Pastoral Helps
Showing 1701–1750 of 4114 results
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Answer Is Always Jesus
$14.99Add to cartHealthy Life Press
This book contains seventy-four of Aram Haroutunian’s most memorable children’s sermons (of the more than 500 he presented at a large church in Golden, Colorado). Many of the sermons are unforgettable due to the children’s responses. Pastors, homeschoolers, parents who often lead family devotions, or other storytellers will find these stories, along with comments about props and how to prepare and present them, to be an invaluable asset in reconnecting with the simplest, most profound truths of Scripture, and then to envision how best to communicate these so even a child can understand them.
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More 10 Minute Talks
$24.99Add to cartSometimes you don’t have their attention for very long. Whether you’ve planned for a short message or your program has run long, a ten-minute talk is sometimes all you have space for in your youth ministry. So make sure you make it ten minutes that really count! If you need to communicate something meaningful in just a little time, 10-Minute Talks has just what you need—more than two dozen ready-to-go, story-based talks. With talks for spiritual growth, targeted at your Christian students, and outreach talks, perfect for any teenager, you’ll be prepared to give them a bite of truth that they can walk away remembering. Following the method Jesus used most often, these More 10-Minute Talks give you stories that can impact students with one simple point. Each talk gives you the tools you need to make it count, and the flexibility to make it work for your context. Along with each topic and title, you’ll find:
* The Big Idea
* Scripture
* The Story
* The Transition Statement
* Application
* ClosingDon’t get caught with nothing to say—or too much to say in the time you’ve got! Get 10 Minute Talks and get a meaningful message across quickly!
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Small Groups With Purpose (Reprinted)
$16.99Add to cartThis practical book walks church leadership through the questions they need to answer to develop their own intentional small group strategy. Built around the most commonly asked questions, it outlines the step-by-step process of creating a successful small group ministry. Because it is built upon principles and not methods, this plan can be implemented in any size church. Each chapter ends with a list of questions for leaders to answer to help them assess their current situation and their desires for the future.
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Leading Small Groups With Purpose (Reprinted)
$17.99Add to cartFor the new small group leader, the seasoned leader who feels their small group lacks purpose, or the leader who is working to move their small group to the next level, Leading Small Groups with Purpose is the road map to follow. Steve Gladen takes small group leaders step-by-step toward a healthy, dynamic group with focus and purpose. Every chapter includes ideas that small group leaders can implement immediately as well as ways to shape their small groups over time.
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Social Psychology In Christian Perspective
$60.00Add to cartHuman social interaction is varied, complex and always changing. How we perceive each other and ourselves, how individuals interact within groups, and how groups are structured–all these are the domain of social psychology. Many have doubted, however, that a full-fledged social psychology textbook can successfully be written from a Christian perspective. Inevitably, some say, when attempting to integrate theology and social psychology, one discipline must suffer at the expense of the other. Angela Sabates counters that thinking by demonstrating how these two disciplines can indeed be brought together in a fruitful way. She crisply covers key topics in social psychology, utilizing research that is well grounded in the empirical and theoretical literature, while demonstrating how a distinctively Christian approach can offer fresh ideas and understandings. Why doesnt our behavior always match what we say we believe?How and when are we most likely to be persuaded?What is the social psychology of violence?How reliable are eyewitness testimonies?Are racism and prejudice on the decline or are we just better at hiding them? Sabates draws out the implications of a Christian view of human persons on these and other central subjects within the well-established framework of social psychological study. This volume is for those looking for a core text that makes use of a Christian theological perspective to explore what the science of psychology suggests to us about the nature of human social interaction.
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Richer Descriptions
$15.95Add to cartHealthy Life Press
A unique and handy manual, covering all NINE human senses in seven chapters, for Christian speakers and writers. Exercises and a speaker’s checklist equip speakers to engage their audiences in a richer experience. Writing examples and a writer’s guide help writers bring more life to the characters and scenes of their stories. Bible references encourage a deeper appreciation of being created by God for a sensory existence.
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Cycle Of Grace
$15.99Add to cartThis groundbreaking resource speaks to a familiar condition of our times: spiritual burnout. A 10-minute video featuring well-known pastor Trevor Hudson opens each chapter, while the text by Jerry Haas unpacks the video content and guides readers through journaling questions. This workbook-vido combo sheds light on how Christians often get stuck in a cycle of works – staying busy doing things for God – rather than living in God’s grace.
Video available free at www.UpperRoom.org/bookstore or in DVD format: $10.00 -
Lectionary Worship Aids Series 9 Cycle C
$16.95Add to cartThe Revised Common Lectionary is not just to provide a guide to scripture reading during the church year. It can help shape the entirety of our worship. The themes for each Sunday service, as created by the lectionary, can be further explored and appreciated through Reed’s poetic prayers and responsories, as well as through musical selection suggestions. By involving all of the senses in worship, congregations can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the various themes highlighted in the lectionary, themes such as grace, mercy, justice, and others.
