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    Pastoral Helps

    • Imagining The Gospels Cycle B

      $17.43

      Imagining the Gospels: Cycle B Sermons for Lent and Easter Based on the Gospel Texts is the latest from Rev. Timothy W. Ayers. As a pastor who writes his messages while also writing novels, children’s books, and short dramas, Rev. Ayers found himself working hard to visually create the picture of what was hap-pening in the gospel accounts. Why? These were people lis-tening to Jesus. They would have had emotions about the topics. They would have had little things they recognized when Jesus spoke about lambs, shepherds, and vines. Much like our congregants, there would be nods of recognition toward experiences in their lives. His goal was to get the listener to imagine themselves, with their feelings, and their rea-sons for being in church, to better use their cognitive skills, inside the stories.

      At other times, Ayers sought to take them on a week by week journey through the Easter season. He didn’t assume they have a relationship with Christ. He didn’t assume they are vibrant, serving members of the congregation. He only assumed that the listener is seeking something they do not have. He was attempting to take them one step further on a journey from week to week.

      At times Rev. Ayers brings humor to the scene in order to lighten the mood of the listener. The body relaxes when we laugh and that helps us to hear the message. Imagining the Gospels hopefully will achieve this.

      This book will make life easier for any busy pastor during the Lent and Easter season, by providing a sermon for each and every Sunday, when attendance is likely to be at its highest.

      This book has several intended uses:

      Sermon ideas
      Inspirational reading
      Bible study with individuals or groups

      Some Sermon Titles Include:

      Beginning The Lenten Journey (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)
      Tearing The Sky To Get To You (Mark 1:9-15)
      Did I Say That Out Loud? (Mark 8:31-38, Mark 9:2-9)
      The Road To The Passover (John 2:13-22)
      A Nod Of Recognition (John 3:14-21)

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    • Redemption To Transformation The Journey Of Lent And Easter Cycle B

      $17.43

      If the Lenten journey is traversed successfully, then we can fully enter into the celebratory time of Easter. Yet, even as we observe these events we must acknowledge that the challenges of the Christian life are ever present. We should never forget British writer G.K. Chesterton’s admonition in What’s Wrong with the World (1910), “The Christian life has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” The Easter season reminds us that despite the triumph of Christ there will always be challenges to our belief. We seemingly cannot believe unless we see; yet we know that faith often is beyond proof and, thus, beyond sight as well. We are also challenged to discover ways of transforming problematic situations and what appears to be defeat into triumph through the grace of God. Additionally, this great season of grace teaches us that we must continually evaluate what we do and keep our eyes fixed on Christ and his mission and message. Finally, as Jesus ascends to the Father, we come to realize that the Lord’s work in not complete and, therefore, each day presents us with the opportunity to do something to complete the master’s work.
      The cycle B second lesson sermons of Reverend Richard Gribble’s Redemption to Transformation: The Journey of Lent and Easter represent an understanding of the challenges presented us through this highly significant and very special journey. The church in its wisdom gives us this opportunity annually to review where we are and, after ascertaining our present position, the challenge to move to higher realms that are more consistent with our common Christian call to holiness. It is hoped that these reflections will be helpful to you as together we travel the path from Lent to Easter, and eventually to Christ and eternal life.
      Redemption to Transformation: The Journey of Lent and Easter provides a second lesson sermon for every Sunday of cycle B, which will provide the following advantages:

      To give busy pastors ideas for their sermon creation
      To make the day-to-day life of being a pastor easier
      To free up time for counseling, visitation, or just your own leisure

      Some Sermon Titles Include:

      Suffering Leads to Victory (1 Peter 3:18-21)
      Enduring the Trails of Faith (Romans 4:13-25)
      The Cost of Discipleship (Philippians 2:5-11)
      Sacrifice Leads to Life (Hebrews 10:16-25)
      Rising to New Life (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

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    • Womens Voices And The Practice Of Preaching

      $23.99

      Expert, practical help for women who preach or lead worship

      Many women preachers and worship leaders have trouble speaking; they struggle to fully use their physical voices. Maintaining that there is often a disconnect between the woman’s self-understanding as a preacher and her own body, Nancy Lammers Gross presents not only techniques but also a theologically empowering paradigm shift to help women fully embody their God-given preaching vocations.

      Grounding her work in the biblical story of Miriam, Gross begins with a discussion of how women are instrumental in the work of God. She then tells stories, including her own, of women’s experiences in losing connection to their bodies and their physical voices. Finally, Gross presents a constructive resolution with exercises for discovering and developing a full-body voice.

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    • Practicing Christian Education

      $28.23

      An accessible introduction to the broad scope of Christian education that focuses on its practice in the local church.

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    • Clash Of Kingdoms Discovery Guide (Student/Study Guide)

      $14.99

      Like the Roman Empire, today’s governments or organizations can become centered on power and believe their messages are the “good news.” As Christians, we’re called to proclaim God’s name in all the earth (1 Chronicles 16:8), but how do we to do that in the midst of false gospels?

      In this fifteenth volume of That The World May Know , discover how Paul communicated the Good News of Christ to Philippi, a Roman colony that worshipped false gods. Can you live the message as Paul did while he encouraged the church in Philippi to consider itself a colony of heaven, not Rome? Consider your citizenship-and the message you convey to the world-as Ray Vander Lann takes you deeper into the culture of ancient Philippi.

      Experience the Bible in historical context, as you walk in the footsteps of the second missionary tour of the Apostle Paul in Greece-in locations like Philippi, Thessaloniki, and Delphi.

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    • Confident Identity : Christian Strategies To Forget Who You Aren’t And Disc

      $30.00

      A Christian counselor walks readers through the steps to find emotional healing when they feel insignificant or not good enough. Multiple assessments and exercises help people discover exactly who God made them to be.

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    • Grieving A Suicide (Expanded)

      $18.99

      Introduction: For Survivors-the Other Victims Of Suicide

      Part I: When Suicide Strikes
      1. Shock
      2. Turmoil
      3. Lament
      4. Relinquishment
      5. Remembrance

      Part II: The Lingering Questions
      6. Why Did This Happen?
      7. Is Suicide The Unforgivable Sin?
      8. Where Is God When It Hurts?

      Part III: Life After Suicide
      9. The Spirituality Of God
      10. The Healing Community
      11. The Lessons Of Suicide

      Epilogue: Going On

      Acknowledgments
      Appendix: Resources For Suicide Survivors And Suicide Prevention
      Questions For Reflection And Discussion
      A Single-Session Discussion Guide For Suicide Survivor Groups
      Notes
      Index

      Additional Info
      A 2003 Finalist in the United Kingdom Christian Book Awards! “Albert,” the neighbor said, “your mom needs you to come home.” That’s how it began for Albert Hsu when his father died. Anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide experiences tremendous shock and trauma. What follows is a confusing mix of emotions-anger, guilt, grief, and despair. Suicide raises heartrending questions: Why did this happen? Why didn’t we see it coming? Could we have done anything to prevent it? How can we go on? Many also wonder if those who choose suicide are doomed to an eternity separated from God and their loved ones. Some may even start asking whether life is worth living at all. After his father’s death, Hsu wrestled with the intense emotional and theological questions surrounding suicide. While acknowledging that there are no easy answers, he draws on the resources of the Christian faith to point suicide survivors to the God who offers comfort in our grief and hope for the future. For those who have lost a loved one to suicide and for their counselors and pastors, this book is an essential companion for the journey toward healing. This revised edition incorporates the latest statistics, has expanded resources for suicide prevention and mental health ministry, and now includes a discussion guide for suicide survivor groups.

