Pastoral Helps

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Helping Kids Include Kids With Disabilities (Revised)
$30.00

Children 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)
$31.00

Bible 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.

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Community Is Messy
$19.99

First 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 Mess

Additional 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.

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Caring Liturgies : The Pastoral Power Of Christian Liturgy
$24.00

Caregiving 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
$16.95

In 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)
$65.99

Introduction
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 Perspective

Section 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 Ministry

Section 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 Life

Section 4: Leading Family Ministry

13. Congregational Life As Family
Ministry
Worship
Christ

Additional 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

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Speaking Of Dying
$26.00

This book reminds the church of its considerable resources when it ministers to the terminally ill. Typically, a terminal diagnosis triggers denial of impending death and a full-scale resort to the techniques and resources of modern medicine. If a cure is not forthcoming, the patient and his or her loved ones experience a sense of failure and bitter disappointment.

Here the authors show what is lost when the church abdicates its own resources of faith in the face of dying. They outline a practical theological response to terminal illness and the event of dying, showing how the liturgy–particularly baptism–prepares Christians to die and how the Eucharist sustains us in our dying. They also discuss how to talk to a dying person and how to preach on death and dying. Thus this is not a book on grief or even on death so much as it is on the process of dying and how the church can more faithfully and effectively engage those who are dying. The book includes a foreword by Stanley Hauerwas.

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Parables For Today
$16.00

The 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.

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Fresh Expressions And The Kingdom Of God
$27.00

Mission Shaped Church, the groundbreaking report which has sold over 20,000 copies has transformed understandings of mission in the UK. Fresh Expressions, which sprang into being in its wake, is an established presence in Britain, the USA and Canada. This important book poses a challenging question: what are the aims of mission and are they being achieved through Fresh Expressions? This book argues that mission is equally about social transformation or, in biblical terms, building the kingdom of God, as well as building the church. Theological reflection and stories from front line practitioners in churches in the sacramental traditions (with their heritage of service in poor communities) combine to create a unique, timely and valuable resource which includes contributions from leading names in the study and practice of mission today.

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Lectionary Worship Aids Series 9 Cycle C
$28.95

The 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.

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

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They All Were Looking For A King Cycle C
$12.95

In this volume of sermons prepared by Wayne Brouwer, the reader will find illustrations that help to explain God’s message in new and interesting ways. Finding stories and word pictures that more easily tie into the Lectionary readings for each Sunday will help the person in the pulpit make his sermon more compelling to the people in the pews.

In They All Were Looking for a King, the author brings the reader new insights to the age-old message surrounding the birth of Christ. As Christians eagerly anticipate the arrival of the babe of Bethlehem, Brouwer explores the gospel from new perspectives that the reader will find to be invaluable. These messages will be helpful in a variety of ways:

Illuminating illustrations and sermon starters

Group Bible study

Personal devotions

Sermon titles included in this collection are:

A Cry in the Dark

A Dance in the Desert

Creating Community the Hard Way

Many others for the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany

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Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 9 Cycle C
$49.95

When it comes to preaching from a lectionary, it can often be a daunting task to create new ways of preaching about a passage that has been around for thousands of years. It would seem that, after a while, there would be no new ways of looking at a scripture passage. A different perspective, however, can be most beneficial in finding a new way to help your congregation see each of the readings.

This is the inspiration behind the Lectionary Preaching Workbook series. By providing new insights into each of the readings in the Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal Lectionaries, Mark Ellingsen has given pastors everywhere the tools they need to effectively relate the heart of the scriptures to their congregations, combining the best of scholarly techniques with pastoral experience. Each of these illustrations and thematic explorations provide the perfect jumping point for pastors to take a text and create thought-provoking, inspirational messages. Its easy-to-use format and illuminating commentary make the Lectionary Preaching Workbook an essential addition to any pastor’s library.

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Coaching Life Changing Small Group Leaders
$26.99

Small groups transform churches-and lives. Small group leaders often feel the weight of shepherding their small group members.

But who shepherds the shepherd? Small group coaches fill a unique role by providing support and guidance for group leaders.

When you’re called to coach a small group leader in your church, your mind may be filled with questions: Am I godly enough? What do I have to offer? How do I begin? Although the challenge seems immense, Bill Donahue and Greg Bowman break down the work of coaching small group leaders into achievable steps.

