Pastoral Helps
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If A Sermon Falls In The Forest
$23.95Add to cartThis fascinating volume looks at the scriptural texts concerning a pivotal New Testament theme — the resurrection of Jesus — and examines how they may be read in various interpretive communities. Shepherd analyzes each of the major New Testament writers — Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul — and places their distinctive accounts of Jesus’ resurrection in the broader context of their entire output. Through a careful study of the literary, historical, theological, anthropological, and sociological dimensions that color each writer’s picture of the resurrection, Shepherd helps readers understand the unique view each brought to bear on the life of Jesus and the faith of his followers.
But that is not all this book has to offer. Each section also includes one or more sample sermons illustrating how a preacher might treat these texts for an actual congregation. Each message is introduced with a description of its original setting and the homiletical and interpretive issues involved — so this is an excellent resource for pastors looking for stimulating Easter material or instructive preaching models.
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Alleluia : Messages For Children On Lent And Easter Themes
$12.95Add to cartElaine Ward passionately believes that it is vital for children to hear the good news of God’s love through the Lenten stories of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In this companion volume to An Idle Tale Becomes Good News (also available from CSS Publishing Company), Ward shares her gift for communicating with young people through twenty stories based on specific phrases or objects related to Jesus’ ministry in his final days or in his resurrection appearances. Each message tells a captivating tale in easily understood language, then invites children to enter the sacred story by connecting it with the scriptural narrative. Brief talking points and questions are included to help presenters clearly make the link for their young listeners.
Stories include:
* The Wasted Ointment
* The Warning Dream
* The Misdirected Tears
* The Torn Curtain
* The Idle Tale
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Idle Tale Becomes Good News
$15.95Add to cartEach chapter in this collection of twenty meditations considers a specific phrase or object related to Jesus’ ministry in his final days or in his resurrection appearances. In several cases, this is something intangible yet very distinct, such as Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, Pilate’s wife’s dream, or the astounding news of the resurrection which seemed like an “idle tale.” Other messages address objects that could have been seen and touched: the torn curtain in the Temple, ropes, scars, or the burial spices the women brought to the empty tomb. But whether tangible or intangible, each symbol reflects a significant event in the biblical narrative which Sheets explores to see what lessons can be drawn for today’s Christian living. This volume is excellent for adult Sunday school classes or other study groups, devotional reading during Lent and Easter, and as background for sermon preparation. A companion book of children’s sermons based on the same texts (Alleluia! by Elaine M. Ward) is also available from CSS Publishing Company.
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Journey Of Stones
$7.95Add to cartDrawing on the rich imagery of rocks and stones in scripture, these powerful messages center around the compelling metaphor of stones (and our willingness to throw them) as representative of our sins. As worshipers enter the sanctuary they are invited to pick up stones as a concrete symbol of each sermon’s theme; then as the message concludes the stones are placed at the foot of the cross. When the stones disappear on Easter (just like the stone sealing Jesus’ tomb), it’s a vivid illustration of how the Lord also removes our stones of sin. Each chapter includes several thought-provoking discussion questions to spur further reflection. With messages for Ash Wednesday, five weeks of Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, this is an excellent resource for Lenten midweek programming.
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Is Human Forgiveness Possible
$15.95Add to cartForgiving those closest to us who have hurt us is one of the most difficult things Christians are called to do. For pastoral counselors the forgiveness issue creates a particularly serious dilemma, because it places counselors in the position of telling clients to do something their emotions vehemently fight against.
Is Human Forgiveness Possible? offers an effective way out of this quandary by giving the forgiveness issue an entirely new focus.
John Patton begins by scrapping our past understanding of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not something we do, he asserts; it’s something we discover. To truly forgive someone, we must discover that “I am more like those who have hurt me than different from them. I am able to forgive when I discover that I am in no position to forgive.”
Patton presents case studies from his pastoral counseling practice that illustrate the difficulty of forgiving and actively demonstrate his new solution to the forgiveness problem.
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Getting The Word Out
$32.00Add to cartHigh quality publications and public relations will enhance a congregation’s overall ministry by promoting strong stewardship, effective evangelism, and exciting parish education. Getting the Word Out provides all the tools congregations need to create attention-grabbing, informative, and inspiring communications.
Frederick H. Gonnerman shows readers how to assess their audience and the competition for the audience’s attention; identify a publication’s purpose; and create useful, readable, and attractive publications-whether print or online, for the congregation or a broader community. One chapter deals with the role of publications in the celebration of special events.
Approaching the parish communications task as a team effort-one that might include pastors; a volunteer or paid editor; and secretaries, other paid staff, and lay leaders-Gonnerman shares the experience and expertise of professional journalists, graphic designers and artists, photographers, and public relations personnel. Getting the Word Out will teach every member of the team how to produce the most effective and highest quality publications possible. Foreword by Martin E. Marty.
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Get Up Off Your Knees
$14.95Add to cartGet Up Off Your Knees is a thoughtful and provocative collection of sermons by a group of preachers from across the international church spectrum who have been moved to theological reflection on the art and work of U2. This book will appeal to fans of U2, students of homiletics, and everyone interested in the intersection of art, popular culture, and religion.
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House Of Prayer For All Peoples
$28.00Add to cartContrary to the oft-repeated truism, there are churches in America where Sunday is not the “most segregated day of the week,” as Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook convincingly demonstrates in her compelling exploration of congregations tackling racial justice issues. Yet the truism continues to haunt many congregations, and Kujawa-Holbrook reveals, through story and thoughtful analysis, what it means to create and live out multiracial community.
Focusing on six congregations from different denominations, geographical regions, and settings, the author shows us the joys and struggles in their intentional pursuits of a more diverse and just community. The stories in A House of Prayer for All Peoples will inspire leaders to explore their congregation’s history, study their community’s demographics, and, most of all, search their souls for ways they can develop and celebrate the diversity in their midst. The book is capped by an extensive annotated resource list for readers who want to explore the topic further.
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Completing The Circle
$21.00Add to cartOn his second day as association minister for the United Church of Christ, David McMahill received three phone calls from lay leaders who were looking for resources on “how to evaluate our minister.” He knew of several churches in which a poorly constructed process for evaluating the ministers had spun out of control, however, and had gradually come to believe it is probably better for a church not to attempt an evaluation process at all than to do one carelessly or to naively use a design intended for a secular organization.
Based on the needs he saw, McMahill began to work with numerous congregations looking for ways to review both leaders and ministries and developed the feedback/reflection process he lays out in this book. Based on sound principles of effective communication, this simple system of asking for descriptive feedback about various aspects of a congregation’s life together takes into account the specific setting and the unique relationship between minister and congregation.
The results: a respectful, constructive, helpful review of leaders and ministries in a congregation, and the creation of a culture of healthy communication in the congregation. Foreword by Clyde J. Steckel.
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Unexpected Journey : Reflections On Pastoral Ministry
$26.00Add to cartJ. Philip Wogaman offers candid reflections on his service as Senior Minister at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.- an unexpected journey that he began at the age of sixty – following a career as an ethics professor. Wogaman chronicles the task he faced as a new pastor, tasks with which every pastor deals-effective and faithful preaching, balancing pastoral and prophetic roles, presenting the church to the public media, dealing with prominent church members, and addressing stewardship. He also discusses the challenges of succeeding a long-loved pastor who departed under a cloud, the responsibilities of pasturing to a president, and his efforts to balance the roles of a pastor against such a dramatic backdrop. Identifying his own successes and mistakes, Wogaman provides fresh insights on parish ministry that are sure to become guideposts for all pastors.
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21 Positive Principles For A Powerful 21st Century Church
$15.49Add to cartThe author, Dr. Dennis Davis, builds the thesis of this book on the premise that there are irrefutable, undeniable laws, both moral and physical, that govern the universe. He contends that these God-establiched laws cannot be broken. They can be denied, but not broken, as the law will always remain intact. He also contends that God has established “laws” that guide the growth, success, and future of the Church, and that when one operates within the framework of these laws (principles), there will be a natural consequence of both numerical and spiritual growth.