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    • Vision Compartida Del Liderazg (Revised) – (Spanish) (Revised)

      $12.99

      How does your church work with leadership issues? How do you make decisions about calling church leaders? Are your models of leadership consistent with Anabaptist Mennonite belief and practice? A Shared Understanding of Ministerial Leadership, a revision of an earlier book, A Mennonite Polity for Ministerial Leadership, provides a common understanding of how the church approaches leadership. It is an effort to build lasting relationships of respect and integrity between congregations, area conferences, and their credentialed leaders. For use by pastors and congregational leaders, this book can also be used for leadership training, churchwide discussion, and study in seminary courses.

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    • Guidelines For Leading Your Congregation 2017-2020 – (Other Language)

      $18.99

      Written completely in Korean, this book gives guidance designed to support the ministries of The Korean United Methodist Church.

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    • Guia Completa Para Organizar E – (Spanish)

      $18.99

      Written completely in Spanish, this book gives guidance designed to support the ministries of The Hispanic United Methodist Church.

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    • Isaiah 2 NIV Preacher Edition

      $39.99

      What if you could study Isaiah with your favorite Bible scholars from across the ages? With The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (NIV), you can! This unique resource is designed to empower pastors and leaders to effectively preach and teach God’s Word. This is much more than a commentary – it takes the best scholarly works available and combines them in a single resource. Inside each volume of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible, you’ll find: – A verse-by-verse outline alongside each passage of Scripture that draws out key concepts. – In-depth commentary synthesized from hundreds of trusted sources, including Matthew Henry, John MacArthur, Charles Spurgeon…and many more. – Thoughts designed to provide practical application of Scripture for your congregation. – Deeper studies that expand on original Greek sources, provide historical background, and explain key points. – An Outline & Subject Index designed for topical study – perfect for quickly creating messages on a particular theme. There’s a volume of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible series for nearly any sermon you can imagine. Explore the full series on our website at outlinebible.org

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    • World According To Jesus Cycle B

      $16.18

      Jesus is the embodiment of what God means for our world. The gospel writers who penned the first four books of the Christian scriptures have given us a variety of insights into who Jesus was and is, and why he matters for contemporary humankind. Every thoughtful person defines the world according to him- or her-self. This series of sermons aims to present ‘the world according to Jesus.’

      It is hoped that clergy tasked with proclaiming the good news of Jesus, and who follow the three-year lectionary cycle of gospel texts, will find the cycle B gospel sermons of The World According to Jesus: Twelve Sermons for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany as useful starting points for creative preaching. This will easily lighten the load for any pastor on the go during the busy season of Advent, when the holidays are in full-swing.

      Uses for this book:

      Sermon ideas or sermon starters
      Inspirational reading
      Independent and group Bible study

      Some Sermon Titles Include:

      Stay Awake! (Mark 13:24-37)
      Don’t Get Stuck! (Mark 1:1-8)
      Get Out of the Jungle! (John 1:6-8, 19-28)
      Jesus Matters (Luke 1:26-38)
      Don’t Miss This (Luke 2:1-14 (15-20))

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    • So That You May Believe

      $19.93

      The sermons in this book employ a variety of homiletic strategies and form. They are theologically sound, engaging, and instructive for exploring various sermon constructions and preaching approaches. Teachers of homiletics and biblical interpretation can use these sermons as examples of unique strategies for interpreting and teaching the gospel.

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    • Freedom And Interim Ministry

      $13.00

      I have been both an interim minister and what is called a regular, installed minister. Without a doubt in my mind, I say that the interim minister has much more freedom than the regular, installed minister. In Freedom and Interim Ministry: 12 Freedoms of the Interim, I show how the interim minister has more freedom than the regular minister.

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    • Romans 1 KJV Teacher (Teacher’s Guide)

      $21.16

      The Teacher’s Outline & Study Bible is perfect for use with a Sunday School class, small group Bible study, or any discipleship class, bringing God’s Word to life in an easy to understand format. Thorough research includes historical context, word studies, outline, and commentary designed to make your study and teaching preparation easy. Includes life applications, subjects for deeper study and compelling discussion questions. The gospel is for everyone. This unique study makes God’s Word clear, accessible, and teachable. “After 40 years of teaching the Bible, this tool is the best I have ever used, bar none!” -Charlie Chambers, Hot Springs, AR “The TOSB has really helped me and my discipleship class grow in the Lord Jesus Christ.” -Pastor Rick Rossilli, Traverse City, MI

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    • Tales For The Masses

      $21.18

      The word “homily” comes from the Greek word meaning conversation. The stories in Tales For The Masses: Stories Connecting Scripture To Everyday Life largely contain dialogue – realistic conversations between family members, co-workers and neighbors of all ages. Here is a new collection of previously unpublished stories that connect Scripture to contemporary, everyday life. Tim writes for the parishioner who’s wondering “Why should I listen to you?” by imparting stories to which the parishioner can easily relate. Someone may ask you, “Who told you about me, anyway?” after hearing a homily or sermon with one of these stories in it. In this way, the Scripture message can be seen as relevant to all generations. In this book, author Tim Healy provides homilists and educators material they can use for their own reflection, to help people connect Scripture with what goes on in normal life, and to get people excited about worship because its relevance has been made transparent.

      Just a few of the chapters included:

      Murphy the Grump
      Katie and the Spirit
      Brother Dave
      The Trophy
      Hatred
      Are You Going to Be Saved?

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    • 2 Corinthians

      $27.00

      This concise, carefully organized commentary for pastors presents biblical scholarship to inform authoritative expository preaching and teaching. Each chapter includes the big idea, key themes, and sermon illustrations.

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    • 1 By One

      $28.33

      A journalist helps the church better engage single adults by sharing her personal experience and insightful stories from others, revealing what singles need from the church and what the church gains from single people.

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    • Complete Guide To Godly Play 2 (Expanded)

      $34.95

      * Incorporates the latest in Godly Play(R) theory and practice. * Revised lessons throughout, plus one brand-new lesson. Godly Play(R) is an imaginative approach to working with children, an approach that supports, challenges, nourishes, and guides their spiritual quest. It is more akin to spiritual direction guidance than to what we generally think of as religious education. Revised and updated, The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 2 offers new concepts, new terminology, new illustrations, and a new structure that stem from more than 10 years of using Godly Play with children across the world. 30 to 40 percent of the text is new or revised, including a new lesson, revised Introduction, and a new full Appendix.

