Pastoral Helps
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Creed Youth Study Book (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartWe’re all searching. Sometimes the search is easy: simply type a question and the answer pops up. But sometimes our questions are complicated, and the answers are difficult to see and harder to articulate. How do we discover and examine the truths that give meaning and purpose to life? Adam Hamilton believes that some powerful answers are contained in the Apostles’ Creed, an early statement of foundational Christian beliefs. In this six-week study for Lent, Easter, and beyond, Hamilton considers important questions of life, reality, and truth. He explores not only what Christians believe, but also why they believe it and why it matters. This Youth Study Book takes the ideas presented in Adam Hamilton’s book and interprets them for young people grades 6-12. Can be used with the adult-level DVD.
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Creed Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$12.99Add to cartWe’re all searching. Sometimes the search is easy: simply type a question and the answer pops up. But sometimes our questions are complicated, and the answers are difficult to see and harder to articulate. How do we discover and examine the truths that give meaning and purpose to life? Adam Hamilton believes that some powerful answers are contained in the Apostles’ Creed, an early statement of foundational Christian beliefs. In this six-week study for Lent, Easter, and beyond, Hamilton considers important questions of life, reality, and truth. He explores not only what Christians believe, but also why they believe it and why it matters. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the 6-week study for Lent and Easter, including session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.
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Creed : What Christians Believe And Why (Large Type)
$20.99Add to cartWe’re all searching. Sometimes the search is easy: simply type a question and the answer pops up. But sometimes our questions are complicated, and the answers are difficult to see and harder to articulate. How do we discover and examine the truths that give meaning and purpose to life? Adam Hamilton believes that some powerful answers are contained in the Apostles’ Creed, an early statement of foundational Christian beliefs. In this book for Lent, Easter, and beyond, Hamilton considers important questions of life, reality, and truth. He explores not only what Christians believe, but also why they believe it and why it matters. Chapters include: Is There a God? Jesus: More Than a Rabbi? The Holy Spirit: A Rushing Mighty Wind Death’s Funeral Holy? Catholic? Church? The Forgiveness of Sins The Resurrection of the Body Creed: What Christians Believe and Why is also part of a six-week church-wide program that includes a Leader Guide, DVD, and youth and children resources.
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Creed Childrens Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$18.99Add to cartWe’re all searching. Sometimes the search is easy: simply type a question and the answer pops up. But sometimes our questions are complicated, and the answers are difficult to see and harder to articulate. How do we discover and examine the truths that give meaning and purpose to life? Adam Hamilton believes that some powerful answers are contained in the Apostles’ Creed, an early statement of foundational Christian beliefs. In this six-week study for Lent, Easter, and beyond, Hamilton considers important questions of life, reality, and truth. He explores not only what Christians believe, but also why they believe it and why it matters. The Children’s Leader Guide contains session ideas for younger and older children, including games, activities, craft ideas, and reproducible handouts. Children are forming their own faith, and we can help shape it by looking at the beliefs contained in the Apostles’ Creed and presenting them in a way children can follow and enjoy.
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Singing Gods Psalms
$27.99Add to cartDrawing on his decades of experience as a pastor, hymn writer, and hymnal consultant, Fred Anderson here offers pastors and worship leaders a rich treasury of singable psalms – one for each psalm text or canticle appointed in the three-year Revised Common Lectionary.
Anderson renders each psalm into metered text, using contemporary, biblical, inclusive language, and suggests appropriate pairings with familiar hymn tunes. Short pastoral reflections on each psalm text provide background on what is being sung – and are also useful for sermon preparation and personal meditation.
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Visual Arts In The Worshiping Church
$31.99Add to cartAlthough numerous studies have examined biblical and theological rationales for using the visual arts in worship, this book by Lisa J. DeBoer fills in a piece of the picture missing so far – the social dimensions of both our churches and the various art worlds represented in our congregations.
The first part of the book looks at Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism in turn – including case studies of specific congregations – showing how each tradition’s use of the visual arts reveals an underlying ecclesiology. DeBoer then focuses on six themes that emerge when Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant uses of the visual arts are examined together – the arts as expressions of the church’s local and universal character, the meanings attributed to particular styles of art for the church, the role of the arts in enculturating the gospel, and more.
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Unique Time Of God
$41.00Add to cartWorld War I changed Karl Barth’s theology forever. In this book William Klempa presents for the first time in English thirteen sermons that offer Barth’s unique view and commentary on the Great War. Barth saw the war as “a unique time of God,” believing it to represent God’s judgment on militarism. The sermons reveal a deep strain of theological wrestling with the war’s meaning, as Barth comes to see the conflict as the logical outcome of all human attempts to create God in our own image. As it demonstrates a decisive shift in Barth’s early theology, this volume is essential for anyone who wishes to understand the twentieth century’s greatest theologian.
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Breaking The Huddle
$20.99Add to cartMost Christians are stuck in the huddle. Even though we believe in outreach, our communities tend to focus on our own needs. That makes us into insular groups that don’t have many relationships with outsiders. So evangelism is occasional and conversions are rare. How do we change? In their groundbreaking I Once Was Lost, Don Everts and Doug Schaupp identified five thresholds that individuals move across from skeptics to followers. Now they and Val Gordon show how huddled communities can become witnessing communities. The authors have studied the growth of witnessing communities, what enhances and limits them, and have gathered best practices for transformation. Our churches and fellowships can become places where evangelism is not done by a just few people, but where the whole community itself becomes a winsome, thriving witness to those around it. Break out of the huddle. It’s time to get in the game.
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James 1 And 2 Peter And Jude
$30.00Add to cartFocused Biblical Scholarship to Teach the Text
To craft informed sermons, pastors scour commentaries that often deal more with minutia than the main point. Or they turn to devotional commentaries, which may contain exegetical weaknesses. The Teach the Text Commentary Series bridges this gap by utilizing the best of biblical scholarship and providing the information a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively. The carefully selected preaching units and focused commentary allow pastors to quickly grasp the big idea and key themes of each passage of Scripture. Each unit of the commentary includes the big idea and key themes of the passage and sections dedicated to understanding, teaching, and illustrating the text.The newest New Testament release in this innovative commentary series is Jim Samra’s treatment of James, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude. -
Beyond Business As Usual (Expanded)
$26.95Add to cartThe revised and expanded edition will include new information, new teaching resources, and perspectives gained in the last eight years, as well as the General Convention resolutions of 2015. Beyond Business as Usual is full of resources for forming the vestry as a learning community. It deals with the “soft” side of leadership that enables the pastor and vestry together to journey along the leadership path. Each chapter can be read and reviewed at a series of vestry meetings or as part of a vestry retreat, and includes questions for group and individual discussion. The book also contains resources for vestries, based upon different preferred learning styles, for the formation part of the vestry meeting or retreat.
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Pattern Of Our Calling
$44.99Add to cartMinistry has always changed, adapting to time and place. But the pace of change has increased. There is a greater need for success and less tolerance of diversity. A few high-achievers hold up their heads whilst others struggle or wonder how to make sense of what feels like failure. Our theology is impoverished and we are so quick to adopt new models that we have forgotten our own past. This book explores the changing theologies of ministry during the church s history with the aim of challenging the lack of theological reflection in some of today s results-driven understanding of ministry that seems more influenced by the business world than by Christian theology and tradition. Setting out to explain why theologians said what they said about ministry, why it might matter, and why it might be exciting, David Hoyle covers nearly two thousand years of theological reflection from the Didache to Michael Ramsey and current writers, and provides a synthesis not found anywhere else. The book offers realistic sustenance to practitioners struggling with the new demands on clergy.
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Take The Flag (Large Type)
$14.99Add to cartThe purpose of this book is not to turn readers into race fans but to help them become stronger disciples of Jesus Christ by paying attention to the signals God gives us each day.
In this Bible -based, 7-week churchwide series, Fuquay uses the flags from auto racing as a way to discuss different aspects of our life of faith.
Green Flag (start) – How do we start our journey of faith?
Yellow Flag (caution) – The decisions we make can sometimes put us in danger. How do we learn to heed God’s caution?
Red Flag (delay) – Finishing well involves pit stops. How does God help us get the most our of these breaks?
Blue Flag (yield) – Each of us may run our own race, but we also need to respect others. How does God help us focus on others’ needs?
Black Flag (disqualification) – What happens when our own violations take us out of the race, and how does God help us get back in?
White Flag (final lap) – As we head toward the finish line, how do we steer according to God’s will?
Checkered Flag (victory) – If we persevere – navigating the hazards, managing the pit stops – then victory is ours. But how does God want us to experience victory?This book will captivate your congregation and engage them in an exciting adventure of spiritual growth.
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From Suriving To Thriving
$13.95Add to cartSome Chapters Included:
Stop Making Excuses And Start Doing Something
Get Your Church’s Financial House In Order
Reclaim Your Inactive Members
Reach The Unchurched In Your Community
Remove The Roadblocks That Impede Thriving
Expect God’s MiraclesAdditional Info
For years, Rev. Dr. John H. Krahn has been one of his denomination’s most successful interim pastors whom God has used to save many dying churches. He shares his proven methods for helping churches which are barely surviving to once again thrive. Whether your church is on life support or is doing quite well, this book shares ways and insights which will strengthen your church and its ministry. Unlike other books on church growth, From Surviving to Thriving — A Practical Guide to Revitalize Your Church, is a hands-on approach that will assist you and your church greatly. Dr. Krahn believes that no church should fail. He has written this book to help your church once again thrive.Inside you will find a good measure of practical advice, pressed down, shaken together and running over with experience and good sense. There are not many suggestions that cannot immediately be put into practice by pastors and members of congregations alike. Pastor Krahn has done what he recommends and seen the results of intentional missional ministry in more than one context. The book is overflowing with good stories and examples of excellent ministry. He draws richly from the pastoral imagination of other settings. We all know that the current culture does not necessarily support our congregational revitalization, but rather than simply analyze the situation and describe the problem, the author proposes concrete and effective practices in worship, finances, and programs that he has seen work. There are no silver bullets to address our challenges but a comprehensive approach including, among others, getting the church’s financial house in order, practicing good stewardship, developing a strategic plan and vision, marketing the church in new and old ways, and developing an evangelism program. Here is a book by a veteran pastor who knows how to revitalize a congregation that is long on hope and short on excuses.