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1 Bread One Body
$29.00Add to cartAs a troubadour for global music and an instigator of cross-cultural worship for more than 15 years in a variety of denominational settings, including congregational, national, and international venues, Michael Hawn has observed many faithful people who find that a taste of Pentecost in worship is refreshing and invigorating. In One Bread, One Body: Exploring Cultural Diversity in Worship, Hawn seeks to help bridge the gap between the human tendency to prefer ethnic and cultural homogeneity in worship and the church’s mandate to offer a more diverse and inclusive experience. He offers a rainbow vision of the universal church where young and old joyfully and thoughtfully respond to the movement of God’s Spirit in multicultural worship.
Hawn and four colleagues from Perkins School of Theology in Dallas formed a diverse team in ethnicity, gender, academic field of study, and denominational affiliation to study four United Methodist congregations in the Dallas area that are grappling with cross-cultural ministry. Their four case studies illustrate both the pain and the possibilities encountered in capturing the Spirit of Pentecost in worship. Hawn also offers a concise and practical theological framework as well as numerous strategies and an extensive bibliography for implementing “culturally conscious worship.” This book is invaluable for congregations that want to undertake the hard work of cross-cultural worship. Foreword by Justo Gonzalez.
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Projects That Matter
$26.00Add to cartProjects That Matter is a primer for project leaders and teams about basic project planning and evaluation. Intended for the nonexpert, the book introduces readers to the five basic elements of project design and describes in detail a six-step process for designing and implementing a project evaluation and for disseminating evaluation findings. Project leaders in congregations, colleges and seminaries, camps and other specialized ministries, and other religious settings will find Cahalan’s guidance clear and invaluable.
Cahalan presents evaluation as a form of collaborative inquiry and shows how leaders can use evaluation design to develop effective project plans and prepare case statements for donors or grant proposals for foundations. She introduces project planning and evaluation as mission-related practices and invites leaders to consider how their tradition’s particular mission and beliefs influence the way they plan and evaluate. In the final chapter, she makes explicit her own theological presuppositions-that the virtues of discernment, stewardship, and prudence are essential for good project planning and evaluation. Foreword by Craig Dykstra.
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Find A Niche And Scratch It
$26.00Add to cartJesus was uniquely adept in the art of “reading” people. He fit his approach to the precise needs and interests of the person with whom he was dealing, and he spoke the cultural language of that individual. In this book, Robert Perry takes what Jesus and others have done intuitively-niche marketing-and provides a framework for applying those principles in everyday practice.
Convinced that congregations can learn from the wisdom of secular disciplines and apply that wisdom to congregational life without damaging the integrity of the Christian faith, Perry offers a detailed process for using sound marketing principles to identify a congregation’s strengths and the needs of its community, and to develop strategies for effective ministry.
Perry’s plan: to create a common vocabulary that will bridge the communication gap between the disciplines of business marketing and congregational outreach strategizing. The key: to keep in mind the reason we are working to reach people-not to make money for shareholders, but to share the Good News that God loves us. The goal: to foster genuinely healthy, growing congregations! Foreword by Robert D. Dale.
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Our Structure : Carrying Out The Vision
$14.99Add to cartLeading effectively in a congregation begins with identifying a vision for the future and then carrying it out. This book shows a variety of ways to organize your congregation, promote hospitality, set boundaries, recruit volunteers, plan work, and build a team.
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Our Stewardship : Managing Our Assets
$14.99Add to cartGod gives resources or assets to each person and every congregation. Yours may include a church building, grounds, equipment, or credibility and trustworthiness. “Our Stewardship” looks at why your congregation has the gifts it has and how best to use them. Use this book on your own or with your congregation council in planning and management.
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Preaching
$20.99Add to cartAnyone who’s ever stepped into the pulpit knows that preaching is anything but easy. Speaking a word from God that is grounded in the biblical witness, theologically responsible, and true to contemporary experiences is one of the most difficult things one can do. Advice on how to do this is as old as preaching itself, and there are as many opinions on preaching as there are preachers. Where does a preacher begin? What basic understanding and practices are necessary? In the new addition to the Essential Guides series, Ronald Allen seeks to answer these basic questions about preaching. He does so through the use of an inductive method. Starting with a sample sermon, he uses that sermon to illustrate the process of moving from the first thoughts about what one will preach to the delivery of an actual sermon. Each chapter raises a question about the sample sermon that leads into a discussion of the practical and theoretical issues related to this particular aspect of the sermon.
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When Violence Is No Stranger
$21.00Add to cartThe paucity of resources for pastoral care of acquaintance-rape survivors highlights the invisibility of this growing crime and its largely uncharted pastoral challenges. In fact, more rape is by an acquaintance. Only 16 percent of such cases are reported; and because they are difficult to prosecute, only 5 percent of those reported result in guilt verdicts. Focusing on the psychospiritual effects of this sexualized violence, Kristen Leslie offers the psychological and theological tools to religious professionals for understanding the deep spiritual trauma of the survivor and how best to work with her to reconstruct a personal world of meaning, trust, and faith. Based on extensive interviews with survivors. Leslie explains the personal and theological issues they raise, what they found helpful from religious professionals, the images and metaphors most germane to their trauma and recovery, and how they coped with or healed from the experience of rape. An exemplary and important study in practical theology, Leslie’s volume will not only equip pastoral caregivers and counselors with specific guidelines. It will also enlighten them on the crucial role that theology can play in the re-construction of shattered lives
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Welcome Speeches For Special Days
$10.99Add to cartThis useful resource incorporates recitations, suggested scripture, prayers, poetry, speeches, and responses for celebrating a variety of special days in the African American church. Perfect as a worship planning tool for pastors and worship leaders, Welcome Speeches for Special Days is ideal for celebrating those special Sundays that congregations highlight throughout the year.
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Leading The Way
$18.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
As we enter a new millennium, there is a growing vacuum of leadership among the younger generation. The need is great for young men and women who will rise to the challenge-in the face of great opportunities and great obstacles-to be obedient to the call of leadership. This is the rallying call Paul Borthwick puts forth in Leading The Way. He asserts that leadership is not just reserved for those with the right education, abilities, status or background. Rather, God is calling all young Christians who have the vision and responsibility to persevere, to fill this growing leadership vacuum.
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Addiction
$21.99Add to cartChances are, no church is immune to the drug demographics in America. Pointing out that addiction is a pervasive problem in North American society, Lynn Dann provides pastors and other pastoral caregivers with crucial help in understanding the needs of the addicted, their families, and the congregations of which they are a part. He draws on years of experience as a pastor and a certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor to offer practical guidance on how to recognize the addicted and minister effectively to them.
Dann begins by outlining, in clear and accessible terms, the best contemporary thinking on the nature of addiction. From there he moves to a discussion of the particular resources that Christian churches can add to the treatment of addiction and the support of the addicted and their families. Finally, he includes tools for preaching and teaching on the nature of our drug-obsessed culture and biblical themes related to the care of the addicted. Those who are just beginning in pastoral ministry, as well as those who have engaged in it for many years, will find this an invaluable resource for knowing how to deal with this tragic and increasingly prevalent problem.
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Word Before The Powers
$40.00Add to cartIn this examination of the ethical significance of preaching, Charles Campbell provides both fresh insights into the relationship between preaching and ethics, and a challenging moral vision for the contemporary church. Moving beyond a narrow focus on moral decision-making or social-issues sermons. Campbell argues that a particular ethic–nonviolent resistance–is inherent in the practice of preaching and shapes the moral life of the church. In the face of the powers, the fundamental ethical task of preaching involves building up the church as a community of resistance. Employing three dimensions of character ethics–vision, practices, and virtues–Campbell demonstrates the concrete ways in which preachers may undertake this task.