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    • These Are Our Bodies High School Participant Book (Student/Study Guide)

      $17.26

      This book is the high school participant’s guide to use during each session of the These Are Our Bodies program. It is filled with prayers, scripture, and reflection questions designed to help the participant see the connection between their sexuality and their faith. With lots of space for journaling, a glossary of important terms and words are included, as well as appropriate websites for further learning or help.* An easily accessible, theologically progressive, mainline Christian Ed resource on human sexuality * A High School program resource to engage youth in connecting faith and sexuality in grades 9-12

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    • These Are Our Bodies High School Parent Book

      $17.26

      A resource for parents or caregivers, this book will keep the parent informed about each session. In each chapter they will read about what their high schoolers is learning as well as journal questions that will help them connect faith with sexuality and with parenting. The adult reader will have an opportunity to reflect on the same scripture that their child has reflected upon so that all involved will learn new was to think about sexuality and how faith is relevant to understanding the complexities of sexuality and the responsibilities involved. In this program both participants and parents learn and grow together.* An easily accessible, theologically progressive, mainline Christian Ed resource on human sexuality * A High School program resource to engage youth in connecting faith and sexuality in grades 9-12

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    • Psalm 3 NIV Preacher Edition

      $39.99

      What if you could study the Psalms with your favorite Bible scholars from across the ages? With The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible, you can! This unique resource is designed to empower pastors and leaders to effectively preach and teach God’s Word. This is much more than a commentary — it takes the best scholarly works available and combines them in a single resource. Inside each volume of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible you’ll find: A verse by verse outline alongside each passage of Scripture that draws out key concepts. In depth commentary synthesized from hundreds of trusted sources, including Matthew Henry, John MacArthur, Charles Spurgeon…and many more. Thoughts designed to provide practical application of Scripture for your congregation. Deeper studies that expand on original Greek sources, provide historical background, and explain key points. An Outline & Subject Index designed for topical study — perfect for quickly creating messages on a particular theme. There’s a volume of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible series for nearly any sermon you can imagine. Explore the full series on our website at: www.outlinebible.org

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    • Reset The Heart

      $37.99

      When the #BlackLivesMatter protest movement burst into dynamic action following the shooting death of young Michael Brown in the fall of 2014 in Ferguson, MO, a good number of clergy and lay leaders in greater St. Louis sprang to action and learned anew what it took to “put some feet to their prayers.” However, as improvisational efforts continued to rally and organize churches toward the enduring work of confronting the insidious violence of systemic social injustices in their own backyard, these religious leaders ran head-on into a familiar yet perplexing wall: the incapacity and unwillingness of their faith communities to respond. In many cases, the resistance was (and still is) fierce, eerily reminiscent of the stand-offs that divided religious communities and leadership in the 1960s Civil Rights era. If the Church’s teaching, learning, and practice of faith is purportedly transformative, then where was/is that faith when it was/is needed most? If good religious formation had been happening-or had it?-then why the enduring signs of indifference, paralysis, apathy, exasperation, resistance, symptoms of anesthetized moral consciousness and debilitated hope in the face of pervasive social-cultural violence? The answer may come in a searing indictment: that in an emerging cultural-religious era in which religious identity, expression, and experience are increasingly pluralistic, yet also politicized, polarizing, and racialized, Christian faith communities-even those of progressive theological persuasions-are still held under dominant cultural captivity, and fashioned by colonizing teaching strategies of “disimagination” – such that the stories (theologies) and rituals (practices) of the faith have effectively become obstacles that anesthetize moral agency and debilitate courageous action for hope and change. This book addresses the above practical concerns with three paradigmatic questions: 1. What does it mean to educate for faith in a world marked by violence? 2. How are Christian faith communities complicit in the teaching and learning of violence? 3. What renewed practices of faith and educational leadership yield potential for the unlearning and unmaking of violence? An organizing thesis drives the inquiry: Thinking and teaching for violence-resisting action as Christians requires an on-purpose setting of our hearts in a world that violates and harms with impunity. Against violent “disimagination”and its conscience-numbing instruments, Christi

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    • Doing Justice : Congregations And Community Organizing – Second Edition (Reprint

      $37.50

      1. The World As It Is
      2. The World As It Should Be
      3. Engaging The Public Arena
      4. Congregation-Based Community Organizing
      5. Power
      6. Self-Interest
      7. One-on- Ones
      8. Agitation
      9. Metropolitan Organizing
      10. Building And Sustaining An Organization
      11. Community
      12. A Spiritualty For The Long Haul

      Additional Info
      Doing Justice introduces people of faith to congregation-based community organizing rooted in the day-to- day struggles and hopes of urban ministry. Drawing from the author’s decades of experience in community organizing ministry and skillfully illustrated with examples, Dennis A. Jacobsen weaves theological and biblical warrants for community organizing into concrete strategies for achieving justice in the public arena and discusses fundamental organizing principles like power, self-interest, and agitation. The second, updated edition includes a new preface and forewords, new sidebars by Grant Stevensen that draw the reader into conversation, an expanded list for further reading, and updated contact information on organizing networks and relevant websites.

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    • Play The Man Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)

      $10.99

      Somewhere along the way, our culture lost its definition of manhood, leaving generations of men and men-to-be confused about their roles, responsibilities, relationships, and the reason God made them men. It’s into this “no-man’s-land” that New York Times bestselling author Mark Batterson declares his mantra for manhood: play the man.In this inspiring call to something greater, he helps men understand what it means to be a man of God by unveiling seven virtues of manhood. Mark shares inspiring stories of manhood, including the true story of the hero and martyr Polycarp, who first heard the voice from heaven say, “Play the man.” Mark couples those stories with practical ideas about how to disciple the next generation of men. This is more than a book; it’s a movement of men who will settle for nothing less than fulfilling their highest calling to be the man and the father God has destined them to be. Play the man. Make the man.

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    • Teaching Faith With Harry Potter

      $35.93

      J. K. Rowling was less obvious than C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien in her grounding of the Harry Potter series in deeply held Christian convictions, leaving many with a strong sense that these stories are spiritual lessons but not sure how to flesh out these theological ideas for teaching, parenting, mentoring, and forming faith. The Harry Potter series stands as one compelling narrative, rooted in Rowling’s Anglican convictions of the communion of saints, the power of sacraments, the redemption of sacrificial love, and the defeat of death in the resurrection through grace.

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    • Shoulders And Shadows

      $9.99

      We often follow a successful leader, and it is said we are “filling our predecessor’s shoes,” or we are “continuing a lasting legacy.” However, the truth is that although we are standing on their shoulders, we are often operating in their shadow. Shoulders and Shadows: Following Legendary Leaders helps new leaders succeed at succession.