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Preaching Christ From Psalms
$52.99Add to cartIn this final volume of his series on preaching Christ from the Old Testament, Sidney Greidanus offers expert guidance for busy pastors on preaching Christ from Psalms.
Beginning with a general introduction on how pastors can interpret and preach from the biblical psalms – and why they should – Greidanus proceeds by discussing twenty-two psalms in the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, supplying the building blocks necessary to preach from Psalms at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and other major days and seasons of the church year. In addition to laying out basic homiletical-theological approaches suitable for each selected psalm, these chapters also provide verse-by-verse exposition, bridges to Christ in the New Testament, and ideas for placing the psalmist’s words into contemporary context.
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Way Of A Disciple
$19.99Add to cartThe Walking with God series was developed as the curriculum for small groups at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Since its release in 1992, it has been used by churches and small groups to help raise up devoted disciples of Christ. Group members who work through the program will lay a solid foundation for a lifelong walk with God.
While small groups may be formed for a variety of purposes, the goal of this curriculum is for groups to produce disciples-fully devoted followers of Christ-by studying God’s Word in community. To this end, the goal of the study is to produce disciples who walk with God, have a personal relationship with Jesus, and live in step with the Holy Spirit. It is also to produce believers who live the Word in all areas of life and contribute to the work that God is doing in the local church. Ultimately, the goal is to develop believers who impact the world and are prepared and eager to spread the good news of Christ to others.
This material will help develop these attributes in group members. Each lesson includes group Bible study and discussion questions in addition to devotions, reflections, and personal study for use by individuals between the group sessions.
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Polycentric Missiology : 21st Century Mission From Everyone To Everywhere
$26.99Add to cartThe Edinburgh 1910 World Missionary Conference was the most famous missions conference in modern church history. A century later, five conferences on five continents displayed the landscape of global mission at the dawn of the third millennium: Tokyo 2010, Edinburgh 2010, Cape Town 2010, 2010Boston and CLADE V (San Jose, 2012). These five conferences provide a window into the state of world Christianity and contemporary missiology. Missiologist Allen Yeh, the only person to attend all five conferences, chronicles the recent history of world mission through the lenses of these landmark events. He assesses the legacy of Edinburgh 1910 and the development of world Christianity in the following century. Whereas Edinburgh 1910 symbolized Christendom’s mission “from the West to the rest,” the conferences of 2010-2012 demonstrate the new realities of polycentric and polydirectional mission-from everyone to everywhere. Yeh’s accounts of the conferences highlight the crucial missiological issues of our era: evangelism, frontier missions, ecumenism, unengaged and post-Christian populations, reconciliation, postmodernities, contextualization, postcolonialism, migration and more. What emerges is a portrait of a contemporary global Christian mission that encompasses every continent, embodying good news for all nations.
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How To Pioneer
$15.99Add to cartSmall new Christian communities created by pioneer ministers, both lay and ordained, are popping up everywhere – on housing estates, in community centres, schools, cafes, among different age groups and in numerous other contexts beyond the local church. This practical book is for all who are engaged in this form of ministry and it begins by identifying some basic principles from a wide variety of creative examples of pioneer ministry.
Illustrated with actual examples throughout, it explores
-how to ‘listen’ to the physical, social and spiritual environment of a local context
-how to discern a community’s needs and the appropriate missional response
-how to build a creative team
-the art of the start – how to begin well
-how to build relationships and create community by acts of authentic love
-how to become and stay Jesus-centred
-how to live and tell the gospel in meaningful ways
-how to grow disciples
-how to stay fresh (and avoid rotas!) -
3 Simple Rules For Christian Living Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThis small-group study by Jeanne Torrence Finley is based on Rueben P. Job’s book Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living. Six sessions provide extended reflection for adults on three principles of Christian life: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. Each rule has a session to help you understand the rule and a session to help you explore ways to practice the rule. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the 6-week study, including session plans, discussion questions, and other useful information for organizing, leading, and publicizing your study group.
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Introduction To African American Preaching
$38.99Add to cartThis book by Frank A. Thomas serves as an introduction and primer on African American preaching. He sets out to answer six questions: 1) What is the historical study and scholarly treatment of black preaching? The formal study of black preaching matured in the 1990s from Abingdon Press, through the books Black Preaching by Henry Mitchell (Interdenominational Theological Center) and The Hum by Evans Crawford (Howard University). The initial chapter traces how and why black preaching evolved. 2) What is black preaching? What makes black preaching distinctive? What are the substantive methodologies and content of black preaching? Does black preaching include the preaching of the African Diaspora or is it limited to American shores? How does black preaching correlate with the preaching methodologies of other communities, i.e. Euro-American, Latino/Latina, Korean, etc. 3) What are the benchmarks of excellence in black preaching? In every preaching tradition, models and styles or examples emerge based on community recognition and acclaim within the cultural preaching tradition. These models are built on criteria that point to “excellence” in oral practice. The goal in the classroom is to surface conscious and unconscious codes of excellence, which the student can then adapt in a particular congregation. 4) What methods are practiced in African American preaching? Three methods are explored from “folk” and “educated” preaching. Methods of “old-time Negro Preaching,” are compared to the Hegelian method of Samuel DeWitt Proctor and the celebrative preaching method of Henry H. Mitchell, Frank A. Thomas, and Luke Powery. 5) What are the future trends in black preaching? What cultural and media forces are changing black preaching? 6) What are the best bibliographic resources in African American preaching?
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Parish Handbook
$35.99Add to cartA parish church gathers people together from across the community and is a site of resistance against the increasingly atomized and segregated society in which we live. The social and political revolution at the heart of parish life is people learning to relate to each other in the name of Christ.
Making clear that it is ordinary living which is at the heart of parish life, Bob Mayo provides an important and accessible resource for all involved in church leadership. Drawing on a wealth of experience and research, the handbook brings together sociological observation and theological insight to shape sound practical theological reflection. It will appeal to ordinands as much as practicing incumbents. -
Road To Growth
$24.00Add to cartChurch House Publishing
Based on his consultancy experience with churches and dioceses over the last three years and further research on the causes of church growth, Bob Jacksons new book shows how the Church at parish, diocesan and national level can overturn its old cycle of decline and begin a new cycle of growth. At its heart this book is about how local churches can thrive and grow in the early twenty-first century. Part 1 outlines the current context, offering a sharp analysis behind the reasons for church growth and decline. Part 2 describes churches which are already experiencing growth both in numerical and ministry strength. It looks at lessons learnt and what is at the heart of a resurgent, thriving Church. Parts 3 and 4 set out workable strategies and unpacks ways in which human and financial resources can be deployed to support and sustain the growth of the local church. This is not about glib, short-term solutions promising quick results. The goal of this book is to help transform fragile signs of hope for the Church into a solid road to growth.
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Sanar Las Heridas Del Corazon (Teacher’s Guide) – (Spanish) (Teacher’s Guide)
$6.99Add to cartWherever adults suffer, children suffer doubly. This book equips churches and concerned adults to help children recover after traumatic events like war or abuse. It is the leader’s guide for the Healing Hearts Club(TM) program in Spanish, an interactive, story-centered, field-tested model of Bible-based trauma healing that provides vital mental health information for children in a biblical framework.
Using this book, lay leaders work with children aged 9-13 in small groups. Each child receives the companion volume, the CLUB SANANDO CORAZONES HISTORIAS Y ACTIVIDADES (ABS Item 124165-POD, ISBN 9781941448373). This facilitator’s book includes the stories, along with activities, games, memory verses, and clear, comprehensive, and practical guidelines on how to run an effective trauma healing program for children–whether as a week-long camp or in weekly classes. Appendixes provide guidance for working with younger children or with teenagers.
Each of the ten lessons includes a Bible story and a?composite real-life story about the experiences of “Carlos and? Rosa” so children can see the effects of trauma, learn how to work through their emotional and spiritual pain, and experience God’s love for them. The book has been field tested with leaders and children from Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and independent churches and orphanages.
This book is part of the product line from the Trauma Healing Institute at American Bible Society. It uses the same approach as the adult book, Sanando las Heridas del Corazon. The Institute provides ongoing support for this program, including an online resource packet with supporting material.
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God At Work Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartThe lectionary Gospel readings for the first third of the season after Pentecost (Pentecost Sunday through Proper 12-Cycle A) launch us immediately into a series of teachings by Jesus, many in the form of a parable, about what it means to follow him in the Kingdom of God. Only three of the eight readings, for example, narrate distinct events in the ministry of Jesus. Given the heavy pedagogic emphasis in the other eight lections, it would be easy to treat discipleship as a thing or an object to be studied at a safe, intellectual distance. Nothing could be further from what author Kevin Mohr believes the Holy Spirit wants us to experience as we grapple with these readings. The parables and teachings of Jesus in Matthew, chapters seven through thirteen, illustrate what began at Pentecost: God is at work in the world through those who believe in Jesus Christ. Through these musings the reader might be able to catch enough of a glimpse of God at work to be caught up again into what God is doing in Christ Jesus through his church.
The sermons presented in God At Work are generally more topical or thematic than expository. All of them have been edited from their original context of sermons shared with the people of English Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bluffton, Ohio. But the liveliness and spirit of these messages have not been lost in the editing.
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Pickled Priest And The Perishing Parish
$11.95Add to cartJust as baby boomers comprise the largest generation in America’s history, they also represent the largest percentage of current senior pastors in American churches. Boomer pastors all over the country are struggling to transition from their roots in twentieth-century church culture to ministry and leadership in our challenging twenty-first century–and this transition must take place for traditional churches to be a relevant factor in world redemption.
In The Pickled Priest and the Perishing Parish: Boomer Pastors Bouncing Back, Senior Pastor Hal West, himself a baby boomer, offers essential insights and words of inspiration for pastors, leaders, and Christians who desire to see renewal and transformation in their churches, in America, and in themselves.
The challenges facing traditional churches and the boomer pastors who lead them are many– not the least of which are pastors’ ensconced perspective of their own spiritual formation, theological training, and experience. In his unique, conversational, and at times humorous tone, Pastor Hal West first offers proof through his own -pickled- perspective and then explores, with help from the lessons of biblical prophets like Isaiah and Nehemiah, how boomer pastors can and must bounce back.