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Voices Of This Calling
$20.00Add to cartPublished to mark the tenth anniversary of the ordination of women in the Anglican church, this work includes prominent clergy, both female and male, such as Lucy Winkett, Angela Tilby, Una Kroll, Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Rowan Williams. It tells women’s stories about the reality of life as a priest and reveals defining moments in their own personal journey. Influential men in the church also reflect upon the challenges and opportunities that women’s ministry has created for them.
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Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion
$22.99Add to cartGood communicators are always on the lookout for fresh, relevant anecdotes and examples to drive home the point of their words. This handy reference contains 300 anecdotes and illustrations for pastors, writers, teachers, and other Christian communicators on a variety of topics. Each entry includes Scripture references, cross-references to related topics, an anecdote or illustration, and a citation of its source.
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Speaking Jesus : Homiletic Theology And The Sermon On The Mount
$36.00Add to cartOnce again, renowned homiletician David Buttrick has written a highly practical book that conveys and makes contagious his excitement for the theological task of preaching. In this book, he delineates the theological issues inherent in the Sermon on the Mount and presents a homiletical strategy for preaching its meaning an relevance. In Part One, Buttrick gives a general overview of the text and raises central theological issues imperative to its preaching, particularly the authenticity of Jesus’ words and the sermon’s relevance for today. In Part Two, he provides commentary on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, provides suggestions for preaching, and includes some of his own sermons as examples.
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On Purpose Leadership
$15.99Add to cart22 Chapters
Additional Info
After 20 books and three decades of developing innovative, need-meeting ministries, Galloway is recognized as one who trains the leaders of leaders of leaders. Now he offers the best of his best on multiplying your effectiveness through others. Building on Christ’s own model, he offers powerful insights for encouraging, equipping, and reproducing lay leadership. -
Pastor : A Reader For Ordained Ministry
$31.99Add to cartBrings together the finest wisdom from 20 centuries of church history focusing on the core concerns of preaching the Word, caring for souls, and celebrating the sacraments via the roles of priest, preacher, teacher, evangelist, counselor, prophet, and leader. Excerpts from major lights of the past.
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Preaching Biblical Wisdom In A Self Help Society
$25.99Add to cartThis book equips preachers to tap into the treasures of the biblical wisdom tradition to counter the claims of a self-help society. The wisdom books and genres of the Bible, long neglected, are now the subject of avid scrutiny by biblical scholars. They’ve turned up the shining insight that the Bible, both Old and New Testament, is brimming with materials that are the ancestors of contemporary slogans and self-help manuals. This is indeed good news! We have proverbs and instruction every bit as vivid and compelling as “Don’t sweat the small stuff”–and for more aware of the depth, complexity, and mystery of life in God’s world. McKenzie demonstrates how Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and other biblical wisdom can provide fruitful opportunities to preach to those who are hungry for wisdom, and often unaware of the richness and depth of the Bible’s wisdom tradition.
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Power In The Pulpit
$28.00Add to cartScholar and preacher Cleophus J. LaRue brings together the voices of twelve of America’s most influential African-American preachers. Each of these renowned preachers describes his or her method of sermon preparation and includes a sample sermon for illustration. An excellent how-to-manual for pastors and students, this book is both sage wisdom on the art of preaching and an inspiring look at some of the most prominent figures in the black church
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Money And The Kingdom Of God
$16.95Add to cartConventional wisdom would tell us that money and religion are mutually exclusive entities. It’s easy to understand why: there’s the popular maxim about money being the “root of all evil”, as well as Jesus’ admonitions about our inability to serve both God and Mammon or how difficult it is for a rich man to enter heaven. But Maurice Fetty disagrees – he notes that in Jesus’ view, money and the kingdom of God are intertwined. In these pages, Fetty stresses the importance of our being good stewards of God’s creation, and he points out that what we do with our money is indelibly linked with faithful living. When rightly done, Fetty concludes, the rich can be righteous, and the righteous can be rich. This book is excellent for spiritual growth reading or as a source for stewardship sermons.
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Great Commission
$5.99Add to cartOUR PURPOSE FOR LIVING ON THIS PLANET
In this twelfth Biblical Foundation book, The Great Commission, we discover that as disciples of Jesus Christ, our marching orders are to go and make disciples. We can start right where we are! God has called us as His church to touch every nation of the world, but we must ask the Lord where He has called us specifically. Although some believers will go to another country to make disciples, many believers will reach out to others right where they live. God places people all around us we can disciple and train.
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
Called To Minister
$5.99Add to cartEVERY CHRISTIAN’S CALL TO SERVE
In this eleventh Biblical Foundation book, Called to Minister, we discover that every Christian is called by God to minister to other people. The Lord has called pastors and other spiritual leaders to train the saints so that every believer can be involved in ministry and become mature in Christ. As each believer fulfills what the Lord has called him to do, a wonderful thing happens. God begins to build His church through His people from house to house and in each community. Ministry does not just happen in our church meetings; it happens at our schools, our places of work, and in our homes as we reach out to others.
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
What Is The Church
$5.99Add to cartFINDING OUR PLACE IN GOD’S FAMILY
In this eighth Biblical Foundation book, What is the Church? we will see the importance of being a part of a spiritual family united under Christ. This spiritual family gives us a place to grow and learn from other believers how to live our Christian lives. We need this input from spiritual leaders and fellow believers. We need one another. We are not supposed to live the Christian life alone. God’s will is for every believer to be connected to a local church where he can be trained, protected, and available to serve others.
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
Learning To Fellowship With God
$5.99Add to cartHOW TO DEEPEN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST
In this seventh Biblical Foundation book, Learning to Fellowship with God, we learn God wants to know us personally! We’re going to learn how to fellowship with God through meditating on God’s Word and praying and worshiping Him. We will discover how to develop a close, intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ as we learn to hear His voice.
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
Freedom From The Curse
$5.99Add to cartCHRIST BRINGS FREEDOM TO EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES
In this sixth Biblical Foundation book, Freedom From the Curse, we learn that due to Adam and Eve’s disobedience to the Lord when they chose to believe the lies of the devil in the Garden of Eden, we now live in a “cursed or fallen” world. In the fall of Adam, sin gained entrance into the human race. In this book, we will take a closer look at all that is involved in the curse and how to be freed spiritually, physically and emotionally from its bondage(s). Although sin has cursed mankind, Christ provides everything we need to defeat sin and Satan!
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
Living In The Grace Of God
$5.99Add to cartAPPLYING GOD’S GRACE TO EVERYDAY LIVING
In this fifth Biblical Foundation book, Living in the Grace of God, we discover that it is grace that motivates God to offer us salvation even though we did not earn it. In fact, we cannot earn it; it is a gift. Our salvation comes as a gift of God’s grace, and it can be accessed by our response of faith. God’s grace is present in our lives to save us-“the free unmerited favor of God on the undeserving and ill-deserving.” Then we will look at the other side of God’s grace which is defined as “the power and desire to do God’s will.” The grace of God is literally “divine energy” that the Holy Spirit releases in our lives. God has given us supernatural provision to live a victorious life. God gives us an abundance of grace! We do not deserve any of it, but the Lord pours it on us anyway!
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
Knowing Jesus Christ As Lord
$5.99Add to cartGOD’S PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES THROUGH A PERSONAL RELATIONAHIP WITH JESUS.
In this first Biblical Foundation book, Knowing Jesus Christ as Lord, we build on Jesus Christ and His words: Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24). Do you want to be wise? Build on Jesus Christ, the solid rock!
The foundational truths from the Word of God are presented with modern-day parables that help you easily understand the basics of Christianity. Use this book and the remaining 11 Biblical Foundation books to lay a solid foundation in your life, or if you are already a mature Christian, these books are great tools to assist you in discipling others. May His Word become life to you today. God bless you! Larry Kreider
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
Word Disclosed : Preaching The Gospel Of John (Revised)
$16.99Add to cart“While taking account of historical and social dynamics in the setting of John’s community, O’Day offers a subtle but sophisticated literary reading of John to show that the listener must experience the movement of the plot within the text of John in order to understand the text as fully as he can…All preachers should own this book for its specific studies of the passages of John, for its clarity in helping us hear the distinctive Johannine theological voice, and for its model of close reading that can guide a preacher working with almost any text.”