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    • Thatll Preach : 5 Simple Steps To Your Best Sermon Ever

      $13.99

      Experienced preacher, teacher and author, Charley Reeb, gives readers a 5-step plan for writing and delivering a sermon that can transform lives for Christ. He covers preparation, sermon structure, storytelling, and how to ‘preach with presence’. He examines lectionary and topical preaching models, and shows the reader how to determine which model to use; he further instructs the reader to use the 5-step plan for each model. Finally, That’ll Preach! offers sermon outlines and full sermons, as examples to illustrate the book’s teaching. The entire book stems from the author’s view that sermons must be engaging in order to be effective. This laser focus results in a book that is powerful and immediately useful, concise and purposeful. It is a book for every preacher.

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    • New Day In The City

      $20.99

      Frederich Buechner once wrote, “Dreams of fame and fortune die hard, if they ever die at all.” Many mainline urban congregations remember the days of fame and fortune-days when their prominence downtown mattered. Population shifts, the decline of mainline congregations, and demographic changes have robbed many downtown churches of these dreams – but not all churches. Many congregations struggle to survive while others are positioned to thrive. These churches have learned to let go of nostalgic dreams and tired habits, to walk with God into a new day of vibrancy, mission, and ministry. Authors Donna Claycomb Sokol and Roger Owens have pastored urban congregations that have managed to grow again, reversing decades of decline. In A New Day in the City they share the stories of the churches they’ve served, and the lessons they’ve learned from other successful urban churches and pastors. Their aim is to help others join God in the deep and wide mission of embodying the Kingdom. Along the way, they challenge some cliches about church leadership, offering a fresh perspective on what congregational renewal can look like and how it can become a reality. The book does not offer easy answers, because churches can’t simply replicate what someone else has done. Rather, the book offers the framework for crucial conversations urban churches need to have in order to find their own way to renewal. The end of each chapter features a set of practical guidelines for leading a congregation to address the questions that matter most.

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    • Beauty For Truths Sake (Reprinted)

      $27.05

      Much of the confusion and meaninglessness of the twenty-first century stems from the fragmentation of knowledge. Our postmodern times cry out for a return to wholeness. Enter Stratford Caldecott, who calls for renewal in education in Beauty for Truth’s Sake. By reclaiming the classic liberal arts and viewing disciplines such as science and mathematics through a poetic lens, the author explains that unity is present within diversity. Ultimately, God is behind all truth.This book will benefit parents, homeschoolers, lifelong learners, and readers interested in the history of ideas. It is appropriate for Christian college and university students and will play an especially important role in curriculum development.

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    • Christmas Plays And Biblical Skits

      $38.60

      Will Maudine ever stop being so bossy? Should Aunt Vera get a hearing aid for Christmas? Does Richard really miss his pink flamingo? Can John say anything other than uh-huh and huh-uh? Find the answers to these questions when you join Aunt Vera and her friends as they prepare for their Christmas pageants. Follow them as they find themselves in various situations involving lighthearted rivalry, mystery, and good-natured humor.

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    • Christmas Plays And Biblical Skits

      $18.60

      Will Maudine ever stop being so bossy? Should Aunt Vera get a hearing aid for Christmas? Does Richard really miss his pink flamingo? Can John say anything other than uh-huh and huh-uh? Find the answers to these questions when you join Aunt Vera and her friends as they prepare for their Christmas pageants. Follow them as they find themselves in various situations involving lighthearted rivalry, mystery, and good-natured humor.

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    • Preaching In The Era Of Trump

      $14.99

      Now more than ever, it’s time to preach.

      The election of Donald Trump left countless faith leaders across the country speechless. Now that he is president, silence must give way to prophetic preaching.

      Christians have long debated whether politics should be addressed from the pulpit. Following Donald Trump’s controversial, divisive rise to power and the sweeping changes his fledgling administration has already proposed, that s no longer a question political preaching will be the order of the day, even for pastors who try to steer clear of controversy. It s up to preachers to make the church great again by leading it to embrace and embody God s concern for those whose lives are at stake in a Trump administration. Veteran teacher, preacher, and author Wes Allen offers a blueprint for addressing current events through a Gospel lens, persuasively and pastorally without engaging in divisive, antagonistic rhetoric.

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    • Minister As Moral Theologian

      $28.23

      A respected scholar and veteran teacher offers Christian leaders tools for facing the demands and seizing the opportunities of being a moral teacher.

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    • Unstuck Church : Equipping Churches To Experience Sustained Health

      $16.99

      Acclaimed church leader, blogger, founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan unpacks the lifecycle of a typical church, identifies characteristics of each phase, and provides practical next steps a church can take to move towards sustained health.

      Think about your church for a moment. Is it growing? Is it diminishing? Is it somewhere in between? Acclaimed church leader, blogger, and founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan has identified the seven stages of a church’s lifecycle that range from the hopeful and optimistic days of launch, to the stagnating last stages of life support.

      Regardless of the stage in which you find your church, it carries with it the world’s greatest mission-to “go and make disciples of all the nations . . .” With eternity at stake the Church should be doing most everything within its power to see lives changed forever. The Church should strive for the pinnacle of the lifecycle, where they are continually making new disciples and experiencing what Morgan refers to as “sustained health.”

      In The Unstuck Church, Morgan unpacks each phase of the church lifecycle, and offers specific and strategic next steps the church leader can take to find it’s way to sustained health . . . and finally become unstuck.

      The Unstuck Church is a call for honest an assessment of where your church sits on the lifecycle, and a challenge to move beyond it.

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    • Whats Your Story Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)

      $9.99

      The leader guide provides additional background on the Joseph narrative and the story-based framework the author uses, along with a lesson plan for each chapter that includes deeper questions and group activities. What’s Your Story helps you understand your life as part of a bigger narrative by seeing it through God’s eyes. This four-session small group study focuses on the Joseph story (Genesis 37-50), exploring connections between Joseph’s life and the lives of Christians today. Author Sarah Heath shows how Joseph realizes his deeply rooted identity, understands his past, and learns to see his life through God’s eyes. The book contains opportunities and space for creative journaling, to encourage you to explore your own life story in the same way. Joseph accomplishes great things in Egypt, but only when he sees his story as a part of God’s story does he truly recognize the significance of what he has done and what God is doing through him. In exploring these dimensions of the Joseph story, you will discover how to see your own life through God’s eyes, learning how you might co-create with God the kind of life that would be a page-turner. Inside the study you will find: Reflections from the author about the Joseph story in Genesis 37-50. Insights into how to read and tell the story of your life as a part of God’s story. Questions and prompts for creative response to help you consider and map your life story. Journaling space with inspiring art from the author. The accompanying video, available in DVD and streaming formats, features individual stories that illuminate the Joseph story, illustrate the main ideas of each session, and spark further reflection and discussion. By seeing your story-with its ups and the downs-as part of God’s story, you will find deep meaning in your life, and you will be inspired to tell your story to others as a way of witnessing to God’s love and presence in the world.

