Pastoral Helps
Showing 1301–1400 of 2367 results
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Creative Bible Lessons In Essential Theology
$24.99Add to cartThis curriculum is designed to spark theological conversations so students can learn powerful, life-changing truths about God. Students will be encouraged to explore Scripture and discover what they believe and why. Included are audio, visual, and hands-on activities as well as hints on how to teach to multiple learning styles. Creative Bible Lessons: Essential Theology offers a theological foundation for students to help them better understand God and his purpose for their lives.
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Still More Middle School Talksheets
$22.99Add to cartYour students are always talking- Lucky for you, the best-selling TalkSheets series just keeps going- In Still More TalkSheets for Middle School Students, you’ll find 50 creative ways to get your youth group talking about things that matter. Covering issues of life and faith, the one-page, reproducible handouts are easy to use and can facilitate meaningful discussions in your youth group.
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Still More High School Talksheets
$24.99Add to cartYour students are always talking- Lucky for you, the best-selling TalkSheets series just keeps going- In Still More TalkSheets for High School Students, you’ll find 50 creative ways to get your youth group talking about things that matter. Covering issues of life and faith, the one-page, reproducible handouts are easy to use and can facilitate meaningful discussions in your youth group.
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10 Commandments
$55.00Add to cartWith this volume, WJK is proud to introduce an exciting new phase in the renowned Interpretation commentary series. Instead of focusing on individual books of the Bible, these new additions to the expanded series will focus on the Bible’s most enduring passages and most vital themes, bringing to these topics the insight and faithful wisdom that are longtime hallmarks of the Interpretation series. In this first offering, Pat Miller studies the Ten Commandments as ancient document and as contemporary guide. With careful attention to each commandment in its original context, this book shows the reader the modern relevance of these basic principles, as well as how the ideas of each commandment influenced the New Testament and the history of Christian thought. More than an intellectual exercise, The Ten Commandments applies the call of the commandments to modern-day issues. For example, Miller discusses how the commandment “You shall not kill” relates to manslaughter, murder, execution, and war, and suggests that the story of Ruth may be read as a commentary on how to honor one’s father and mother. Future volumes are underway to address passages such as The Lord’s Prayer and the Sermon on the Mount. Issues of violence, wealth, or eschatology will be addressed as well. Surely this expanded Interpretation series will be an excellent resource for all those who teach, preach, and study the Bible.
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Proverbs
$22.99Add to cartWritten with the busy youth worker in mind, books in the Studies on the Go series will provide Scriptural depth and substance to be tackled in a manageable timeframe. The questions are real and get straight to the point. As students study Proverbs, they will learn that knowledge is not enough-they also need God’s wisdom to handle daily challenges.
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Team Jesus : Planting Churches The Master’s Way
$14.99Add to cartChurch planting is best taught by church planters and Paul Kim is one of the best. Over the last thirty years, he has led the churches of which he has been pastor to start twenty-five churches in the United States, Korea, Japan, Central Asia, and East Asia. Of the twenty-five, twenty-two are still alive and well, an almost unheard of survival rate in church planting annuals. Kim attributes this success to planting churches the “Jesus way,” using teams composed of “homegrown workers” who are trained and mentored by the mother church to plant daughter churches. While his primary focus has been on multicultural church planting, the principles Kim has learned both from his experience and from his study of how the Master began the first church are applicable in any church planting endeavor. For Kim, church planting is not theory but a divine mandate. This book reveals his heart and clearly spells out the Master’s plan for church planting.
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Gift Of Presence
$13.99Add to cartUnfortunately, suffering is a part of living. None of us have escaped this fact. Even so, it’s difficult to know how to console someone going through a broken place.
In The Gift of Presence, Bishop Joe Pennel offers practical help to give confidence and skill to clergy and laity serving the broken hearted. With a central message on the importance of simply being there, Pennel combines practical “how-to’s” with prayers, readings, and services. This small, casebound book outlines real ways to help through planning visits, writing notes, finding scriptures and prayers to read, avoiding cliches, and thinking through the theology of God, humans, and suffering.
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ChurchMorph
$24.00Add to cartIt is estimated that 80 percent of churches across the theological spectrum are either stalled or in decline. In ChurchMorph, internationally respected church observer Eddie Gibbs goes beyond an analysis of the causes to show how many churches and faith communities are actually breaking the downward trend. He expertly maps current converging church movements–emerging and missional churches, mainline renewal groups, megachurches, urban mission, new monasticism, alternative worship, and expanding networks–and offers a positive assessment of the reshaping of today’s church.
Gibbs argues that more is required of Western churches than adopting new programs if they are to missionally engage within their context. The church must re-image itself, resulting in its reconfiguration and a comprehensive change in its self-understanding; it must morph in order to be defined by its mission in the world. Gibbs identifies trends that provide signs of the kingdom, reflecting on how different ecclesial communities are working out what it means to be “church” in a post-Christendom environment. He provides a range of examples from North America and the United Kingdom to offer encouragement and assurance that God has by no means abandoned his church.
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Kairos Preaching : Speaking Gospel To The Situation
$22.00Add to cartSometimes lectionary preachers struggle when situations present themselves in parish life. A congregational member dies, two lives are joined in marriage, a contentious social justice issue demands attention, or a public event like 9/11 shakes us to the core. Although lectionary and worship allow us to deepen our appreciation for the Bible and the themes and emphases of the Christian calendar, they sometimes fail to allow preachers to speak the gospel directly to the situations that occupy their congregations. This book is designed to help pastors and seminarians discover resources they already have to unpack situations and understand them theologically in light of their task of preaching the gospel.
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Teaching Godly Play (Revised)
$22.95Add to cartEstablished market
With CPI’s recent acquisition of Godly Play Resources, this anchor edition complements a complete line of popular resources
An original, creative and child-honoring approach to Christian education in the churchThis revised and expanded version of Godly Play founder Jerome Berryman’s 1995 handbook is for current and future users of Godly Play. With this revision, the book’s original formatting has been redesigned to complement the eight volumes in The Complete Guide to Godly Play series. Illustrations have also been updated, and the text now better reflects the playful spirit of Godly Play. Up-to-date research in childhood development and instruction has also been incorporated in this comprehensive update.
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Unleashing The Word
$22.99Add to cart1. A Final Word To Preachers
2. Caring For The Flock
3. Developing A Preaching Plan
4. Fishing Expedition Sermons
5. Going Deeper
6. Ideas For Advent And Christmas
7. Preaching With Purpose
8. Preparing God’s People To Do The Work Of The Ministry
9. Rethinking “Prophetic” Preaching
10. Sermons To Strengthen The Church
11. The Worship Planning Team
12. Three Critical Ingredients
13. Using Video In Preaching And Worship
14. Weddings And Funerals
15. What Do Do If
16. Writing The SermonAdditional Info
Imagine announcing a new series of sermons and seeing worship attendance increase by 1,000 people on the first Sunday of the new series. Or consider a pastor developing sermon plans two to three years out. What kind of pastor sits in a bar with a notepad just looking for ideas for sermons? Or has as his aim to preach the best prepared, best researched sermons his congregation has ever heard? All of these and more explain part of the reason the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has grown from four people to over 10,000 in just thirteen years.In Unleashing the Word, Adam Hamilton helps pastors and church leaders consider the purpose, planning, and execution of excellent preaching. He offers detailed descriptions of the sermon planning, writing and preaching process behind one of the fastest growing churches in the United States. He includes numerous personal anecdotes and enough sermon ideas to keep the average pastor busy for years! Finally, after you have read how sermons are planned and prepared at the Church of the Resurrection you can watch the included DVD which features four full-length sermons and other resources to help you apply what you’ve read in the book. If you only buy one book on preaching this year, this is the book you must buy!