This special edition for Pentecost, Cycle C of the popular” Lectionary Worship Aids” allows ministers and worship leaders to tie the entire worship experience together for their congregations. Reed’s insights will prove invaluable in leading congregations into the presence of God not only on Sunday but also on holidays and other special occasions.
Topics covered in this resource include:
– Calls to Worship
– Suggested Hymns
– Collects for the Day
– Prayers of Confession -
Pauls Missionary Methods
$35.99Add to cartVeteran scholar-missionaries Robert L. Plummer and John Mark Terry edit this collection of entry points into the missionary methods of the Apostle Paul. With contributions from Michael Bird, Eckhard Schnabel and Craig Keener, this volume examines Paul’s missionary methods from the perspective of Paul’s activities in the first century and the perspective of his ongoing impact on missions today. The first part of the book examines Paul’s environment, activity and teaching. The second portion investigates the application of Pauls methods and principles to modern missionary work. The occasion for this book is the centennial of Roland Allen’s Missionary Methods: Saint Paul’s or Ours?, a classic in the field which Paul’s Missionary Methods enthusiastically engages with.
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Art Of Pastoring (Revised)
$22.99Add to cartAcknowledgments
An Ebenezer Story: Introduction
1. Beginning
2. Call
3. The Holy Spirit
4. Temptation
5. Eschatology
6. Preaching
7. Prayer
8. Friendship
9. Sacrament
10. Leadership
11. Leaving
12. Reward
Postlude
NotesAdditional Info
Named one of the Top Ten Books of 1994 by the Academy of Parish Clergy! Hundreds of books, tapes, workshops and seminars promise to answer these impossible questions. Some offer a set of practical guidelines; others suggest a system or pattern to follow. Some stress various ministry functions; others feature case studies as models of success or failure. Some are helpful. Others are not. But in The Art of Pastoring, David Hansen turns pastoral self-help programs on their heads. He tackles the perennial questions from within his own experience. From the Inside Out Hansen’s fresh, bold narrative grows from nearly a decade of ministry. He draws you into his life and into the lives of Florence-Victor Parish in the mountains of Montana, including unforgettable encounters with unforgettable people–a stubborn pioneer woman who still chops her own firewood though she’s blind and 90 years old, a championship rodeo cowboy who was baptized in his boots, and many more. Hansen’s goal is to help you discover “that pastoral ministry is a life, not a technology . . . [that] life as a pastor is far more than the sum of the tasks I carry out. It is a call from God that involves my whole life.” From Calling to Living Parable Every pastor has encountered those who struggle to hear God’s voice in a hospital room, who reach for Jesus in the sacraments. No systematic answers can meet their deep, eternal needs. What can touch them, Hansen contends, is a life itself, a life lived as a parable of Jesus. “As a parable of Jesus Christ,” Hansen writes, “I deliver something to the parishioner that I am not, and in the process I deliver the parishioner into the hands of God.” It is this knack for getting to the heart of things that makes The Art of Pastoring valuable for pastors in any setting–rural, suburban or urban. Parachurch workers, missionaries, church leaders and ministry volunteers will also find inspiration here. In this significantly revised new edition, Hansen includes new insights into his view of pastorate as parable and adds a new postlude in which he comes clean on his “constant attempts to leave the ministry.” -
Lectionary Stories For Preaching And Teaching Cycle C
$12.95Add to cartEveryone loves a good story. Storytellers who excel at their craft have the ability to draw readers or listeners into the worlds they create, using characters and situations to entertain and enlighten us. Jesus, the Master Storyteller, often spoke using parables — short stories that conveyed a spiritual truth. By drawing his listeners into his story, he unlocked their minds and hearts to hear the truth he was trying to relate to them.
This compilation of stories for the season of Pentecost taken from StoryShare follows in that same tradition. StoryShare, a part of SermonSuite.com, is written by various authors brought together to meditate on scriptures in the Revised Common Lectionary for Cycle C and create stories that flesh out these passages, allowing readers to see these words in a new way. These stories can be whimsical and light-hearted or poignant and reflective, even tragic. But they all strive to bring us to a deeper understanding of the scriptures and the God who inspired them. Some of the stories are even based on actual events experienced by the authors, events that influenced their perspective on Christianity.
Useful as sermon illustrations, stand alone sermons, teaching aides, personal devotions, or even just for entertaining reading, “Stories for Teaching and Preaching “will draw you into new worlds with vibrant and engaging images, deepening your relationship with God in the process. -
Preaching Christ From Daniel
$42.99Add to cartIn Preaching Christ from Daniel Sidney Greidanus shows preachers and teachers how to prepare expository messages from the six narratives and four visions in the book of Daniel. Using the most up-to-date biblical scholarship, Greidanus addresses foundational issues such as the date of composition, the author(s) and original audience of the book, its overall message and goal, and various ways of preaching Christ from Daniel. Throughout his book Greidanus puts front and center God’s sovereignty, providence, and coming kingdom.