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Our Community : Dealing With Conflict In Our Congregation
$14.99Add to cartConflicts will arise in your congregation. Right now, you may be experiencing the storms of conflict, dealing with storm cleanup or trying to put a past conflict behind you. Although we can’t prevent conflict from occurring altogether, we can develop skills to make sense of a past controversy, better understand a current situation, and promote forgiveness and healing. Use Our Community: Dealing with Conflict in Our Congregation on your own or with your congregation’s council, committees, or staff. The book includes reproducible tools that can be downloaded and customized at www.augsburgfortress.org/CLS.
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Our Gifts : Identifying And Developing Leaders
$14.99Add to cartThis book explores how to recruit leaders and volunteers into your congregation. It provides a definition and description of Christian leadership, identifies how to match members with opportunities to lead and serve, and helps you create your own leadership development plan. Use this book on your own or with your congregation’s council, staff, new member classes, mutual ministry committee, and more.
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Our Mission : Discovering Gods Call In Us
$14.99Add to cartThis new title provides four strategic planning steps to help your congregation fulfill its mission:
–STOP to pray and discern if your congregation is fulfilling the will of God–LOOK at God’s word to make sure it is at the heart of your mission
–LISTEN to the mission mandate of Christ to establish goals for the congregation
–GO to implement your action plans with confidence and hope in God’s blessings
This book can be used by pastors and congregational leaders for strategic planning and effective management. Includes reproducible tools that can be downloaded and customized.
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Our Context : Exploring Our Congregation And Community
$14.99Add to cartUnderstanding your congregation and the surrounding community is a key to leadership. This book helps you examine your context as you carry out your congregation’s mission and proclaim the gospel. Exploring your context can help identify potential problems and highlight new opportunities. If you are in a congregation or community that is changing, the process outlined in this book can help your congregation deal with change in a positive manner.
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John Wesley On The Sermon On The Mount
$35.99Add to cartThis is the second volume of The Standard Sermons of John Wesley, transcribed into today’s English. The volumes in this series accurately transcribe Wesley’s eighteenth-century language into a form suitable for today’s readers. This volume contains the sermons John Wesley preached on the Sermon on the Mount.
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Our Staff : Building Our Human Resosurces
$14.99Add to cartBuilding your congregation’s staff takes careful preparation and follow-through, from planning for a position and determining compensation packages to promoting an appropriate work environment. This book can help you, your congregation council, or your committee to answer many important questions. You will learn how to configure the staff of the congregation, what planning is needed before staff is hired, what the responsibilities of the congregation as an employer are, and much more. Use this book on your own, with your congregation’s council or staff, or in personnel and staff support.
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Making Of A Vision
$24.99Add to cartThe development and encouragement of Christian leaders has been a hallmark of Frank Damazio’s ministry. In The Making Of A Vision he tackles the breathtaking goal of imparting virtually all the steps necessary for understanding and achieving one’s vision, to discerning and pursuing one’s own vision, and on through implementation and impartation, this is a masterful teaching guide. Extensive scriptural references enrich this ambitious outline. Leaders at every level of ministry will find this challenging and rewarding.
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Building For Eternity
$5.99Add to cartTHE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION, THE LAYING ON OF HANDS AND ETERNAL JUDGMENT
In this fourth Biblical Foundation book, Building For Eternity, we look at the final three of the six foundational doctrines of the Christian faith found in Hebrews 6:1-2-the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment: Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (NKJ). The foundational doctrine of the laying on of hands is an act in which one person imparts or conveys blessing, healing and/or authority to another for a specific spiritual purpose. We will learn that the laying on of hands has a vital connection with many aspects of our Christian lives. The hope of the resurrection is another biblical foundation that is so important to a Christian’s faith because those who believe in Christ will share in His resurrection and have eternal life! Another foundation stone that is linked to the resurrection of the dead is eternal judgment. Every man and woman who has ever lived will be judged by God for all of eternity. The reality of an eternal judgment should cause all believers to hate sin and diligently seek the lost to tell them of God’s wonderful plan for mankind!
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
New Testament Baptisms
$5.99Add to cartFOUR BAPTISMS INCLUDING BAPTISM IN WATER AND BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
In this third Biblical Foundation book, New Testament Baptisms, we look at another of the six foundational doctrines of the Christian faith found in Hebrews 6:1-2-the doctrine of baptisms: Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (NKJ). This book covers four baptisms, including baptism in water (a sign of cleansing and remission of sin), baptism into the body of Christ (the Holy Spirit supernaturally places us into the “body” or “the family of God”), baptism of fire (facing suffering in our lives and persevering), and the baptism in the Holy Spirit (a new dimension of the Holy Spirit’s power).
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
New Way Of Living
$5.99Add to cartTRUE REPENTANCE AND FAITH TOWARD GOD
In this second Biblical Foundation book, The New Way of Living, we will look at two of the six foundational doctrines of the Christian faith found in Hebrews 6:1-2-repentance from dead works and faith toward God: Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (NKJ). We will learn that we must repent from trying to gain God’s acceptance by doing good things (Hebrews 6:2). Good deeds done to impress God or man are “dead works,” and they do not get us closer to God. Only true repentance leads to faith in God.
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
Silver Screen Sacred Story
$26.00Add to cartOur culture has undergone a major shift: younger generations have less and less interest in the printed word as they become predominantly image oriented. In response, as congregations increasingly learn to be more sophisticated in using newer electronic technologies, they are finding themselves at different places in the quest to understand, acquire, manage, and benefit from the technology boom. Worship leaders in congregations already using some electronic media are realizing that they could be doing more with it, and are seeking new ideas. Congregational leaders scrambling to catch up with a worship committee that has decided it’s time for a change aren’t sure of the next steps. Or maybe there’s been a gift to the congregation to be spent on electronics, and no one is quite sure how best to use the money.
Michael Bausch’s book grows out of several years’ of conversation, personal experimentation, and experience with multimedia worship in one modest-size, small-town church, while also drawing on the experiences and work of other churches learning to use electronic media in worship.
Bausch balances concern for practical issues, such as finances and architecture, with attention to theological integrity and the challenges of sustaining media-enhanced worship. He skillfully shows how the artistic resources of the world around us can enhance our awareness of God’s presence in worship. Foreword by Doug Adams.
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Gods Perspective On Finances
$5.99Add to cartHOW GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE TO HANDLE MONEY
In this tenth Biblical Foundation book, God’s Perspective on Finances, we learn that God wants to bless us financially! God desires to meet our needs and provide abundantly for us to minister to others. We will learn that the tithe is a numerical expression reminding us that all we have belongs to God. We are merely managers of the material goods we possess. Scripture has a tremendous amount to say about money or material possessions. Money is such an important issue because a person’s attitude toward it often is revealing of his relationship with God. God wants to restore a healthy, godly understanding of finances in the body of Christ today.
Can be used for:
*Personal Study Read as an individual study program to develop spiritual maturity.
*Daily Devotional Each book has one month’s worth of daily readings, including questions.
*Mentoring Questions and life applications discussed as a one-on-one discipling tool.
*Small Group Study Each chapter has a teaching outline and questions for discussion.