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    • Daniel Prayer Video Study (DVD)

      $29.99

      The original Daniel Prayer was a desperate plea uttered by a man on behalf of his nation. For an entire generation, the people of Judah had been held in captivity and separated from their home. Daniel had prospered under the invader’s rule and risen to prominence, yet he never forgot the temple that had been in Jerusalem and his people who had been taken from there. God ultimately performed the greatest miracle in answer to Daniel’s desperate prayer by moving the heart of a foreign king to allow the Jews to return to their homeland.

      In this five-session video-based Bible study, Anne Graham Lotz explores what believers in Christ can learn today from this prayer that forever changed the course of a nation. She shows how this type of prayer is one born deep within the soul, erupting through your heart and pouring out on your lips as the Spirit of God infuses the words with spiritual electricity. It is not an everyday now-I-lay-me-down-to-sleep prayer but one birthed under pressure, heartache, and grief. It is a prayer that provides the solution when faced with God’s righteous judgment.

      The Daniel prayer is heartfelt and desperate. A prayer in which the pray-ers rend their hearts, return to the cross, and repent of personal and national sin. It is a prayer that storms the gates of heaven and doesn’t let go until the situation changes. It is a prayer that changes hearts and changes nations-even in the midst of our world today.

      Sessions include:
      1. Preparing for Prayer
      2. Prompting in Prayer
      3. Pleading in Prayer
      4. Prevailing in Prayer
      5. The Battle in Prayer

      This video is designed for use with The Daniel Prayer Study Guide (sold separately).

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    • Good Book Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)

      $8.25

      This 8-week companion to The Good Book and The Good Book DVD encourages small-group members to dig deeper into the Bible’s biggest ideas.

      With questions for reflection and discussion that follow the trade book, The Good Book Participant’s Guide will foster group discussion among small groups and Sunday School members, helping them understand the Bible’s most prominent themes in a way that applies to their own lives.

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    • Foundations Of Pastoral Counseling

      $44.99

      Foundations of Pastoral Counselling offers a completely new approach to its subject, through an integration of philosophical ideas, theological thought, and psychotherapeutic psychology. Using the work of philosophers including Martin Buber, Simone Weil and Soren Kierkegaard to begin the conversation in each chapter the author then draws on relevant theologians and psychotherapeutic thinkers to enrich the dialogue. The result is a rich, multi-faceted, and often surprising round-table discussion about the fundamental issues in pastoral counselling.

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    • How To Break Growth Barriers Updated (Reprinted)

      $25.88

      In this newly revised edition, church growth experts explain how effective leadership and growth go hand-in-hand, offering a proven approach to increasing church membership.

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    • Shared Understanding Of Church Leadership (Revised)

      $12.99

      How does your church work with leadership issues? How do you make decisions about calling church leaders? Are your models of leadership consistent with Anabaptist Mennonite belief and practice? A Shared Understanding of Ministerial Leadership, a revision of an earlier book, A Mennonite Polity for Ministerial Leadership, provides a common understanding of how the church approaches leadership. It is an effort to build lasting relationships of respect and integrity between congregations, area conferences, and their credentialed leaders. For use by pastors and congregational leaders, this book can also be used for leadership training, churchwide discussion, and study in seminary courses.

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    • Small On Purpose

      $17.99

      You find yourself in a small congregation. Voices of doubt whisper in your ears: not enough young people, not enough money to keep the building open, not enough programs to attract new persons, and most of all, not enough time to reverse the decline of congregational life. Before you head for the door or settle into a resigned sleepwalk, listen also for the voices of hope coming from without and within. More is going on in your small congregation than you might think. Small On Purpose offers a vision of the small church as a Spirit-animated organism that releases native religious creativity and energy in its worship; makes claims on a future by making plans; and discovers surrogate family ties that bind. This small church learns how to bless rather than curse its location, how to craft beauty and hospitality from its buildings, and how to bequeath its faith to the younger generation. A small church in dynamic equilibrium looks to its past for wisdom, not nostalgia, and projects continuity, not disaster. It has a sense of the value of its story within the larger story of God’s project to build a people to be a blessing to the nations.

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    • Reset : Living A Grace Paced Life In A Burnout Culture

      $14.99

      Largely due to overwork and the stresses of modern life, men in work and ministry are increasingly run-down, anxious, and depressed. But is this level of physical and spiritual weariness inevitable? Just as a car needs to be regularly refueled, retuned, and repaired in order to keep running, a balanced life can be sustained only when a man takes proper steps to stay on track. In this hopeful book, experienced pastor and counselor David Murray shares stories from his own life and the lives of friends, offering gospel-centered advice for avoiding, assessing, and recovering from burnout. With chapters on rest, relationships, routines, and more, this book lays out a host of practical remedies men can use to reset their lives on a more sustainable course-resulting in renewed energy, joy, and purpose.

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    • Answers For Beginners And Teachers

      $23.93

      Answers for Beginners and Teachers is filled with interesting Bible scriptures and the author’s comments on them. Ladonna shares her personal experiences, God’s audible voice, spiritual dreams, and visions, how she was healed of cancer, and two out-of-body experiences.

      Teachers can use this book as a guide for Bible-study groups and sermons. Or it can be read through like a book.

      It is written for new Christians and others who are thirsting for God’s Word. Expect to have your memory refreshed on the deeper things of God and find answers to questions you may have that are similar to those the author had for many years.

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    • Proliferate : Church Planting Strategy For Everyday Churches

      $17.48

      The tendency is to think churches with less than 200 people in weekly attendance are ordinary or everyday-conventional wisdom says that bigger is better and Everyday Churches can have only a limited impact. However, Jesus compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed-the smallest of seeds, but with the potential to change the landscape.

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    • 30 Days Toward Healing Your Grief

      $16.95

      Practical, gentle, compassionate, wise, tested, program – Christ-centered support for healing from loss – Ideal for individual or group use, includes a study guide

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    • Are You In The Game Or In The Way

      $14.99

      A men’s ministry reality check: What is standing in the way of a vital men’s ministry in your church? The guy who should be at the forefront is often in the way of the program getting off the ground.
      Are you, as pastor, the main obstacle to the growth of a vital men’s ministry?
      Are you the guy who wants to start a men’s ministry in your church but don’t know how?
      Is fear or a sense of inadequacy keeping you from starting such a ministry?
      Pastor Ross Holtz tells his personal story of how he became a catalyst for growth, instead of an impediment will inspire pastors and men’s ministry leaders.

      What works, what doesn’t, and what is required in forming a vital men’s ministry. Practical and honest teaching filled with relevant and tested examples from recognizing the problem to finding the fix.

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    • Whole Life Worship

      $14.99

      This book is a continuation of the LICC series begun by Neil Hudson’s Imagine ChurchWhole-Life Worship will demonstrate that the contemporary Western Church has reached a point where our “gathered” worship is separated from our “scattered” lives outside of church. This is detrimental to the congregation’s spiritual development and their effectiveness on their “frontlines”. Church worship should be inspired and informed by our everyday experiences. It should empower and send the congregation out to continue worshipping. The book will provide patterns and resources to better connect gathered worship with the lives of the congregation beyond church meetings.The book will unpack a biblical grounding for both gathered and scattered worship. It will then identify patterns within our gathered services which help us re-make these connections. It will provide practical resources such as songs, prayers and activities which can help churches connect Sunday to the rest of the week. It will draw examples and stories from other church streams and traditions, to demonstrate how different kinds of Christian spirituality engage worshipfully with everyday life. In the second half of the book is a practical resource looking specifically at different aspects of a gathered service, and how each one can have an “outward” dimension.