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Interpreting The Bible
$18.00Add to cartThis volume provides preaching students and clergy with introductory knowledge of current approaches and methods in biblical studies, familiarity with the questions and aims that pertain to them, and facility with various methods of biblical exegesis. Approaches to biblical interpretation are then examined in light of the questions and concerns that arise specifically in the context of preaching. Methods of biblical interpretation are reviewed and explained in succinct fashion and related directly to the dynamics that give rise to the sermon and shape exegesis for sermon preparation, namely, the preacher’s engagement with the text, the author’s context, and the congregation. This volume enables preachers to approach the biblical text with greater clarity.
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Youth Worship Source Book
$29.99Add to cartUnit Topics
1. Introduction To Worship
2. Opening And Closing Worship
3. Music In Worship
4. Prayer
5. Visuals
6. Scripture
7. Preaching
8. The Body And The Senses
9. Offering
10. The Lord’s SupperAdditional Info
Given a chance, high school youth have a lot of ideas and energy to bring to congregational worship. How can they be encouraged, trained, and involved in worship leading?This book brings education together with hands-on participation. Each of the 10 units introduces one aspect of worship-openings and closings, public prayer, visual art, and others-and offers curriculum modules that not only teach youth about it, but also put it into practice. Each unit includes helpful ideas for times when youth may be in charge of a service or involved in an element of worship.
As a “source book,” this volume is meant to be used in a modular way, allowing you to pick which elements are most relevant to the needs and structure of your group. While written with Mennonite youth in mind, the material can easily be adapted for intergenerational and ecumenical settings as well.
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Pastoral Care Of Alcohol Abusers
$16.00Add to cartOver 120 million American teens and adults use alcohol at one time or another. While in most situations these individuals are able to use it responsibly and with moderation, no one is immune to its destructive use – which makes it a significant public health issue. Many drinkers find that their otherwise responsible use turns problematic and abusive when faced with depression, trauma, grief, undue social pressures, or other tempting and potentially addictive behaviors. Not all of these people become full-fledged alcoholics, but they do develop an alcohol problem that needs careful and sensitive pastoral care to understand the underlying issues for their alcohol abuse. Because of this, clergy and other pastoral counselors need to develop competence in recognizing alcohol abuse problems, including alcoholism, identifying when to make referrals, helping persons to find available community resources, and training congregational members to provide support to affected individuals and families.
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And Still The Hour Shines
$23.95Add to cartAre you tired of going with the flow of the rest of the world? Do you want to stand out from the crowd and be counter-cultural, perhaps even revolutionary? While this may seem to be a tall order to many of us, the blueprints for personal and cultural change have been with us for centuries in the words of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Considered by many to be the most powerful message ever recorded, the Sermon on the Mount flies in the face of much of what our society esteems. In a world that thrives on stress, irreverence, and greed, Jesus describes a life of spiritual contentment, deep piety, and abundant generosity. And Still the Hour Shines… journeys through the Sermon on the Mount, examining everything from the Beatitudes to its teachings on prayer and giving. As Stephen Crotts unearths the simple yet profound messages in this passage, holding these principles up against our current societal standards, he calls us to embark on a different journey, living as examples of hope and goodness for the rest of the world to see. This resource is ideal not just for personal study but also for sermon inspiration and small group study.
And Still the Hour Shines… calls us to shine as beacons of light, guiding a world in darkness to its savior.
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Introduction To Pastoral Counseling
$23.99Add to cartGrounded in empirical research and richly illustrated with case studies, this introduction continues the theoretical, practical, and theological expansion of Pastoral Care and Counseling. Because of increasing cultural diversity and the fact that more training is done outside of seminaries in non-seminary related colleges and universities, there is fragmentation in the discipline. This makes a coherent orientation to pastoral care and counseling as a ministry increasingly difficult. To address this confusion, author, Loren Townsend, calls us to readdress basic understandings. He also makes the case that pastoral identity can function as a unifying concept.
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1 In A Million Bible Study Book (Student/Study Guide)
$23.75Add to cartOne in a Million: Journey to Your Promised Land – Member Book by Priscilla Shirer provides a personal study experience five days a week plus viewer guides for the group video sessions of this discussion-driven women’s Bible study. Priscilla encourages participants to fully engage in the abundant life God has waiting for those who will allow Him to take the lead in daily living. One in a Million is an opportunity for you to experience your deliverance from strongholds, to conquer your wilderness living, and to claim your God-given inheritance.
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Transitional Ministry : A Time Of Opportunity
$24.95Add to cartMulti-denominational look at transitional ministry
Professional resource for local and national judicatory leaders, local congregational leaders, clergy
Transition is the word we use to describe the time following significant change. In congregations, that change might be the departure of the pastor, a catastrophe such as Hurrican Katrina or 9/11, or simply the changes caused by growth. Transition calls for clergy with special training to respond to the needs generated by the special time. “Task, training, and time limit” are the hallmarks of transitional ministry. Trained intentional interim clergy must have the skill and experience to lead congregations during transition.
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Preaching The Atonement
$32.00Add to cartPreaching the Atonement is a unique teaching tool that offers a theological discussion of ten important Bible passages connected with the sacrifices of Christ. It brings historical and literary questions about the text into dialogue with Christian tradition in order to draw out the implications of the passage for preaching the doctrine today. In each chapter, a complete sermon on the passage in question is presented, followed by a commentary that sets the sermon in the context within which it was preached and highlights the strategy of the preacher in the theological interpretation of the text and its incorporation into the rhetoric of the sermon.
Sermons are provided by the authors as well as David Southall, Spurgeon’s College, London, UK; Kent Anderson, Northwest Baptist Seminary, British Columbia, Canada; A. Katherine Grieb, Virginia Theological Seminary; and David Schlafer, Episcopal priest and preaching consultant, Washington, D.C.
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Prayer Book Guide To Christian Education
$36.95Add to cartA Christian educator’s one-volume guide for how to teach week by week according to the ethos and tradition of the Episcopal Church ethos while still connected to experience and faith in daily life. This guide to education and formation is based on the Book of Common Prayer, the cornerstone of Anglican liturgy and theology. Keyed to the Revised Common Lectionary, all activities and lessons are structured on the seasons and lessons for Years A, B, and C. The Guide stresses the major themes of baptismal theology and shows how teachers, parents and children can live the liturgical cycle in its Christian formation ministries at church and at home.
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Deacon Relationships Through The Body Of Christ
$16.99Add to cartBe the leader God intended you to be! Churches often elect deacons and fail to give them the training they need to accomplish their task, assuming that if one is qualified to become a deacon, he doesn’t need training. This assumption has proven injurious both to the individual deacon and to the body of Christ. Dr. Ledbetter is one of the most qualified leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention to assist deacons in becoming the leader God intended them to be. As a pastor, he worked with deacons in four growing churches. Since entering evangelism in January 1984, he has conducted several hundred deacon retreats in both small and large churches across America, in addition to conducting revivals. To be an effective leader, a deacon must have a right relationship with Christ, his family, his church, his pastor, and with himself. This book discusses each of these relationships and provides spiritual insights that will help not only deacons, but every Christian leader to become all God intended them to be.