*Biblical Foundation Course Can be taught individually or as part of the 12-book Biblical Foundation Series. -
Overhearing The Gospel (Revised)
$21.99Add to cartPart I: The Illusion
1. Concerning Method
2. Concerning The Listener
3. Concerning The Teller
4. Concerning The StoryPart II: An Attack Upon The Illusions
5. By Way Of Kierkegaard
6. To A Proposal: The Experience Of The Listener
7. To A Proposal: The Method Of The TellerPart III: Sermons
8. “Don’t Be Afraid” (Matthew 28:1-10)
9. “The Bottom Line” (Matthew 7:21-29)
10. “Old Story, New Ending” (Luke 16:19-31)Additional Info
“This is a classic in the literature of narrative preaching. It is also vintage Fred Craddock. The reader enjoys the telling of the tales and the flow of the prose so immensely that one hardly notices that the homiletical universe is being rearranges in the process.” -
Serving As A Church Greeter
$7.99Add to cartGreeters are the welcoming arms that people long to find in a church. This practical guidebook will help you reach out to people who need to experience the warmth of belonging to a church family. This book sheds light on the ministry of church greeters, the need for warmhearted greeters, developing a user-friendly foyer, and much more.
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Serving As A Church Usher
$7.99Add to cartYour importance as an usher can’t be overstated. Your impact is enormous both in meeting the needs of people and in keeping the church service running smoothly.
Serving as a Church Usher sheds light on:The Ministry of Ushers
The Functions of an Usher
An Usher’s Standard of Excellence
The Authority and Responsibility of Ushers
Ushers as Greeters
Zondervan Practical Ministry Guides provide you with simple, practical insights for serving in today’s churches. Written by experienced pastors and church workers, these easy-to-read, to-the-point booklets address the fundamentals of different ministries as practiced effectively in real life. You’ll find biblical insight and wise, field-tested advice you can apply today, as well as discussion questions to help you think through and integrate what you read. -
Running With The Giants
$30.00Add to cartOld Testament heroes can teach 21st-century believers invaluable lessons about life and leadership—if we’re willing to listen! In this engaging volume, best-selling author and “leadership guru” Maxwell discerns timeless principles from the lives of David (“Overcome adversity!”); Noah (“Don’t fear the impossible!”); Rebekah (“Give and serve generously!”); and others.
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Growing Together : Spiritual Exercises For Church Committees (Revised)
$9.99Add to cartGrowing Together offers church committees a way to grow spiritually as individuals and together as a group. Each of the fifty exercises in this book includes an opening prayer, a personal sharing exercise, a Bible reading and discussion questions, and a closing prayer. The exercises are grouped according to the needs of church committees: First meetings, Discovering Gifts and Setting Goals, Discerning What God Asks of Us, Receiving God’s Guidance as We Work, Growing Closer to Each Other, Facing Challenges Together, Working Through Conflict, and Celebrating Accomplishmnents and Closure.
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Mystery
$9.99Add to cartThis book targets adult learners in their 20’s and 30’s. It will challenge you to examine the mystery of God and offers you the opportunity to delve into Christian mystery questions in order to experience the great mystery of Christian faith revealed in Jesus Christ. While God is ultimate mystery, no part of life is outside of God’s love and care.
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Redeveloping The Congregation
$26.00Add to cartWhat makes it possible for a church to reverse course from decline or stagnation into longlasting vitality? How can a church immigrate from a congealing present into a compelling future? What can a congregation do to experience continuous, deep change rather than just temporary, surface improvement? How does a person lead redevelopment?
The three authors of this book address these and other questions by building on an eight-step framework for lasting change developed by John P. Kotter, noted former professor of organizational behavior at Harvard Business School. His work on organizational change is heralded in the secular world as foundational, and Smith, Sellon, and Grossman have found that his findings hold true for congregations as well.
Each chapter in this book comprises three sections: mentor, companion and coach. The mentor section discusses principles and concepts to be addressed in each of the eight steps; the companion section gives readers a sense of what leading change is actually like for a congregational leader; and the coach section provides specific ways for leaders to develop the unique change processes that will be effective in their church. Foreword by Anthony G. Pappas.
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Tenets Of The Doctrine Of The Spirit Filled Church Vol 1
$13.99Add to cartI rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure (Psalm 119:162 NKJV). How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33). These Scriptures declare the awesome greatness of God; and to some born-again believers, they issue a challenge to search the scriptures (Acts 17:11), to Study to show thyself approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15), and to live and move and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28). It is a God-ordained desire and call for all people to find as much as they can about God and His perfect will for mankind.
With this divine emphasis on a born-again believer’s life, the Holy Spirit issued the call; and by His grace, the next few volumes titled Tenets of the Doctrine of the Spirit-filled Church are a continuation of the first book, Doctrine of the Spirit-filled Church.
Each tenet in these volumes is examined in greater detail and gives deeper insight into the spiritual meaning and its application. The examination also compares the original Apostolic Church of the first century to the current Spirit-filled church; and in so doing, references to the earliest writings from the ancient records help clarify the original church’s structure, as well as the doctrinal and theological understandings of that time, and how that structure has progressed until this day.
The one overriding constant in all these examinations and explanations is the fact that they are biblically based. If there is no Scripture to support the tenet’s explanation, then it is supposition, assumption, and speculation and thus unworthy of discussion. The plumb line (Amos 7:7 NKJV) is always the Word. The basis of every tenet is always the Holy Writ. The implementation of every tenet is always according to the Bible.
The church is traveling at lightning speed towards the soon return of Jesus Christ. The onslaught and evil outpouring of the diabolical, immoral, and total blasphemy against the Holy God has never been more vicious than it is today. The blatant evil and acceptance of anti-God living which is thrown into everyone’s face today, coupled with many nations’ corrupt laws legalizing people’s actions that are contrary to God’s holy instructions, have brought and will continue to bring many to a disastrous end.
While believers do not get distraught by the world’s actions (God said in His word it would happen.), they must keep their eyes steadfastly fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of [their] faith (Hebrews 12:2). To do this, be
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How To Counsel A Couple In 6 Sessions Or Less (Reprinted)
$18.00Add to cartHow to Counsel a Couple in 6 Sessions or Less makes it easier to counsel couples over a brief period of time, but also addresses major marital issues of communication, family issues, decision making, and more. This highly practical resource for pastors, or anyone in ministry, can be used with The Marriage Checkup Questionnaire or as a stand-alone tool for quickly diagnosing problems and referring couples to a professional, as necessary.
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Company Of Preachers
$45.99Add to cart483 Pages
Additional Info
Sit at the feet of the giants: Augustine, Chrysostom, Baxter, Wesley, Cassian, Craddock, Herbert, Bonhoeffer, Luther, Wainwright, Broadus, Gonz<#225>lez, and more. Advice on how to proclaim the Word, the importance of rhetoric, focusing on the listener, the character of the messenger, etc. -
Web Of Preaching
$33.99Add to cartEver feel like your sermons are going nowhere, or wonder whether you’re using the best approach? Eslinger surveys a wide array of homiletical methods, including narrative, Scripture-centered, and traditional African American. Discover the unique strengths and weaknesses of each—and learn how you can weave them together with your own style for maximum impact.
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Hidden Spring : The Spiritual Dimension Of Therapy (Reprinted)
$17.00Add to cartIncreasingly pastoral counselors–along with psychotherapists and social workers–feel the need to integrate spirituality into their therapy. Thomas Hart’s pioneering and lucid book, here reissued and updated, equips them to do so. The problems that people bring to counseling always have a spiritual dimension, and this hidden spring can also figure in their healing. Hart, a therapist and theologian, shows how much richer therapy is when it calls attention to spirituality in addressing human struggles. He argues that psychology and spirituality unite in a common goal of healing, with growth, and fulfillment; while spirituality offers a larger, more ultimate framework of value, meaning, and power. Especially for those whose training tended toward the straightforwardly psychological, this book offers a manual for a richer, more meaningful counseling. Initial chapters discuss the presence of God in ordinary life, the relationship of the two disciplines, and the contours of healthy spirituality. Six concrete and illuminating case studies demonstrate how to integrate the two in practice.
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Called To Lead
$4.99Add to cartCalled to Lead contains basic information to help council members and committee chairs carry out their leadership roles: the biblical and theological foundations for leadership, how congregations function, the role of the larger church, strategies for effective leadership, the decision-making process, enlisting and encouraging volunteers, dealing with conflict, and maintaining spiritual foundations. The book includes a short course in small group communication.