Change is challenging, but in our day of cultural conflict, political corruption, and spiritual crisis, change is imperative. It falls to church leaders, regardless of their decades of experience in ministry and leadership, to approach transformation with an open mind and provide guidance, vision, and restoration to their churches and the souls they serve. -
Preaching The Luminous Word
$37.99Add to cartInsights from one of the most distinctive and eloquent scholar-preachers of our time Inviting serious theological engagement with texts from all parts of the Christian Bible, Preaching the Luminous Word offers fifty-one engaging sermons from noted preacher Ellen F. Davis. A brief preface sets each sermon in its geographic and liturgical context, highlights distinctive themes, and draws attention to elements of structure and rhetorical style. The sermons are arranged in canonical order and cover a wide scope of texts – Torah, Prophets, Writings (including Psalms, Proverbs, Lamentations, Song of Songs, and Job), Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation. Also included in the volume are five choice essays by Davis that discuss various aspects of biblical preaching. At once accessible, theologically informed, and richly instructive, these sermons will engage Christian readers at any stage of their faith journey.
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E-Giving Guide For Every Church
$12.99Add to cartThe purpose of this book is to help churches raise more money for ministry and mission by better using electronic media. Although philanthropy in the US is growing, churches continue to receive a declining portion of that philanthropy. Part of the challenge is that America is becoming significantly less dependent on paper currency (cash and checks) yet the church continues to count on paper currency as their primary media for donations. There have been warning signals for several years. Many churches face shrinking budgets and membership and are beginning to ask the right questions. The author’s goal is to capture this teachable moment with a resource that will encourage pastors and church leaders to utilize tools already available to change the trajectory of their resourcing; because nothing is more important than what God has called them to do. The banking and electronic giving industries have not made it easy for churches to understand their services or fees. This book will take the confusion and fear away and open churches to new possibilities.
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Funding Ministry With Five Loaves And Two Fishes
$18.99Add to cartThis book is for any pastor, church planter or lay leader struggling to do ministry with a lack of financial resources but hungry to reach the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Clergy are trained to preach, teach, and lead a congregation in spiritual matters. However, it has become increasingly alarming that there is no training for clergy when it comes to the “business” matters of the church in regards to finances, debt reduction, fundraising, and building maintenance. The added and sometimes unexpected load for clergy can become cumbersome and extremely stressful. In addition, the decline of the church and the passing of key funders of churches leave many pastors with dying churches and few resources to do anything about it. Rosario Picardo has been in this very position starting a church in a movie theater with no people and very little financial support and revitalizing a dying congregation in a deteriorating physical structure. Through trials and failures, new creative ways of doing ministry and entrepreneurial thinking, God provided, and Picardo learned new ways for reaching the least and lost and growing disciples. In Funding Ministry with Five Loaves and Two Fishes, Picardo shares the lessons he’s learned with confidence that the Church is not dead; it’s just time for a new wineskin.
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Training Missionaries : Principles And Possibilities
$25.99Add to cartMissionaries must know God, be able to relate well to other people, understand and engage with another culture, and be able to use the Bible in a way that informs all aspects of their lives and ministries. Missionary training must address each of these areas if it is to help Christians to be effective in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. Effective training has been shown to prevent people from prematurely leaving the field. It also reduces the danger of cross-cultural workers uncritically exporting culturally bound forms of Christianity. This book details four key areas that every missionary training program, whatever its context, must focus on developing. It shows how these can be holistically addressed in a learning community where trainers and trainees engage in cross-cultural ministry together.
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Professional Guidelines For Christian English Teachers
$17.99Add to cart“This handbook is for people in the field of English language teaching who are looking for practical ways to be both committed followers of Jesus and ethical TESOL professionals. What do such teachers actually do in the classroom? What materials do they use? How do they relate to their students and colleagues in and outside the classroom? How can they treat students as whole people, with spiritual and religious identities? How can they set a high bar for ethical teaching? Professional Guidelines for Christian English Teachers has grown out of Kitty Purgason’s experience as a Christian seeking to follow the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, as a practitioner with a deep concern for excellence and integrity, and as a teacher trainer with experience in many parts of the world.”
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Choosing To Be Grateful Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartIn this latest collection of Cycle A gospel sermons for Pentecost (last third), Albert Butzer shows that we Christians live our lives with one leg in the ancient and sacred world of the Bible and the other leg in our modern, scientific world. The job of the preacher is to make holy sense of the intersection of these two worlds. It is a great honor and a sacred responsibility to do this, as well as a weekly lesson in humility.
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Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 10 Cycle A
$59.95Add to cartDavid Bales’ latest Lectionary Preaching Workbook: Series X, Cycle A invites teachers of the word to peer deep beneath the pages of scripture to consider broader perspectives and messages. Bales presents themes, summaries, exegesis, and a prayer, in each lectionary day, as resources to guide sermon development, always attempting to expose preachers to different perspectives and deeper knowledge.
As Bales carefully unpacks his thoughts upon each selected scripture passage, he combines his personal ideas with the time-tested analysis of other great Christian thinkers, resulting in a thoughtful and critical exposition on God’s word. This unique style empowers pastors to engage with God’s word, and the end result is a resource that will equip congregations to be challenged through a deliberate, well-informed message.
Written specifically as a preaching resource for Cycle A, the Lectionary Preaching Workbook will benefit any student of the word, and can be used for sermon starters, adult study groups, and individual Bible study.
Each chapter includes:
Revised Common Lectionary texts for the day
Scripture references and intensive exposition
Theme analysis and narrative illustration
Citation attributions to various apologists, teachers, and authors
A pastoral prayer -
Sanar Las Heridas Del Corazon – (Spanish)
$7.99Add to cartThis book offers a practical approach to engaging the Bible and mental health principles to find God’s healing for wounds of the heart. This provides a strong foundation for restored lives and relationships.
It is a resource for leaders in churches and NGOs who care for people who have suffered horrific events like war, civil unrest, ethnic conflict, rape, and natural disasters. It will also help individuals struggling with suffering. It provides core mental health principles within a biblical framework, an approach that has been field tested since 2001 with leaders from Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and independent churches. It has been adapted into more than 150 languages and cultures around the world.
It is designed for use in groups and written in simple and non-technical language. Each lesson begins with a story depicting its topic, followed by discussion questions and participatory exercises. The book includes 270 Bible references from 217 passages.
This is the core book of the Trauma Healing Institute at American Bible Society.
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Work Of A Disciple
$19.99Add to cartThe Walking with God series was developed as the curriculum for small groups at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Since its release in 1992, it has been used by churches and small groups to help raise up devoted disciples of Christ. Group members who work through the program will lay a solid foundation for a lifelong walk with God.
While small groups may be formed for a variety of purposes, the goal of this curriculum is for groups to produce disciples-fully devoted followers of Christ-by studying God’s Word in community. To this end, the goal of the study is to produce disciples who walk with God, have a personal relationship with Jesus, and live in step with the Holy Spirit. It is also to produce believers who live the Word in all areas of life and contribute to the work that God is doing in the local church. Ultimately, the goal is to develop believers who impact the world and are prepared and eager to spread the good news of Christ to others.
This material will help develop these attributes in group members. Each lesson includes group Bible study and discussion questions in addition to devotions, reflections, and personal study for use by individuals between the group sessions.
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Surprise Surprise Surprise Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartBut What Of Lazarus? (John 11:1-45)
For The Glow Of It (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)
Friday (John 18:1-19:42)
Learning To Walk In The Dark And Remembering The Dark Is As Day To God (Matthew 26:14– 27:66)
Nicodemus Came By Night (John 3:1-17)Additional Info
Two voices, fourteen sermons…The lives of David and Marian Plant have been intertwined for 46 years, their mutual ministries, for even longer. Their voices were shaped by their ministry experiences that began together in shared, co-pastorate positions, and then matured into individual settled ministry positions and then again, moved into their own specialties of the last 20 years: Marian, in the teaching ministry and David in the interim and church revitalization ministry. Marian’s voice is one practiced well from a traditional setting of pulpit with written text in hand. David’s voice is one practiced in a relational style of informal conversation, often done without notes, and in back and forth dialogue with the gathered worshipers.
Their latest work, Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! provides fourteen cycle A gospel sermons for Lent/Easter. In these sermons you will see the mix of the lives of the Plants, committed to social justice, the important context of the role of the church as that which speaks for Christ, and the importance of the need for individuals to take up the challenge of living their faith more fully. There is no doubt that their mutual passions for addressing the ills befalling our culture and our world were foremost on their minds, and they could not but help influence one another’s work by virtue of their lives lived in the practice of ministry and marriage. They offer these words to you, as colleagues in ministry, even if only a sentence is valuable to you.
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Grace And Peace Cycle A
$17.95Add to cartEaster may be the highest holy day in the life of the church but in American culture that honor goes to Christmas. Christians often find themselves trying to straddle the divide between Christmas as “Christ Mass” and Christmas as a family gathering and a retail extravaganza. In Grace and Peace, Dean Feldmeyer’s latest collection of sermons for Cycle A, the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany are celebrated by acknowledging the secular, cultural parts of the season and, at the same time, they are first and foremost celebrations of God’s incarnation in the living Christ.
Sermon titles included
Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! (Matthew 24:36-44)
Less Fear; More Fruit (Matthew 3:1-12)
Preparing the Way (Matthew 11:2-11)
The New Moses (Matthew 1:18-25)
Jesus Incognito (Matthew 25:31-46) -
Beyond Fairness Cycle A
$12.95Add to cartThe stories of Jesus continue to challenge listeners toward new and better ways of living. The sermons of Beyond Fairness: The Stories Of Jesus express these stories, with joyful seriousness, in the hope they will encourage faithful discipleship. Preachers, teachers, and all who want to engage the stories of Jesus, will find these sermons to be bread for their journey beyond fairness toward grace for all.
Beyond Fairness includes sermons for Pentecost (middle third). These sermons could also be used by adult forums and small group Bible studies for helpful conversation.