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    • Self Aware Leader

      $20.99

      Introduction
      1. Seeing The Race Before Us
      2. Seeing Your Self
      3. Seeing Your Past
      4. Seeing Your Temptations
      5. Seeing Your Emotions
      6. Seeing Your Pressures
      7. Seeing Your Conflicts
      8. Seeing Your Margins
      9. Seeing Your Best
      Acknowledgments
      Notes

      Additional Info
      Effective ministry begins here. You’ve studied what you think you need to know before entering a career in ministry. Is there anything that is more important than knowing about hermeneutics, homiletics, theology, exegesis, and everything else you have likely learned in seminary and church ministry so far? Yes, there is. How well do you know yourself? You need to build your ministry career on the right foundation of an objective understanding of self. If you don’t comprehend your strengths and weaknesses, then you won’t be fully prepared to enter the crucible of ministry. Serving as a pastor is one of the toughest calls there is. But it can also be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding, especially if you have taken the time to examine both your gifts and vulnerabilities. The church needs leaders who have the clear-eyed courage to pursue the hardest part of the ministry journey: seeing yourself. The Self-Aware Leader will help you to do just that.

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    • Right Thinking In A Church Gone Astray

      $21.23

      Keeping the Church on Track in a Secular World

      One of the greatest challenges to Christianity today is the pervasive influence popular culture has on the church. When Christians embrace a secular worldview, it causes division within the church and greatly diminishes its impact.

      Right Thinking in a Church Gone Astray offers responses from trusted evangelical voices on 20 timely issues. With a careful look at God’s Word, you’ll gain wisdom and insights on highly relevant topics such as…
      *countering the church’s celebrity culture
      *ministering to the “Me Generation”
      *discovering where science meets Scripture
      *responding appropriately to homosexuality
      *reclaiming the essentials of the Christian faith

      With biblical guidance on these and other controversial matters, this resource provides much-needed clarity for today’s church.

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    • Organizing Church : Grassroots Practices For Embodying Change In Your Congr

      $24.99

      What if congregations embraced community organizing? While many theories exist on how to plant or how to renew a church and its leadership, Organizing Church offers a unique perspective that brings together the tools of community organizing and a robust ecclesiology to suggest a new way forward for revitalizing and empowering churches. This book is a helpful field guide for pastors and other church leaders trying to build healthy congregations, create a deep culture of discipleship in their community, and to respond to the challenges presented by the global culture of the 21st century.

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    • Top 50 Instant Bible Lessons For Elementary

      $24.99

      Part of our Top 50 series, enjoy 50 fully-reproducible kids’ Bible lessons for elementary-aged children (ages: 5-10). This brand new resource includes two bonus lessons for Christmas and Easter, making it perfect to use as an easy full year curriculum. Each story comes with an easy-to-follow object lesson and 2-3 volunteer-friendly activities. Use this reproducible book for weekend curriculum or mid-week teaching opportunities. Each lesson is volunteer-friendly and child approved! Packed with object lessons, puzzles, games and crafts, these kids’ Top 50 Bible stories will keep your elementary-aged children actively involved and growing in God’s Word.

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    • Top 50 Instant Bible Lessons For Preschoolers For Ages 2-5

      $24.99

      From the popular Instant Bible Lessons series, enjoy the top 50 fully reproducible Kids’ Bible Lessons for Preschoolers (Ages: 2-5). This great resource comes with quick, age appropriate and easy to use activities in an updated format. You can use this reproducible book as a weekend curriculum or mid-week teaching opportunities, enough for a whole year’s worth of lessons. Each lesson is volunteer friendly and child approved. Packed with puzzles, games, crafts, and awesome Bible stories, these kids’ Bible lessons will keep your preschoolers actively involved in creative learning.

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    • Marriage Preparation Workbook (Workbook)

      $9.95

      Life is filled with choices, but one of the most significant choices a person will ever make is the decision to marry someone. The questions in this marriage preparation workbook are designed to help you explore a number of issues that couples face as they contemplate life together.

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    • Recovering From Un Natural Disasters

      $25.00

      Recovering from Un-Natural Disasters is a must-read handbook for pastors and church leaders of communities who could or perhaps already have experienced an un-natural disaster, such as gun violence, suicides, or sexual abuse.

      Unlike natural disasters, un-natural disasters deal with the concept of sin and require a different recovery strategy. In this book, readers will explore the four phases of human-caused disaster – Devastation and Heroism, Disillusionment, Reforming, and Wisdom – and receive step-by-step suggestions to use with their faith community during the recovery process. Example worship resources, including prayers, music suggestions, and sermons that are appropriate to use during periods of trauma and recovery, are included.

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    • Preaching The Women Of The Old Testament

      $28.00

      Take an in-depth look at over twenty fierce, faithful, and strong women featured in the Old Testament with Preaching the Women of the Old Testament. Inside this unique resource author Lynn Japinga interprets the stories of various biblical women, including Eve, Rebekah, Dinah, Tamar, Miriam, Deborah, Jael, Abigail, Bathsheba, and Vashti. Along with providing an interpretation, Japinga demonstrates how the character’s story has been read in Christian tradition and offers sermon ideas that connect contemporary issues to each story. This book is ideal for pastors who want to know more about the many women of the Old Testament and learn how to better incorporate them into their sermons.

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    • Discipleship Is A Journey

      $18.75

      Autumn Light Publications

      Christian Discipleship is the outward expression of the relationship which baptism has restored. It is the deep, abiding friendship between God and one who has chosen to accept His gift of salvation. In practice, discipleship is the earnest attempt to become like Christ, doing everything possible to LEARN what Christ wants His followers to do AND then trying to DO it. Discipleship is a Journey is an activity-based study guide created to help young believers to understand what is meant by discipleship and what they should do to grow in their new relationship with Jesus. The book can be used independently by the young person to have fun as he learns more about being a disciple or it can be used as a tool in a church’s mentoring plan for their young believers. The content is broken into five sections, focusing on: understanding the new role as a Christian, understanding and using resources that God provides, understanding the role of worship in a Christian’s life, understanding the role of service in a Christian’s life, and understanding that discipleship is a lifelong journey.

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    • What The Bible Says To The Minister (Student/Study Guide)

      $34.99

      God has called you into ministry…now what? The Bible is full of wisdom, instruction, and sage advice for the minister on every topic, including: Your Calling, Your Purpose, Your Mission, Security In Christ, Your Family and Relationships, Your Daily Walk, Preaching and Teaching, Your Reward, and over 100 other topics! What the Bible Says to the Minister is a cherished resource for pastors and ministers all over the world. Available in 12 languages, this handbook is one that pastors return to over and over again as they seek to fulfill their call to serve God.