Each chapter contains building blocks for constructing expository sermons and lessons, including useful information on
*the context, themes, and goals of each literary unit
*links between Daniel and the New Testament
*how to formulate the sermon theme and goal
*contemporary application
*and much more! -
Way For Children
$16.99Add to cartA churchwide experience where children, youth, and adults explore the profound, life-changing impact of Jesus’ life and ministry
The most amazing figure in history comes alive for children, youth, and their families.
Stories include:
Baptism in the Jordan River
Mount of Temptations
Nazareth – First preaching in the temple
Sea of Galilee
Sermon on the Mount/Beatitudes
Healing
Samaria – Jacob’s Well
Mount of Olives- cleansing the temple in JerusalemThe Children’s Study contains everything a leader needs to conduct a seven-week study, complete with reproducible handouts. For ages 3-12
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Way For Youth
$14.99Add to cartA churchwide experience where children, youth, and adults explore the profound, life-changing impact of Jesus’ life and ministry
The most amazing figure in history comes alive for children, youth, and their families.
Stories include:
Baptism in the Jordan River
Mount of Temptations
Nazareth – First preaching in the temple
Sea of Galilee
Sermon on the Mount/Beatitudes
Healing
Samaria – Jacob’s Well
Mount of Olives- cleansing the temple in JerusalemThe Youth Study provides everything needed for a seven-week study for ages 13-18. Designed to be used by both leaders and students along with the adult-level DVD.
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Nelsons Annual Preachers Sourcebook Volume 2
$24.99Add to cartPreach great sermons and plan innovative worship services with the newest edition of Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook. This volume is the same sermon planner you have come to depend on for more than ten years. Outstanding pastors provide an entire year’s worth of preaching and worship resources for every week. Look for a new volume every fall.
Features include:
Sermons, creative outlines, illustrations, and quotes for every week of the year
Worship helps, including hymns, prayers, and Scripture texts
Inspirational thoughts and preaching techniques
Sermons for special occasions and holidays -
Let It Go Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartFor many women, life can start to look like a chain of one responsibility after another. andnbsp; In Let It Go, popular author and speaker Karen Ehman has created a powerful tool to help them take a breath and avoid becoming ‘control freaks.’ With a combination of biblical insight, humor, and stories taken from her own experience, Ehman provides a better way—a way to navigate and more fully enjoy the relationships and responsibilities of your life—from total control to implicit trust in God. andnbsp; The accompanying Participant’s Guide complements the DVD sessions, focusing on specific issues and situations to help women take away the most important lessons Ehman has to teach. She offers additional support for the journey away from over-control and into a stronger, trusting relationship with God.
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Communion Meditations 2
$9.95Add to cartThis is Volume II of the popular preparation guide to Communion that grabs interest and focuses attention on the Lord’s Supper. The twenty six additional meditations in this book are meant to inspire, provoke, and bring personal meaning to Communion for all who participate. Each meditation is designed for a 90 second presentation and can be read verbatim or easily personalized for your needs or congregation.
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Start This Stop That
$18.99Add to cartWe need less conventional wisdom and more creative leadership.
Not all of the advice church leaders have heard on church growth works. Judging by declining membership in many mainstream denominations, most doesn’t. It’s time to reevaluate the standard thinking on how to grow a church, especially considering the number of new voices questioning the worth of church growth.
The Cowarts have an amazing story to tell. Harvest Church has grown from a church plant of four – Jim and Jennifer and their two children – to a thriving community of more than 2,200 disciples of Jesus. Harvest Church is changing the world and having an awesome time doing it.
Learn why conventional church thinking such as pastoral care, long-term planning, stewardship campaigns, committees, and even staff appointments can actually inhibit church growth.
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Lead Like Butler
$17.99Add to cartIn 2011, Butler University made history as the first team to make it to two consecutive finals of the NCAA basketball tournament without being seeded #1 or #2. As the smallest school to play in the championship game in the 40-year history of the tournament, Butler became the quintessential “Cinderella” team. How did this little-known Midwest university achieve what few schools have ever done by making it to the final championship game two years in a row?
Much of the attention is focused on head coach and team leader Brad Stevens, who was only 33 years old at the time of the 2010 tournament. Often mistaken for one of the players, Stevens coaches according to a set of six values-based principles broadly known as the Butler Way – Humility, Passion, Unity, Service, Thankfulness, and Accountability.
Through interviews with coaches, players, and alumni, Kent Millard and Judity Cebula explore the six leadership values taught by the entire coaching staff at Butler University. Each chapter of the book helps readers discover how these values form a solid foundation for pastors and other church leaders and anyone striving for success in life’s journey.