Some sermon titles included in Beyond Fairness:
You Feed the Hungry (Matthew 14:13-21)
Stepping into Liminal Space (Matthew 14:22-33)
Who Are You Following (Matthew 16:21-28)
One Feisty Woman (Matthew 15:21-28)
What Are We Protecting? (Matthew 21:33-46)
The Stop and Think Chair (Matthew: 18:15-20 -
Prodigal Son Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartNearly two thousand years ago, Jesus told a simple parable about a father and his two sons. It was a story of rebellion, repentance, and unfathomable grace. This parable of the prodigal son stands out because it presents, in clear and inspiring terms, our struggle with sin, our need for repentance, and the Father’s inexhaustible mercy and love for us. Even those who know next to nothing else about the Bible know something about this tale. In this study, John MacArthur provides fascinating new insights into this parable and explores why so many of us recognize ourselves in its narrative. For believers, the prodigal son is a humbling reminder of who we are and how much we owe to God’s grace. For those who are conscious of their guilt but unrepentant, the prodigal’s life is a searing reminder of the wages of sin, the duty of the sinner to repent, and the goodness of God. For sinners coming to repentance, the father’s eager welcome and costly generosities are reminders that God’s grace and goodness are inexhaustible. For all of us, the elder brother’s attitude is a powerful warning that reveals how easily unbelief can masquerade as faithfulness. This five-session video-based study includes re-enacted vignettes from the parable with accompanying teaching from John MacArthur. With this study, experienced and new group leaders alike will be equipped to lead a life-changing study for their group members.
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Crossing Cultures In Scripture
$30.99Add to cartCrosscultural Mission from Eden to Eternity From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is a crosscultural book. Scripture is filled with narratives of God’s people crossing cultures in pursuit of God’s mission. Biblical texts shed light on mission dynamics: Sarah and Hagar functioning in an honor/shame culture, Moses as a multicultural leader, Ruth as a crosscultural conversion, David and Uriah illustrating power distance, the Queen of Sheba as an international truth-seeker, Daniel as a transnational student, Jesus’ crosscultural encounters as communication across worldviews, Paul in Athens as a model of contextualization, and much more. Missionary and missions professor Marvin Newell provides a biblical theology of culture and mission, mining the depths of Scripture to tease out missiological insights and crosscultural perspectives. Unlike other books that are organized topically, this text is organized canonically, revealing how the whole of Scripture speaks to contemporary mission realities. Comprehensive in scope, filled with biblical insight and missional expertise, this book is an essential resource for students and practitioners of crosscultual ministry and mission.
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Modern Psychopathologies : A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (Revised)
$60.00Add to cart14 Chapters
Additional Info
Modern Psychopathologies is addressed to students and mental health professionals who want to sort through contemporary secular understandings of psychopathology in relation to a Christian worldview. Written by well-known and respected scholars, the book, in nine core chapters, provides an introduction to a set of disorders along with overviews of current research on etiology, treatment and prevention. Prior chapters give a context for the integration of Christianity and the scientific study of psychopathology, and articulate integrative themes discussed throughout the book, providing a foundation for the concluding vision for Christian health professionals and the church. This is a unique and valuable resource for Christians studying psychology and counseling, or providing counseling services, pastoral care, Christian healing ministries or spiritual direction. Though fully capable of standing on its own, it is also a useful companion volume to Modern Psychotherapies by Stanton L. Jones and Richard E. Butman. -
Church As Movement
$30.99Add to cartForeword
Introduction
Prologue
Part I: Distributing
1. Movement Mentality
2. Polycentric LeadershipPart II: Discipleship
3. Being Disciples
4. Making DisciplesPart III: Designing
5. Missional Theology
6. Ecclesial ArchitecturePart IV: Doing
7. Community Formation
8. Incarnational PracticeEpilogue
Additional Info
A training resource to help readers plant missional-incarnational churches, written by leading thinkers and practitioners in the area of church planting and missional living. This book is a thorough, comprehensive manual to help those on the long and challenging journey of church planting to survive and thrive. -
Lectionary Stories For Preaching And Teaching Series 2 Cycle A
$19.95Add to cartho doesn’t love a good story? Storytellers who excel at their craft have the ability to draw readers or listeners into the worlds they create, using characters and situations to entertain and enlighten us. Jesus, the Master Storyteller, often spoke using parables — short stories that conveyed spiritual truths. By drawing his listeners into his stories, he unlocked their minds and hearts to hear the truth he was relating to them.
This compilation of stories for the entire church year, written by Peter Andrew Smith, follows in that same tradition. The stories within CSS Publishing’s latest Lectionary Stories for Preaching and Teaching, Series II, Cycle A are inspired by the source gospel passages and serve to highlight and illustrate the gospel Jesus taught through his words and life. They can serve as a companion when studying the scripture, as illustrations for sermons, and as devotional material for personal or group use. Smith offers thought-provoking contemplations on Cycle A lectionary passages that draw out the biblical theme by relating it to aspects of modern life we have all experienced.
Some chapters included in this volume
Always Room for Another
Starting A New Life
Preparing for Temptation
The Taste of Cold Water
Because I Love You -
Feed My Lambs
$23.95Add to cartFeed My Lambs is a collection of 103 children’s object lessons, written in script form, so that those who desire to give fun and effective sermons will be able to easily prepare the message.
I hope to encourage people who might pick up Feed My Lambs to give children’s sermons a try. I think about how I went about it years back. I walked into a Christian bookstore, asked where the children’s sermon book section was, picked up a few books, and wondered if I were biting off more than I could chew. I want people to know they can. God will certainly bless them and all the little ones they are trying to help. Jesus said, “Feed My Lambs.”
*Included in Feed My Lambs
*Index of Seasonal Themes
*Notes to the Reader
*Index of Bible references
*Liturgical calendar suggestions
*Chapter-by-Chapter synopsis
*Some of the chapter titles in this book are:
*Having a Right Relationship with God
*Trust in the Lord and His Perfect Plan
*Our Sins and Jesus’ Forgiveness
*Talking with God
*Holidays -
DNA Of Pioneer Ministry
$35.99Add to cartSorted is a successful Fresh Expression of church based in Bradford, which has now sent out pioneers using the lessons learnt to begin planting a fresh expression in Thamesmead, London and begin a pioneering project in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Fresh Expressions story has been well-told, but there have been relatively few attempts to relate the experiences and methodologies the author and his team have learnt over 10 years of pioneering Sorted (3 fresh expressions of church), so that pioneers, missionaries and the wider Church may be better equipped and informed when pioneering fresh expressions, mission communities and church plants in a whole range of different contexts. Relevant and timely, this book aims to share these lessons and methodologies using the Sorted story. -
Church Buildings : A Strategic Guide To Design Renovation And Construction
$14.99Add to cartHow can church leaders make wise decisions when planning, designing, and constructing their church’s facilities?
How do church leaders address the needs and wants of the church while staying within their budget? When should they begin planning their future facility? Pastors, elders, and leaders beginning the process of renovation or construction are faced with the questions of where to begin, when to hire professionals, and how to successfully oversee the many details of their building project.
In “Church Buildings,” PlanNorth Principal Architect Katie Burch draws from extensive industry experience to give church executives the tools and knowledge to successfully lead their church’s renovation or new building construction from beginning to end. Leaders will learn useful tips and advice of how to:
Refine the vision and purpose for their church
Create an informative, clear fundraising campaign
Ensure their facilities meet the unique needs of their congregation
Creatively work within their church’s budget
Navigate the terms and processes of the design and construction industriesWhether church leaders are just beginning their ministry or are knee-deep in a growing congregation, this book will serve as an excellent reference guide for an organized, informed approach to facilities. Most importantly, leaders will walk away understanding how to ensure their church facility will serve people for decades to come.
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Kingdom Marriage Group Video Experience Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartThis uplifting new small-group study guide is based on the book Kingdom Marriage and is meant to be used with the Kingdom Marriage Group Video Experience. It instructs every Christ-following couple on how to tap into the power of God as they seek God’s purpose and perspective for their marriage. Participants will be led through thought-provoking discussion and application activities as Tony Evans explains how kingdom couples bring light and life to their family and communities (estimated 6-week video study curriculum).
“You can reflect the glory of God and the unity of the Trinity through your shared purpose, honor, and love as a true kingdom couple.” – Tony Evans
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Kingdom Marriage Group Video Experience With Leaders Guide
$29.99Add to cartThis uplifting new video small-group study is based on the book Kingdom Marriage. It instructs every Christ-following couple on how to tap into the power of God as they seek God’s purpose and perspective for their marriage. This resource is filled with practical insights and applications as Tony Evans explains how kingdom couples bring light and life to their families and communities (estimated 6-week video study curriculum).
Included in this product are a printed Participant’s Study Guide, a digital Leader’s Guide, and the DVD curriculum.
“You can reflect the glory of God and the unity of the Trinity through your shared purpose, honor, and love as a true kingdom couple.” -Tony EvansKingdom Marriage shows couples that the key to influencing our society and the world with lasting impact is found in solidifying biblical marriage in the way God intended. It starts with both wife and husband reflecting God and His image and modeling that reflection within the roles and responsibilities of their union. This is based on a correct understanding of God’s kingdom and their responsibilities in it.
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Ministerio Con Proposito Para – (Spanish)
$14.99Add to cartMuchos ministerios de ninos son un frenesi de actividad, dirigidos por dedicados voluntarios y personal que emplean largas horas y duro trabajo para el bien de los ninos y los padres a quienes sirven. Sin embargo, a pesar de las buenas intenciones, muchos ministerios de ninos actualmente no son eficaces. Carecen de proposito e intencionalidad. Un veterano por veinticinco anos del ministerio de ninos en la iglesia local, el pastor Steve Adams, ha ministrado a familias en multiples iglesias, desde congregaciones diminutas hasta su actual posicion en la iglesia Saddleback. En este libro, Steve aplica las revolucionarias perspectivas de Una iglesia con proposito al ministerio de ninos y guia a los lectores en un viaje de descubrimiento y alteracion, mostrandoles como desarrollar un proceso ministerial intencional que dirija a los ninos hacia la salud espiritual a la vez que edifica un ambiente ministerial saludable para quienes trabajan con ninos. Aprenderas como hacer y responder cinco preguntas sencillas pero poderosas: * Por que estamos en este viaje? * Que necesitamos para cumplir nuestra mision? * A quienes intentamos alcanzar? * Como movilizaremos a nuestros ninos hacia la salud espiritual? * Donde estamos ahora y hacia donde vamos? No hay una clave unica para un ministerio de ninos exitoso ni tampoco hay un solo camino que funcione para todo el mundo. Pero hay un proceso demostrado que se puede seguir, y Steve muestra como ministerios infantiles en todo el mundo estan alcanzando el potencial que Dios les ha dado al descubrir su proposito biblico, evitando las trampas de la frustracion y el agotamiento.