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Christianity Encountering World Religions
$34.00Add to cartGiven the unique religious climate of the twenty-first century and the challenges to Christian mission it poses, Christianity Encountering World Religions proposes a new, albeit very biblical, model for mission. Specifically, it is a model for interacting with people of other faiths. The authors term this model giftive mission, as it is based on the metaphor of free gift. They suggest that seeing mission activity through the lens of giving the greatest gift possible–the gospel message–not only has the potential for greater missionary success but also enables us to more closely imitate God’s gracious activity in the world.
The book begins by addressing preliminary matters: the current state of religion, the biblical material, and the presuppositions readers bring to the subject. Part 2 explores eleven practices that constitute giftive mission. Each practice is illustrated through the story of a figure from mission history who embodied that practice. Part 3 addresses method: how to apply the eleven practices in specific cultural and religious settings. The concluding section of the book ties all the prior discussion together and presents a compelling case and vision for giftive mission. Mission scholars, students, and practitioners will benefit greatly from this probing study.
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Taking Flight With Creativity
$25.99Add to cartPastors and church leaders in many congregations have attempted to form teams for the purpose of planning, or designing, worship. Getting a group of people together in one room is fairly easy. But whether large or small church, staff or volunteer, most discover that it is difficult to form a team that actually works.
Using the metaphor of early flight, this resource analyzes how to be a part of a worship design team that works. Major sections include discovering a strategic approach to worship, tips for team composition, a look at how to overcome a series of obstacles that frequently keep teams from finding success together, and some of the usual “mechanical difficulties” that keep teams grounded.
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Preaching In The Small Membership Church
$17.99Add to cartStep into the pulpit in a small membership church, and you’ll sometimes find your fair share of challenges, but you’ll almost always find more than your share of blessings as well. Those blessings, and the chance for authentic, life-transforming preaching, are what preaching in the small membership church are all about. Lewis Parks knows those blessings well. For nearly 40 years he has preached in small membership churches and taught others who serve in them. In this book he lays out the distinct roles that preaching in the small membership church calls on us to fill, and offers down-to-earth, substantive guidance on how to be the best preacher you can be in these most numerous, and most important, outposts of Christ’s church.
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Shame And Grace
$14.99Add to cart1. The Heaviness Of Shame
2. The Varieties Of Shame
3. The Sources Of Shame
4. Grace And The Healing Of Our Shame
5. The Lightness Of GraceAdditional Info
Recognizing and remedying the undeserved shame that burdens our spirit and crushes our joy-from the author of Forgive and Forget.If you persistently feel you don’t measure up, you are feeling shame-that “vague, undefined heaviness that presses on our spirit, dampens our gratitude for the goodness of life,” and diminishes our joy. The good news is that shame can be healed.
With warmth and wit, Lewis B. Smedes examines why and how we feel shame, and presents a profound, spiritual plan for healing. Step by step, Smedes outlines the road to well-being and the peace that comes from knowing we are accepted by “the grace of One whose acceptance of us matters most.”
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Redesigning Worship : Creating Powerful God Experiences
$20.99Add to cartPlanning a worship service is far more than just choosing songs and seasonal images. Helping people to genuinely worship God requires creating an experience through which people can enter into the presence of the divine. Discover strategic insights for creating and integrating powerful God-experiences into your own setting. Discover how a real-life worship team interacts, champions creativity and creates powerful God-experiences, one week at a time. This descriptive book offers practical direction for building and leading teams, empowering creative ideas, and guidance for handling conflict and overcoming serious obstacles.
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When Do I Cry Wolf
$13.49Add to cartMany churches have found themselves on the brink of a great breakthrough for God only to have everything torn apart and victory snatched away. Doubts and questions may plague church leaders’ minds concerning what happened to their church. The answer may be that the church has been ravaged by a wolf. Just what is a wolf in the church? How can a wolf in sheep’s clothing be identified? How is a leader to deal with a wolf? Tackling these questions in a straightforward manner, When Do I Cry Wolf? is a book designed to uncover the deception and work of the enemy within the church. It gives valuable tools and insights for dealing with this problem without creating an air of paranoia and confusion. Sound scriptural advice and encouragement give much needed answers that will aid those called to guard God’s “sheep.”
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Footprints Of The Future
$10.99Add to cartYoung people today are experiencing overwhelming feelings of loneliness and rejection. They need to understand that the Savior, Jesus Christ, understands their emotions. He is our High Priest who “can” be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; and that He, like us, was tempted, but He was without sin. This generation faces unique pressures and difficulties. Dr. Proctor helps address these issues with insightful and spiritual advice. In Footprints of the Future: A Youth Journal, Dr. Proctor provides both practical and spiritual answers to pertinent issues facing this generation. These issues include: Anger Attitude Bitterness Forgiving Others Obedience Prayer This book is a must-read for every young person because at some point in their lives, they will confront these emotions. Dr. Proctor has written a book that is very easy to read and he has included ready references and space for journaling.
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More Power In The Pulpit
$28.00Add to cartIn this companion and sequel to the best-selling Power in the Pulpit (Westminster John Knox, 2002), which has sold over 11,000 copies, more of Americas best-known and most influential African American preachers describe how they prepare their sermons. Each preacher also presents a sermon that highlights his or her particular method of sermon preparation.
Contributors to this volume include: Willette Alyce Burgie-Bryant, William S. Epps, C. E. McLain, Otis Moss Jr., Otis Moss III, Veronica R. Goines, Cynthia L. Hale, Melvin V. Wade Sr., Raquel A. St. Clair, and Walter S. Thomas Sr.
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Feasting On The Word Year B 4
$55.00Add to cartSeason after Pentecost 2 (Propers 17-Reign of Christ) With this popular new lectionary commentary series, Westminster John Knox Press offers one of the most extensive resources for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes of the series will cover all the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints Day.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. They might focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text, or they might explore connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays for each one. Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time.
In Ordinary Time, the Old Testament lections in Feasting on the Word are from the complementary stream for Year A, split between the complementary and semicontinuous streams for Year B, and from the semicontinuous stream for Year C. Essays on the alternate lections will be available on the Feasting on the Word web site beginning for Year C in May 2010.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. They might focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text, or they might explore connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays for each one. Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time.
In Ordinary Time, the Old Testament lections in Feasting on the Word are from the complementary stream for Year A, split between the complementary and semicontinuous streams for Year B, and from the semicontinuous stream for Year C.
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7 Deadly Spirits
$25.00Add to cartT. Scott Daniels, pastor of a Los Angeles megachurch, contends that corporate bodies like churches form an individual spiritual personality of sorts. Cultural influences can impact the collective spirit or attitude of a congregation, either hindering it from becoming all God intends it to be or setting it free to glorify God.
In this practical work, Daniels examines the nature of the seven representative “angels” of the churches addressed in Revelation to show how congregations can escape the principalities and powers that hold them captive. The book encourages working pastors, church leaders, and ministry students to consider a systems approach to church leadership–one that takes seriously the powers at work within local congregations–and offers suggestions for transformation.
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Agorafobia – (Spanish)
$13.99Add to cartFollowing the theme of the book The Emerging Generation, Junior Zapata describes what he considers to be the condition of many Christians in Latin America concerning daily personal evangelism, and talks about how the Christian church should lose its fear of the world and how to approach the “pre-believer” culture, as he calls it.
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Leaders Who Last
$23.95Add to cartIs helping others overrated? Is ministry a recipe for burnout? How can pastors last the course? Author and pastor Margaret Marcuson introduces the notion of “sustainable ministry,” which trains and empowers pastors to focus on their inner resources for proactive leadership, instead of trying harder to help, fix or change others.
