Church Life
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Dynamic Diversity : Bridging Class Age Race And Gender In The Church
$28.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
From the footpaths of our cities to the chatrooms of the Internet, people are connecting today as never before. As the planet shrinks through the multiple forces of immigration, travel, electronic communication and more fluid employment patterns, we will find ourselves increasingly forced into contact with those who are significantly different from ourselves. Sadly however, the stranger is often a threat to be resisted rather than a friend to be embraced. In this context of in-your-face diversity, it is time to revisit the heart of the New Testament, with its claim that in Jesus Christ a new quality of human relationship is possible. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul claims that Christians are a new kind of people, part of a new community: a ‘new humanity’ in Christ (Ephesians 2:15). We exist not in isolation, but in relationship. Dynamic Diversity contends that all Christian congregations everywhere are called to be bridging places, centres of reconciliation, where the major diversities separating human beings are overcome through the presence of God’s Holy Spirit. Bruce Milne presents a biblical model for today and tomorrow where the diversities of gender, generation, ethnicity, color and socio- economic status present exciting and challenging opportunities to demonstrate practical oneness. When this happens, churches become wonderfully alive. In Christ we can be one people, one new humanity, one life.
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Life After Church
$25.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Out of his own experience as a leaver, Brian distills the complex problem into two viable options:
Stay. Remain in your church with the blessing of Christ and in the power of his great vision for the church to come.
Take the path of revolutionary leaving. Move purposefully, seeking the kingdom of God that is beyond institutions.Whether Sunday mornings find you alone in a one-bedroom apartment or isolated in a church of thousands, Brian reminds you to keep listening for God’s call.
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Understanding Four Views On The Lords Supper
$24.99Add to cartFour different ways Christians understand the Lord’s Supper-Baptist view (memorialism), Reformed (spiritual presence), Lutheran (consubstantiation), and Roman Catholic (transubstantiation)-are fairly represented and debated to provide readers with an opportunity to draw their own conclusion on this important Christian institution.
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Leadership Essentials : Shaping Vision Multiplying Influence Defining Chara
$22.99Add to cartIntroduction: The Art Of Multiplying Influence
Part One: The Character Of A Leader
1 Holy
Developing A Vision Of Christlike Character
2 Habitual
Cultivating Spiritual Disciplines To Sustain Our Leadership
3 Humble
Keeping Watch Over Our SoulsPart Two: The Posture Of A Leader
4 Kneeling
Embracing Servant Love As Our Primary Model
5 Teaming
Building Teams To Accomplish Our Corporate Mission
6 Stewarding
Stewarding Our Gifts, Passions And PersonalityPart Three: The Vision Of A Leader
7 The Compelling Christ
Loving Passionately The Compelling Christ
8 Embracing The Kingdom
Engaging People In Mission
9 Helping Others See
Lifting People Out Of Lethargy And InertiaPart Four: The Shaping Of A Leader
10 Taming Temptation
Facing The Dangers Of Money, Sex And Power
11 Conquering Criticism
Handling Criticism With Humility And Fortitude
12 Defeating Dragons
Addressing Disappointment, Frustration, Anger And DepressionAdditional Info
As essential as the leadership itself is the preparation beforehand, which is why Greg Ogden, a seasoned leader himself, has created this interactive guide that will give you the tools you need to lead well, using your unique gifts and experience.Divided into four sections, this workbook will help you develop character, postures, vision and skills as you participate in the following elements in each chapter:
a memory verse
a Bible study
a reading
a leadership exerciseBy working through these multiple channels of learning you’ll be equipped not just with head knowledge about leadership but with true character formation and awareness of your own abilities that will prepare you for the challenges and choices of leadership.
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Christianity For The Rest Of Us
$17.99Add to cartFor decades the accepted wisdom has been that America’s mainline Protestant churches are in decline, eclipsed by evangelical mega-churches. Church and religion expert Diana Butler Bass wondered if this was true, and this book is the result of her extensive, three-year study of centrist and progressive churches across the country. Her surprising findings reveal just the opposite-that many of the churches are flourishing, and they are doing so without resorting to mimicking the mega-church, evangelical style.
Christianity for the Rest of Us describes this phenomenon and offers a how-to approach for Protestants eager to remain faithful to their tradition while becoming a vital spiritual community. As Butler Bass delved into the rich spiritual life of various Episcopal, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Lutheran churches, certain consistent practices-such as hospitality, contemplation, diversity, justice, discernment, and worship-emerged as core expressions of congregations seeking to rediscover authentic Christian faith and witness today.
This hopeful book, which includes a study guide for groups and individuals, reveals the practical steps that leaders and laypeople alike are taking to proclaim an alternative message about an emerging Christianity that strives for greater spiritual depth and proactively engages the needs of the world.
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Missional Church In Context
$31.99Add to cartThere is an increasing realization in American churches that they are now their own mission field. In light of this awakening, many conversations have begun and work been contributed toward a solution. The Missional Church in Context addresses the realization and offers new insights. Based on the first annual Missional Church Consultation hosted by Luther Seminary, this book is organized into two sections. The first section consists of four essays explore the engagement of the missional church in relation to contextualization. Contributors explore biblical, theological, and historical dimensions regarding how the church is to engage in ministry within and to a specific cultural context. The second section examines four case studies in order to provide readers with concrete examples of how missional understanding of the church can be brought to bear on particular denominations and particular contexts. The Missional Church in Context will extend the conversation by taking it in new directions, while maintaining the foundations of what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ in the world.
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Deafening Sounds Of Silent Tears
$15.99Add to cartCaring For Life is a charity that began in a Baptist church in Leeds and for twenty years has provided vulnerable young adults with the stability they need to rebuild their broken lives. It has nationally unrivalled success rates in preventing re-offending (85 per cent) and in obtaining long-term settled accommodation (98 per cent). Its focus, as its name suggests, is not on quick fixes, but lifelong support that makes the love of Jesus tangible for some of the most damaged young people. Some of the stories of abuse and deprivation in this book are a shocking indictment of today’s affluent society, but dedicated pastoral care has produced many miracles of transformation. This is an inspiring account of faith in action, answered prayer, and the gospel being practiced, rather than preached. It is essential reading for all churches and agencies who work with the marginalized.