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Watch Your Mouth Interactive Workbook (Workbook)
$10.99Add to cartDr. Tony Evans says your greatest enemy is actually in your mouth. The tongue has more power to quickly destroy your life than anyone or anything else. But, as an image bearer of God, your highest calling is to model with your mouth the character of God. How can we learn to control our tongues?
Perfect for group or individual study, this interactive workbook serves as a companion to Dr. Evans’s compelling DVD series, Watch Your Mouth. Dig deeper into the life-changing truths about the tongue as you follow along with Dr. Evans’s teaching. Includes insightful discussion questions to help you work through what you’re learning, Scripture passages to learn more about this powerful weapon, and ideas to help you put what you’re learning into practice.
Learn how to use your words to minister to and speak life into the world around you.
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Spiritual Leadership Today
$16.99Add to cart“If you are in a position of positive influence, if you exercise leadership in any way, your faith in God gives you a power-a hidden power-that will allow you to make an enduring difference in the lives of other people and organizations. But how does that power work?” So says Mel Lawrenz in this fresh look at leadership which offers practical and biblical guidance to believers who want to have a deep influence and who want to know: What is the proper use of authority and power? Where do good ideas come from? How can we deal with failure? What does God expect of us? Drawing from more than thirty years of experience in pastoral ministry, Lawrenz writes for Christians in any position of influence. This book provides a new baseline for 21st century Christian leadership, addressing issues such as: – building integrity – seizing opportunities – exploring new horizons – speaking into crises – receiving power – accepting authority – promoting truth – managing expectations – dealing with criticism Using real-life examples, key Scripture passages, and history, Lawrenz shows that when believers align their responsibility to lead with the teaching of Jesus and the work of God’s Spirit, their spiritual influence will have integrity and enduring effectiveness. “Lawrenz gives us hope that the leadership pendulum which has swung from ‘over- spiritualized’ to ‘de-spiritualized’ in recent generations may have finally come to rest where it always belonged-upon Jesus Christ.” – Skye Jethani, Senior Editor, Leadership Journal, from the foreword “It is exciting to think about believers at every level of society rising to a new call to exercise powerful spiritual influence. In his newest book Mel Lawrenz has given us all a new baseline for leadership that is personal, wise, and spiritual. It spans the generations and reaches across cultures. Just think what will happen if believers in positions of influence tie into the wisdom and the power that comes from God in order to bring restoration in our broken world!” – Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church in Washington, D.C.
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Leading With Story
$19.99Add to cartEighty percent of the world’s people-including seventy percent of Americans-are storycentric communicators; that is, they prefer to learn and are most likely to be influenced through stories, pictures, drama, and music rather than through reading and writing. Yet more than ninety percent of Christian workers communicate through a highly literacy-based approach. This disconnect overlooks a primary method of Jesus himself in the preparation of leaders and impedes the effective cultivation of leaders in the growing global church. Through engaging stories, biblical insights, leadership research, field-tested methods, and practical models of effective leadership development, Leading with Story offers unique solutions that will inspire and challenge any who want to raise up or to be raised up as Christ-centered leaders in this storycentric generation.
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Stop Wandering The Corridors Of Your Mind
$12.99Add to cartOne man’s personal journey of a life set free by Jesus Christ from the prison he had constructed in his mind. An engaging, brutally honest, and often funny account of the construction of a mental prison based on shame, embarrassment, twisted self-worth, and the results of real sin.
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Way : Walking In The Footsteps Of Jesus (Large Type)
$19.99Add to cartExpanded Large Print Edition
Travel with Adam Hamilton as he retraces the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Once again, Hamilton approaches his subject matter with thoughtfulness and wisdom, just as he did with Jesus’ crucifixion in 24 Hours That Changed the World and with Jesus’ birth in The Journey. Read The Way on your own or, for a more in-depth study, enjoy it with a small group or part of a 40-day church-wide emphasis during Lent and Easter or anytime of the year. Using historical information, archaeological data, and stories of the faith, Hamilton follows in the footsteps of Jesus from his baptism to the temptations to the heart of his ministry, including the people he loved, the parables he taught, the enemies he made, and the healing he brought. This 40-day focus will help you and your group grow deeper in their faith, learn more about the life of Christ, spend time daily reading and reflecting upon the Scriptures, and invite families, through the children’s and youth studies, to grow together in their faith. This new large print edition includes devotions for each chapter and photos from Adam’s trip to the Holy Lands. Additional resources include a DVD, devotional, youth and children editions, and a worship download to help with sermon planning.
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24 Hours That Changed The World (Large Type)
$19.99Add to cartExpanded Large Print Edition
Adam Hamilton guides us, step by step, through the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life in his popular, heartbreaking, and inspiring book. No single event in human history has received more attention than the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. In this book, Hamilton will help you experience and understand the significance of Jesus’ suffering and death like never before. He retraces the day that changed human history in his usual straightforward yet easy, conversational style that speaks to both long-time Christians and those who are simply curious about the story of Christ’s crucifixion. This new large print edition includes devotions for each chapter and travel notes from Adam’s trip to the Holy Lands. Support materials include Leader Guide, a DVD, materials for all ages of Youth and Children’s Ministries, plus many more resources. Adam Hamilton combines biblical story, historical detail, theological analysis, spiritual insight, and pastoral warmth to retell the narrative of Jesus’ last and greatest hours. – Leith Anderson, author of The Jesus Revolution Adam Hamilton’s 24 Hours That Changed the World delivers solid scholarship describing how the day of Christ’s crucifixion unfolded. It also suggests that our response to Christ’s work – when it appears evil has the upper hand – can be one of courageous hope and great courage. Read this book! – Mark Beeson, Lead Pastor of Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana Adam Hamilton is, in my opinion, a national treasure. He embodies the kind of generous orthodoxy so many of us have been dreaming of and praying for. – Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian
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Redemption Of Scrooge Youth Study Book (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIs redemption possible for Ebenezer Scrooge? Pastor and author Matt Rawle believes so as he discovers the teachings of Jesus in the words of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Rawle dives deep into the dark, sad, greedy world of Scrooge and discovers a man in dire need of a second chance. Along with Scrooge, we meet the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and in the process learn about living with and for others in a world blessed by Jesus. Rediscover and reinvigorate your Christian faith this Advent and Christmas season and look at this familiar classic through the lens of faith. The Youth Study Book interprets Scrooge, his struggles, and his redemption in a way that youth can relate to and understand, using humor, down-to-earth discussion, and examples from contemporary culture. For young people grades 6-12. Can be used with the adult-level DVD. Sessions include: The Ghosts of Christmas Past The Life of Christmas Present The Resurrection of Christmas Future God Bless Us, Every One
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Redemption Of Scrooge Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartIs redemption possible for Ebenezer Scrooge? Pastor and author Matt Rawle believes so as he discovers the teachings of Jesus in the words of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Rawle dives deep into the dark, sad, greedy world of Scrooge and discovers a man in dire need of a second chance. Along with Scrooge, we meet the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and in the process learn about living with and for others in a world blessed by Jesus. Rediscover and reinvigorate your Christian faith this Advent and Christmas season and look at this familiar classic through the lens of faith. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the 4-week study for Advent, making use of the book and videos. Guide includes session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options. Sessions include: The Ghosts of Christmas Past The Life of Christmas Present The Resurrection of Christmas Future God Bless Us, Every One
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Questions Preachers Ask
$32.00Add to cart“How do we preach in a way that affirms Christian theology while also honoring the insights of other faith traditions?” “How do we preach about and help create genuine Christian community in a social networking culture?”
Questions Preachers Ask examines many questions that are on the minds of preachers today, questions that focus on how to preach the gospel in a culture where biblical knowledge cannot be presumed and where the Bible is often viewed as untrustworthy. Well-known preachers, scholars, and authors, including Barbara Brown Taylor, Gail O’Day, Anna Carter Florence, Richard Lischer, Cleo LaRue, and Thomas Lynch, provide the answers.
This book, compiled to honor writer, preacher, teacher, and scholar Thomas G. Long at the end of his teaching career, addresses practical questions such as “How do we proclaim the good news to young adults who are on the margins of church or have left it?” and “How do we preach to faith communities that are highly diverse?” Perfect for preachers at any stage of their ministry, these essays offer hope and guidance for handling the difficult task of preaching in today’s congregations.
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Feasting On The Word Childrens Sermons For Year A
$24.00Add to cartMany pastors are confused about what to say during children’s time in churches. Feasting on the Word Children’s Sermons for Year A offers practical suggestions for preparing and delivering the children’s sermon. After explaining the purpose of the children’s sermon, noted Christian educator Carol Wehrheim provides a story for each Sunday of the church year based on the Revised Common Lectionary. In addition, she provides a few stories for special moments in the church’s life, such as when a mission group is commissioned, church leaders are ordained, or a death occurs. This resource provides pastors and other church leaders with fresh, engaging stories that children will understand and enjoy.
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Finding Your Way In Seminary
$25.00Add to cartThose considering seminary, those in seminary, and those preparing to graduate from seminary need help. They need help discerning their call, moving into the bewildering world of theological study, and balancing the competing claims of school, work, and family. This book proposes to offer that help, and more, because the seminary experience is evolving more rapidly than at any time in its history.
This book is an ideal textbook for introductory seminary or spiritual formation courses that the majority of seminaries now require of first-year students. The three sections of this book provide information and guidance to those who are discerning a call to ministry and considering theological education; introduces new seminarians to thinking theologically, forming supportive relationships, integrating what they are learning in school with their spiritual lives, and practical guidance on such matters is serving a local congregation while one is in seminary; and offers advice on negotiating the ordination process in different denominational traditions and making the transition from study to full-time ministry.
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Wonder Of Christmas Childrens Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$18.99Add to cartNo other time of the year captures our imagination as much as Christmas: God coming into the world on a dark winter’s night; a baby’s cry that would change the course of human history; the heavens bursting into song; the certain hope that God will have the last word over our brokenness. This season fills our hearts with the wonder that anything is possible. This year, rediscover the true wonder of Christmas by sharing the love of Christ with others. Each chapter centers on one element of the Christmas story, looking to the Christmas story and the stories of real people today to offer inspiration and ideas for reflecting the light of Jesus at Christmas and throughout the year. The Wonder of Christmas is a four-week all-church study for Advent with resources for all ages. The Children’s Leader Guide contains session ideas for younger and older children, including games, activities, craft ideas, and reproducible handouts.
