church gym while three girls in the corner are swooning over the homecoming king. And you think you’re gonna get them talking about peer pressure or popular music?! Good luck. They’d rather be doing their geometry homework.
But then again, maybe you’ve found a solution! TalkSheets have been working for leaders like you for over a decade. And now they’re Updated–ready to help you get a hardcore discussion going to hit home on real issues–everything from drinking to social injustice. And, there’s hardly any work for you! Just pick one, make copies, and let the questions and activities get them thinking about their world and their lives. So get them thinking (if you dare)! Too bad everything isn’t this easy!
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Junior High And Middle School Talksheets Psalms And Proverbs
$22.99Add to cartThis volume of TalkSheets is a newly revised and updated version that contains 50 one-page reproducible handouts to help youth workers jumpstart and lead discussions on relevant topics and interests to junior high and middle school youth of the millennium.
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Listening To God
$23.00Add to cartPeople today are less interested in thinking about God while being much more interested in knowing God, observes spiritual director and author John Ackerman, who served as a parish pastor for four decades. In this insightful book, Ackerman outlines ways congregations can promote members’ spiritual growth toward a greater intimacy with God. This book is about the whole system-individuals and small groups, lay leaders and clergy, worship and education-everything we do in a congregation to form us more fully into the body of Christ and to become aware of Christ in us. Ackerman offers two basic, four-step models and several additional tools that can be used to create a more encompassing process. And it all begins with learning to listen as a community, and to notice what God is doing in our life together. Foreword by Alice Mann, author of Can Our Church Live? and The In-Between Church.
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Craddock Stories
$23.99Add to cart“Those who have heard Craddock preach know that the stories he weaves are a “secret weapon” of his preaching. Now Mike Graves and Richard Ward have complied Craddock Stories, a collection of more than 200 stories that Craddock tells, based on his own life and ministry. Even those who don’t follow Craddock’s preaching model will thoroughly enjoy the winsome and insightful stories in this collection.”
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Birthing The Sermon
$29.99Add to cart“For these women, preaching is not one of the tasks of ministry-preach, teach, pastor, govern. Preaching is who they are. Whatever process they follow-which include admitting to writing ‘Saturday night specials’ and grabbing a children’s book to read from the pulpit-preaching is about connecting their lives to the pulse of the congregations, and to the heartbeat of God.”
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Kicking Habits : Welcome Relief For Addicted Churches
$26.99Add to cartHighly motivating reading for any congregation which has stagnated or is caught up in a seemingly irreversible decline. Offers 20 shocking truths that thriving congregations have discovered to help overcome self-destructive practices. Serves as a much-needed early warning system
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Size Transitions In Congregations
$23.00Add to cartCongregations that seek growth are often frustrated at hitting a plateau-caught in a transition zone between sizes. The Alban Institute has long been recognized as a leader in size transition research and learning, and this anthology offers an in-depth collection of resources, through new articles developed for the book as well as previously published and highly regarded pieces that inform and provoke.
In a new essay, Arlin Rothauge, director of the Seabury Institute and author of Sizing Up a Congregation for New Member Ministry, a classic on the subject, offers his reflections on the state of the research and the models that have been used to frame discussion about size transitions. Alban senior consultant Alice Mann describes key findings from her current research on the pastoral-to-program size transition, perhaps the most common and most difficult to address. Other new material focuses on size transition in synagogues; the program-to-corporate transition; and the “awkward size” congregation with the resources of a pastor-centered congregation, but the desire to be program size.
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Counseling Women : A Narrative Pastoral Approach
$34.00Add to cartIn this signal volume, Christie Neuger offers a new feminist paradigm for radical, effective, empowering counseling for women. She contends that pastors must take up the challenge of pastoral counseling, especially in lgith of the revolutionary pastoral implications of gender studies and feminist theology, as well as the continuing personal and social effects of sexism. Neuger’s work promises to aid counselors “to help women resist and transform the negative effects of a woman-unfriendly culture” and so to reclaim their stories, their strength, and their lives.
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Postmodern Youth Ministry
$26.99Add to cartThe rules have changed. Everything you believe is suspect. The world is up for grabs. Welcome to the emerging postmodern culture. A “free zone” of rapid change that places high value on community, authenticity, and even God–but has little interest in modern, Western-tinged Christianity. Postmodern Youth Ministry addresses these enormous philosophical shifts and shows how they’re affecting teenagers.