Leaders Who Last draws upon the author’s own pastoral experience and leadership, plus a significant analysis of leadership in both families and churches over generations. Interviews with current church leaders punctuate chapters on stress, spiritual practice, church triangles, relationships, selfawareness, money, and creating a climate where true change can take place.
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Preaching From Memory To Hope
$27.00Add to cartIn this compelling and hard-hitting book, respected preacher and teacher Tom Long identifies and responds to the most substantive theological forces and challenges facing preaching today. The issues, he says, are fourfold: the decline in the quality of narrative preaching and the need for its reinvigoration; the tendency of preachers to ignore Gods action and presence in our midst; the return of the churchs old nemesis, Gnosticism, evidenced in todays new spirituality; and the absence of eschatology in the pulpit.
Long once again has his finger on the pulse of American preaching, demonstrated by his creative responses to these challenges. Whether he is calling for theologically smarter and more ethically discerning preaching, providing a method of interpretation that will allow pastors to recover the emphasis on God in our midst, or encouraging a kind of interfaith dialogue with gnosticism, he demonstrates why he has long been considered one of the most thoughtful and intelligent preachers in America today.
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Missional Renaissance : Changing The Scorecard For The Church
$28.00Add to cartReggie McNeal’s bestseller The Present Future is the definitive work on the “missional movement,” i.e., the widespread movement among Protestant churches to be less inwardly focused and more oriented toward the culture and community around them. In that book he asked the tough questions that churches needed to entertain to begin to think about who they are and what they are doing; in Missional Renaissance, he shows them the three significant shifts in their thinking and behavior that they need to make that will allow leaders to chart a course toward being missional: (1) from an internal to an external focus, ending the church as exclusive social club model; (2) from running programs and ministries to developing people as its core activity; and (3) from professional leadership to leadership that is shared by everyone in the community. With in-depth discussions of the “what” and the “how” of transitioning to being a missional church, readers will be equipped to move into what McNeal sees as the most viable future for Christianity. For all those thousands of churches who are asking about what to do next after reading The Present Future, Missional Renaissance will provide the answer.
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Truth Be Told
$16.49Add to cartIt is time for the church to be established in what the apostle Peter called “present truth”. Only then can the church bring forth the faithful and true witness that will turn the world toward Christ. Open the pages of this book and be ready for a spiritual explosion that will transform your heart and mind.
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Best Advice : Wisdom On Ministry From 30 Leading Pastors And Preachers
$30.00Add to cartThis book gathers a diverse group of leading pastors and preachers and asks them: What is your best advice to colleagues in ministry about preaching and being a pastor? The responses are full of wisdom and practical advice, illuminating and helpful for all who are pastors and preachers.
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Pastoral Care In Times Of Death And Dying
$13.99Add to cartCounseling someone who is dying or consoling a family who has suffered a death is one of the hardest parts of ministry. In times like these it’s important for pastors to know what to say and how best to offer their support.
Pastoral Care in Times of Death and Dying is a practical guide that offers step-by-step direction and solid advice for handling the difficult responsibility of ministering to others in situations surrounding death. From visiting and shepherding the terminally ill to overseeing funeral arrangements and comforting grieving families, Danny Goddard helps pastors, chaplains, and lay leaders understand their roles and bereavement responsibilities so they ll know the best way to offer compassion, love, and support to those who need it most.
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Strategic Leadership For A Change
$29.00Add to cartMany congregations are experiencing significant change both within and beyond their walls, and both members and leaders feel a sense of loss in the midst of these changes. In the midst of change, loss, and grief, congregations yearn for leadership-typically with differing expectations of what constitutes effective leadership in response to their needs, hopes, and priorities. At the same time, congregations resist leadership. After all, leadership assumes those who follow will be open to more change.
Strategic Leadership for a Change provides congregational leaders with new insights and tools for understanding the relationships among change, attachment, loss, and grief. It also helps to facilitate the process of grieving, comprehend the centrality of vision, and demonstrate theological reflection in the midst of change, loss, grief, and attaching anew. All this occurs as the congregation aligns its vision with God’s and understands processes of change as processes of fulfillment.
Drawing on attachment theory, leadership studies, and biblical and theological resources, McFayden’s work is invaluable for leaders whose congregations face change, experience loss, wonder about their future, and yearn for leadership.
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Write Stuff : Crafting Sermons That Capture And Convince
$28.00Add to cartIn this book, gifted preacher Sondra Willobee shows how to enliven sermons by using the techniques of great writers. With clarity and wit, Willobee explores the joyful process of crafting effective sermons. The book includes three sections: (1) hook, how good sermons begin with something that grabs listeners attention; (2) book, how to shape a sermon with narrative pulse and ascending emotional intensity so that listeners experience the gospel; and (3) stone, how good sermons use specific, concrete language. By explaining these techniques, offering many examples, and reflecting on her own successes and failures, Willobee has provided a resource that will rekindle the creativity of experienced preachers and help new preachers develop their own compelling voices.
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Tony Evans Book Of Illustrations
$19.99Add to cartPicture this: it’s Saturday afternoon and you’re putting the finishing touches on tomorrow’s sermon. You’ve been thinking, researching, and praying about this message all week, and, thankfully, feel pretty prepared. That is, except for one small detail-you aren’t sure how to begin. For over thirty years, Tony has been connecting to audiences around the world. Now his tools are available for you. Don’t leave your listeners to connect the dots. Let Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations help you illustrate your point in a way they can’t forget.
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Pastor Pacificador – (Spanish)
$14.99Add to cartThoroughly exploring the theology of reconciliation, Poirier adds lessons from personal experience and lists practical steps for effective mediation. With this comprehensive guide, you can embrace peacemaking confidently as a way to glorify God through the overcoming power of the gospel. And, as Jesus promised all peacemakers, you will be blessed.
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Strategic Disciple Making
$18.00Add to cartFor many people, church is there to meet their needs–with programs designed with them in mind. Strategic Disciple Making teaches these churchgoers to develop a servant’s heart. Readers will discover that they control the destiny of their church. If they seek personal contentment, they must grow as disciples, and church expert Aubrey Malphurs explains the true meaning of the word.
This refreshing resource offers a radical “how-to” for renewing faltering faith. It is perfect for burned-out ministers and downcast church leaders who want a more authentic discipleship experience.
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Sustainable Youth Ministry
$22.00Add to cartOne of the big problems in youth ministry is the constant turnover of youth ministers. Mark DeVries addresses the problem with a systematic answer: churches need to take corporate responsibility for establishing a vision and structure for effective ministry, rather than leaving it all up to the youth minister.
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Chasing Chariots
$10.95Add to cartBecause the New Testament speaks directly to us as Christians, it can be tempting to focus more of our attention there at the expense of the Old Testament. However, the Hebrew scriptures still have relevance even for 21st-century Christians. Chasing Chariots is an exploration of 11 scripture passages featuring the chariot, an ancient symbol of power and strength. In each account, K. D. Weaver draws out ancient wisdom that still speak to our contemporary lives concerning faith, judgment, healing, and destiny.
Some of the lessons included in this collection are:
Deal with Change
Execute Your Exodus
Seize What God Has for You
Mature in ChristThis collection is perfect for sermon inspiration, small group Bible study, or personal reflection. Each of the accounts explored in Chasing Chariots fosters spiritual maturity and draws us closer to the God of both the Old and New Testaments.