Who might find it helpful
*Council presidents
*Council members
*Committee chairs -
Boundaries In Marriage (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartYou long for a marriage marked by lifelong love, intimacy, and growth. And it can be yours–if you set wise boundaries. Boundaries are the “property lines” that define and protect each of you as individuals. Get them in place and you can make a good marriage better and possibly even save a less-than-satisfying one.
By the time you’ve completed this Groupware, you will know yourself and your mate better than ever before. You’ll also understand and practice the ten laws of boundaries in ways that can make a real difference in your relationship. Step by step, the Boundaries in Marriage Groupware helps you apply the biblical principles discussed in the book Boundaries in Marriage so you can–
* Set and maintain your personal boundaries and respect those of your spouse
* Establish values that form a godly structure and architecture for you marriage
* Protect your marriage from different kinds of “intruders”
* Work with a spouse who understands and values boundaries–or work with one who doesn’t -
Cell Groups And House Churches
$9.99Add to cartAre small groups new? This book provides a historical backdrop to much of what is happening in cell groups and house churches today. It points us to valuable lessons which the modern church can learn from history.
Examine how cell groups and house churches developed in the centuries since the Reformation. Explore the writings and practices of the Reformers such as Luther and Bucer, as well as the Pietists, Moravians, Methodists and others. These writings show clearly that when God moves in restoring His church, there is a renewal of small groups to aid discipleship and growth into holiness, often resulting in a greater concern for reaching the lost.
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Preaching The Parables Cycle B (Revised)
$13.95Add to cartThe parables of Jesus are timeless stories-and with the current popularity of narrative preaching, the parables are a familiar topic in the contemporary pulpit. But preaching on the parables is not as easy as it looks at first glance. Should we simply tell the parable in our own words and let it stand on its own feet, or is its lesson most effectively communicated by constructing a sermon around the central theme? Or should the preacher spiritualize the parable by probing for allegorical meaning?
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Sermons On The Second Readings Series 1 Cycle B
$36.95Add to cartThe sermons in this anthology reaffirm the hope that is ours through Jesus Christ, and challenge readers to a deeper and more intense faith relationship with the Almighty. The collection provides a complete set of sermons for each Sunday and major celebration throughout the Christian year based on the Second Reading from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. Outstanding preachers from across the denominational spectrum draw on texts from the New Testament epistles to explore how the practical and moral concerns of the early church offer lessons for modern Christian living. Each biblically grounded message confronts real issues with Christ-honoring solutions that bring challenge, comfort, and conviction to those who look at life with the eyes of faith.
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Sermons On The Gospel Readings Series 1 Cycle B
$35.95Add to cartFilled with wit, insight, and inspiration, this anthology includes sermons for each Sunday and major celebration throughout the Christian year based on Gospel Readings from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. The Thoughtful and imaginitive messages from preachers across the denominational spectrum proclaim the Good News in today’s language – helping readers apply the lessons of scripture to their personal situations. Unforgettable in their power and witness, these sermons offer strength, support, and vision to those hoping to enrich their Christ-centered life.
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Sermons On The First Readings Series 1 Cycle B
$36.95Add to cartFull of gripping illustrations that bring the Scriptures to life, this anthology includes sermons for each Sunday and major celebration throughout the Christian year based on the First Readings from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. The powerful messages from preachers across the denominational spectrum interpret texts from the Old Testament and Acts in fresh ways that proclaim the Good News for the 21st century. Building upon stories in which God moves ordinary people to extraordinary heights, these sermons combine creative imagination with abundant insight into vital current issues to transform our human despair into trust in the Lord’s divine providence.
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Call To Worship
$13.95Add to cartBusy pastors and worship leaders are always searching for worship elements that underline the scripture passages and provide a unifying theme. A Call To Worship answers that need, supplying a range of calls to worship, prayers, and litanies for each Sunday, all based on the readings for Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. A special feature is a weekly “childrens” benediction” that summarizes the day’s theme in a brief phrase that young people can understand and repeat with the congregation. A Call To Worship is a valuable library of resources that you’ll want to have right at your fingertips.
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Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 7 Cycle B
$38.95Add to cartProviding a fresh, timely reflection every week on assigned scripture passages is one of the most daunting tasks facing pastors. So when time or inspiration is flagging and you need the jump-start of creative ideas, the latest edition of the classic CSS resource Lectionary Preaching Workbook is just what the doctor ordered! Prominent pastor, former seminary president, and prolific author Jerry Schmalenberger draws upon the experiences of a lifetime in the ministry to help readers effectively share God’s Word with crisply written insights. This outstanding set of practical aids explores many homiletical approaches and is sure to help preachers prepare more vital, incisive sermons.
Each chapter includes:
* a listing of the applicable Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal lectionary texts;
* a theme for the day’s service;
* commentary on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel lessons;
* suggestions on preaching possibilities;
* an outline of possible sermon moves; and
* additional illustrations to flesh out the message. -
Preaching And Reading The Old Testament Lessons Cycle B
$23.95Add to cartWriting in a homiletical style, prominent Bible scholar Elizabeth Achtemeier provides expositions on all of the Old Testament texts contained in Cycle B of the Revised Common and Lutheran Lectionaries. Infused with her customary insight into the Hebrew scriptures, this collection of Achtemeier’s contributions to the preaching journal Emphasis furnishes a plethora of fruitful starting points for preparing sermons rooted in the Bible yet connected to modern life. But as the book’s title suggests, this volume is not just for preachers and homiletics students — it is also a powerful commentary for study groups and personal devotional reading. Achtemeier’s unrelenting focus on the promises of God appearing in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament, combined with her outstanding scholarship, make these essays a priceless resource that will enrich anyone looking for a clearer understanding of the scriptures.
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10 Commandments : A Preaching Commentary
$23.99Add to cartPlenty of resources help preachers explore and understand the lectionary texts—but what if you don’t follow the lectionary, or occasionally depart from it during the year? Offering valuable assistance for preparing sermons on The Ten Commandments, John Holbert’s helpful preaching commentary—the first volume in The Great Texts series—will help you to powerfully proclaim this keystone of the faith.
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Enacting The Word
$18.00Add to cartThe addition of simple drama to sermons is effective in bringing Bible passages alive and involving a variety of church members in preaching. In this book, James O. Chatham invites clergy to develop a use of drama to proclaim the gospel. Chatham writes that the Bible is comprised primarily of stories–stories of the relationship between God and God’s people spanning over more than a thousand years–many of which are so good that they need little explanation. There is no more engaging way to tell these stories, he says, than through effective sermon drama. Chatham offers seven example dramas that are ready for use, complete with lines, stage directions and a list of characters and needed props. Drawing from both New Testament and Old Testament texts, Chatham’s dramas tell the stories of the persistent widow in Luke 18, of Rahab, and of Jonah; give testimony to the re-creative power of God. God’s continued calling of God’s people, and the importance of the Easter story in modern contexts, and provides a lesson for discerning light from darkness.
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Help Im A Small Church Youth Worker
$19.99Add to cartPractical help for volunteer, part-time, and full-time youth workers in small churches
Eighty-five percent of the churches in America are classified as small. This book provides youth workers with processes and ideas that enable them to address their particular needs as part of small churches. -
Preaching Gods Compassion
$19.00Add to cartSuffering is universal, but how we handle it goes a long way in determining who we will become. Arden and Hughes, following the Pauline/Augustinian tradition viewed through a Lutheran lens, sensitively handle such tough issues as illness, loss, fear, violence, and failure, then offer three sample sermons.
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Church As Learning Community
$36.99Add to cartNorma Cook Everist contends it is meaningful to say that in ministries of adminstration, outreach, and pastoral care, the church is functioning as a learning community. Whenver and wherever Christians are being formed into the image of Jesus Christ through ministry. Christian education is taking place. Christian education is the name of this process of formation. Building on this central insight, Everist has written a major new introduction to the tasks and practices of Christian education.