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Shaping The Spiritual Life Of Students
$24.99Add to cartJonathan’s drug use has come between him and Jesus. Rachel, trapped in an abusive relationship, is afraid to return to church. How can you help spiritually alienated teenagers? Offering practical insights, Dunn teaches you to be attuned to teens’ deepest needs so that you can help them pace their lives—physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
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Care For The Soul
$39.99Add to cartNineteen psychologists and theologians look at the boundaries between science and religion, trying to find common ground in an area fraught with controversy. How does modern psychology’s approach differ from the age-old techniques used by clergy? What can each side learn from the other?
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Reading The Bible In Faith A Print On Demand Title
$23.99Add to cartReading the Bible in Faith gathers the deepest reflections of leading pastor-theologians dealing with the heart of Holy Scripture – the restoration of the proper relationship between God and his people. Speaking ecumenically, pastor to pastor, the contributors to this very special book provide sound encouragement, rooted in both the Bible and experience, to other church leaders who are also called to stand as the theologians of their local congregations. Seeing the present “crisis of the church” more truly as a crisis of faith that compels too many pastors to major in the minors, this volume confidently reaffirms the Christian gospel as the trustworthy and dynamic basis for the church’s mission and ministry. Short, insightful writings by respected leaders of local congregations urge church renewal through scripturally grounded preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and church administration.
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Beyond The Worship Wars
$28.00Add to cartAlmost every congregation is experiencing tension over worship. Many congregations have been participating in a renaissance of worship known as the “liturgical movement” and have reclaimed worship forms that have served the church for centuries. Yet because the church today is operating in a radically changed cultural environment, many people in our society do not understand liturgical worship and thus we must find language, music, themes, and images that speak to the unchurched, spiritually seeking person.
In Beyond the Worship Wars, Thomas G. Long discusses the nine characteristics of vital and faithful worship practiced by a wide range of “third-way” congregations-all characteristics that make for vital and faithful worship.
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Preaching For Special Services
$18.00Add to cartSooner or later, every pastor will be called on to conduct special services. Baptisms, weddings, funerals, infant presentations, and evangelistic services, each in their own way, challenge pastors to find the right words to mark the occasion.
Preaching for Special Services will help pastors prepare sermons for these special services. Each chapter explores a different occasion and offers the perspective, encouragement, and practical advice that pastors need as they plan their messages.
Through this useful book, pastors will discover how Christ-centered special occasion preaching can make a difference in the lives of their listeners.
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Excellent Protestant Congregations
$34.00Add to cart1. Lutheran Ministries Of Southwest Oklahoma
2. Seekers Church
3. Mountain Top Community Church
4. All Saints Episcopal Church
5. Riverside Baptist Church
6. First United Methodist Church
7. Chinese Christian Union Church
8. Full Gospel Church Of God In Christ
9. Warehouse 242Additional Info
Though it is popular for individuals to seek a variety of spiritual practices and approaches, the local congregation still remains the place where most Christians turn for religious education, nurture, ritual, and a sense of community. With the influx of new faces in the pews, many congregations are struggling to respond to their spiritual needs. In Excellent Protestant Congregations, respected religion journalist Paul Wilkes profiles nine dynamic, geographically and denominationally diverse congregations that have the ability to create a vibrant community of workshop. Wilkes draws out the “points of excellence” that lie beneath each congregation’s success and vitality. From hosting luncheons after funerals to organizing powerful life-changing retreats, from developing a capital campaign to getting volunteers to cheerfully do work for the church, Excellent Protestant Congregations provides real-world insights that are both inspiring and applicable in a local congregation. The geographic listing of over 300 excellent Protestant congregations and an index guiding readers to specific topics, such as stewardship, bereavement, and how to reach Gen Xers, make Excellent Protestant Congregations an invaluable resource for church life. -
Using Illustrations To Preach With Power
$22.50Add to cartPaul’s vivid metaphor of the “armor of God” still speaks to us today. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “dream” transformed an entire nation. Using illustrations in your sermon furthers your congregation’s understanding. Arguing that lively illustrations are vital to effective preaching, Chapell shows you how to choose, shape, and incorporate them into your sermons.
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Uncovering Your Churchs Hidden Spirit
$23.00Add to cartParishioners today look to their congregations to feed their spiritual hunger. But many members and clergy are not sure how the words “congregation” and “spirituality” fit together. Author Celia Hahn interviewed 30 lay people and clergy from five Episcopal congregations to discover their stories of congregational spirituality and to help them identify the congregation’s gifts for spiritual development. Hahn becomes a spiritual companion and resource for the searching congregation, guiding the church as it begins to discover its gifts. How is God at work in our congregation? How do members empowered by the transforming Spirit minister in their workplaces, neighborhoods, and families? How do members move into a deeper relationship with one another and with God? Foreword by Tilden Edwards, executive director of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Direction.