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Intergenerational Christian Formation
$30.99Add to cartAcknowledgments
Venturing Into Intergenerationality: Our Stories
Introduction
Part One: Generational Realities
1. What Is The Problem?
2. How Did We Get Here? Why Churches Tended To Separate The Generations
3. Why Bring The Generations Back Together? The Benefits Of Intergenerationality
4. What Shall We Name This Approach?
Part Two: Biblical, Theological, And Theoretical Support
5. Feasts, Jehoshaphat And House Churches: Biblical Foundations
6. Growing Each Other Up: Theoretical Foundations
7. Midwives, Tailors And Communities Of Practice: Learning Theory
8. The Trinity, Koinonia And The Body: Theological Foundations
Part Three: Support From The Social Sciences
9. Becoming Christian In Community: “Religious Socialization”
10. The Very Old And The Very Young: Contributions From Gerontology
11. Millennials, Xers, Boomers And Silents: Generational Theory
12. By The Numbers: Empirical Research
Part Four: Intergenerational Christian Formation Practices
13. Creating A Culture Of Intergenerationality
14. Intergenerational Worship
15. Intergenerational Learning Experiences
16. Intergenerationality And Story Sharing
17. Intergenerational Service And Missions
18. Intergenerational Small Groups
19. Cross-Generational Relationships In Multicultural Churches
20. Intergenerationality And Megachurches
Conclusion
Appendix A: Forty Intergenerational Ideas
Appendix B: Intergenerational Resources
Appendix C: Biblical Passages That Reflect An Intergenerational OutlookAdditional Info
One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 Most churches and faith communities segment their ministries by age and generation. The kids go to childrens church, the teens go to youth group. Worship services are geared toward different generational preferences, and small groups gather people at the same life stage, whether singles, young marrieds, parents or empty nesters. In some congregations, people may never interact with those of other ages. But it was not always so. Throughout biblical tradition and the majority of history, communities of faith included people of all ages together in corporate worship, education and ministry. The church was not just multigenerational; it was intergenerational, with the whole church together as one family and people of all ages learning from one another in common life. In this comprehensive text, Holly Allen and Christine Ross offer a complete framework for intentional intergenerational Christian formation. They provide the theoretical foundations for intergenerationality, showing how learning and spiritual formation are better accomplished through intergenerational contexts. It is not just elders teaching youth; learning also takes place when adults discover fresh insights from children. Then the authors give concrete guidance for intergenerational praxis on how worship, learning, community and service can all be achieved intergenerationally. Case studies of intergenerational congregations provide models for how a culture of intergenerationality can be created in local churches. This volume serves as an essential guide for all preparing for and involved in congregational ministry and formation. Discover the riches of intergenerational ministry, and let all generations commend the works of God to one another. -
Effective Staffing For Vital Churches (Reprinted)
$19.00Add to cartWell-staffed churches grow. But how do churches staff for growth in these rapidly changing times when budgets are tight, mission opportunities abound, and there is a growing shortage of qualified pastors, staff members, and church leaders? Two veteran pastors and church growth consultants offer workable solutions that focus on the four core processes vital to church health and growth: bringing people to Christ and the church, retaining them, discipling them, and sending them back out into the world. They also show pastors how to navigate the leadership transitions they must make to become increasingly effective as the church grows. Pastors will learn how to be leaders who multiply leaders and develop a mission-minded staff that does the same. Foreward by Ed Stetzer.
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More Middle School TalkSheets Epic Old Testament Stories
$19.99Add to cartMiddle school students are exposed to a lot of outside influences they don’t necessarily understand. It’s important to establish moral guidelines and role models early on, so they can grow with a strong understanding of Christian values. Where better to look for these role models than in the godly heroes of the Bible? The Middle School Talksheets series returns with a second year of thought-provoking stories from the Old Testament to discuss with your youth group or bible studies. David Lynn shares discussion topics and questions written specifically with middle school students in mind, promoting meaningful and thought-provoking conversations. The stories in these pages highlight pure moral principles and practices for teenagers to learn about and emulate. Each of the new 52 epic bible stories is easy to use and fit to your lesson plan, including hints and tips to facilitate conversation. These lessons also include optional activities, giving teenagers the inspiration and motivation they need andnbsp;to actively participate and have fun while they learn.
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Under The Gunn
$28.99Add to cartIn these chapters, John R. Gunn mentors preachers and seminarians with “cogent, biblically-based reflections” in which he “confronts the realities and stereotypes of ministerial practice and character . . . His advice, to young and old . . . is a salutary challenge to who we are and what we are to be about” (James L. Waits, president emeritus, The Fund for Theological Education). Men and women led to serve God through church leadership will find this book unfailingly insightful and inspiring.
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Under The Gunn
$11.99Add to cartIn these chapters, John R. Gunn mentors preachers and seminarians with “cogent, biblically-based reflections” in which he “confronts the realities and stereotypes of ministerial practice and character . . . His advice, to young and old . . . is a salutary challenge to who we are and what we are to be about” (James L. Waits, president emeritus, The Fund for Theological Education). Men and women led to serve God through church leadership will find this book unfailingly insightful and inspiring.