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Wonder Of Christmas Youth Study Book (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cartNo other time of the year captures our imagination as much as Christmas: God coming into the world on a dark winter’s night; a baby’s cry that would change the course of human history; the heavens bursting into song; the certain hope that God will have the last word over our brokenness. This season fills our hearts with the wonder that anything is possible. This year, rediscover the true wonder of Christmas by sharing the love of Christ with others. Each chapter centers on one element of the Christmas story, looking to the Christmas story and the stories of real people today to offer inspiration and ideas for reflecting the light of Jesus at Christmas and throughout the year. The Wonder of Christmas is a four-week all-church study for Advent with resources for all ages. The Youth Study Book includes everything needed to conduct a four-session study including current examples that have meaning to young people grades 6-12. Can be used with the adult-level DVD.
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Wonder Of Christmas Devotions For The Season
$9.99Add to cartNo other time of the year captures our imagination as much as Christmas: God coming into the world on a dark winter’s night; a baby’s cry that would change the course of human history; the heavens bursting into song; the certain hope that God will have the last word over our brokenness. This season fills our hearts with the wonder that anything is possible. This year, rediscover the true wonder of Christmas by sharing the love of Christ with others. Each chapter centers on one element of the Christmas story, looking to the Christmas story and the stories of real people today to offer inspiration and ideas for reflecting the light of Jesus at Christmas and throughout the year. The Wonder of Christmas is a four-week all-church study for Advent with resources for all ages. The devotional is a beautiful companion volume that functions beautifully on its own or as part of the church-wide experience offers four weeks of daily devotions on four elements of the Christmas story that evoke wonder and inspiration for reflecting the light of Jesus. Each devotion includes Scripture and a reflection and prayer.
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Wonder Of Christmas Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$14.99Add to cartNo other time of the year captures our imagination as much as Christmas: God coming into the world on a dark winter’s night; a baby’s cry that would change the course of human history; the heavens bursting into song; the certain hope that God will have the last word over our brokenness. This season fills our hearts with the wonder that anything is possible. This year, rediscover the true wonder of Christmas by sharing the love of Christ with others. Each chapter centers on one element of the Christmas story, looking to the Christmas story and the stories of real people today to offer inspiration and ideas for reflecting the light of Jesus at Christmas and throughout the year. The Wonder of Christmas is a four-week all-church study for Advent with resources for all ages. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the study including session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.
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Wonder Of Christmas (Large Type)
$15.99Add to cartNo other time of the year captures our imagination as much as Christmas: God coming into the world on a dark winter’s night; a baby’s cry that would change the course of human history; the heavens bursting into song; the certain hope that God will have the last word over our brokenness. This season fills our hearts with the wonder that anything is possible. This year, rediscover the true wonder of Christmas by sharing the love of Christ with others. Each chapter centers on one element of the Christmas story, looking to the Christmas story and the stories of real people today to offer inspiration and ideas for reflecting the light of Jesus at Christmas and throughout the year. Chapters Include: The Wonder of a Name The Wonder of a Star The Wonder of a Manger The Wonder of a Promise The Wonder of Christmas is also perfect for an all-church study and includes resources for all ages, teaching video, worship ideas and visuals, and preaching guides, all areas of church life weave together for a wonder-filled Advent celebration. The adult study book is the centerpiece of the program, serving as the adult small group resource and the source of content for worship planners and leaders.
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Wonder Of Christmas
$14.99Add to cartNo other time of the year captures our imagination as much as Christmas: God coming into the world on a dark winter’s night; a baby’s cry that would change the course of human history; the heavens bursting into song; the certain hope that God will have the last word over our brokenness. This season fills our hearts with the wonder that anything is possible. This year, rediscover the true wonder of Christmas by sharing the love of Christ with others. Each chapter centers on one element of the Christmas story, looking to the Christmas story and the stories of real people today to offer inspiration and ideas for reflecting the light of Jesus at Christmas and throughout the year. Chapters Include: The Wonder of a Name The Wonder of a Star The Wonder of a Manger The Wonder of a Promise The Wonder of Christmas is also perfect for an all-church study and includes resources for all ages, teaching video, worship ideas and visuals, and preaching guides, all areas of church life weave together for a wonder-filled Advent celebration. The adult study book is the centerpiece of the program, serving as the adult small group resource and the source of content for worship planners and leaders.
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Redemption Of Scrooge
$15.99Add to cartIs redemption possible for Ebenezer Scrooge? Pastor and author Matt Rawle believes so as he discovers the teachings of Jesus in the words of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Rawle dives deep into the dark, sad, greedy world of Scrooge and discovers a man in dire need of a second chance. Along with Scrooge, we meet the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and in the process learn about living with and for others in a world blessed by Jesus. Rediscover and reinvigorate your Christian faith this Advent and Christmas season and look at this familiar classic through the lens of faith. Chapters include: The Ghosts of Christmas Past The Life of Christmas Present The Resurrection of Christmas Future God Bless Us, Every One
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Because Of Bethlehem Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartEach year, the Christmas season compels people to ask the Christmas questions. What’s the big deal about the baby in the manger? Who was he? What does his birth have to do with me? Of all the responses to these questions, there is one that stands out from the rest: Because of Bethlehem, God knows what it is like to be a human. When we talk to God about our challenges, our struggles, and our tough times, he understands, because he’s been there. He’s been here.
Because of Bethlehem, we have a friend in heaven. We have a Savior in heaven. Christmas begins what Easter celebrates. The child in the cradle became the king on the cross. Because he did, there are no marks on our record, just grace. Because of Bethlehem, we have the promise God is always near us. Always for us. Always in us. We may forget him, but he never forgets us.
No day is accidental or incidental. No acts are random or wasted. Just look at the Bethlehem birth. A king levies a tax. Joseph is forced to travel. Mary, as round as a ladybug, bounces on a donkey’s back. The hotel is full. The hour is late. The event is one big hassle. Yet out of the hassle, hope was born. Christmas reminds us that “everything works together for the good of those who love God” (Romans 8:28). And long after the Christmas guests have left, the carolers have gone home, and the lights have come down, that promise endures.
Sessions include:
*God Has a Face (chapters 2, 4)
*Worship Works Wonders (chapters 5, 6)
*God Guides the Wise (chapters 7, 8)
*Every Heart Is a Manger (chapters 11, 12) -
Grab Gather And Grow
$15.99Add to cartJim and Jen Cowart, authors of Start This, Stop That, offer a fresh strategy for developing community groups for your whole church and beyond. Harvest Church (www.harvestchurch4u.org), a young United Methodist congregation twenty miles southwest of Macon, met for seven years (on Sundays) on the move in a rented theatre. They learned about adaptive systems, digital tools, and flexible overhead. Since building a multipurpose facility on 43 acres near Warner Robins, Georgia in 2007, Harvest Church applied what they learned about mobility and sustained rapid growth to 2700 in worship attendance, with seven weekend services. They dispensed with a typical education wing (at significant cost savings) and classrooms in favor of four multipurpose rooms. They adapted a community groups strategy, which meets primarily in homes. Over 18 months they have expanded from 76 community groups to over 250 community groups. In this leadership book, Jen and Jim offer a five-part method for transforming a congregation through launching community groups. Community groups become a multiplication strategy because they nurture an urgent expectation outside the congregation to share the good news with persons not yet professing faith, while creating a well defined path for growth in discipleship. The book will include the following themes: Group Explosion – New Strategy for 100% plus group participation Overcoming Obstacles – Structuring for Maximum Growth vs Control – Crowd to Core Group Growth The Power of the Pulpit – This system is driven from the stage Living the 5 through Group Life – How the CG lives into Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry, Evangelism, and Worship Creating Infrastructure for Facilitators
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Way : Walking In The Footsteps Of Jesus (Expanded)
$14.99Add to cartNewly released in paperback, travel with Adam Hamilton as he retraces the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Once again, Hamilton approaches his subject matter with thoughtfulness and wisdom, just as he did with Jesus’ crucifixion in 24 Hours That Changed the World and with Jesus’ birth in The Journey. Read The Way on your own or, for a more in-depth study, enjoy it with a small group or part of a 40-day church-wide emphasis during Lent and Easter or anytime of the year. Using historical information, archaeological data, and stories of the faith, Hamilton follows in the footsteps of Jesus from his baptism to the temptations to the heart of his ministry, including the people he loved, the parables he taught, the enemies he made, and the healing he brought. This 40-day focus will help you and your group grow deeper in their faith, learn more about the life of Christ, spend time daily reading and reflecting upon the Scriptures, and invite families, through the children’s and youth studies, to grow together in their faith. This new edition includes devotions for each chapter and photos from Adam’s trip to the Holy Lands. Additional resources include a DVD, devotional, youth and children editions, and a worship download to help with sermon planning.
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24 Hours That Changed The World (Expanded)
$14.99Add to cartNewly released in paperback, Adam Hamilton guides us, step by step, through the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life in his popular, heartbreaking, and inspiring book. No single event in human history has received more attention than the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. In this book, Hamilton will help you experience and understand the significance of Jesus’ suffering and death like never before. He retraces the day that changed human history in his usual straightforward yet easy, conversational style that speaks to both long-time Christians and those who are simply curious about the story of Christ’s crucifixion. This new edition includes devotions for each chapter and travel notes from Adam’s trip to the Holy Lands. Support materials include Leader Guide, a DVD, materials for all ages of Youth and Children’s Ministries, plus many more resources. Adam Hamilton combines biblical story, historical detail, theological analysis, spiritual insight, and pastoral warmth to retell the narrative of Jesus’ last and greatest hours. – Leith Anderson, author of The Jesus Revolution Adam Hamilton’s 24 Hours That Changed the World delivers solid scholarship describing how the day of Christ’s crucifixion unfolded. It also suggests that our response to Christ’s work – when it appears evil has the upper hand – can be one of courageous hope and great courage. Read this book! – Mark Beeson, Lead Pastor of Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana Adam Hamilton is, in my opinion, a national treasure. He embodies the kind of generous orthodoxy so many of us have been dreaming of and praying for. – Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian
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Transforming Discipleship : Making Disciples A Few At A Time (Expanded)
$22.99Add to cartIntroduction: A Story Of Transformation
Part I: The Discipleship Deficit: What Went Wrong And Why
1. The Discipleship Gap: Where Have All The Disciples Gone?
2. The Discipleship Malaise: Getting To The Root CausesPart II: Doing The Lord’s Work In The Lord’s Way: The Bible As A Method Book
3. Why Jesus Invested In A Few
4. Jesus’ Preparatory Empowerment Model
5. Paul’s Empowerment Model: Spiritual ParentingPart III: Multiplying Reproducing Discipleship Groups: Church-Based Strategy For Disciple Making
6. Life Investment: It’s All About Relationships
7. Multiplication: Through The Generations
8. Transformation: The Four Necessary Ingredients
9. Practicalities Of Disciple Making
10. The Role Of Preaching In Making DisciplesAcknowledgments
Appendix 1: Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix 2: Critical Considerations For Growing A Reproducing Disciple-Making Ministry
Appendix 3: The Importance Of Curriculum
NotesAdditional Info
Many church leaders, yearning for church growth, look to the latest evangelistic strategies or seeker-targeted worship services. But lack of growth might not be due to lack of concern for new people-it may be because we are not effectively discipling the people we already have.Greg Ogden address the need for discipleship in the local church and recovers Jesus’ method of accomplishing life change by investing in just a few people at a time. Ogden sets forth his vision for transforming both the individual disciple and discipleship itself, showing how discipleship can become a self-replicating process with ongoing impact from generation to generation.