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Its News To Me Messages Of Hope For Those Who Havent Heard Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartAll too often, many people find traditional worship dull and the sermons they hear impractical for living in today’s world. Yet Linda McCoy is convinced that the message of God’s unconditional love is the most vital word for life anyone can receive — especially those who have never heard or truly experienced it. Her inspiring sermons share that message of hope with modern Americans by bridging the gap between the sacred and the secular. As the fruit of her non-traditional ministry directed toward those who have never been part of a church or who have been “turned off” or “disenfranchised” by the established church, McCoy’s short, to-the-point messages effectively and relevantly communicate the good news to anyone who is searching for an experience of the Divine. Readers of these sermons will be connected to a deep sense of purpose and enriched by God’s amazing love and grace.
Sermon titles include:
* Prepare For Arrival — Matthew 3:1-12
* The Power Of A Dream — Matthew 2:13-23
* Positive Identification — John 1:29-42
* Building Bridges — Matthew 5:21-37
* It’s A Mystery — Matthew 17:1-9 -
Blueprints For Worship
$23.99Add to cart165 Pages
Additional Info
This book is intended to provide practical assistance for pastors, musicians, and others who plan and lead worship in local congregations. Based upon the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal, the 1992 United Methodist Book of Worship, and the 1992 Revised Common Lectionary, this book will enable you to create, design, build, and lead effective worship experiences in your local congregation. Through a worksheet format that culls information and references from the sources mentioned above, you’ll be able to more effectively integrate preaching, music, movement, and environment. -
What Is This Mentors
$6.99Add to cartWelcome to What Is This? Faith Conversations for Mentors and Youth, an innovative resource that helps cross-generational communication happen in a natural and meaningful way for confirmation-age youth and significant adults in the faith community. The tear-out conversations in this resource book can be used either in one-on-one conversations or in small groups where there may be oe mentor for more than one youth mentree.
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Controlling Your Emotions Before They Control You
$17.99Add to cartHarvest House Print on Demand
Are you riding an emotional roller coaster and don’t know how to get off? This hands-on guide gives solid biblical counsel to help you deal with depression, overcome anger, handle stress, face fear, forgive others, and praise God in the midst of it all. Includes real-life stories, emotional evaluations, and personality charts.
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How To Reach Secular People
$23.99Add to cartHOW TO REACH SECULAR PEOPLE
How do you communicate the Christian faith to the growing numbers of “secular” people in the western world? Pastors and Sunday school teachers who teach the faith week by week to professing Christians experience their assignment as increasingly difficult; so how do you communicate Christianity’s meaning to people who do not darken church doors, who have no church background, who possess no traditional Christian vocabulary, who do not know what we are talking about? The question presses us with greater intensity as we realize that the countries and populations of the western world have become “mission fields” once again.
The following pages contain a mere fraction of what we will one day know about effective mission in the western world. But they contain enough insight from communicators, congregations, and converts to help 99 percent of our churches to triple the number of new Christians they help into faith and thereby become contagious movements in their communities.
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Beyond The Ordinary A Print On Demand Title
$21.99Add to cartOver the past few decades mainline Protestant congregations have not easily embraced the notion of spirituality. As much as any aspect of church life, spirituality has been misunderstood, misused, and resisted by both clergy and laity. Yet times are changing. Today many people feel a deep spiritual hunger and are out looking for fulfillment in a wide variety of settings. In this new context, mainline congregations need to awaken to the presence of the Spirit in their midst and equip leaders to nurture both the personal and corporate spirituality of their congregations.
Beyond the Ordinary is explicitly written to help church leaders who have had no formal training in spiritual formation. Drawing from years of experience teaching Christian spirituality, Ben Campbell Johnson and Andrew Dreitcer explore the spiritual dimensions of leadership, looking in depth at the meaning of spirituality as it relates to the tasks of ministry. This friendly, inspiring book will enable readers to erase the negative stereotypes of spirituality and develop vital models and practices for the church today.
The book introduces a faithful understanding and practice of the spiritual life to those who have not yet dipped into the well that is Christian spirituality. For those who have already tasted this water and still thirst, it offers a way to dip even more deeply. Chapters discuss the issues surrounding a meaningful spirituality for our changing times, the importance of holding prayer and mission in tension, and the crucial role of Scripture in the formation of our lives. The authors also underscore the importance of vision, myth, and discernment in the spiritual life of the church. And they discuss the power of spiritual practices like discernment and visioning for enhancing the spirituality of congregations and for helping them become agents of social transformation.