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Perfect Pastor : Understanding And Relating To The Life And Work Of A Pasto
$28.99Add to cartThe Perfect Pastor? by D. Thomas Owsley, D.Min., is an engaging new book about the realistic, humorous, and poignant life experiences of a fictional pastor. More than just a wonderful story, the book is a tool for church members and pastors alike. It equips laypeople with the insights to relate to and support their pastor while providing pastors with a solid understanding for how to address the various expectations of church members. Dr. Owsley draws upon four decades of church experience, as both a member and pastor, to clarify the biblical requirements, roles, and responsibilities of a pastor. He taps into this wisdom to reveal what the Bible illuminates as a healthy, balanced relationship between pastor and church members. Through compelling anecdotes and profound observations, The Perfect Pastor? improves relationships between church members and their pastors and drives both groups to a greater proximity to God’s purposes.
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Cultivating Prayer And Intercession In The Local Church
$9.99Add to cartCultivating Prayer And Intercession In The Local Church is a dynamo in a small package. From his years of experience, personal and corporate observation, and mentoring of prayer warriors, layers of revelation and clear understanding open before the discerning reader. Wave upon wave of anointed illustration, interspersed with plentiful Scripture proofs, combine to sweep one into the stream of intercession which is the writer’s passion. Far from dry, this brief but powerful treatise resonates with true devotion and an infectious spirit of the joy of prayer.
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Ministry Of The Missional Church (Reprinted)
$25.00Add to cartContents
1. Spirit Led Ministry
2. Spirit Led Ministry In The Bible
3. Spirit Led Ministry In Context
4. Spirit Led Ministry In The U.S. Context And The Missional Church
5. Spirit Led Discernment And Decision Making
6. Spirit Led Leadership And Organization
7. Spirit Led Growth And DevelopmentAdditional Info
There’s a different kind of church conversation going on these days–one that moves beyond just focusing on purpose, strategies, or recovering early church practices. Craig Van Gelder argues that understanding the nature of the church is foundational for clarifying the purpose of the church and for developing and organizing its ministry.
Moving beyond methods and techniques to create or sustain church growth, Van Gelder shows that when a church is focused on Spirit-led ministry, growth and development are the natural outcome.The Ministry of the Missional Church brings together theology and organizational theory in a way that inspires biblical and theological imagination about how to let the church be the church–a Spirit-led, missional community that seeks to participate fully in God’s mission in its particular place in the world.
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Tribal Church : Ministering To The Missing Generation
$31.00Add to cartMany churches are seeking ways to reach out to the younger generations. Unfortunately this often manifests as either a “come be just like us!” attitude-suggesting an unwillingness to change in order to be inclusive of young people-or as a slick marketing campaign that targets young adults in much the same way secular advertising does. Both of these approaches often leave young adults feeling that their particular spiritual gifts and needs are unwanted by the church. “We only want you for your demographics” is the message given.
Carol Howard Merritt, a pastor in her mid-thirties, suggests a different way for churches to be able to approach young adults on their own terms. Outlining the financial, social, and familial situations that affect many young adults today, she describes how churches can provide a safe, supportive place for young adults to nurture relationships and foster spiritual growth. There are few places left in society that allow for real intergenerational connections to be made, yet these connections are vital for any church that seeks to reflect the fullness of the body of Christ.
Using the metaphor of a tribe to describe the close bonds that form when people of all ages decide to walk together on their spiritual journeys, Merritt casts a vision of the church that embraces the gifts of all members while reaching out to those who might otherwise feel unwelcome or unneeded. Mainline churches have much to offer young adults, as well as much to learn from them. By breaking down artificial age barriers and building up intentional relationships, congregations can provide a space for all people to connect with God, each other, and the world.
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2nd Resurrection : Leading Your Congregation To New Life
$19.99Add to cart1. When It’s Not A Matter Of Sickness
2. Are We Spiritually Dead?
3. How Churches Die Spiritually
4. Turnaround Is An Eternal Issue
5. Leaders: It’s Time To Die To Yourself
6. A Life Worth Watching
7. Resurrection Begins With You
8. Rolling Away The Stone
9. Life Beyond The Tomb
10. Pastor, Are YOU Ready For Resurrection?
Epilogue: The Meaning Of FaithfulnessAdditional Info
For many congregational and denominational leaders, the goal for churches experiencing declining worship attendance is to turn those congregations around. The “turnaround church” is one that has stagnated or is in decline. The old trends are reversed, new members are added, and everyone rejoices in this story of a congregation restored to health and vitality. But what if the metaphors of decline, stagnation, and loss of health just aren’t getting to the problem? What if the situation is much worse than what those ways of describing it imply? What if the congregation is spiritually dead? The only solution is resurrection. Churches that have lost their sense of mission, that exist only to provide fellowship for the “members of the club,” that expect their leaders to focus solely on ministering to the members’ personal spiritual needs; these churches have died to the purpose of the New Testament church, to make disciples of Jesus Christ. They cannot be turned around; they must come to life again. The key to that resurrection is leaders who are not afraid to diagnose the problem for what it really is, and who realize that resurrection is what being a Christian is about.The goal of this book is to guide the leaders of these churches through the painful, yet ultimately life-giving work of leading a church to new life in the Spirit. If you want to find new life for your church, read on . . .
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Teacher Leader Shepherd
$12.99Add to cartTeacher, Leader, Shepherd: The New Testament Pastor does not attempt to tell the minister how preach or to describe how the pastor should go about his work, or to treat the practical problems faced by pastors. On the contrary, Teacher, Leader, Shepherd focuses on an understanding of what the Bible has to say to or about the pastor and his ministry. The author gives a solid treatment of the New Testament passages, which speak specifically, whether directly or indirectly, to the role of the pastor.
The author presents an exegetical approach to the New Testament passages that includes practical exposition of the implications of the biblical text. Such a study is beneficial to any pastor-whether a veteran or new candidate for pastoral ministry.
The work is informing and challenging, helping to point the pastor’s understanding in the right direction. The author does not offer chapters on each passage, but presents a more thematic approach, a succession of chapters on various aspects of the pastor’s call, qualifications, and role. Yet, the discussions are entirely grounded in exegesis of several passages. At the beginning of the book the passages are listed, together with a brief exegetical outline and a pointer to the chapters that will give more attention to them.