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Teaming Church : Ministry In The Age Of Collaboration
$18.99Add to cartCreate a successful team culture.
Great teams live and serve in light of the Divine Team-the Trinity, and to be truly effective they need: a deeply challenging goal, a creatively empowering leader, and a willingness to collaborate and honor the Bible.
Author Robert C. Crosby provides innovative ways in which biblical teams reflect the workings and nature of the image of God. Revealing what he calls “The Four C’s of Great Teams” : The Character, The Carrot, The Coach, and The Contex. Crosby shows how successful teams reach their goals more effectively. Conversely, he also addresses the “Four Fatal Teaming Errors” and how to avoid unnecessary, time-consuming missteps.
This book provides biblical motivations, vivid examples, and practical approaches for creating a teaming culture in any faith community. Crosby, a leader who has built teams as a senior pastor, youth leader, and university administrator, is now training and mentoring a new generation of pastors and leaders.
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Restart Your Church
$18.99Add to cartRecognize
Realize
Restore
Review
Reform
Resensitize
Release
Reinvigorate
Reemphasize
RebirthAdditional Info
As a result of the near-death experiences of many congregations today, denominational leaders are looking for ways to revitalize churches. The act of revitalization often starts with the assumption that what was once vital can be vital again, if church leaders simply do the same better. So congregations increase programs, budgets, and formulas. They look back in time, trying to recapture a period when the church’s role in society was vital. A church seeking revitalization typically does more of the same, but faster.However, the central story of faith is the story of both death and resurrection. Followers of Christ like to live out the resurrection part of their faith, but they often aren’t very comfortable dealing with what must come before resurrection – death. The church must be willing to live out its entire story, from beginning to end.
The church needs to trust the idea that God brings to life what God wants to. This book suggests shifting away from the language of revitalization toward the story of death and resurrection. Escobedo-Frank focuses on ten specific “re-” words to outline a strategy for dying and resurrecting again – for restarting the church.
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Effective Bible Teaching (Reprinted)
$23.00Add to cartWhy does Bible study flourish in some churches and small groups and not in others? In this updated edition of a trusted classic, two Christian education specialists provide readers with the knowledge and methods needed to effectively communicate the message of the Bible. The book offers concrete guidance for mastering a biblical text, interpreting it, and applying its relevance to life. Its methods, which have been field-tested for twenty-five years, help pastors, teachers, and ministry students improve their classroom skills. Readers will learn how to develop the “big idea” of a passage and allow the text itself to suggest creative teaching methods. This new edition has been updated throughout and explores the changed landscape of Bible study over the past two decades. Readable and interdisciplinary in approach, this book will help a new generation of Bible students teach in a purposeful and unified way.
Contents
Part 1: Effective Teaching
1. The Changing Landscape of Bible Study
2. The Church’s Unfinished Task
3. The Tasks of the Effective Teacher
4. The Teacher: The Human Element in Teaching
Part 2: The Methods of Effective Bible Teaching
5. Discovering Unity in Biblical Passages: The Genre and Structure of a Passage
6. Thematic Unity in Biblical Passages: Teaching the Big Idea
7. Bridging the Gap
8. Principles of Biblical Interpretation
9. Understanding the Methods of Inductive and Directed Bible Studies
10. Leading Inductive Bible Studies
Part 3: The Bible We Teach
11. What Kind of Book Is the Bible?
12. Types of Writing in the Bible
13. Teaching the Stories of the Bible
14. Teaching the Poetry of the Bible
15. Teaching Other Genres of the Bible
Indexes -
Scent Of Water
$15.99Add to cartA Scent of Water is a message of hope for the Christian school movement, a movement that is currently lacks vision, struggles with enrollment declines and battles budget limitations. This message derives from scriptural truth and the findings of empirical research and recommends a means for restoring a vision for the ministry. The local Christian school must become the site for transforming the movement into one that focuses upon student learning and a clear delineation of student goals. The authors examine schools as social and cultural systems that must be understood. A Scent of Water describes the type of leadership that must characterize the movement and proposes an active, vibrant and collaborative role for classroom teachers, working with building principals who see themselves as capacity builders, building strength and knowledge within the teaching staff to bring a scent of water that will revitalize and transform the movement.
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Cry Of Tamar (Revised)
$34.00Add to cartIn this comprehensive, practical, and gripping assessment of various forms of violence against women, Pamela Cooper-White challenges the Christian churches to examine their own responses to the cry of Tamar in our time. She describes specific forms of such violence and outlines appropriate pastoral responses.
The second edition of this groundbreaking work is thoroughly updated and examines not only where the church has made progress since 1995 but also where women remain at unchanged or even greater risk of violence.