Intended for personal and group use by pastors, elders, other church leaders, and those preparing for service in the church, the book includes suggestions for reflection and discussion as well as journaling exercises that encourage learning and growth.
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Listening Ministry : Rethinking Pastoral Leadership
$17.00Add to cartListening Ministry is a timely and practical work that invites church leaders (professional and non-professional) to look at leadership in the church in a completely different way. It is also a valuable scholarly work that calls forth new learning through the reflection questions provided at the end of each chapter. The book helps readers rethink the dynamics of ministry from the perspective of listening, focusing on both its individual and communal dimensions. Hedahl’s work presents a unique blend of theological reflection on listening, new and tested research on listening as it relates to church leadership, and suggested forms of listening as education and skills assessment in a continual effort to locate and understand listening as the heart of effective and faithful ministry.
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Pastoral Leadership : A Handbook Of Resources For Effective Congregational
$30.99Add to cartThis comprehensive problem-solving reference for pastors provides theological foundations and experience-tested techniques for effective clergy leadership.
Robert D. Dale offers insight into the dynamics of clergy management by placing leadership into a congregational context and stressing servanthood as the primary biblical leadership image. Following a discussion of the three critical dimensions of organizational effectiveness, Dale explores and critiques the four basic leadership styles: catalyst, commander, encourager, and hermit. Out of this background exploration, Dale discloses decision-making guidelines that have proved effective in helping clergy: resolve conflicts; lead churches through change; define the congregation’s dream; budget resources effectively; manage meetings; build teams; and, motivate oneself and others.
Pastoral Leadership concludes with a unique look at the effects of clergy leadership on the pastor as a person, offering valuable insight into clergy spirituality, burnout, family demands, and career development. Notes, a bibliography, and review questions accompany each chapter.
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Peace Skills (Teacher’s Guide)
$24.95Add to cartPart of the Peace Skills Set, this Leaders’ Guide is designed to prepare people to lead Peace Skills workshops in their communities. It contains several suggested workshop designs to accommodate different workshop goals, lengths, and formats; clear guidelines for teaching with role plays, case studies and sacred texts; and a broad variety of cases, role plays and specific faith texts for group discussion.
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House Divided : Bridging The Generation Gaps In Your Church
$28.99Add to cartGenerational differences are nothing new in church. There have always been groups and subgroups within a congregation, divided along lines with age. Yet with the possible exception of their educational programs, congregations have generally practiced a “one size fits all” approach to ministry and worship. Whichever group is dominant, generally the older members, although it can be the younger generations as well-sets the tone for musical styles, preaching emphases, and outreach focus.
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Web Of Womens Leadership
$20.99Add to cartThis book calls for women in church leadership to recognize the potential of female styles of authority and ministry, and to lay claim to them as a way to move beyond the hierarchical models that have so long dominated our understanding of how the church practices its mission and organizes its life. It offers detailed, practical steps for how to work with laity, other clergy, and congregational leadership groups to achieve this transformation in the way the church organizes itself for ministry.
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Turn Your Church Inside Out
$16.00Add to cartWhile many mainline churches are encountering significant decline in attendance, some are being transformed into vibrant communities of faith! More than a church growth book, this insightful guide will help you reshape your church—with enthusiastic support from your congregation—into a mission center bringing Christian witness and practice into all areas of your community.
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Peace Skills : Manual For Community Mediators (Student/Study Guide)
$28.00Add to cartPart of the Peace Skills Set, this Manual is designed as a take-home resource to support workshop participants as they return to their communities and both apply their mediation skills and share their insights with others. It covers conflict analysis, the role of mediation, the stages of mediation, communication skills, and working with group conflicts and in cross cultural settings.