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Courage To Carry On
$8.95Add to cartUsing the Hebrew scriptures and the book of Acts as a guide, David Webb journeys through the First Readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Lent and Easter seasons. The Courage to Carry On not only draws people into a deeper appreciation and understanding of the meaning of Lent and Easter, it also offers insight into living the Christian life in today’s world. Ideal for sermon inspiration and preparation as well as small group Bible study and personal reflection and meditation, The Courage to Carry On is a valuable addition to any library.
Some of the sermons included in this collection are:
* Relentless Grace
* A Precious Gift
* Salvation Is Coming
* The Church’s DNA
* Confident Faith -
Preparing For Ministry
$24.99Add to cartMost seminaries now require their students to get real world training by way of supervised theological field education. This volume presents the wide array of issues that must be understood in order to integrate theological education and practical ministry, including the importance of theological field education, its purpose and challenges, the need for flexibility in meeting different students’ needs, and the resources available to create a meaningful and educational experience.
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40 Dias Con Proposito Guia De (Student/Study Guide) – (Spanish) (Student/Study G
$12.99Add to carthe Purpose Driven Life DVD Study Guide is a six-week, video-based small group study of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren-the book Publishers Weekly declared the “bestselling nonfiction hardback in history.”
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Fly In The Ointment
$25.95Add to cartAn ecumenical resource that helps churches and church leaders begin to think about how to transform themselves into vital, flourishing organizations-transformation that requires deep, systemic change on the part of the bodies that are meant to help congregations live into their mission in the world.
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Together And Apart
$20.95Add to cartIn an easy, conversational style, the author, a nun for over 40 years, gives readers the facts and fictions of the monastic life: how the choice is made; what lies behind the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; the nuts and bolts of monastic calling; what monks and nuns do all day; how they support themselves; and why they live as they do. Brushing away the stereotypes of sainthood, she provides an enlightening glimpse into a vibrant female subculture that is richly diverse, faith-filled, and often supremely rewarding.
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Downtime : Helping Teenagers To Pray
$24.99Add to cartA practical book for youth ministers, pastors, parents, and teachers who want to teach prayer to teenagers. The book will be written in short, meditative chapters that provide readers with the appropriate history, theology, pedagogy, and examples for introducing teens to the life of prayer.
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Aqua Church 2.0 (Revised)
$14.99Add to cartWe live in a fast-paced, fluid world. A postmodern place where people are drifting, making mid-course corrections in every aspect of life, from careers, to relationships, to beliefs.
Church leaders must continually reshape their ministries to reach a society adrift. They must move from being adaptive to being proactive, remaining flexible while delivering an uncompromising message.
AquaChurch is a guide for developing responsive and relevant church leadership. Fusing biblical wisdom and modern-day insights, acclaimed author Leonard Sweet explores the essentials of leadership arts, including vision, creativity, and teamwork. Thus updated and revised edition will enable ministries to navigate today’s cultural currents, provide a beacon to their community, and connect with a postmodern world.
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Planting Churches That Reproduce
$15.95Add to cartThe goal of Planting Churches that Reproduce Starting a Network of Simple Churches is to simplify the church planting process in order to start a network of simple, reproducing churches. This book will give invaluable information to those contemplating church planting or in the process of planting a church. Comiskey has been gathering material for this book for the past ten years. He has also planted three churches in a wide variety of settings. Planting Churches that Reproduce is the fruit of his research and personal experience. Comiskey uses the latest North American church planting statistics, but also extends the illustrations to include worldwide church planting. In the first section, Comiskey lays out the Biblical basis for church planting, including the all important question what is the church? In order to understand how to plant a network of reproducing churches, its essential to know how the New Testament defines Christs church (and the New Testament definition is a simple one). Paul the apostle was the first centurys model church planter and arguably the most effective church planter the world has ever known. The book goes into detail about how Paul planted churches and the important lessons that we can apply twenty centuries later. The book then moves from the Biblical basis to the contemporary scene. Comiskey answers the question of how in todays complicated society we can plant churches that reproduce and even start a network of simple churches. The book shows statistically why church planting is absolutely essential to keep up with the population growth. Many statistics are noted to demonstrate the grave need for continual church planting today. Then Comiskey tackles the question of the modern day church planter. What makes a modern day church planter successful? What are the key characteristics that todays church planters need to successfully plant a church in the 21st century? Comiskey provides indepth information from recent studies about the character qualities necessary to plant a church. Comiskey provides helpful information on church planting barriers. These barriers come from the fieldboth from those who have planted churches andor those who are currently doing so. The book reveals what church planters would do differently if they could do it over again. This information will help future church planters avoid similar mistakes. The second section goes into detail about the three main church planting strategies the celebrat
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Trekking Toward Wholeness
$35.00Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Stephen Greggo presents a resource for trained leaders of ministry care groups in a variety of church-related contexts. Its purpose is to assist group leaders in facilitating the development of healing, transforming relationships in the group setting.
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Sabbath In The City
$24.00Add to cartDrawing on their research involving urban pastors from across the United States, Bryan Stone and Claire Wolfteich identify and examine spiritual practices that foster excellence in urban ministry. After discussing the specific challenges facing urban pastors and presenting the kinds of excellence required of them, Stone and Wolfteich explore several practices that help sustain ministers working in urban contexts, such as cultivating holy friendships, practicing Sabbath, maintaining lives of prayer and study, and setting appropriate boundaries. Throughout, the authors weave together stories from urban pastors from a variety of denominations with insights from the history of Christian spirituality and theology to chart a theological course for the formation and renewal of pastors in diverse contemporary contexts.
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Sticky Church
$18.99Add to cartThe greatest challenge facing most churches today isn’t getting people through the front door-it’s keeping them from leaving through the back door. In his new book, Larry Osborne reveals what it takes to cultivate a “sticky” church and reveals the strategy of sermon-based small groups to retain members while leading your church into even deeper levels of discipleship.
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1001 Illustrations That Connect
$32.99Add to cartHere are 1001 of the best illustrations assembled by the editors of Christianity Today’s PreachingToday.com. They’re contemporary, proven, memorable, and illuminating-these illustrations will preach! Furthermore, they’re carefully arranged and indexed so it’s easy to find the right one. An included CD-ROM makes getting the illustration into your sermon or lesson a breeze.
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Spiritual Direction : A Practical Introduction
$36.99Add to cartSpiritual direction has been an intrinsic part of the Christian tradition since the earliest days of the church when desert mothers and fathers were sought out for their wisdom and guidance. Today, the popularity of retreats and renewed interest in monastic spirituality has put spiritual direction in the spotlight. It is shedding its rather exotic, mystical associations and is increasingly regarded as a core component of Christian ministry. This guide aims to equip clergy and laity engaged in this task, or in training for it. It includes, Part One: What is spiritual direction? This is an exploration of biblical, historical and contemporary models of spiritual direction. What makes a good spiritual director? Part Two covers listening and responding to God, prayer, paying attention, discernment, interpreting religious experience, recognising God in the every day, journalling, and holy leisure. Part Three covers listening and responding to others, listening to stories and experience, looking for signs of grace, pain
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Transforming Disciples
$26.95Add to cartMaking disciples through Christian formation too often looks like a limited number of educational programs offered to child, teen, and adult “consumers” who move on if they don’t find what they want. How can we make the transition from consumer religion to participatory faith by building congregational relationships that nourish people spiritually and empower them to risk living, worshipping, learning, and serving God and each other in new and enlivening ways?