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Feasting On The Word Worship Companion Year C 1
$42.00Add to cartA new worship resource in the acclaimed Feasting on the Word series
The Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C, Volume One, is the first of six volumes (two for each lectionary year) in a new series for worship leaders and pastors. Based on the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), this book is an invaluable aid that provides all liturgical pieces needed in preparing for worship each week. A team of eleven ecumenical and seasoned liturgy writers, under the creative leadership of Kimberly Bracken Long, offer a multitude of poetic prayers and responsive reading for all parts of worship. In addition, drawn from the lectionary each week are a question for reflection and household prayers for morning and evening so churches can include them in their bulletin for parishioners.
During times of the year when two different tracks of Old Testament texts are offered by the RCL, this resource offers an entire set of materials for each track. Also, a CD-ROM is included with each book and easily enables planners to cut and paste relevant readings, prayers, or questions into worship bulletins.
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Grace Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99Add to cartGrace.
We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an actress as gracious, a dancer as graceful. We use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings, and premeal prayers. We talk as though we know what grace means.
But do we really understand it? Have we settled for wimpy grace? It politely occupies a phrase in a hymn, fits nicely on a church sign. Never causes trouble or demands a response. When asked, “Do you believe in grace?” who could say no?
Max Lucado asks a deeper question: Have you been changed by grace? Shaped by grace? Strengthened by grace? Emboldened by grace? Softened by grace? Snatched by the nape of your neck and shaken to your senses by grace?
God’s grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you. It rewires you. From insecure to God secure. From regret riddled to better-because-of-it. From afraid to die to ready to fly. Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off. Let’s make certain grace gets you.
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Different Kind Of Christmas
$16.99Add to cartA Different Kind of Christmas is a fun and inspiring study for children the Advent season. Based on Mike Slaughter’s popular book Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, this engaging study will help children discover the broader meaning of Jesus’ birth and experience a Christmas season with more peace and joy than any toy could ever bring. This Children’s Leader Guide contains session ideas for preschool, younger children, and older children, including reproducible handouts.
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Going Social : A Practical Guide On Social Media For Church Leaders
$16.99Add to cartWith corporations leveraging social media to reach new customers, why shouldn’t churches use similar strategies to save souls? Revealing reasons for resisting new outreach tools, Crawford dispels their myths and offers a step-by-step guide to help you get an outreach program started and keep it going. Includes real-life examples and ideas. 192 pages, softcover from Beacon Hill.
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Different Kind Of Christmas
$9.99Add to cartEvery year, we say we’re going to cut back, simplify, and have a family Christmas that focuses on the real reason for the season-Jesus. But every year, advertisements beckon, the children plead, and it seems easier just to indulge our wants and whims. Overspending, overeating, materialism, and busyness rob us of our peace and joy and rob Jesus of his rightful role as the center of our celebration. This book of devotional readings is designed to draw your entire family into closer fellowship with God as you respond to this Christmas season and the call of God to live generously all year around. The devotional includes thirty short readings, Scripture, prayer, and stories about helping others at Christmas. A Different Kind of Christmas: Devotional Readings for the Season is a great gift idea for family, friends, teachers, and ministry leaders.
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Different Kind Of Christmas Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$11.99Add to cartA Different Kind of Christmas is a practical and inspirational study for the Advent season. Based on Mike Slaughter’s popular book Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, this five-week study will empower your family and your church to reclaim the broader missional meaning of Jesus’ birth and experience a Christmas season with more peace and joy than any toy or gadget could ever bring. This comprehensive resource includes a 64-page Leader Guide containing everything needed to guide your group through the study. Inside you’ll find five full session plans, discussion questions, and activities, as well as multiple format options and suggestions of ways to make the study a meaningful experience for any group. Sessions include: 1. Expect a Miracle 2. Giving Up on Perfect 3. Scandalous Love 4. Jesus’ Wish List 5. By a Different Road Help your church cast a vision for how Christians can experience the true joy of living and giving like Jesus beginning with the Christmas season and continuing as a lifestyle. This six week study helps participants see the traps and discontentment of consumerism and the call of God to live generously to fulfill God’s mission in the world.