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4 Views Of Youth Ministry And The Church
$24.99Add to cartThis book delineates four distinct philosophical/ecclesiological views of how youth ministry relates to the church at large. The dialogical and sometimes feisty format gives readers a taste of what’s profound and what’s flawed in these four typologies: inclusive (Malan Nel), preparatory (Wes Black), missional (Chap Clark), and strategic (Mark Senter). Each view has theological assumptions and pragmatic implications regarding the church’s mission to youth which are examined in Youth Specialties’ unique style that marries solid academic research with tone and design that is as compelling to in-the-field, practicing youth workers as undergraduate and graduate students. In short, here’s a meaty theological dish for the malnourished academic literature in the discipline of youth ministry
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Strategies For Brief Pastoral Counseling
$27.00Add to cartIn this extraordinarily helpful resource, eleven leaders in pastoral counseling offer a convincing rationale for and careful and smart instruction in brief pastoral counseling. Based on research, case studies, and the latest thinking they lay out: the dynamics of the pastor-parishoner relationship, including the need for collaborative, hospitable, future-oriented, and wholistic counseling specific strategies, including brief counseling’s solution-focused method, its relation to spiritual direction, its focus on people’s strengths, and time limits the major literature in the field of pastoral counseling in the past fifty years, offering ways in which it can speak more directly to the concerns of parish pastors as they offer counsel to those they serve
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Building The Christian Academy A Print On Demand Title
$17.99Add to cartFor centuries the Christian academic tradition played a major role in both Western intellectual history and the history of the church. In this volume Arthur Holmes explores the tradition of learning, focusing on seven formative episodes in history that can have a contribution to make to the building and maintenance of a strong Christian academy today.
For each historical period considered, Holmes probes the particular problems educators faced and discusses the major concerns that guided educational practice. By examining the thought of Plato, Origen, Abelard, Aquinas, Erasmus, Francis Bacon, John Henry Newman, and others, Holmes identifies four recurring emphases at the heart of the Christian academy: the care of the soul, the unity of truth, contemplative learning, and the usefulness of liberal arts as preparation for service to both church and society. This insightful work makes a convincing case for reclaiming the theological foundations of learning for our day.
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Act Of God Active God
$10.00Add to cartThis book raises in a straighforward fashion the faith-related questions that victims/survivors of natural disasters have as a result of their experiences. Is the disaster an “act of God”? Did God cause the disaster? If God is all powerful, why did God allow it to hapen? Dr. Gary Harbaught provides insights and understandings to help persons of faith to struggle with that seeming contradiction. Instead of seeing disasters as “acts of God”, he shows that when disasters occur, God in fact is active: active in and through our questions, confusion, and doubts; active in and through our responses and actions; active in and through the community; and active in and through people of faith.
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Naked Before God
$32.95Add to cartWritten from the perspective of Nathaniel, an imaginary disciple of Jesus, Williams wanders through the Gospel narratives, constructing a theology of suffering from his own unique perspective. Arguing with Jesus and the other disciples, Nathaniel seeks healing for his soul even as his body falls apart. In painfully honest and often humorous language, he demands to understand grace, suffering, and forgiveness while seeking to know the reality of God’s love for him. This is a new theology that comes from experience and striving, rather than from a textbook. Fearless in his search for answers and clarity, Williams never backs down, all the while maintaing an extraordinary sense of humor.
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Distinctively Different Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartDistinctley Different is a very contemporary collection of spirited and spiritual reflections. In a quiet dialogue with Gary Carver, you are invited to revive your theological commitments, reflect on difficult questions, and renew your faith perspective. Share these motivational and innovative thoughts with your Bible study or your prayer group.
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Call To Love Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartThrough fascinating anecdotes and stories drawn from his wide-ranging ministerial experience Tom Garrison applies Epistle readings from the Revised Common Lectionary to contemporary life. His powerful and insightful messages proclaim the Good News, trumpeting God’s amazing and unconditional love for us while reciting countless examples of how we can reflect that love in our everyday lives. His illustrations have a folksy charm, and the readers will discover that the sermons of this veteran preacher provide plenty of nourishing food for thought.
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Pentecost Fire Preaching Community In Seasons Of Change Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartIn a time of divisiveness, poverty, oppression, and war, the messages of Schuyler Rhodes send a clarion call for renewal in the church. Like the apostles on Pentecost, Rhodes offers words that comfort and provoke; words that empower and give us vision of a better world. His sermons build on the Gospel texts to bring spiritual insight and hope in place of cynicism and despair. Bringing the ancient biblical wisdom to bear on contemporary society, this volume is excellent for inspiration, study, and discussion.
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7 Last Words Of Jesus Christ
$7.95Add to cartFor centuries, the cross has been the central symbol of Christianity — and the “Seven Last Words” of Jesus have been indelibly etched into the Christian conscience as these words remind us of the pain and torture that Jesus faced on our behalf. But despite our ongoing struggle with evil and death, we can find faith and courage in the noble example that Jesus set on the cross. Maurice Fetty reminds of this in practical, down-to-earth sermons on each of these famous utterances. The messages of this outstanding preacher are sure to provide great material for a Good Friday worship experience.