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What Is A Healthy Church
$12.99Add to cartWhat is an ideal church? While many Christians may never have considered that question, they probably have some preconceived idea of the perfect church in their minds. Yet they often have no clue what the ideal church looks like or how it works in our society.
Author Mark Dever reveals the key characteristics to a healthy church: expositional preaching, biblical theology, and a biblical understanding of the gospel. Dever then challenges believers to develop those characteristics in their churches. By following the example of New Testament authors and addressing both the pastors and members of churches, Dever challenges all Christians to do their part in maintaining the local church. What Is a Healthy Church? offers timeless truths and practical principles to help all members fulfill their God-given roles in the church.
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11 Innovations In The Local Church
$19.00Add to cartJoin three seasoned church-ministry experts on an insider’s tour of the most innovative churches today! Discover a dozen types of innovation, each with profiles of congregations that have implemented that innovation. This is more than a show-and-tell tour, however. Each chapter offers a solid take-away for church leaders on how to learn and apply the appropriate innovation profiled. The authors also offer scripturally based assessments of both the positive and negatives implications of implementing each innovation, providing guidance and wisdom. There are many ways to present the gospel, and this timely book will serve as a springboard for church leaders scratching their heads and asking themselves, “What should we do next?” By learning from a dozen different church types, church leaders can become more intentional about exploring new directions and reaching more of the world for Christ.
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No Perfect People Allowed
$24.99Add to cartThis book challenges Christian leaders to engage in the messy art of creating the right culture to reach our postmodern, post-Christian society. Through real stories of God’s perfect work in the lives of imperfect people, you will experience the power of an authentic church community and learn how to deconstruct barriers and bring hope and healing to America’s most unchurched generation.
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Of Widows And Meals
$34.99Add to cart“Community” has become a common by-word in the postmodern church. However, issues of wealth and poverty in the community have often been pushed to the edges of discussion. From the bias of a middle-class Western viewpoint, the idea of communal sharing has fallen by the wayside. Unfortunately, it is often the poor who are left wanting because we no longer come together. Reta Halteman Finger finds a solution to this modern problem by understanding the ancient Mediterranean culture of community and Christianity. In the earliest Jerusalem church, in holding the responsibility for preparing and serving communal meals, women were given a place of honor. With the table-fellowship and goods sharing of the earliest Jerusalem church, Luke declares, “there was not a needy person among them” (4:34). Finger thoroughly examines this agape-meal tradition, challenging traditional interpretations of the “community of goods” in the Jerusalem church. With a revolutionary exegesis of the text “proving that the communal sharing lasted for hundreds of years longer than previously assumed.” Of Widows and Meals begins a discussion of need in community that will revolutionize the modern church’s interaction with the world around us.
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Burn Up Or Splash Down
$25.99Add to cartJust like a space shuttle struggles and strains to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere, so those returning from living overseas can find themselves confused and in a state of panic at coming home. While people anticipate that going overseas will require major changes in their lifestyles and thinking, few anticipate the difficulties they will face upon return. Intended to aid the re-entry process, this encouraging, and insightful book deals with these important subjects: adapting to the passport cultureidentifying areas of potential struggledealing with the emotional challengesfinding a new job, a new place to live, learning the social moresreturning is not coming home it is leaving homefacilitating a smooth transition for those on the receiving end Expatriates, missionaries, mission executives, mission pastors, mission communities, and supporters interested in easing the re-entry experience will benefit greatly from this book.
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Worshiping Artist : Equipping You And Your Ministry Team To Lead Others In
$24.99Add to cartWhether you serve as a vocalist, instrumentalist, technician, dancer, actor, or in some other role, you know what a blessing it is to serve on your church’s worship team. But you also know that some days you’re more technically prepared than you are spiritually prepared for the ministry of leading others in worship. In the midst of rehearsals, setup, and myriad distractions, not to mention the busyness of daily life, it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. How can you and your fellow team members be prepared to worship in spirit and truth as well as lead others in worship with integrity?
With thirty years of experience in worship leading, Rory Noland knows the issues-in both the private life of the worship team member and the public ministry of a worship team. In this readable book, he offers practical insights on how to * Grow as a private worshiper * Encounter the character of God during worship * Respond to the character of God during worship * Be transformed by the character of God * Learn from ancient worship leaders … and more.
So relevant you’ll think the author was eavesdropping on your last church service, The Worshiping Artist is ideal to read either by yourself or as a team.
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Disciple Making Church (Expanded)
$16.99Add to cartNewly updated and revised for 2007 with new Foreword by E. Stanley Ott, President of Vital Churches Institute. New cover design, resource list and index.
Christianity Today says “The Disciple Making Church is a call to evalutate the way we live and minister.”
The Christian Century magazine calls The Disciple Making Church “An excellent resource for pastors and congregations seeking to reclaim formation and discipleship as central to their life and purpose.”
This modern day classic helps congregations to transform program-oriented churches into disciple making churches.
The story of the transformation of a large suburban congregation from one relying on the latest and greatest new programming to a ministry dedicated to making disciples of Jesus.
Glenn McDonald was the busy pastor of a large and growing congregation in the suburbs of Indianapolis when, late one night, a single question launched a journey that changed every facet of life at Zionsville Presbyterian Church. As a lengthy board meeting was about to wrap up, a board member asked, “How long would it take for someone who visits our church to learn about his or her need for Jesus and to find out what to do about it?”
After a long and hollow silence, a profound transformation began. All “canned programs” for ministry???along with a focus on the “ABCs” of attendance, building and cash???went by the boards as everything about the church was examined in the light of Christ’s charge to “go forth and make disciples.”
The Disciple Making Church divides the transformation in two parts: Six Discipling Relationships and The Six Marks of a Disciple. McDonald weaves vivid scriptural insights and the wisdom of scholars with the experiences of his own congregation and others, and distills it all into one helpful, valuable, enjoyable book. His enthusiasm for the “exhilarating freedom” of the disciple’s life is infectious.
If you’ve ever wondered if the “busy-ness” of many of today’s churches isn’t what Christ was talking about, this book will have a lasting impact on you and your walk with the Lord.
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Spoken Worship : Living Words For Personal And Public Prayer
$17.99Add to cartThis collection of forty poems is designed to provide a new and moving expression of worship. The poems are intended not to be merely read in silence, but to be spoken aloud in a way that can provide a new and refreshing experience of worship in any setting-personal devotions, group and church settings, or one-on-one.