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Andrew Paradigm : How To Be A Lead Follower Of Jesus
$16.99Add to cartThe current trend in church leadership involves looking for a highly gifted leader who will take over, direct the future, cast a vision, and attract the faithful to a new mission or purpose. This desire for a leader to come to the rescue is eerily reminiscenet of the desire of the Israelites for a king, so they could “be like every other nation.” In spite of Samuel’s warnings, the people insisted, so God reluctantly gave them King Saul. That didn’t go so well. While we always need good, new, and talented leaders, we also need leaders who know how and when to be good followers. Particularly in a culture of distrust, leadership must be granted, earned, and supported by those who are willing to follow. Leading begins with the counter-intuitive command: “Come, follow me.” This imperative is far from easy. Many turned away from Jesus, unable to follow. However, one excellent model of “followership” stood out from the rest – the little-known disciple Andrew. In fact, Andrew is the model and paradigm for being a Lead Follower. Excellent Christian leadership is more about following Jesus than it is about learning the latest fads or tricks from business, the marketplace, or the academy. Being an excellent Christian leader involves first and foremost being an excellent and faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
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Counseling And Christianity
$35.99Add to cartForeword
1 Setting The Stage For The Five Approaches
2 Moving Models Into Practice
3 A Levels Of Explanation Approach By Thomas G. Plante
4 An Integration Approach By Mark McMinn
5 A Christian Psychology Approach By Diane Langberg
6 A Transformational Approach By Gary Moon
7 A Biblical Counseling Approach By Stuart W. Scott
8 Distinctives And Dialogue
9 Conceptualization And Contextualization
10 Case Scenarios For Further Exploration
Author Index
Subject IndexAdditional Info
What does authentic Christian counseling look like in practice? This volume explores how five major perspectives on the interface of Christianity and psychology would each actually be applied in a clinical setting. Respected experts associated with each of the perspectives depict how to assess, conceptualize, counsel and offer aftercare to Jake, a hypothetical client with a variety of complex issues. In each case the contributors seek to explain how theory can translate into real-life counseling scenarios. This book builds on the framework of Eric L. Johnson’s Psychology & Christianity: Five Views. These include the Levels-of-Explanation Approach, the Integration Approach, the Christian Psychology Approach, the Transformational Approach and the Biblical Counseling Approach. While Christianity and Counseling can be used independently of Johnson’s volume, the two can also function as useful companions. Christians who counsel, both those in practice and those still in training, will be served by this volume as it strengthens the connections between theory and practice in relating our faith to the mental health disciplines. They will finally get an answer to their persistent but unanswered question: “What would that counseling view look like behind closed doors?” -
Preparing A Catholic Funeral (Expanded)
$10.95Add to cartIn a revised and expanded edition, this simple pamphlet continues to guide us in dealing with death and arranging in adance for funerals. All content is as up-to-date as possible and an extra signature of new material has been added, increasing the page count to 48 from 40.
Sales history indicates that these booklets are often purchased in bulk by institutions to distribute to people of all ages to help them plan final arrangements, or to families of the deceased immediately after a death. The original edition was prompted by the death of the author’s father; upon his passing and pending funeral, no one knew his plans or directives. Since then, scores of clergy, funeral directors, and parishioners have used this guide to address what needs to be done.
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Helping Kids Include Kids With Disabilities (Revised)
$30.00Add to cartChildren with disabilities are part of God’s family, but people don’t always treat them that way. In this book you’ll discover how to help kids and their leaders welcome and include kids with disabilities at church or school. This revised edition contains a wealth of helpful information for understanding disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder; AD/HD; behavioral challenges; hearing, visual, and speech/language impairments; intellectual disabilities; physical disabilities; learning disabilities; and severe or multiple disabilities.
This book also includes guidelines and forms to help churches identify and meet needs, lesson plans for presenting information on each area of disability, fact sheets about specific disabilities to share with adult leaders, and much more. It’s an indispensable resource for teachers, Sunday school leaders, church staff, and anyone who works with children.
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Discerning Gods Will Together (Revised)
$31.00Add to cartBible study, research, and fieldwork merge in this book of practical principles for decision making by spiritual discernment. The step-by-step approach can be used to help any size group learn a new way to make decisions–a way that is interactive, spiritual, and rooted in faith practices and community. Small groups, committees, church boards, church leaders at all levels, and seminary professors will find this book valuable.
This is a revised and updated version of the book, originally published in 1997. This new version includes revised and updated material, as well as a new introduction by Charles Olsen. -
Community Is Messy
$19.99Add to cartFirst Things First: Blood, Sweat And Spit
Community Is Messy
Everything Is An Experiment
Lead Yourself Well
Growing People Grow People
Discipleship Is Not Linear
Small Groups Should Happen In Real Life
Systems Are Made To Be Destroyed
Wear Out Your Welcome
Navigating The MessAdditional Info
Drawing on her background in environmental engineering and her role as pastor of discipleship at National Community Church in Washington, D.C., Heather Zempel assesses the perils and possibilities inherent in small groups and other environments for Christian community. The book helps leaders begin to see the inherent “mess” of such gatherings as raw material for arriving at something beautiful. -
Caring Liturgies : The Pastoral Power Of Christian Liturgy
$24.00Add to cartCaregiving practices in churches often center around listening and giving counsel, making referrals, and creating support groups for specific needs. In Caring Liturgies, Susan Marie Smith proposes that Christian ritual is both a method and a means for helping people through liminal times of transition and uncertainty, even vulnerability and fear. It teaches readers to recognize the ritual needs of fellow Christians and thus create post-baptismal rites of passage and healing that might strengthen and support them in the fulfillment of their ministries.