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Unbinding The Gospel (Revised)
$20.99Add to cartPart One:
1. Breaking The Curse
2. Why Do Evangelism?
3. If You Don’t Like Statistics, Skip This Chapter!Part Two:
4. Unbinding The Gospel: Three Stories Of Victory
5. Real Life
6. What New Members Want – Transformed LivesPart Three:
7. How’s Your Church Doing? Bandwidths, Barriers And Bridges
8. The Holy And The Practical: Who Does What?
9. Smart Sailing: Navigating Through Growing Pains, Conflict And Distractions
10. Getting StartedPart Four:
Your 40-Day Prayer Journal
Afterword By Brian McLaren
Works CitedAdditional Info
After the transformation of thousands of congregations, your could be next! The Unbinding the Gospel Series presents the most effective way to help mainline churches want to do evangelism.After quickly becoming one of the top-selling religious books in the U.S., Unbinding the Gospel expanded into the creation of two more books – Unbinding Your Heart and Unbinding Your Church. Together, the three books give churches a yearlong, intensive faith and faith-sharing experience.
Start by having your church leaders read Gospel, and work up to an all-church saturation study with Heart. Church will be used along the way to help guide your leaders through it all.
The new 2nd edition of Gospel now includes an all-new, 40-day personal prayer journal!
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Skys The Limit
$12.95Add to cartDo you have the desire to create or expand your church s ministry to children, but don t know where to start? The Sky s the Limit offers valuable insight into how to create a kids club in your church where children can not only have fun, but also learn more about God and grow in their Christian faith. Although the idea of starting a children s ministry may seem overwhelming, The Sky s the Limit takes you step by step through the process to ensure a smooth transition for both children and teachers. Drawing from her own experience, Kathy DeGraw guides ministry leaders in every aspect of the creation of a kids club — from assembling a ministry team to choosing snack ideas to creating fun activities, and so on. According to DeGraw, having a kids club can be a powerful evangelistic outreach, because by reaching out to the children in your community, you are also reaching out to their entire families, drawing them not only into your church, but into a relationship with God. In taking this first step to establishing a children s ministry in your church, the sky truly is the limit on the impact you can have in your community!
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Scenes Of Glory
$22.95Add to cartJesus was a master storyteller. He could weave timeless, eternal truths into the seemingly simplest of stories. His tales not only disarmed his listeners, but they also imparted powerful insights into the nature of God in familiar terms.
In this same spirit, Scenes of Gloryis a collection of story sermons that communicate the truth of God’s word through familiar images like a vacation drive, two friends sitting under an apple tree, or football season. While each of the stories may take the reader into familiar territory, they may also offer a view of the gospel in a rather unfamiliar and thought-provoking way.Complete with study questions at the end of each chapter, this resource is great for personal Bible study and devotion as well as group studies. It is also valuable for pastors needing either sermon inspiration or simply an alternate view of a particular biblical text.
Our life is a series of stories. Scenes of Gloryis an enriching addition to anyone’s personal story.
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Fireproof Your Marriage Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$8.95Add to cartFireproof Your Marriage will challenge you to love better, love first and love for a lifetime. This six-week study is founded on Biblical principles for strong, God-centered, lifelong marriages. The Fireproof Your Marriage study integrates movie clips from FIREPROOF, along with key Scriptures, thought-provoking questions and devotionals, including concepts from The Love Dare book. For use with the Fireproof Your Marriage Leader’s Kit or Couple’s Kit. Great for small groups or sunday school class. Fireproof Your Marriage includes these six sessions:
He Said/She Said: appreciating the God-designed differences between men and women. He First Loved Us: God’s love for you and how it enables you to love others.
Love for a Lifetime: marriage as a lifelong covenant.
Breaking Free: freeing yourself from temptations that can destroy a marriage.
Forgiveness: offering and receiving forgiveness.
A Better Way of Loving: unconditional love -
Celebrations : All Age Worship
$24.99Add to cartThis book is a ready to use resource for all age worship services on the theme of celebrations. Using a wide range of innovative teaching activities, users will be able to simply and easily put on family services. It includes drama, poetry,prayers, activity
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Aging And Ministry In The 21 Century
$13.00Add to cartAging faithfully is a blessing and a challenge and Richard Gentzler is an expert on the subject. In his newest book on aging, Gentzler offers church leaders a structured approach to implementing strong ministries by, with, and for older adults. In addition to the practical issues of programming, the book takes on more difficult topics of aging including chronic conditions, depression, and death. He also recommends that churches pay special attention to the needs of the boomer generation, since they are now becoming the older adults who will determine the church’s path for years to come.
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Sharper Than A Two Edged Sword
$19.99Add to cartKeen insight for preaching and teaching Scripture are to be found in these pages. Several respected scholars here discuss how to read and live the Bible theologically in our contemporary context. Editors Michael Root and James Buckley maintain that these essays, though varied, share at least three assumptions: (1) The word of God (not necessarily human preaching and teaching) is “sharper than any two-edged sword.” (2) Preaching, teaching, and living the Bible are firmly yet delicately intertwined in the communion of saints. (3) There are distinctive ministries of preaching and teaching in the church as well as other liturgical and diaconal ministries. With its complementary reflections from theologians, exegetes, and preachers, Sharper Than a Two-Edged Sword will appeal to any clergy or laypeople who find themselves uncertain about how to relevantly preach, teach, and live the Bible today.
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Como Participar En La Liturgia – (Spanish)
$11.95Add to cartExcellent resource for Latino families entering the Episcopal Church
Endorsed by the Episcopal Church’s national Office of Latino-Hispanic MinistriesThrough the interactive games and puzzles in this fun-filled activity book, children can grow to a deeper understanding of Anglican worship life.
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Unlearning Church
$20.99Add to cartHow many things does your church do just because that’s the way it’s always been done? Does your congregation value tradition over passion and stability over creativity? If so, it’s time to unLearn. Leading congregations into a dynamic and prophetic future requires unLearning what you thought you knew about the church, leadership, and life. Pastor Michael Slaughter casts a vision for innovative and authentic congregations, and for the kind of leadership that can bring congregations to greater vitality and impact in today’s postmodern culture. Readers will be challenged to gaze boldly beyond franchised church models to a dynamic embodiment of God’s unique vision for each leader and each congregation. UnLearning congregations embrace new media and cultural trends, value transformation over information, and create a safe space for the tough and unanswerable questions of life. These are churches that lovingly dare to shoulder spiritual and prophetic leadership in our rapidly changing culture, re-articulating God’s ancient purposes to create high-tech, high-touch environments in which people can become radical followers of Jesus Christ.
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Preaching The Gospel Of Mark
$44.00Add to cartIn this engaging treatment of the Gospel of Mark, Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm combines biblical scholarship with a close reading of the Gospel text to meet the needs of preachers today. Swift and purposeful, the Gospel of Mark proclaims Gods reign and urges the participation of all Gods people in the witness of the good news that God has transformed human reality through Jesus Christ. This insightful commentary helps that message come alive while providing pertinent suggestions about how preachers can proclaim this message to todays churchgoers.
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Collected Sermons Of William Sloan Coffin 2
$56.00Add to cartComprised of the sermons preached by William Sloane Coffin while he was senior minister at the prestigious Riverside Church in New York City (1977-1987), these two volumes capture the renowned preacher and social activist at work: ministering to American hostages in Iran, supporting AIDS awareness in the early years of the epidemic, rallying his audiences to battle poverty and fight for nuclear disarmament, celebrating marriages and baptisms, and mourning the loss of loved ones, including his own son, Alex. Every sermon constitutes a powerful reminder of his legacy-challenging the conscience of a nation.