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Faithful Preacher : Recapturing The Vision Of Three Pioneering African Amer
$18.99Add to cartThe cliche is that those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. But Thabiti Anyabwile contends that it is not the mistakes we must study; it is the people who have overcome them. So he presents three of the most influential African-American pastors in American history who can teach us what faithful ministry entails.
Lemuel Haynes (1753-1833) reminds pastors that eternity must shape our ministry. Daniel A. Payne (1811-1893) stresses the importance of character and preparation to faithful shepherding. And Francis J. Grimke (1850-1937) provides a vision for engaging the world with the gospel. While they are from the African-American tradition, they, like all true saints, belong to all Christians of every background and era. Distinctive for its use of rare and out-of-print messages, Anaybwile’s work is valuable as a reference as well as a devotional resource.
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Big Idea : Aligning The Ministries Of Your Church Through Creative Collabor
$22.99Add to cartNothing is more dangerous than a single compelling idea that is lived out and nothing is more harmless than lots of little ideas never applied. By creatively communicating one Big Idea every week your church will transform people into genuine Christ followers who live out the mission of Jesus. Less is more!
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Understanding Four Views On Baptism
$24.99Add to cartChristians have long differed with one another on both the meaning and the practice of water baptism. Using the classic Counterpoints forum of presentation-critique-response, this insightful book explores four prominent views of baptism held by different branches of Protestantism: Baptist, Christian Church/Church of Christ, Lutheran, and Reformed.
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Can These Bones Live
$17.99Add to cartHarding refuses to accept “But we’re just a small church” as an excuse for not doing effective ministry. Since his 1998 arrival at Dellrose United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, membership has grown from 25 to more than 600. The church has matured spiritually and financial as well. Harding attributes the growth to dynamic teaching, fellowship, praise and worship, and the fact everyone can feel the love of God, find the joy of Christ, and experience the power of the Holy Spirit. Dellrose has also been able to develop relevant and meaningful ministries: a youth center that includes a tutoring and mentoring program; a counseling center; and sermons and studies that address the needs of a multi-ethnic, blue-collar working community.
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Sunday School Movement
$39.99Add to cartFrom a historical point of view Sunday schools have immense significance. In the nineteenth century Sunday schools were part of general educational provision and represented the Christian philanthropic impulse to provide a basic education to the population at large and at low cost. In this book a range of experts assess different aspects of the history of the Sunday school movement. Contributors include Clyde Binfield, Faith Bowers, John Briggs, Grayson Ditchfield, Hugh McLeod, Stephen Orchard, Jack Priestley, Geoffrey Robson, and Doreen Rosman.
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Color Blinded Church
$12.95Add to cartA Color-Blind Church by David E. Leininger is a book about moral ethics and understanding racial integration. Touched upon topics include:
– understanding racial integration
– racial integration
– racial discrimination
– racism
– civil rights
– anti-discrimination
– discrimination laws
– ethics
– moral ethics -
Stories : How Mennonites Came To Be
$18.99Add to cartJohn D. Roth’s straightforward, accessible narrative invigorates this contemporary introduction to the Mennonite story. Whether readers are new to the Mennonite community or just yearning for a fresh telling of Anabaptist origins, ‘Stories: How Mennonites Came To Be’ will serve as a compact digest of the church’s history for generations to come.
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This House We Build
$32.00Add to cartThis one-volume guide to a healthy congregation combines the wisdom of a rabbi with the expertise of an organizational development consultant to demonstrate the power of positive relationships and show how to avoid some of the common traps that can lead to serious conflict. Using the life of the synagogue as its central illustration, this book gives vital lessons for congregations of any faith on how to be a healthy community of believers. Leaders and congregants alike are shown how to incorporate all their gifts for the creation and support of a healthy faith community.
Synagogue life is considered through case studies-struggles over what to do with an endowment fund, a social action committee that no one joins, changing a worship service time, clergy transitions-which are examined for what they reveal about the struggles of congregations and their leaders to create healthy institutions. Each chapter integrates organizational theory and faith values in the pursuit of a deeper understanding of synagogue life. For non-Jewish congregations, the book offers rich insights into Hebrew texts and culture and the common elements between synagogue and church life.
This House We Build enables both clergy and members to learn more deeply about creating and sustaining communities of faith in the course of inevitable transitions and everyday challenges.
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Healthy Congregations : A Systems Approach
$30.00Add to cartIn this sequel to How Your Church Family Works, Steinke takes readers into a deeper exploration of the congregation as an emotional system. Learn ten principles of health, how congregations can adopt new ways of dealing with stress and anxiety, how spiritually and emotionally healthy leaders influence the emotional system, factors that could put your congregation at risk, and more.
The same content you’ve come to rely on in an exciting new format.
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How Your Church Family Works
$29.00Add to cartDrawing on the work of Bowen, Friedman, and his own many years’ counseling experience, Steinke shows how to recognize and deal with the emotional roots of such issues as church conflict, leadership roles, congregational change, irresponsible behavior, and the effects of family of origin on current relationships. Discover why working relationships may be “stuck” in certain behaviors. Psychologically sound, theologically grounded, and practically illustrated with case studies. Seminary professors will find a helpful treatment of the emotional systems into which their students will move.
The same content you’ve come to rely on in an exciting new format.
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Stilling The Storm
$30.00Add to cartWhen congregations go through difficult times, worship will both reflect and influence those difficulties. The practice of worship itself can be a key part of the congregation’s healing process. Teacher and consultant Kathleen Smith successfully demonstrates this truth in Stilling the Storm, a book for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the ways that worship intertwines with the life and health of a congregation.
There are three main types of difficulty congregations can face: times of crisis, transition, and conflict. Smith considers their differences, similarities, and implications for worship, and explains the congregational dynamics that accompany such times and the roles that leaders play. She reviews basic principles of worship and the ways that unique moments and regular habits of worship shape the congregation. For each type of difficulty she suggests important themes for congregations and their worship planners.
Smith explores the wide range of liturgical resources available for congregations going through difficult times and how those resources can best be shaped to fit the specific situation they are experiencing. A perceptive guide to the worship we offer to God in all times and situations, Stilling the Storm is an important resource for congregations of all worship traditions.
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Divorce And Remarriage In The Church
$24.99Add to cartWill God allow me to divorce my abusive husband?