The book extends the usefulness of denominational “occasional services” books and other resources by suggesting ways to build a rite around a central symbolic action, pointing out issues of ritual honesty and ethics, and identifying skills and attributes necessary to preparing and leading a rite. Numerous narrative examples help to flesh out the principles and illustrate the key argument: that rituals are necessary means to enable human growth and maturity, both through times of suffering and times of transition, and that ritual-making leaders are central to the ongoing health of the church.
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Will The Real Church Please Stand Up
$16.95Add to cartIn this challenging and thought-provoking book, author James David Montgomery points out that although churches dot almost every street corner in America, many have strayed from God’s original design. He believes too many churches today stand in stark contrast to the first century church that turned the world upside down. Rev. Montgomery calls on Christians of every denomination to return to their roots and rediscover what made the early church great. He reminds us of the building-shaking, great-grace, fear-of-God-preaching, Pharisee-defying, souls-added-to-the-church-daily explosions of God’s glory in the book of Acts.
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Family Ministry : A Comprehensive Guide (Revised)
$65.99Add to cartIntroduction
Structure And Purposes
Resources
Acknowledgments
Section 1: The Context Of Family Ministry
1. Our Genealogy: A Brief History Of The American Family
Fighting About Family Kinship And Households
Colonial America
Frontier America
Slavery And Family Life For African Americans
The Industrial Revolution And Beyond
Conclusions
2. The American Family Today
Today’s Family Statistics
Why Defining Family Is Important
Conclusion
3. The Family In Christian Thought
Early Christianity Changes And Challenges
Family Life
The Catholic Church: Marriage As Sacrament
The Protestant Reformation
The Enlightenment
The Church And Non-European Cultures
The Church And Families In Recent History
Learning From History
4. A Biblical Frame For Defining Family In The Beginning . . .
Jesus’ Life: A Transformation Of “Family”
Jesus’ Teachings By Word And Example
The Ethiopian Eunuch
The Family Of God
Implications For The Church
5. An Agenda For Family Ministry
The Development Of Family Ministry
Defining Family Ministry
Family Ministry As PerspectiveSection 2: Family Formation
6. Fieldguide Of Family Relationships
A Family Story
Single Adults
Married Adults
Parents Siblings Older Adult Families
Who Are Families?
7. Family Development
Developmental Stages
The Processes Of Family Development
We Are Family
Cyclical Phases Of Family Development
Family Life As Christian Formation
8. Families In Physical And Social Space
The Ecosystemic Approach
Habitat Adaptation And Stress
Possibilities And Complexities Of An Ecosystemic Approach
Emergencies, Crises And Catastrophes
Strong Families
9. Culture And Family Identity
Families In Culture
The Unique Culture Of Families
Becoming Culturally Competent Family
Identity Family Rituals
Family Stories
Implications For Family MinistrySection 3: The Processes Of Family Life
10. Family Interaction
Types Of Communication
Conflict And Anger
Forgiveness And Repentance
Intimacy Implications For Family Ministry
11. Power And Roles
Jesus’ Teaching About Power
Gender Roles
Discipline
Family Violence
12. Working Together
Defining Family Faith
Biblical Narratives Of Family Faith
A Story Of Family Faith
Service As A Family Affair
Engaging Families In Ministry
Hospitality Woven Into Family LifeSection 4: Leading Family Ministry
13. Congregational Life As Family
Ministry
Worship
ChristAdditional Info
North American families are in crisis, and the need for family ministry is more evident than ever. In her many years of ministry, research and teaching, author Diana Garland has found that the strength of Christian families is rooted in their faith and nurtured in their congregations. Garland believes that Christian families gain strength in part because of their communities of faith. Twelve years after first coming to print, the award-winning Family Ministry has been given a significant makeover. In this new edition Garland takes a three-pronged approach to family ministry, which includes developing families grounded in Christian faith, helping families live the teachings of Jesus with one another, and equipping and supporting families as they learn to serve others. The insights gained are organized into four main sections: The Context for Family MinistryFamily FormationFamily DynamicsLeading Family Ministry Garland examines and fully integrates the historical, sociological, theological and biblical contexts to understand the role and meaning of family in the life of Christians and the church. She perceptively connects these explorations with the social and cultural context of the early twenty-first century.
Now revised and updated throughout, Diana Garland’s core text for ministers and others in the helping professions provides a comprehensive look at the Christian purpose of family and the complex world our families inhabit -
Parables For Today
$16.00Add to cartThe parables of Jesus seem to be an unending source of inspiration for teachers and preachers and it is possible to return to them again and again to find a new message in them. That is certainly the experience of Professor Hunter who, after the great success of his Preaching the New Testament (which was reprinted within its first year of publication), has here produced a second series of sermons on the best-known Gospel parables. Those who know his books already will need no further prompting; those who do not will find him here on his best form, the clarity of insight in no way dimmed by the years of experience.