This revised and updated edition includes a new chapter on discipleship and preaching.
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Skills For Effective Counseling
$55.00Add to cartEffective counseling depends on mastering basic relationship skills. In this integrative text, Elisabeth Nesbit-Sbanotto, Heather Davediuk Gingrich and Fred Gingrich break these skills into manageable microskills and connect them to insights and practices from Scripture, theology and spiritual formation.
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He Chose The Nails Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartEvery gift from God reveals his love. But no gift reveals his love more than the gifts of the cross. They came not wrapped in paper, but in passion. Not placed around a tree, but a cross. Not covered with ribbons, but sprinkled with blood.
Much has been said about the gift of the cross itself, but what of the other gifts? What of the nails, the crown of thorns? The garments taken by the soldiers? The garments given for the burial? Have we taken time to open these gifts? Jesus didn’t have to give them, you know. The only act required for our salvation was the shedding of blood. Yet he did so much more.
The hill of the cross is rich with God’s gifts. So let’s examine them. Let’s unwrap the gifts of grace as if—or perhaps, indeed—for the first time. And as we touch them—as we feel the timber of the cross and trace the braid of the crown and finger the point of the spike—we need to pause and listen. Perchance we will hear him whisper: “I did it just for you.”
Sessions include:
*He Chose to Be One of Us (Crown of Thorns)
*He Chose to Forgive Us (Nails)
*He Chose to Love Us Forever (Cross)
*He Chose to Give Us Victory (Empty Tomb) -
Book Of Comic Prayer
$19.95Add to cartThe Book of Comic Prayer takes a fresh look at prayer from an unexpected perspective: comic art, humor, and their relevance to today’s image-driven youth. Part explanation, part instruction, it explores the role of prayer and faith in mainstream and underground comics, and provides resources for incorporating comics and cartooning into curricula for children and youth. The Appendix includes an illustrated booklet created by one group of young people as a supplement to traditional forms of prayer and offers tips and tricks for creating books of comic prayer. The church has always used visual arts for prayer, worship, and education, and religious themes and figures still permeate popular culture. Comics, with their larger-than-life stories of villainy, morality, and heroism, have religious undertones ranging from explicit to metaphorical, offering opportunities to explore what post-modern prayer and faith look like and why they matter. Comics are inexpensive, accessible, and adaptable to church school, youth groups, Bible studies, prayer groups, camps, and VBS. There have been illustrated comic Bibles and religious books, but no single resource dealing with prayer’s individual and communal aspects as they relate to the comic art form. This is that book!
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Flipping Church : How Successful Church Planters Are Turning Conventional W
$18.00Add to cartAn innovative anthology written by successful church planters who have consistently and successfully challenged prevailing assumptions about healthy church development and “best practices.” This informative book gives insight into how they broke the mold of church planting. Includes chapters written by Michael Baughman, Olu Brown, Doug Cunningham, Kenda Creasy Dean, Mark DeVries, Amanda Garber, Trey Hall, Diane Harrison, Elaine Heath, Jerry Herships, Derek Jacobs, Matt Miofsky, David Rangel, and Owen Ross.
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Rethinking Celebration : From Rhetoric To Praise In African American Preach
$28.00Add to cart“This book is a clarion call for African American preachers to think more deeply about the aims and ends of their preaching-namely to stop putting so much emphasis on celebratory endings to our sermons and focus more on the substantive content in our sermons. Our so-called celebratory preaching, designed to excite the congregation into action through a highly emotional closing of the sermon, has had the opposite effect. Rather than inducing action, it has lulled generations of black congregants to sleep. While we are jumping up and down, shouting, and waving our hands in the air every Sunday during the worship hour, we seem not to notice the growing number of churched and unchurched alike who are becoming powerfully alienated from any form of institutional religion.”
-from the introduction“Celebration” is a term that has long been used to describe African American preaching, characterized by content that affirms the goodness and powerful intervention of God as well as style that builds from quiet beginnings to an emotionally rich crescendo in conclusion. Cleophus J. LaRue argues that while celebration is one of African American preaching’s greatest gifts to the larger church, too many black preachers have become content with the form of celebration-volume, vocabulary, pitch, speed, rhythm, and the like-to the neglect of its essence-the proclamation of the mighty acts of God in the lives of their congregations and communities. This kind of preaching, LaRue contends, fails to address the ongoing problems of the African American community and is powerless to prevent the growing disaffection of black America with the black church. In words both prophetic and practical, LaRue suggests ways to improve black preaching that honor both the form and the power of the African American homiletical practice of celebration. Preachers will learn how to use celebration more selectively and as part of a fully formed preaching practice rather than as a means of distracting the congregation from pressing social and theological questions. The book includes six illustrative sermons from LaRue as well as Paschal Sampson Wilkinson Sr., Brian K. Blount, and Claudette Anderson Copeland.
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Fellowship Of Differents
$22.99Add to cartIn this compelling book, Scot McKnight shares his personal experience in the church as well as his study of the Apostle Paul to answer this significant question: What is the church supposed to be?
For most of us the church is a place we go to on Sunday to hear a sermon or to participate in worship or to partake in communion or to fellowship with other Christians. Church is all contained within one or two hours on Sunday morning.
The church the Apostle Paul talks about is designed by God to be a fellowship of difference-how people differ socially-and differents-how people differ culturally. God did not design the church to be a two-hour experience on Sunday but a mixture of people from all across the map and spectrum: men and women, rich and poor, Caucasians or African Americans, and Mexican Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, and Indian Americans, and a mixture of people with varying personalities and tastes. The church McKnight grew up in was a fellowship of sames and likes. There was almost no variety in his church. White folks, same beliefs about everything, same tastes in music and worship and sermons and lifestyle. Because of his experience, he writes incisively and compellingly.
The church is God’s world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God’s show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a family. -
Teaching Outside The Box
$19.99Add to cartRather than tweaking the ways youth ministers communicate the gospel, Teaching Outside the Box, explores five distinct approaches to forming youth in the faith-approaches that open youth to experiencing the implications of the gospel in new ways. We’ll start by providing a new take on the instructional approach, and then introduce four additional approaches that are likely new to readers: community of faith, interpretive, liberation, and contemplative.
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Story Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartThe Story group Bible study provides groups of all sizes the opportunity to discuss and apply what they experience during the 31-week The Story church campaign.
To understand the Bible, says Frazee, you need bifocal lenses, because two perspectives are involved. The Lower Story, our story, is actually many stories of men and women interacting with God in the daily course of life.
The Upper Story is God’s story, the tale of his great, overarching purpose that puts the individual stories together like panels in one unified mural.
In 31 sessions, The Story video-based group study opens your eyes to God’s master plan unfolding in the lives of the Bible’s characters and in your own life.
Discover the heart of God’s Upper Story, and the joy that comes as you align your story with God’s. The Story Study Guide and DVD (sold separately) are designed for use by groups of all sizes, including small groups and Sunday school and adult education classes.
Designed for use with The Story Adult Curriculum Study DVD (9780310329527) sold separately.
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Small Church Youth And Family Ministry
$19.99Add to cartSmall Church Youth Ministry highlights the big impact small churches can have on the faith journey of their young people. It is designed to encourage and help small churches start, build and lead effective disciple making youth ministry. Topics include a biblical foundation, practical helps, tools and activities.
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Present Over Perfect Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartIn a culture that values speed, efficiency, image, and busyness, some of us are aching for another way to live: more intentional, more connected. Simpler, slower, richer. Many of us have believed the myth that achievement and success bring us contentment, only to find it’s actually things like connection and meaning, not success and achievement, that provide true peace and genuine happiness.
Present Over Perfect is bestselling author Shauna Niequist’s motto for how to live a rich, engaged, and loving life in the midst of what often feels terribly messy and imperfect.
As a wife, mother, friend, and writer, Shauna shares with vulnerability and transparency about the reality of living wholly present in our relationships with our families and the others we love. These five sessions will inspire participants to discover their own path to this more fulfilling way to do life.
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Predicacion Que Aviva – (Spanish)
$17.99Add to cartEl Reverendo Klassen esta en una situacion excelente para proveer esta introduccion acerca de Edwards y la predicacion que aviva, especialmente a pastores y lideres religiosos del mundo de habla hispana. Como misionero de larga trayectoria, predicador, y pastor en Sudamerica, Canada y Espana, Ernie aporta su propio llamamiento y experiencia para esta tarea. Tambien aporta una profunda apreciacion acerca de Edwards dirigida a traves de la lectura independiente de sus escritos y de su asistencia a series de cursos estivales.
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Psalm 3 KJV Preacher Edition
$39.99Add to cartThis eagerly anticipated volume of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible(R) covers chapters 107-150 of the Psalms and is part three of a three-part series.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible(R) is much more than a commentary – it’s a comprehensive resource for expository and topical preaching.
Each volume organizes key points of Scripture passages in a systematic outline form, along with content synthesized from 200+ Bible commentaries, language sources, and reference works.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible(R) includes inspirational sermon points, practical life applications and dozens of supporting scriptures in every section.
This volume includes Psalms chapters 107-150 and contains Scripture printed in King James Version (KJV).