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Dog Training Fly Fishing And Sharing Christ In The 21st Century
$18.99Add to cartTed Haggard presents a successful and tested model for a small group ministry here that can be implemented by a church of any size. By enabling members to embrace and capitalize on their own unique abilities, the diverse groups create an environment where people meet mentors that can disciple and guide them. This need-and interest based approach redefines the model for powerful church growth.
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Unlocking Gods Freeing Truth About Women
$19.49Add to cartThe original language wording of the Bible is wonderfully liberating for women, and Dr. Rocco brings to light what many have not heard. This book explains strong evidence for women in ministry roles. It untangles difficult passages pertaining to church and home life. Topics include: Elders Marriage Deacons Usage of “Head” Governing Authorities Unexpected Feminine Language Masculine Language Prohibitions about Speaking/Teaching Dr. Rocco is an adjunct professor in Biblical languages at Evangel Theological Seminary and serves on a church ministry team. The author has read through the entire Bible over 50 times in various translations and languages. Doctor of Ministry Master of Divinity Biblical Studies Diploma
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Experiencing The Truth
$22.50Add to cartCommunicates the need of a vibrant, experiential, Reformed Christianity among African-American and all believers.
The authors lay out the biblical basis for choosing and attending a church and demonstrate how the historic Reformed expression has been the most biblically accurate and experientially consistent expression of Christianity.
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Preaching The Story That Shapes Us
$19.99Add to cartForeword
Introduction
Part 1: The Theology And Narrative Of Biography:
The Calling And The Called
1. Before I Had A Thumb To Suck
2. The Love Of The Game
3. The Call
4. Spoking It
5. A Vulnerable God
6. Fleas In The Parsonage
7. IWish She’d Learn To Cuss
Part 2: The Bible: Where The Words Come From . . .
and What They Do
8. God Speaks
9. The Written Word
10. Reading . . . Or Being Read?
11. Hearing
12. Tribute To A Friend And Mentor
13. Theological Assumptions
Part 3: Getting Ready To Preach
14. Sensing And Attending
15. Inquisitiveness
16. Looking For Trouble
17. AWorld Of Images And Experiences
18. Pausing To Let The Text Do Me Good
19. Don Wardlaw Again
20. Consulting With The Scholars
21. Exegeting The Congregation
Excursus 1: On A Corporate Vs. Individual Theology Of Worship-
Invitation To The Dance
Excursus 2: On The Use Of Power-Siding With Power
22. The Shape Of The Sermon
23. Public Speaking For Pastors
24. Top 10 Don’ts
25. The Worship Plot
Part 4: Anthology Of Sermons
New Eyes-Luke 24:13-35
Touched-Luke 4:14-30
Seeing Past The Labels-Luke 7:36-50
Hollow Laughter, Holy Tears-Luke 6:17-26
Divine Backing-Luke 9:28-43
God’s Blog-Jeremiah 31:31-34
Neb’s Nightmare-Daniel 4
Deep In Our Bones-Exodus 2:1-25
Eternal Optimism-Romans 8:18-30
You Can’t Hide Family Resemblance-1 John 3:4-10
Enemies-Psalm 109
Dirty Hands, Pure Hearts-Matthew 5:8
Notes
BibliographyAdditional Info
In our world, stories matter. Methods and systems are beneficial because they provide structure and help keep us on the right road; but the motivation and courage to keep walking the road, come from the stories we hear and see and experience-stories that inspire hope and bring us face-to-face with God.For ministers, the call to preach is a call into a story that forms and shapes us. It’s about stumbling into revelation as life unwinds and scripture unfolds. It’s about listening to God’s voice and then sharing it with others. It’s about recognizing that when people gather to hear a sermon, God speaks. And it’s about understanding that when He speaks, He speaks through you.
Preaching the Story That Shapes Us is more than a textbook on preaching. It’s an empowering call for preachers to present a picture of the kingdom of God already at work among us, recognizing that the work of preaching is not just about arranging words-it’s about people. With elegant prose and crafted reason, Dan Boone weaves together scripture, personal narrative, structure, and theological reflection to provide a satisfying, efficient guide to narrative preaching. From exploring the importance of biography to walking readers through creative processes that shape the sermon, Boone shows preachers how to awaken lives and share the stories of God that reveal who we are and lead us to who we will be.
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From Midterms To Ministry
$35.99Add to cartIn this collection of essays, a seasoned group of ministers, scholars, and theological educators share reflections, born out of personal experience, on the transition from seminarian to minister. All the authors have worked with two assumptions. First, they acknowledge that the school experience, though related, is a different world from the ministry setting. Secondly, they point out that while these arenas share things in common they also differ in significant ways. The contributors speak in a very personal way to the ways these worlds operate under dissimilar sets of expectations and values, with different cultures and ways of life, and also with their own set of distinct challenges, objective, rewards, and focal points. Honest and full of wisdom, Midterms to Ministry will help students and ministers find help to travel on their own vocational path. Contributors: Wallace M. Alston, Ray S. Anderson, M. Craig Barnes, Elizabeth F. Caldwell, Allan Hugh Cole Jr., Pamela D. Couture, Kathy Dawson, Carrie Doehring, Michael Jinkins, L. Gregory Jones, Susan Pendleton Jones, James F. Kay, Cleophus J. LaRue, Thomas G. Long, Loren B. Mead, Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, Earl F. Palmer, Stephanie Paulsell, Anthony B. Robinson, Carol L. Schnabel Schweitzer, Theodore J. Wardlaw, Traci C. West, William H. Willamon, J. Philip Wogaman, Karen Marie Yust
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10 Minute Talks
$24.99Add to cartYouth ministry regularly calls for moments where the “short talk” is the perfect solution. No three points and a poem, no long fancy outlines, just a ten minute talk that tells one point loud and clear through a powerful story. When you’ve only got ten minutes to make your point, give em’ something that they’ll remember.
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Feasting On The Word Year B 1
$55.00Add to cartThis new lectionary commentary series offers the most extensive resource for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes will cover all of the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with moveable occasions such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints Day.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays on the exegetical, theological, pastoral, and homiletical challenges of the text, with freedom to begin where they choose. They may decide to focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text. Or they may decide to look for connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays on each one.
Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time.
While the twelve volumes of the series will follow the pattern of the Revised Common Lectionary, each volume will contain an index of biblical passages so that non-lectionary preachers may make use of its contents.
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Renewing The Face Of The Earth
$21.00Add to cartThis important and timely study provides a much needed theological framework for considering and responding to the challenges of climate change. In a highly readable and clear style, it explores the spiritual questions being opened up by this issue: questions about human life and destiny, about our relationship to the planet and to each other, about altruism and selfishness, about the place of technology, about justice, our values and hopes. A practical exploration of these questions is set in the context of the biblical notions of covenant – God’s commitment to creation which David Atkinson sees as the ‘inner meaning’ of creation, and sabbath – regular times of rest and replenishment for humans and for the earth itself. Seeing climate changes in the light of these biblical concepts reveals a strong moral imperative to act in ways that are help to bring about the New Testament hope that the whole of creation will one day be renewed in Christ.