Would it be a sin if I remarried?
Divorce and remarriage are major pastoral issues facing every church. Yet when we turn to Scripture for guidance, we often hear conflicting messages about its teachings.
David Instone-Brewer shows how, when properly understood, the New Testament provides faithful, realistic and wise guidance of crucial importance and practical help for the church today.
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No Se Admiten Personas Perfect – (Spanish)
$19.99Add to cartThe church is facing its greatest challenge – and its greatest opportunity – in our post-modern, post-Christian world. God is drawing thousands of spiritually curious “imperfect people” to become his church – but, how are we doing at welcoming them? This book shows you how to deconstruct the five main barriers standing between emerging generations and your church by creating the right culture. The book offers inspiring stories of real people once far from God and practical ideas that can be applied in any church.
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Transforming Evangelism : The Wesleyan Way Of Sharing Faith
$14.00Add to cartTraditional views of evangelism are often intimidating and push the limits of personal comfort, leaving the job of reaching out to new and searching Christians for the professionals – the clergy of the church. Knight and Powe show how this basic misunderstanding is contrary to John Wesley’s view of evangelism, which welcomed into the faith, part of the transformation of their lives includes Christ’s teaching, which is to help the evangelized to become welcomed in the faith.
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Old Creed And The New
$35.99Add to cartThe Old Creed and the New, is Don Cupitt’s return to the UK market, after a five year absence, with a successor to his earlier works, which can be seen as the next stage in his long project to modernise religious thought. Here he sharply juxtaposes the traditional Apostles’ Creed of Western Christianity and the emergent creed of modern radical theology. Side by side they look amazingly different, and Cupitt carefully explains what is happening and why. The main change is that the old creed situated the believer within a huge narrative cosmology, the central myth of a great religion-based civilization, whereas the new creed merely defines the bare outlines of a modern spirituality. The difference is very great, and it is vital that we understand it clearly.
Whilst in previous works Cupitt has attempted to define the real religion of modern people, and help them learn religious thinking for themselves in a post-ecclesiastical Christianity, in this book he attempts to bridge the gap between the old way of dogma and Church, and the new, plural, post-ecclesiastical kind of religion.
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Beyond The First Visit (Reprinted)
$20.00Add to cartA complete guide to new member assimilation-the best ways to invite, greet, and follow-up on guests to a church.
Does your church put out the “Welcome” mat or the “Do not disturb” sign?
We all like to think that our church is the friendliest one in town. But do visitors see it that way? Church consultant Gary L. McIntosh invites you to take another look at your church through the eyes of a first-time guest to identify the things that might be holding them back from a second visit.This very practical book offers sound advice on assessing and improving the ways in which your church attracts people, welcomes them, does follow-up, and brings them into the church family. More than simply offering mere techniques, it gives suggestions for making a welcoming attitude part of the very fabric of your church.
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Just Walk Across The Room
$19.99Add to cartWhat if you knew that by simply crossing the room and saying hello to someone, you could change that person’s forever? Just a few steps to make an eternal difference. It has nothing to do with methods and everything to do with taking a genuine interest in another human being. All you need is a heart that’s in tune with the Holy Spirit and a willingness to venture out of your “Circle of Comfort” and into another person’s life.
Just Walk Across the Room brings personal evangelism into the twenty-first century. Building on the solid foundation laid in Becoming a Contagious Christian, Bill Hybels shows how you can participate in the model first set by Jesus, who stepped down from heaven 2,000 years ago to bring hope and redemption to broken people living in a fallen world. Now it’s your turn. Your journey may not be as dramatic, but it can have a life-changing impact for someone standing a few steps away from you-and for you as well, as you learn the power of extending care, compassion, and inclusiveness under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The highest value in personal evangelism is cooperating with the Spirit, says Hybels. This means playing only the role you’re meant to play-walking when the Spirit says to walk, talking when he says to talk, and falling silent when he suggests that you’ve said enough. Hybels encourages you to “live in 3D” …
Developing friendships
Discovering stories
Discerning appropriate next steps
… as a means of learning to understand the Holy Spirit’s promptings. With fresh perspectives from his own reflections and experiences collected during his most recent decade of ministry, Bill Hybels shows with convincing and inspiring clarity the power of this personal, richly relational approach to evangelism.
The stakes are high. The implications are eternal. And you may be only a conversation away from having an eternal impact on someone’s life-if you will just walk across the room.
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Above All Earthly Powrs
$33.50Add to cartIn our postmodern world, every view has a place at the table but none has the final say. How should the church confess Christ in today’s cultural context?
Above All Earthly Pow’rs, the fourth and final volume of the series that began in 1993 with No Place for Truth, portrays the West in all its complexity, brilliance, and emptiness. As David F. Wells masterfully depicts it, the postmodern ethos of the West is relativistic, individualistic, therapeutic, and yet remarkably spiritual. Wells shows how this postmodern ethos has incorporated into itself the new religious and cultural relativism, the fear and confusion, that began with the last century’s waves of immigration and have continued apace in recent decades.
Wells’s book culminates in a critique of contemporary evangelicalism aimed at both unsettling and reinvigorating readers. Churches that market themselves as relevant and palatable to consumption-oriented postmoderns are indeed swelling in size. But they are doing so, Wells contends, at the expense of the truth of the gospel. By placing a premium on marketing rather than truth, the evangelical church is in danger of trading authentic engagement with culture for worldly success.
Welding extensive cultural analysis with serious theology, Above All Earthly Pow’rs issues a prophetic call that the evangelical church cannot afford to ignore.
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Go Big : Lead Your Church To Explosive Growth
$20.99Add to cartBill Easum and Bil Cornelius are two strikingly different, yet surprisingly similar pastors. One undertook to revitalize a moribund mainline church; the other, to plant a new nondenominational congregation. Coming from different generations, their ministries took place under dissimilar circumstances. Yet both have experienced substantial, even explosive, growth in congregational mission and membership. Along the way they learned some important lessons, such as the centrality of strong pastoral leadership, the need for an unhesitant pursuit of excellence in all areas of the church’s ministry, and the requirement that you picture an audacious vision for your church and live into that vision.
Regardless of the current size of your church, you will find here inspiring, ready-to-implement ideas to help your church go BIG.