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Ministry Proverbs : Lessons Learned For Leading Congregations
$20.95Add to cartBiblical and cultural proverbs have been cherished throughout the ages. One reason for their enduring influence is that they reveal deeper wisdom through easy-to-grasp phrases. They form our lives by offering wisdom we can hold onto and use in life’s most complex situations. In the increasingly complex world of modern ministry, it has become harder for pastors and church leaders to act wisely when the models for ministry keep changing. Ministry Proverbs is a collection of 60 proverbs that the Rev. Dr. Graham Standish has developed over the years to guide his own ministry. These are proverbs such as “We are only responsible for our efforts. God is responsible for the results. So be responsible for your part, and let God be responsible for God’s part. Wisdom comes in learning to tell the difference.” Each proverb is followed by 4-6 paragraphs of reflection that take the reader deeper into the ramifications and applications of the proverb. The reflections are intended to help readers to apply the proverbs in their own ministries, and to remember them so that when they face a difficult or uncertain situation, they can tap into the wisdom.
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Exodus
$27.00Add to cartFocused Biblical Scholarship to Teach the Text Effectively
To craft informed sermons, pastors scour commentaries that often deal more with minutia than the main point. Or they turn to devotional commentaries, which may contain exegetical weaknesses. The Teach the Text Commentary Series bridges this gap by utilizing the best of biblical scholarship and providing the information a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively. By concentrating each carefully selected preaching unit into six pages of focused commentary, each volume in this series allows pastors to quickly grasp the big idea and key themes of each passage of Scripture. Each unit of the commentary includes the big idea and key themes of the passage; sections dedicated to understanding, teaching, and illustrating the text; and full-color illustrations, maps, and photos.
The newest release in this innovative commentary series is T. Desmond Alexander’s treatment of Exodus.
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So Great A Cloud Of Witnesses
$21.95Add to cartChapters Included In This Book:
The Supplanter: Jacob
My House Will Serve The Lord: Joshua
The Sword Of The Lord: Gideon
The Outsider: Ruth And Boaz
The Sweet Singer Of Israel: DavidAdditional Info
One of the insights of people of faith is that God is active in history as he seeks to bring creation into conformity with his purpose. There have been those in every age who have discovered something of God’s purpose and have attempted to pass it on. Sometimes, God’s activity has been reported in supernatural terms, but fully as often, the activity of God is revealed in the faithful actions of human beings. For that reason, the Old and New Testaments are filled with the experiences of individuals who have discovered God’s presence in their individual circumstances.David Rogne’s So Great A Cloud of Witnesses will give readers an appreciation for the people of faith who are presented, and humbly recognize the cost borne by so many to deliver the faith to us. They are a great cloud of witnesses. They have played their part in relaying the faith to subsequent generations, and they are now filling the stands in the heavenly arena, eager to see how we continue the race.
Witnesses have been chosen from varied backgrounds so that it may be seen that people from all walks of life are called to live faithfully and to witness to God’s truth. The entire known story of some of these individuals, such as Joseph, the husband of Mary, may be just a few verses of Scripture. Some, such as the Wiseman and the Emmaus disciple, are not even named. Nevertheless, their witness is important. Rogne attempts to give life to the testimony of these less-well-known witnesses by giving them names and employing a little imagination. In every case, the subjects tell their stories as they might have experienced them.
Chapters included in this book:
The Supplanter: Jacob
My House Will Serve the Lord: Joshua
The Sword of the Lord: Gideon
The Outsider: Ruth and Boaz
The Sweet Singer of Israel: David -
God Unbound : Wisdom From Galatians For The Anxious Church
$12.99Add to cartJust as Paul led the Galatians through a radical cultural change to expand their view of God, themselves, and the church’s mission, Christians are challenged to do the same today. Elaine Heath urges the church to boldly follow the Holy Spirit’s leadership beyond buildings and programs to join what Jesus is doing in the world.
KEY FEATURES
–Each chapter has reflection questions for small-group discussion.
–The book could be used for leadership development over several weeks or months. -
Intercessory Prayer Youth Edition
$13.99Add to cartIs prayer really necessary? Why does it often take so long to get a prayer answered? What about praying for non-Christian friends? What exactly is intercessory prayer? Is everything that happens to me or my family allowed by God? Or is there something I need to do to make sure we’re safe? For students with questions about prayer, Getting in God’s Face takes them on a journey to find God’s answers to the big questions about prayer. Powerful stories and proven strategies for interceding with God will increase their understanding and their faith when they read of how God uses prayer to accomplish His purposes on earth.
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These Are Our Bodies Foundation Book
$34.95Add to cartOur inherent value and worth comes from God’s love for us, but our modern world is filled with sexual expression that too often leads us away from the life of Christ. As Christians seeking to live a life worthy of our calling and desiring to pass along these values to our children and youth, this book explores how we (as parents and adults) can explore issues of sexuality in the context of our faith. A sexuality education resource from a mainline/progressive denominational prospective aids the adult reader/teacher/parent in learning and using skills that enable them to embrace and affirm the wholeness of sexuality and to talk openly and honestly about the connection of sexuality and faith. This book, grounded from a theological perspective, focuses on foundational issues for addressing how we (and why we) are called to have these conversations in a faithful community to support families. The importance of looking at one’s sexuality throughout the lifespan through the lenses of decision making, faith and daily life, respect, growth and change, behavior, responsibility, values, prayer, and intentionality is be explored, offering a grounding as well as stand-alone resource for individuals and churches to build upon.
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Disciple Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartA completely new ten-week Freedom in Christ curriculum for millennials
Frustrated that so many Christians fail to reach their potential? Looking for a great way to help new Christians get off to a flying start? “Disciple” is the perfect answer.
Designed to appeal to younger believers, it makes few assumptions about the maturity of their faith, and is highly suitable for use in a postmodern context. Varied, lively, and concise, it will enable new and young Christians to follow Jesus with conviction and passion. With a strong emphasis on authenticity, the focus is on becoming like Jesus, rather than on simply what we might do as Christians.
“Disciple” is based on the award-winning Freedom in Christ Discipleship Course. A proven and effective means for churches to help Christians become fruitful disciples, it has been used by hundreds of thousands all around the world. The same core content is now available in this new, shorter, age-focused format.
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Everyday Disciples : Covenant Discipleship With Youth
$14.00Add to cartEveryday Disciples: Covenant Discipleship With Youth by Chris Wilterdink resources pastors, youth leaders, and youth groups with information and planning materials related to Covenant Discipleship and accountability practices. Covenant Discipleship encourages youth to connect with Christ and one another through mutual accountability. It also encourages a networked support structure for living in the world as Christ followers.
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Growing Everyday Disciples
$12.00Add to cartGrowing Everyday Disciples: Covenant Discipleship With Children is a formational resource by Melanie C. Gordon, Susan Groseclose, and Gayle Quay that equips adults who serve in ministry with children ages 8-11 to guide children towards a mature faith through everyday acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Covenant Discipleship helps connect children with Jesus Christ and one another through ongoing mutual accountability and support for living in the world as Christ followers. The resource offers leaders in ministry with children suggestions for forming covenants, exploring accountability, evaluations, and a choice of plans to organize, maintain, and evaluate Covenant Discipleship groups with children. This resource also provides a brief background on discipleship, covenants, and society meetings of the Methodist Movement, and can be used as preparation for confirmation.
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Pilgrim Church And Kingdom
$14.95Add to cartCourse 8: Church & Kingdom: What does it mean to live as a child of the kingdom of God and follow in the way of Christ each day as a member of his church? How does it affect our life at work as well as at home? How does it affect what we do with the gifts we have been given, especially those gifts of time and talents, passions, resources, and money? How is the Christian faith changing us and shaping us so that we become more like Jesus? The importance of prayer, living out our faith, celebrating Sabbath, and reflecting generosity is explored. We look at how faith in the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shapes and changes all our relationships
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Intercessory Prayer Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartYour Prayers Are PowerfulI, God is all-powerful, why does He need us to pray? If we pray and nothing happens, does this mean that God isn’t listening? If you’ve ever felt that your prayers don’t count, Intercessory Prayer will show you just how vital your prayers are. In this book, pastor and teacher Dutch Sheets explains the nuts and bolts of prayer with wisdom, gentleness, and humor. This book will inspire you, give you the courage to pray for the “impossible,” and help you find the persistence to see your prayers to completion. Discover your role as a prayer warrior–it can mean the difference between heaven and hell for someone you know!
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Pilgrim The Eucharist
$11.95Add to cartCourse 6: The Eucharist: How do Christians know and worship God? The six sessions of Course 6 reveal reasons why the Eucharist is celebrated as a memorial of Christ’s saving passion and stands at the very heart of Christian worship. Session 1 looks at worship as communion with God. Session 2 explores the Eucharist as the pattern of all Christian worship. Session 3 looks at the intimacy we have with God in Holy Communion and how we are transformed by the encounter. Sessions 4 – 6 look at worship as a sign and foretaste of heaven, shaping our whole life, and how the whole of life is sacramental.
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Plan To Protect US Edition
$59.99Add to cartA protection plan for children and youth;
A protection plan for those who work with them.Plan to Protect (TM) is not about what we need to do to run programs and activities, and it is not about placing a hardship on your staff and volunteers. Abuse prevention and protection of children and young people is not something we have to do, but something we have the privilege of doing. It is a privilege to create a safe environment in order to have our communities trust us with their family members.
As you implement Plan to Protect (TM) your efforts are a ministry in itself to:protect children
protect young people
demonstrate your care for your staff and volunteers
demonstrate care to parents and family members
empower and nurture the healing of victim-survivors
demonstrate grace, restoration and welcome to the offender that comes into your church
demonstrate accountability and integrity and
bring Glory to God
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Face Of Forgiveness
$27.99Add to cartAcknowledgments
1. Whatever Happened To The Forgiveness Of Sins?
2. Covering Our Nakedness: Healing Through Therapy
3. Guilt And Shame
4. Opened Eyes And Downturned Faces
5. The Shame Of The Cross
6. “As One From Whom Others Hide Their Faces . . .”
7. Living Before Christ’s Face
Epilogue: Answer To Jane
Notes
Bibliography
General Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
The struggle to offer and receive forgiveness is not helped by theologies that focus solely on guilt and a therapeutic environment focused on human agency. Philip Jamieson argues that Christians need to think about the way Christ takes on human shame and restores our ability to face God and each other as redeemed persons.