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Tough Calls : Game Winning Principles For Leaders Under Pressure
$16.99Add to cartIn Tough Calls, pastor and high school football official Travis Collins offers encouragement and inspiration to Christian leaders. Travis selects famous and infamous moments from sports history to bring to life key principles of spiritual leadership. Written for both men and women, this easy-to-read book mixes stories and quotes from the sports world together with biblical wisdom and input from leadership experts to encourage and challenge all Christian leaders. The book addresses many crucial issues of spiritual leadership including: taking risks, maintaining poise under pressure, handling conflict, dealing with criticism, managing an organization through change, and confronting disruptive people. Written for Christians in any profession, Tough Calls includes a special word to pastors at the end of each chapter. Taking into account the unique challenges pastors face, these bonus sections will help ministers refocus and recharge. Tough Calls will be an invaluable resource for any Christian who must regularly make difficult decisions.
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Loves Pure Light
$8.95Add to cartLight is an integral symbol in the Christian faith, especially during Christmas. The light of a single candle can disperse the deepest darkness, bringing warmth, comfort, and illumination. The soft, warm candlelight at a Christmas Eve service creates an atmosphere of worship and reverence as congregations celebrate the arrival of the Light of the world.
Love’s Pure Light is a collection of insightful Christmas sermons delivered at Susquehanna University between 1997 and 2006. This book offers pastors a valuable source of inspiration for Christmas sermon preparation. Love’s Pure Light also includes an order of service, providing congregations with a complete Christmas candlelight worship experience.
Love’s Pure Light will be a welcome addition to congregations of any size, aiding them in perceiving the power of the Light of Christmas in a deeper and more dynamic way. -
Words Fitly Spoken
$11.95Add to cartFor every minister, from the time they step out of the seminary doors to the last time they step behind the pulpit, preaching the word can be one of the most daunting tasks they face on a week-to-week basis. What can I say that has not already been said? How can I make the scriptures come alive in the minds of my congregation? How can I relate events that happened thousands of years ago to what my congregation faces in their daily lives?
Illuminated by the scriptures themselves, Words Fitly Spoken explores in-depth the nuances of the homiletic craft. From the proper use of hyperbole and imagery to methods for how to elaborate imaginatively on the scriptures, this is a comprehensive resource for pastors struggling with delivering effective sermons. Sample sermons are included with each chapter, showing how each method can be applied in a typical Sunday morning service.
Every pastor is charged with speaking words of life to his or her congregation. Words Fitly Spoken is a beneficial tool to help pastors of all denominations to more powerfully deliver the wonderful, life-changing message of the gospel.
David von Schlichten is the pastor of St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church in Youngstown, Pennsylvania. He is currently an adjunct lecturer in history at St. Vincent College (Latrobe, Pennsylvania) as well as the book review editor for Lutheran Partners magazine. He was educated at Drew University (Madison, New Jersey) (B.A.), Kutztown University (Kutztown, Pennsylvania) (M.A.), Lutheran Theological Seminary (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) (M.Div.), and Lutheran Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) (D.Min.). -
Maintaining Balance When Winds Of Doctrine Blow
$16.99Add to cartIn nearly 40 years of ministry, Pastor Iverson has seen many a church “shipwrecked” due to divergent doctrines. Now he helps you discern the signs of trouble—and the truth of the gospel—so that you can stay on God’s course for the church. Gain a balanced perspective on doctrine, and maintain stability in the Body
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Knowing The Context
$18.00Add to cartWhile everyone might affirm that preaching needs to engage its listeners deeply, the initial move for novice preachers is to think this can be attained by livelier content and delivery of the sermon. All too quickly, however, one learns that there are many factors beyond what a preacher says and how she or he may say it that affect whether proclamation can actually be heard. Effective preaching requires the complex work of knowing the context in which preaching occurs, while avoiding the twin dangers of pandering to a situation’s particulars or generalizing them into stereotypes. Knowing the Context reveals how to engage contexts for preaching, especially ways to examine contexts more responsibly, so that the sermon might more amply bring the word of Scripture to bear on the worlds and lives of listeners.
In one of the initial titles in the Elements of Preaching series, James Nieman shows how preaching is oriented to specific locales, cultural situations, audiences, and occasions. Unlike other books that tell preachers how to preach to specific audiences, Knowing the Context helps readers analyze the situations in which they find themselves and shows how text and context are in a continuing dialogue and how to tailor sermons to their context. Keyed to online sermon samples and other Web-based features to enhance teaching.
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Preaching The Miracles Series 2 Cycle B (Revised)
$15.95Add to cartThis book offers an abundance of insightful information on each of the nine miracle stories in Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary – yet Brauninger intentionally avoids presenting a ready-made cloak of words for a morning sermon. Instead, she invites preachers and their audiences to discover hidden implications by exploring the gap between the “back then” and the “now.” Outlines of the action reveal the pivotal points in each story, and fictional interviews help readers get into the minds of the characters – thus connecting their human experiences with the daily struggles we encounter in faith and discipleship. Brauninger’s unique approach not only answers questions, it also generates them – which spurs the thinking process and allows the Word to come alive.
Five sections are devoted to each miracle story:
* Text – The entire scripture text is provided for easy access.
* What’s Happening? – A synopsis of points of action within each miracle story.
* Connecting Points–Conversations – Brauninger engages in imaginary exchanges with the main characters and an occasional bystander.
* Words – Significant terms are examined.
* Gospel Parallels – Similarities and differences with parallel passages are highlighted. -
Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 5 Cycle B (Revised)
$49.95Add to cartBigger, stronger, better! This newly revised edition of Russell Anderson’s best-selling Lectionary Preaching Workbook retains all of the great features that have made it an indispensable tool for busy pastors who need a helping hand with their weekly homiletic research and want to make the most of their limited preparation time. Combining concise but insightful textual notes with a wide range of creative preaching ideas, each chapter provides plenty of starting points for developing stimulating sermons that make the scriptures come alive for the people in the pews. In addition to a convenient sermon planning template plus overviews of Mark (the featured Gospel narrator in Cycle B) and each liturgical season, every week’s material includes:
* a listing of applicable Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal lectionary texts
* a theme for the day
* brief commentary on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel lessons
* a prayer for the day
* theological reflections exploring the relationships between the texts
* several possible preaching approaches, each with a suggested title and “sermon angle”
* additional illustrations to assist in fleshing out the message -
Me Myself And I
$13.95Add to cartBeing a “tween” – it can be a very awkward time in anyone’s life. You’re not a full-fledged teenager with cars, dates, and high school, but you’re not a little child anymore, either. You can still feel pulls in both directions, wanting to be a child and have fun, yet wanting more responsibility as a teenager. It is definitely not easy being a “tween.”
Me, Myself, and I was written for this group of people, guiding them through this time of transition through stories and Bible studies, reassuring them of God’s love and understanding. With study questions at the end of each chapter, this book can be read privately at home as a personal devotional or in group settings, such as Sunday school, children’s Bible studies, or through Christian-based organizations for young people.
Going through the tween years can be a harrowing experience, but the wisdom offered in Me, Myself, and I can help make that journey a little easier with the reassurance that God is present every step of the way. -
Prophets Handbook : A Guide To Prophecy And Its Operation
$19.99Add to cartDiscover God’s divine plan for the prophetic gifts and how they are meant to benefit the body of Christ. This handbook details the role and duties of the prophetic in the church, clearly explaining its necessity. No church leader should be without this indispensable reference. Dr. Paula Price’s years of research and ministry have yielded the ultimate guide to prophecy in the local church. You will learn how God awakens and prepares excellent prophets, understand the difference between prophets and psychics, and recognize and train budding prophets. Don’t let lack of knowledge keep you from utilizing one of God’s extraordinary gifts to the church.