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Emergent Theology For Emerging Churches
$30.99Add to cartExplaining that an emergent theology is messianic, revelational, kingdom-coming and eschatological, this book adresses many of the concerns of those looking for a church that is contemporary, yet true to the gospel.
If you wrestle with the challenges that face the church in these “postmodern” days, you will benefit from this book.
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Exiles : Living Missionally In A Post Christian Culture (Reprinted)
$24.00Add to cartExiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture presents a biblical, Christian worldview for the emergent church-people who are not at home in the traditional church or in the secular world. As exiles of both, they must create their own worldview that integrates their Christian beliefs with the contemporary world. Exiles seeks to integrate all aspects of life and decision-making and to develop the characteristics of a Christian life lived intentionally within emerging (postmodern) culture. It presents a plea for a dynamic, life-affirming, robust Christian faith that can be lived successfully in the post-Christian world of twenty-first century Western society. This book will present a Christian lifestyle that can be lived in non-religious categories and be attractive to not-yet Christians.
Such a worldview takes ecology and politics seriously. It offers a positive response to the workplace, the arts, feminism, mystery and worship. Exiles seeks to develop a framework that will allow Christians to live boldly and courageously in a world that no longer values the culture of the church, but does greatly value many of the things the Bible speaks positively about. This book suggests that there us more to being a Christian than meets the eye. It explores the secret, unseen nooks and crannies in the life of a Christian and suggests that faith is about more than church attendance and belief in God. Written in a conversational, easy-to-read style, Exiles is aimed at church leaders, pastors and laypersons and seeks to address complex issues in a simple manner. It includes helpful photographs and diagrams. -
Treasures For The Transformed Life
$20.99Add to cartTransformational Spiritual Development
The book, Treasures of the Transformed Life offers an appealing theme for your members – Satisfying Your Soul’s Thirst for More. It offers your congregation the broad benefits of deepening well-rounded spiritual growth. Their newly enhanced connection to God and to each other will help them to view everything with a new perspective. As a result, all areas of their Prayers, Presence, Gifts, and Service can be improved.These 40 days of daily readings embrace:
Desiring a Better Life
Experiencing Meaningful Prayer
Building the Church as a Team
Finding New Ways to Serve
Unleashing Generous Giving
Living the Transformed Life
40 DAYS OF TRANSFORMATION
A Spiritual Growth Resource for Christians and Congregations
Whether it is used for personal study, a class lesson plan, or in a congregation-wide 40-day reading program, this book aids ongoing transformation by building –MORE
More Strength
More Participation
More Ownership
More Service
More Teamwork
More Commitment
More Gratitude
More Generosity -
From Cooperation To Competition
$25.99Add to cartCongregational life has changed in so many ways in recent years, not least among them the transition from cooperation to competition as the central model of how churches relate to one another. Simply put, congregations that don’t learn to compete in this new “economy” will have few chances to thrive.
This change can be scary, because it forces us out of established patterns of behavior and thinking. This is why trying to lead a congregation in these changing times seems so often to lead to conflict. Yet that conflict is not inevitable, says Lyle Schaller. We can’t stop the change that has led to higher levels of competition, but we can manage that change in a variety of ways, such as making certain that we accompany it with an increase in the number of choices a congregation experiences, and by allowing change to lead to healthy competition.
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Life Scripts For The Church Volume 3 Holiday
$24.99Add to cartThis is the third in a series of volumes, each containing 24 skits of brilliant, insightful, often comedic material ideal for performance during church services, specifically geared to the major holidays. Does not require huge casts or highly experienc
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Life Scripts For The Church Volume 2
$24.99Add to cartThis is the second in a series of volumes, each containing 24 skits of brilliant, insightful, often comedic material ideal for performance during church services. Does not require huge casts or highly experienced players — most skits use 2-6 performers,
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Life Scripts For The Church Volume 1
$24.99Add to cartThis is the first in a series of volumes, each containing 24 skits of brilliant, insightful, often comedic material ideal for performance during church services. Does not require huge casts or highly experienced players — most skits use 2-6 performers, m
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Jesus Has A Cousin
$10.99Add to cartJesus Has a Cousin is a powerful book that talks about something on the Lord’s heart. The Lord is in a cleaning mode and the church is His target. The word for this hour is repent! This book will lead the church back to simplistic truths about our faith. It reveals John the Baptist’s true purpose, as well as his importance to the church today. Jesus Has a Cousin is a book for our time. This book will help us prepare our hearts for the next move of God, which requires a true purity of heart to receive it. Whether you are just beginning a relationship with Jesus or have walked with the Lord for years, you need to read this book.
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Iglesia Como Un Equipo – (Spanish)
$14.99Add to cartDescripcion (Description): Su iglesia puede tener muchos miembros, pero, tiene cada miembro un proposito? En La iglesia como un equipo, el pastor Wayne Cordeiro recalca que los miembros de la congregacion son insignificantes si no se involucran. No obstante, si trabajan unidos en equipo con una meta claramente definida, todo es posible y ademas todos comparten el gozo y la gratificacion del exito.
Your church may have many members, but does every member have a purpose? In La iglesia como un equipo, Pastor Wayne Cordeiro underscores that church members are insignificant when every individual is not involved. However, if the team members work together as one toward a single, clearly defined goal, anything is possible – and everyone shares in the joys and rewards of success!
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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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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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Polity Practice And The Mission Of The United Methodist Church 2006
$31.99Add to cart“Commissioned by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry for use in United Methodist doctrine/polity/history courses.” This in-depth analysis of the connection between United Methodist polity and theology addresses ways in which historical developments have shaped–and continue to shape–the organization of the church.
This revised edition incorporates the actions of The United Methodist General Conference, 2004. The book discusses continuing reforms of the church’s plan for baptism and church membership, as well as the emergence of deacon’s orders and other changes to ordained ministry procedures. The text is now cross-referenced to the Book of Discipline, 2004, including the revised order of disciplinary chapters and paragraph numbering. Denominational statistics are updated, along with references to recent works on The United Methodist Church and American religious life -
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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From Head Hunters To Church Planters
$22.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
There is a tendency today to associate revival and miracles with charismatic churches, but there were none of those in Nagaland when God first brought revival there. These powerful and life-changing visitations came to orderly, conservative Baptist congregations. As a result, Nagas found their true dignity not in themselves, their ethnic roots, their head-hunting, or the defense of their homeland, but they discovered it in the person and life of Jesus Christ, the living and one true God. This is a moving story of bravery and betrayal, suffering, persecution, supernatural intervention, and subsequent human weakness.