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Childrens Sermons For Special Days
$13.95Add to cartChildren’s stories are important times for pastors and laypeople to relate to children in the context of worship. But resources that will hold their attention and help them learn about the Bible and the Christian faith are hard to find. Children’s Sermons For Special Days is both relevant and easy to use. The biblically based stories are told in a manner children can understand, and the pictures and activity sheets help to reinforce the learning experience. I highly recommend this book as a valuable tool for enhancing worship and learning for children.
Marvin Zehr
Conference Minister
Western District Mennonite ConferenceLooking for children’s material specifically tailored for holidays and other special, out-of-the-ordinary days? If so, then Julia Bland’s latest collection is a practical resource that you’ll draw on for fresh ideas throughout the year. Like all of her other popular titles, each children’s message in Children’s Sermons For Special Days is accompanied by a two-sided activity page — one side is a coloring page for younger children, while the other has a variety of puzzles and activities that emphasize the lesson’s key points for older children. Busy pastors and teachers who have little preparation time will love these scripturally sound and ready-to-use presentations — and better yet, so will your young people!
Lessons are included for:
* New Year’s Day
* Valentine’s Day
* Palm Sunday
* Easter Sunday
* Mother’s Day
* Father’s Day
* Independence Day
* Start of School
* First Day of Autumn
* Halloween
* Thanksgiving
* ChristmasDuring nearly 50 years as a pastor’s wife, Julia E. Bland has taught church groups of all ages from children through senior adults. She has been active in United Methodist Women and served as district chairperson of Global Concerns as well as Publicity and Public Relations. Bland’s award-winning oil, watercolor, and pen and ink artwork has appeared in private and public collections. Among her many CSS titles are Lessons We Can Learn From The Animals and Praises From The Psalms.
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Soaring Where Christ Has Led
$30.95Add to cartBelieving that Christian worship should be both exciting and stimulating and respectful of God and worshipers and liturgical traditions, Dick Avery and Don Marsh have put their considerable talents together to bring you ideas and music that make worship soar. As you read these groundbreaking ideas tailored to the seasons of the church year, you’ll find yourself saying, “Yes! YES! YES!” — and you’ll be eager to put them in place with your congregation.
Everything Avery and Marsh describe in this remarkable volume has been done successfully in their congregation at the regular Sunday morning service of worship, so you will find no off-the-wall suggestions pushed for mere novelty’s sake or just to “shake things up.” Rather, every principle, every suggestion, every idea has a purpose and goal befitting the Gospel and designed to help worshipers tune in to the mighty Lord of All.
With all of this plus several samples of original Avery & Marsh music, written especially for Sunday morning worship, Soaring Where Christ Has Led is a resource you will use week after week in planning worship services that delight congregations, honor God with momentous expressions of joy, and teach the way of Christ in today’s world.
Nationally renowned for their creative worship celebrations, Richard Avery and Donald Marsh were colleagues in ministry for 40 years at the First Presbyterian Church in Port Jervis, New York, where Avery served as pastor and Marsh as choirmaster (directing 3 choirs) and director of arts (producing 83 major plays and working with educational projects). They have collaborated in composing hymns, songs, and anthems, of which more than 150 have been published. During the last 30 years they have led regional and national church assemblies, conferences, and workshops on worship, music, and drama for many denominations and in virtually all 50 states.
A native of California, Avery is a graduate of the University of Redlands and Union Theological Seminary in New York. Marsh has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Houston, and worked for 17 years in New York’s music and theater world as a composer, choreographer, pianist, and actor. Avery and Marsh continue their collaboration in composing for the church and in leading special liturgical and musical events while living in retirement in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Your First Two Years In Youth Ministry
$22.99Add to cartIn this sequel to his bestseller Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry, Fields offers 10 valuable steps to beginning a successful program. You’ll learn the importance of going before God, focusing on relationships, communicating your desires, identifying your personal values, developing and teaching your purpose, pursuing leaders, evaluating and creating programs, and more. Ideal for veterans or first-timers.
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Battle For The Soul
$17.99Add to cart“This book is extremely helpful in ministering to others. It will give you the information to get past the game playing, guessing, and excuses and get right to the bottom-line issues in a person’s life. Clear and simple. Best of all, the focus is total reliance on the Person of Jesus Christ and His being in every way, shape, and form, all in all, to each individual believer.” –Mrs. Janie Glover, Christian Worker, Nampa, ID “I am amazed at the deep level of inspiration and revelation in Battle for the Soul. God is using GSM to reveal truths and depth that He has entrusted with few others on the face of the earth. The completed book will be a must-have for any minister seeking to break enemy strongholds in others’ lives, and I highly recommend it to any Christian who is ready to stand up and fight the good fight, move to another level with God, and get serious about letting Christ control his or her life. I asked one co-worker what he thought of a certain passage, and this was his response: ‘Again, another bottom line–sounds like Watchman Nee or possibly Francis Schaffer.’ He had no idea where the passage originated.” –Crystal Garvin, Editor, Patrick AFB, FL “Chapter 5 quite frankly about blew my mind–about Adam needing to be transfigured. WHOA. Totally new concept here.” –Trent Glover, Data Warehouse Manager, Nampa, ID
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Help Our Church Is Growing
$14.00Add to cartIt’s the secret, unspeakable dream shared by every minister. After years of diligent work in an average-sized church, you glance up one Sunday and notice a new family. The next month you notice another. Soon it seems like somebody new arrives almost every week. Suddenly you are the leader of a living, breathing, growing church!
Like any roller coaster ride, this one begins with a long, slow ascent. Attendance climbs. Giving climbs. Expectations climb. Of course a few problems crop up along the way, because, as with every other roller coaster, this one has a long and often scary downside. Even as your church continues to climb in every measurable statistic, you, the spiritual leader, may well find yourself in a virtual free-fall as you struggle over how to manage the impact this change will have on your congregation.
What can you, as a minister in a growing church, do to survive the pitfalls that lie just around the corner? What do you do when the old ways no longer work?
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17 Cualidades Escenciales De U – (Spanish)
$14.99Add to cart288 Paginas
Additional Info
Las cualidades que Maxwell ensena, lo lleva a uno rapidamente al corazon del trabajo en equipo. Cualquier persona puede entenderlas y aplicarlas en su vida – ya sea en la casa o en el trabajo, en la iglesia o en el parque de beisbol. Si aprende las 17 cualidades esenciales de un jugador de equipo, podra convertirse en la clase de persona que todo equipo desea. Si todos en su equipo lo hacen, no habra quien los detenga. -
Art Of Listening
$25.50Add to cart224 pages
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Availability and confirmation—key concepts of philosophers Gabriel Marcel and Martin Buber—are central to this fresh approach to pastoral care, which Pembroke has structured around a practical theological framework. He also explores the possible effects of shame clergy often feel when they fall short in these areas. Essential wisdom for all pastoral counselors! -
Starting A Non Profit At Your Church
$26.00Add to cartA large and growing number of congregations are setting up church-based nonprofit organizations in order to operate community development or educational programs. Once formed, the nonprofit structure allows for new opportunities for accessing additional funding and drawing new collaborative partners and volunteers into the ministry. Joy Skjegstad outlines the step-by-step procedures for setting up a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization connected to a congregation using simple, easy-to-understand terminology and plenty of examples from churches that have already taken on this task.
In addition to accessible and specific information on the legal aspects of a church-based nonprofit, topics include:
Why set up a nonprofit?