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    • Who Lynched Willie Earle

      $19.99

      Pastors and leaders long to speak an effective biblical word into the contemporary social crisis of racial violence and black pain. They need a no-nonsense strategy rooted in actual ecclesial life, illuminated in this fine book by a trustworthy guide, Will Willimon, who uses the true story of pastor Hawley Lynn’s March of 1947 sermon, “Who Lynched Willie Earle?” as an opportunity to respond to the last lynching in Greenville, South Carolina and its implications for a more faithful proclamation of the Gospel today. By hearing black pain, naming white complicity, critiquing American exceptionalism/civil religion, inviting/challenging the church to respond, and attending to the voices of African American pastors and leaders, this book helps pastors of white, mainline Protestant churches preach effectively in situations of racial violence and dis-ease.

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    • Integrative Psychotherapy : Toward A Comprehensive Christian Approach

      $45.99

      12 Chapters

      Additional Info
      Mark McMinn and Clark Campbell present an integrative model of psychotherapy that is grounded in Christian biblical and theological teaching and in a critical and constructive engagement with contemporary psychology.

      Now in paperback, this foundational work integrates behavioral, cognitive, and interpersonal models of therapy within a Christian theological framework. Not only do the authors integrate Christian faith and spirituality with the latest thinking in behavioral science at a theoretical level, they also integrate the theoretical and academic with the pastoral and clinical, offering a practical guide for the practitioner.

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    • Launch Revised And Expanded (Reprinted)

      $20.00

      This revised, updated, and expanded edition of Launch by pastors of The Journey Church in NYC walks every church planter from the initial stages of discerning a calling to successfully starting a new church in today’s environment.

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    • Authority To Heal Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)

      $24.98

      “The Supernatural Quest to Restore Your Lost Birthright!”

      The Bible is filled with divine healing! From cover to cover, Scripture reveals many miraculous healings, where the sick, terminally ill, and even the dead were restored to wholeness.

      So how did healing something so natural for Jesus and the early church become absent and so controversial?

      In the “Authority to Heal” study guide, Randy Clark takes you on an interactive journey where you will discover the truth behind what happened to divine healing and learn how to reclaim this supernatural inheritance.

      Through the interactive exercises and daily readings, you will learn how to:
      *Recognize and overcome common deceptions that block the flow of God s power
      *Unlock your inheritance of healing authority through the truth of Scripture and surprising testimonies from church history
      *Deepen your understanding of God s goodness through His signs and wonders
      *Access the power that Jesus, the early church and Spirit-anointed miracle-workers throughout history walked in

      Also, you will engage in Activation segments, where you individually or in a group will put what you just learned into practice.

      In “Power to Heal,” you were equipped to pray for the sick. Now, in the “Authority to Heal “study, you are going deeper. Through this revelatory Bible study, you will discover how God s healing river “never” stopped flowing and unleash its power in your life today!

      *Study guide is designed to be used with “Authority to Heal” DVDs.”

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    • Unfolded Bible Study Book (Student/Study Guide)

      $14.99

      SKU (ISBN): 9781430054979ISBN10: 1430054972Eric GeigerBinding: Trade PaperPublished: January 2017Publisher: LifeWay Christian Resources

      In stock

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    • Best VBS Workbook Ever

      $46.60

      Enables organizers to envision and implement a VBS program customized for the local church Practical, comprehensive, from-the-ground-up approach to VBS

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    • Journey To The Pulpit

      $18.60

      My parents love their pastor, but they rarely get much from his sermons. Sound familiar?
      Why live with word salad, rabbit trails and bouncing around like a ball in a pin ball machine when you can work smarter, not harder.

      Frank pastors a country church. His positive attitude and effective preaching create an air of expectation for something great each week. As a multi-vocational pastor he rarely experiences the Saturday night panic and arrives at the pulpit ready to preach.

      George, a loner, also pastors a country church. The services are lack luster, he is approaching burn out and he questions his call to a pulpit ministry. George just toughs it out thinking it to be more godly. Saturday night is repetitively panic time and Sunday often brings excuses. George does not understand that he might need more preparation than does his sermons.
      What makes the difference?

      Frank recognized his need for help, and found a mentor. He learned to establish the purpose of the sermon first, match it with divine inspiration and have others help gather materials. This reduced preparation time, balanced his work schedule, family time, self-care and sermon preparation. By working on his illustrations and delivery, he could take a lesser quality sermon and turn it into a great event.

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    • Holding Up Your Corner

      $17.99

      Holding Up Your Corner: Talking About Race in Your Community, equips pastors to respond with confidence when crises occur, lower their own inhibitions about addressing this topic, and reclaim their authority as prophetic witnesses and leaders in order to transform their communities Pastors and other church leaders see, to varying degrees, racially rooted injustice in their communities. Most of them understand an imperative, as part of their calling from God, to lead their congregations to address and reverse this injustice. For instance, preachers want to be preaching prophetically on this topic. But the problems seem irreversible, intractable, overwhelming, and pastors often feel their individual efforts will be futile. Additionally, they realize that there is a lot of risk involved, including the possibility that their actions may offend and even push some members away from the church. They do not know what to do or how to begin. And so, even during times of crisis, pastors and other church leaders typically do less than they know they could and should. This book provides practical, foundational guidance, showing pastors how to live into their calling to address injustice, and how to lead others to do the same. Holding Up Your Corner prompts readers to observe, identify and name the complex causes of violence and hatred in the reader’s particular community, including racial prejudice, entrenched poverty and exploitation, segregation, the loss of local education and employment, the ravages of addiction, and so on. The book walks the church leader through a self-directed process of determining what role to play in the leader’s particular location. Readers will learn to use testimony and other narrative devices, proclamation, guided group conversations, and other tactics in order to achieve the following: Open eyes to the realities in the reader’s community-where God’s reign/kingdom is not yet overcoming selfishness, injustice, inequality, or the forces of evil. Own the calling and responsibility we have as Christians, and learn how to advocate hope for God’s kingdom in the reader’s community. Organize interventions and activate mission teams to address the specific injustices in the reader’s community.

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    • Serving Local Schools

      $22.99

      The heartbeat of every local community is found in its local schools. Yet many churches have little to no connection with school leaders, much less an active ministry presence. But if the church wants to effectively reach its community, it must take the time to invest in school administrators, teachers, and families. Not having a relationship just isn’t an option.

      Thankfully, there are new opportunities where schools and churches can work together for the common good of students and the community. Many schools today are facing budget crises’ and financial shortfalls or declining enrollment. Few church leaders know how to walk through the doors of their local school and partner in a sustainable way. Some are worried about crossing the line of separation between church and state, while others just aren’t sure what they have to offer.