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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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Balancing Acts : Obligation Liberation And Contemporary Christian Conflicts
$13.95Add to cartAmerican congregations are more divided than ever over a broad range of theological and social issues — and this book outlines an innovative way to understand and address these difficult conflicts. Balancing Acts introduces readers to the two major spiritual themes that animate life in America today — obligation and liberation — and discusses how most Christians align themselves with one of these attitudes. One group focuses on the obligations of religious life and seeks moral clarity, while the other tends to see religion as a liberation movement and stresses God’s love for the oppressed of the earth.
The ability to strike a balance between these competing camps is the key to managing tension in the church and in the larger community — and Balancing Acts provides readers with the tools to find and nurture Christian unity in the face of political, cultural, and theological diversity. Whether the issue is women in ministry, presidential politics, immigration, homosexuality, or war, this book demonstrates how common ground can be found by people of faith who are willing to perform a balancing act between obligation and liberation.
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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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Thriving Churches In The 21st Century
$20.99Add to cartIf the body of Christ is truly a living structure, then we must know what to do to keep it functioning, hearty, and mature! Exploring the 10 interacting systems that make up a healthy church, McIntosh and Reeves demonstrate the importance of spiritual energy, corporate intercession, spiritual disciplines, mentoring, team ministry, and more.
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Hidden Power Of Electronic Culture
$22.99Add to cartDoing Church in a Media-Drenched Culture It has been said, “the future is now.” From cell phones to mp3 players to the Internet, no previous age has seen such profound change manifested so quickly. But these thrilling, dizzying transformations are forcing the church to decide where it fits in all this progress. Shane Hipps presents the promise and peril of the emerging culture and its relationship to the emerging church. Looking beyond the details of what’s happening in communities of faith, Hipps analyzes the broader impact of technology and media on the church while engaging readers with questions such as: – Is media/technology value-neutral? – How has technology changed the way we think about Scripture, community, and worship? – What cultural opportunities has the church missed? – How should the church position itself to take advantage of coming cultural trends? Providing both history and prophecy, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture invites us to engage new cultural realities while staying connected to our spiritual heritage.
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Growing Healthy Asian American Churches
$30.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
The Asian American church is in transition. Congregations face the challenges of preserving ethnic culture and heritage while contextualizing their ministry to younger generations and the unchurched. Many Asian American church leaders struggle with issues like leadership development, community dynamics and intergenerational conflict. But often Asian American churches lack the resources and support they need to fulfill their callings. Peter Cha, Steve Kang and Helen Lee and a team of veteran Asian American pastors and church leaders offer eight key values for healthy Asian American churches. Drawing on years of expertise and filled with practical examples from landmark churches like Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, NewSong Church and Lighthouse Christian Church, the book provides soundly biblical perspectives for effective ministry that honors the Asian American cultural context. Insights from such pioneering leaders as Ken Fong, David Gibbons, Grace May, Wayne Ogimachi, Steve Wong, Nancy Sugikawa and Soong-Chan Rah make this an essential guide for Asian American church leaders wanting to help their congregations achieve health and growth. Produced in partnership with the Catalyst Leadership Center, a resource organization for Asian American church ministry.
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Called To Be Church
$31.99Add to cartDescription: Called to be Church seeks to introduce Acts to a congregation of faithful readers. It includes such topics as Christian community, the Holy Spirit and the life of the Church, the conversion of Saul to become the great missionary to the Gentiles, the Gospel to a multicultural church as particularly related to the ministry of Peter, the challenge of change, and a host of other topics that stem from the study of the book of Acts.
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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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What On Earth Is The Church For
$17.99Add to cartDavid Devenish believes that the church exists as a means of taking the gospel message to every people group. He believes that the church is very much at the center of God’s
purposes, and in this book presents the church, not as a static pastoral community, but as a vibrant, active body totally committed to world mission.David investigates the importance of church planting to reach the nations and looks at Church-based mission and how to make local churches “missional” in both thinking and
practice.Set within a framework of the Kingdom of God, David demonstrates what the “Kingdom down to earth” really implies for Church-based Kingdom social action. Finally, David examines the culture and contextualization of social action along with some of the dangers and difficulties of apostolic mission, before asking the fundamental
question, “Who will go?” -
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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Generous Orthodoxy : Why I Am A Missional Evangelical Post Protestant Liber
$14.99Add to cartWhy I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, catholic, green, incarnational, depressed- yet hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian. A confession and manifesto from a senior leader in the emerging church movement. A Generous Orthodoxycalls for a radical, Christ-centered orthodoxy of faith and practice in a missional, generous spirit. Brian McLaren argues for a post-liberal, post-conservative, postprotestant convergence, which will stimulate lively interest and global conversation among thoughtful Christians from all traditions. In a sweeping exploration of belief, author Brian McLaren takes us across the landscape of faith, envisioning an orthodoxy that aims for Jesus, is driven by love, and is defined by missional intent. A Generous Orthodoxy rediscovers the mysterious and compelling ways that Jesus can be embraced across the entire Christian horizon. Rather than establishing what is and is not “orthodox,” McLaren walks through the many traditions of faith, bringing to the center a way of life that draws us closer to Christ and to each other. Whether you find yourself inside, outside, or somewhere on the fringe of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy draws you toward a way of living that looks beyond the “us/them” paradigm to the blessed and ancient paradox of “we.” Also available on abridged audio CD, read by the author.
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Adventures In Missing The Point
$26.99Add to cartHow the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel If you’re brave enough to take an honest look at the issues facing the culture-controlled church-and the issues in your own life-read on. Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the new millennium and wonder if we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing? That we still haven’t quite “gotten it”? That we’ve missed the point regarding many important issues? It’s understandable if we’ve relied on what we’ve been told to believe or what’s widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we truly turned a constructive, critical eye toward our beliefs and vigorously questioned them and their origins, where would we find ourselves? Bestselling authors Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo invite you to do just that. Join them on an adventure-one that’s about uncovering and naming faulty conclusions, suppositions, and assumptions about the Christian faith. In Adventures in Missing the Point, the authors take turns addressing how we’ve missed the point on crucial topics such as: salvation, the Bible, being postmodern, worship, homosexuality, truth, and many more.