Advantages and disadvantages to setting up a nonprofit
Assessing readiness for the challenge
Defining the nonprofit’s mission and niche
Accountability and control
Establishing a board structure and defining board roles
Maintaining a positive relationship with the congregation
Personnel issues
Developing a fundraising plan
Ongoing evaluation
Whether a congregation is setting up new program or has an established nonprofit that needs to be restructured or redefined, congregations will find helpful guidance in this practical, experience-based book. Foreword by Mary Nelson, President, Bethel New Life, Inc., Chicago. -
Ending With Hope
$23.00Add to cart“Why is it we do funerals so well but often balk at even recognizing the death of a congregation? Couldn’t we do grief ministry and funerals as well for social groups as we do for individuals?” challenges Gilson Waldkoenig, in his seminary classes. Waldkoenig, associate professor of church in society at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, contributes his special insights on the subject of church endings, in this unique and important book.
Ending with Hope grows out of the understanding that although closing a congregation is in many ways about dying, it can also be about new life. Closing a congregation does not have to be about failure but can be about redirecting resources for new ministry.
Contributors represent eight denominations and include more than a dozen pastors, lay leaders, judicatory staff, and others who have “been there”-who have helped congregations through the painful closing process. Resources include models for assessing whether a congregation should close; reflections on members’ and pastors’ experiences during closing; case studies; guidance for deciding what to do with a building; suggestions for selecting and preserving documents and artifacts; rituals for healthy closings; a survey of historical trends regarding closings; and other helpful materials.
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Ministry And Money
$26.00Add to cartFrank, straightforward guidance for clergy seeking to develop a sound theology of money and skills for church administration, Ministry and Money also puts forth a new strategy for self-care, and a confident approach to managing both personal and congregational finances. Alban Senior Consultant and author Dan Hotchkiss wants to help clergy overcome their own anxieties about money matters so they can help others address the personal, social, and congregational aspects of this challenging and often difficult topic.
Hotchkiss observes that clergy are anxious about money for all the same reasons other people are and for some special reasons, as well:
Many people believe that what is “spiritual” excludes money and power.
Many clergy’s own finances are in difficulty.
Clergy depend on their congregations for their livelihood.
And in many congregations, clergy effectiveness may still be judged in financial terms.
Drawing on the full spectrum of American religious life, Hotchkiss addresses these important issues, offering practical assistance to clergy who wish to become more effective leaders by examining their own unique anxieties and convictions about money. -
12 Dynamic Shifts For Transforming Your Church
$18.99Add to cartThat today’s mainline churches are in crisis is apparent; a solution is less obvious. In this constructive new book E. Stanley Ott points a way ahead, describing twelve shifts in philosophy and practice that can help congregations build need-responsive, disciple-growing churches full of life and vigor.
Arguing that the weakness of the church today is a loss of personal spirituality and congregational vitality, Ott challenges local churches to discover how to adjust the style of their ministries to attract new people while encouraging current members. Ott examines the characteristics of “traditional” churches, extols the features of new, “transformational” churches, and lays out proposals to help established congregations make the transition.
Well balanced by an honest assessment of the church’s present and a positive vision for its future, this book is must reading for pastors, church leaders, and members of every congregation.
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Servants Manual : Christian Leadership For Tomorrow
$16.00Add to cartChristians and their institutions are stuck, says Michael Foss, stuck in the thinking and dilemmas of the past. This short volume is a plea for Christians to rethink their point and purpose in light of larger cultural changes and a crisis in leadership. Foss detects a crisis in leadership in declining rates of church participation, stagnant levels of students preparing for ministry, and burnout among clergy. To energize a new generation of leaders able to transcend yesterday’s thinking, Foss encourages a new style of ecclesial thinking. He first traces the larger cultural shifts that affect the church’s position in the world and styles of leadership. He then diagnoses church thinking as largely reproductive of past successes and ineffective in this new context. Advancing to productive thinking empowers Christians to leave behind the most important and frustrating dichotomies or polarities in today’s church: evangelism vs. social justice, control vs. freedom, growth vs. discipleship. Foss’s model of moving from issues into conversation and then into compassion is a blueprint for new leadership “equipped to think productively for the sake of the reign of our God in the world.” This book is aimed in part at bringing the key ideas and energy of Foss’s earlier book, Power Surge, to a wider audience of concerned Christians, potential leaders for the next generation.
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Preaching Workbook Series 1 Year 1
$31.95Add to cartProviding a fresh, timely reflection every week can be a daunting task. So when time or inspiration is flagging and you need the jump-start of creative ideas, the “Preaching Workbook” from CSS is just what the doctor ordered! Prominent pastor, former seminary president, and prolific author Jerry Schmalenberger draws upon the experiences of a lifetime in the ministry to help readers effectively share God’s word with crisply written insights. This outstanding set of practical aids explores many homiletical approaches and is sure to help preachers prepare more vital, incisive sermons.
Each chapter includes:
– a listing of and commentary on selected scripture texts
– a theme for the day’s service
– suggestions on preaching possibilities
– an outline of possible sermon moves
– additional illustrations to help flesh out the message -
Age Of The Reformation
$55.99Add to cartHughes Oliphant Old’s survey of preaching throughout the history of the Christian church has been heralded as a monumental achievement. This fourth volume of Old’s history brings the story of preaching up through the Protestant Reformation to the end of the seventeenth century.
This is the pivotal volume in Old’s project because it covers not only what the Reformers preached but also their reform of preaching itself. Luther made a clear break with the preaching traditions of the Middle Ages, while figures like Bucer and Calvin developed a strong expository approach to preaching. Old traces the main events and people involved in the development of distinctly Protestant forms of preaching, giving due attention to how and in what sense preaching was itself an act of worship.
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Spiritual Leaders Guide To Self Care
$32.00Add to cartThe Spiritual Leader’s Guide to Self-Care is an ideal companion for clergy, lay leaders, and others who would like guidance about how to make changes in their personal life and ministry but do not want to read a text-heavy book about self-care. The guide addresses seven themes:
Creating a Life Vision
Caring for Yourself at Work
Nurturing Your Relationships
Caring for Your Spirit and Body
Caring for Your Finances
Caring for Your Intellect
Sustaining a Life Vision
Readers may work through one of the 52 sections each week or adopt a more leisurely pace. The guide includes journalwriting suggestions, personal reflection questions and activities, guidance for sharing the discovery process with another person, an activity for the coming week, and suggested further resources, such as novels, videos, and Web sites. Foreword by Roy M. Oswald, Alban Institute Senior Consultant. -
Difficult But Indispensable Church
$19.00Add to cartWhy is it so difficult to be church today? Of course, Christian community is marked by ennobling worship, mutual care, and joyful celebration. But just as often it is marred by staid routine, insularity, and disagreement over leadership, budgets, ethical stances, or even the shape of congregational prayer itself. Alienation, blame, and power struggles ensue. Is church worth it? In this volume of fresh thinking about life in Christian community, twenty-one theologians from Wartburg Seminary strongly attest to Christ-centered community, offering new views of church as the indispensable site of radical Christian commitment and an essential healer for a hurting world. Reflective churchgoers will find here a virtual theological guide to church renewal. In part 1 the authors show how church can model an alternative vision of community, helping people achieve well-being and health, even as their differences are affirmed. Part 2 gets to the heart of Christian practice through creative discussions of belief, fellowship, encounters with Scripture, preaching, and moral deliberation. Part 3 finds the church in motion in new ways of understanding discipleship and mission near and far. Part 4 shows how a Christ-inspired openness can reveal new perspectives on tough issues of public policy, race and class, and ordination of gays and lesbians. Modeling what they espouse, the authors find unanimity in affirming the strengths of diversity, the unsuspected key to church renewal. Contributors include: James L. Bailey, Karen L. Bloomquist, Norma Cook Everist, Roger W. Fjeld, Ann L. Fritschel, Paul Hill, Peter L. Kjeseth, L. Shannon Jung, Duane H. Larson, Elizabeth A. Leeper, David J. Lull, Craig L. Nessan, James R. Nieman, Daniel L. Olson, Winston Persaud, Duane A. Priebe, Ralph W. Quere, David A. Ramse, Gwen B. Sayler, Thomas H. Schattauer, and H. S. Wilson.