      This book tells the story of churches that have overcome these barriers, providing biblical support and practical resources to equip churches to meet the needs of local schools while faithfully witnessing to the good news found in Jesus Christ.

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    • Meet Generation Z (Reprinted)

      $21.17

      In this comprehensive overview of Generation Z, pastor and award-winning author of The Rise of the Nones offers ministry strategies for effectively reaching the first truly post-Christian generation.

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    • Ethics In Christian Ministry

      $16.99

      Pastoring is packed with unexpected challenges-both good and bad. Improvising in the face of the unforeseen is often the norm. But like talented athletes and great jazz musicians, improvisation for pastors only comes by first knowing and practicing the basics. Ethics in Christian Ministry is about preparing for the highs and lows of ministry by internalizing and rehearsing the ethical essentials of Christ-centered pastoring. Here is a resource designed to equip pastors with the tools needed to make healthy and theologically sound ethical decisions in the areas of communication, relationships, preaching, counseling, and finances. With such preparation in hand, responding to the unexpected becomes about well-grounded decision-making that leads to the best in pastoral practices.

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    • What Makes You Happy Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)

      $12.99

      Everybody wants to be happy. Everybody is on a happiness quest. For many, happiness is measured in moments. Experiences. It’s elusive. Unsustainable. What about you? What makes you happy?

      Something comes to mind for each of us.

      In this six-session video Bible study, pastor Andy Stanley examines the ways in which we tend to define happiness and explains how that definition influences the way we pursue it. He reveals that happiness is about who, not what, and that happy people are at peace with God, with others, and with themselves. He also shows how sin undermines peace because it separates us from God, others, and ourselves by substituting pleasure for fulfillment, things for people, images for intimacy, and self-expression for self-control. We are often tempted to believe that happiness comes from acquiring things, but happiness is actually an outcome of what we sow in our lives. We can’t acquire, consume, or exercise our way to happiness, but we may be able to serve and volunteer our way there. In the end, we find that if we live as if it’s all about us, we will never be happy.

      Sessions include:
      *Nothing
      *Plan for It
      *Peace with God
      *Happy
      *Money
      *Shoes You’re Not Enough

      Designed for use with the What Makes You Happy DVD (sold separately).

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    • Cherish Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)

      $12.99

      Most married couples survive by gritting their teeth and holding on. But what if husbands sought to truly cherish their wives? What if in social settings they did their best to make sure she was heard? What if they supported her goals so she could work in her gifts? What if they bought the things she needed to open up her home and put the beauty of her hospitality on display? And what if wives adopted the same attitude? What if she made sure her husband knew she was his strongest supporter? What if she were willing to support him, stabilize him, bind up his wounds-spiritual and emotional-and turn him so his strongest side was always showing? What if she helped him risk failure out in the world because she made it known to him that he would always be her courageous champion? What would that do to him? For the relationship? In the Cherish Him, Cherish Her video-based study, bestselling author Gary Thomas shows how marriages can not only survive but also thrive when husbands and wives learn to cherish one another. How we can go from neglect and disrespect to cherish and adore. How we can send our marriages into a different dimension. How we can recalibrate our marriages when needed so we don’t suffer from apathy, indifference, and gradual drift. None of us want marriages where we grit our teeth and just tolerate each other because God’s Word says we don’t qualify for divorce. We don’t want marriages where our spouses really don’t like us, much less respect us. We want to be married to someone we cherish and who cherishes us, and it is possible to get to that point.

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    • Keeping Faith In Fundraising

      $21.99

      A biblically grounded call for Christians to engage in fundraising as ministry

      Fundraising has always been an essential element of the Christian life-churches, schools, and many other organizations rely on it to function. But it is a risky enterprise, fraught with questions and challenges. How can Christians raise funds with integrity?

      In this book Peter Harris and Rod Wilson, experienced fund-raisers themselves, bring fundraising within the scope of normal Christian life and work. After first laying a biblical foundation by discussing 2 Corinthians 8-9, Harris and Wilson develop seven themes central to the giving and receiving of money. They offer valuable insights based on their many years of fundraising as Christians.

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    • Restored Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)

      $12.99

      Often we make a mess of our lives and wonder if there is any redemption. In this six-week study, pastor and author Tom Berlin helps us see our mess through the eyes of Christ to find redemption and restoration. Using Scripture, devotional tools, and the writings of Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, St. Augustine, John Wesley, Evelyn Underhill, and others, Berlin encourages reflection and meditation through our own brokenness. Only then can we focus on the cross as the place where we truly surrender control, leave our mess, and find redemption. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the 6-week study for Lent, including session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.

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    • Restored : Finding Redemption In Our Mess

      $15.99

      Often we make a mess of our lives and wonder if there is any redemption. In this book, pastor and author Tom Berlin helps us see our mess through the eyes of Christ to find redemption and restoration. Using Scripture, devotional tools, and the writings of Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, St. Augustine, John Wesley, Evelyn Underhill, and others, Berlin encourages reflection and meditation through our own brokenness. Only then can we focus on the cross as the place where we truly surrender control, leave our mess, and find redemption.
      Chapters include:
      This Is a Real Mess
      Who Left This Mess?
      Bless This Mess
      No Messing Around
      Address This Mess
      The Message in the Mess

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    • Creed Youth Study Book (Student/Study Guide)

      $12.99

      We’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)

      $12.99

      We’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)

      $20.99

      We’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)

      $18.99

      We’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

      $27.99

      Drawing 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

      $31.99

      Although 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

      $41.00

      World 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

      $20.99

      Most 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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    • Essential Worship : A Handbook For Leaders

      $24.00

      Worship leaders are adrift in a sea of worship resources, but, incredibly, no single book provides a simple introduction to worship and worship leading. Basic Worship is a concise, easy-to-read primer on the basics of worship theology and practice. Each concept is introduced clearly and concisely. Diagrams, charts, and bulleted lists make the information easy to digest. And preparation and reflection questions help readers apply the material to their own church context. Whether one is a beginner or an experienced worship leader, readers from all traditions will find in this resource a solid foundation for future success. It is particularly well-suited for the first-time worship or praise band leader, as well as for pastors who want to be more intentional about the music in their services.

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    • James 1 And 2 Peter And Jude

      $37.50

      Focused 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.

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    • Beyond Business As Usual (Expanded)

      $26.95

      The 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

      $44.99

      Ministry 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)

      $14.99

      The 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

      $17.43

      Some 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 Miracles

      Additional 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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    • Soul Winner Updated Edition

      $15.99

      Overcome yourself and learn to make a difference in your church and the world around you. It’s time to become an effective soul winner for Christ.

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    • Preaching Christ From Psalms

      $52.99

      In 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

      $19.99

      The 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

      $26.99

      The 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

      $22.84

      Small 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!)

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    • 3 Simple Rules For Christian Living Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)

      $14.99

      This 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

      $38.99

      This 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

      $35.99

      A 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.

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    • Road To Growth

      $24.00

      Church 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)

      $11.65

      Wherever 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

      $16.18

      The 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

      $11.95

      Just 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.

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