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Cruciform Church : Becoming A Cross Shaped People In A Secular World (Anniversar
$19.99Add to cartThis new edition of The Cruciform Church finds Churches of Christ at a quite different place than they were sixteen years ago when the book was first released. On the one hand, our culture is more clearly post-modern and post-Christian. All of the Christian players today are finding themselves cultural outsiders, much like the earliest Christians. We are waking up to the reality that we are in a missionary situation in our own culture, and this is forcing us (slowly, by fits and starts) to rethink our priorities and our mission. On the other hand, Churches of Christ themselves are engaging more and more in the kind of healthy theological rethinking that this book called for back in 1990. Many congregations are shedding the sectarian or exclusivist outlook, gaining new appreciation for their heritage, refocusing on the central doctrines of the faith, and entering into serious dialogue about carrying out the mission of God in this new time…Perhaps this new edition can continue to provide stimulus and guidance as the adventure continues. Toward that end, this edition contains a new chapter, “Last(ing) Things,” that seeks to show the close relationship between eschatology and discipleship, between one’s view of the coming kingdom of God and the cruciform life.” – From Allen’s Preface to the Revised Edition
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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 -
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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Wonder Of Worship
$22.99Add to cartWorship is ground zero for spiritual warfare and affects every part of the believer’s life. The Wonder of Worship defines true, acceptable worship, its real purpose, and the three things necessary for worship to occur. Starting with the basics of what it means to worship God in spirit and truth, The Wonder of Worship discusses the relationship of the Christian’s private worship and public worship experiences. In the process it explores the practical side of worship, worship preparation, and even the format for public worship. Ultimately, worship that is pleasing to God does not depend on the contemporary believer’s worship practices or preferences. It all comes down to the Person of worship. Jesus is the One who makes true worship a wonder to enjoy, now and in eternity. He is the Wonder of Worship.
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Wonder Of Worship
$14.99Add to cartWorship is ground zero for spiritual warfare and affects every part of the believer’s life. The Wonder of Worship defines true, acceptable worship, its real purpose, and the three things necessary for worship to occur. Starting with the basics of what it means to worship God in spirit and truth, The Wonder of Worship discusses the relationship of the Christian’s private worship and public worship experiences. In the process it explores the practical side of worship, worship preparation, and even the format for public worship. Ultimately, worship that is pleasing to God does not depend on the contemporary believer’s worship practices or preferences. It all comes down to the Person of worship. Jesus is the One who makes true worship a wonder to enjoy, now and in eternity. He is the Wonder of Worship.
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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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Hearts To Heaven And Tempers Raise
$14.49Add to cartLike a favourite TV comedy series, Reg Frary returns with another collection of all-too believable stories about anarchy and revolt waiting to break out in the choirstalls. They may look angelic in their robes, and may (on rare occasions) even sound like angels, but it’s a dirty game keeping one step ahead of the vicar’s trendy ideas and the choir director’s aspirations to dictatorship. It all necessitates frequent councils of war down at the Dog and Duck after practice…
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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 -
7 Power Principles I Learned After Seminary
$12.00Add to cartGod is moving with power in the world today. From the operational role of the Holy Spirit to warfare worship, from prophecy to miraculous healing, from demonic deliverance to powerful prayer and the new power levels taking place. God is at work in our daily lives. But are we actively taking part in His manifestation of power? Whether readers are seminary graduates or not, everyone who reads this book will come away with important lessons and practical applications of the power of the Holy Spirit. God wants to work with power in and through individuals, churches and seminaries in more ways than we may realize.
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Revival : Gods Proven Method Of Awakening His Church
$14.99Add to cartGod longs to send a nationwide revival wherever He finds a people totally obedient to His will and given to desperate prayer. Revival-God’s Proven Method of Awakening His Church is the result of the author being deeply touched by God for revival, which led to his becoming involved in the awakening experienced in central India in 1969. In this study you’ll find examples of God’s response to the prevailing prayer of His people in the Old and New Testaments, in church history, and in Europe, Asia, and America, as well as His work in the lives of individuals, churches, and colleges in America and large areas of many nations-all of which have been changed by the work of His Spirit. In answer to God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people will…I will…,” Christians in India prayed and God answered. Even so, our hearts resonate with Habakkuk, as he prayed, “In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us, as you did in years gone by” (LB).
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Church After Christendom
$29.99Add to cartHow will the western church negotiate the demise of Christendom? Can it rediscover its primary calling, recover its authentic ethos and regain its nerve?If churches are to thrive-or even survive-disturbing questions need to be confronted and answered. In conversation with Christians who have left the church and with those who are experimenting with fresh expressions of church, Stuart Murray explores both the emerging and inherited church scenes and makes proposals for the development of a way of being church suitable for a post-denominational, post-commitment and post-Christendom era. With chapters on mission, community and worship, Church After Christendom offers a vision of church life that is healthy, sustainable, liberating, peaceful and missional.
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Job Descriptions And Duties For Church Members And Workers
$17.99Add to cartThis material was produced around the general theme of outlining the duties and responsibilities of Christian people who live for and serve God. It takes the form of a manual to provide guidance in Christian living and service. The content is divided into two parts: (1) duties of church and Sunday workers, and (2) suggestions for the development of Christian character and conduct. Job descriptions for each church program are supplied.
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Loving The Church
$9.99Add to cartDeveloping a healthy, loving congregation begins with a clear understanding of the nature of the church. Loving the Church addresses the different attitudes and ideas associated with the visible church. Larry McKain shows you how to develop a new vision for your community of faith and helps you discover a renewed passion for Christ and His kingdom.
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Power To Be Free
$14.99Add to cartAre you one of the millions of believers who has gathered with other believers in churches or homes across the land to discover your purpose? Have you wondered how to move from discovering your purpose to fulfilling it?
You’ll need power to do that, you know. And there is power in a life guided by the Spirit of Christ.
College professor and author Frank Moore leads you in this quest of discovering the power to live in freedom. This 40-day adventure will launch you into the powerful life in Christ you’ve longed for.
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Understanding Church Growth (Revised)
$34.99Add to cartAuthor Donald A. McGavran is considered a founder of the Church Growth Movement in America. In this 3rd edition of his standard work, McGavaran analyzes the causes, methods and strategies for successful church growth both in America and abroad.