This expanded and updated edition offers field-tested and biblically supported advice on such topics as modeling a surrendered life to those you coach, gaining the tools and wisdom you need for coaching, and helping leaders grow spiritually.

This workbook can be used as a stand-alone resource to train coaches, or it can be used with the training videos taught by the authors, available on the Equipping Life-Changing Small Groups DVD (sold separately).

For those who want to coach with excellence and truly help small group leaders thrive, this go-to guide offers practical answers and inspiring examples. You’ll find both challenge and promise in these pages as you learn to carry forth your God-given calling with confidence.

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Grief Relief : Scriptural Guide Book To Recovery After The Death Of A Child
$15.99

Born in 1961, Rebecca, whose nickname is Becky, was born into the most dire of circumstances. The fifth child of poor parents; whose marriage was already at the point of collapse. Becky was critically premature; her mother Barbara’s most difficult delivery; and only breach birth. In all, her mother would go on to have seven children. Barbara struggled while working for seventy-five cents an hour, at a nearby dry cleaners. Her father Loyd worked less and less as the years went by, due to the most extreme form of chronic alcoholism.

While living in the ghetto and enduring the harshest depravation imaginable, God sent His messengers with The Good News of Jesus Christ. Becky faithfully rode the church bus with her elder siblings, starting at around the age of two years old while carrying her own spare diaper, in a brown paper bag. Her mother would instruct, “Don’t dirty your diaper while you’re gone.” The story is told that she never did! Becky refused to be left behind, and grew up cherishing the Bible stories she was taught at “The First Church of the Nazarene,” in Rock Island, Illinois. Becky also attended regularly at Grant Elementary; her public grade school, a Bible study that was held after hours in the school cafeteria. The truth is, Becky never fully perceived until now, what God had indeed predestined for her, and that is why He saw to it that she knew His Holy Word from the start. She readily acknowledges, that if she hadn’t experienced the steadfast love of God early on, that He would have never been able to do the miraculous for her in 1990, when her doctor crudely informed, “The top of your babies head is missing!” The cataclysmic discovery that her baby was suffering from the disease of “anencephaly,” was rendered just two weeks before she was due to give birth for the first time at the age of twenty-nine.

Indeed, God’s hand has been upon Becky her entire life, but was never more providential than that fateful day on May 12, 1990, when her precious Melissa Ann was born, and returned straight back to heaven from whence she was sent. Melissa beat the odds by being born alive, and lived for three rapturous hours and eighteen glorious minutes upon this earth, cradled all the while in her parent’s adoring arms.

Afterwards, Becky spent vast hours alone in her prayer closet seeking God’s divine help and guidance. She needed to know what He had to say about all that was happening to her, as many more complications and obstacles were involved a

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Chained No More
$16.95

Chained No More is a program that will minister healing and hope to anyone who has been touched by the pain of divorce. Robyn Besemann has developed biblically based materials that provide a framework for personal growth, a tool for helping others, and a step-by-step grid that produces transformational results.

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Amplifying Our Witness
$19.99

Nearly twenty percent of adolescents have developmental disabilities, yet far too often they are marginalized within churches. Amplifying Our Witness challenges congregations to adopt a new, practice-centered approach to congregational ministry — one that includes and amplifies the witness of adolescents with developmental disabilities.

Replete with stories taken from Benjamin Conner’s own extensive experience with befriending and discipling adolescents with developmental disabilities, Amplifying Our Witness:
*Shows how churches exclude the mentally disabled in various structural and even theological ways
*Stresses the intrinsic value of kids with developmental disabilities
*Reconceptualizes evangelism to adolescents with developmental disabilities, emphasizing hospitality and friendship.

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Lectionary Stories For Preaching And Teaching Cycle C
$12.95

Everyone 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 seasons of Lent and Easter 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.

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Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 9 Cycle C
$19.95

“I am very impressed with the way Dr. Ellingsen outlines this” Lectionary Preaching Workbook… “Here is a splendid workbook. It is rich in detail and theological insight. Ellingsen writes clearly, is sensitive to context, and widens [our] horizons… This book should be required reading for all pastors, seminary students, and other lay people who are involved in ministry with adults and youth. It should be regarded as a textbook to enhance one’s knowledge about the meaning of the seasons or major festivals of the [church] year.”
Reverend Jesse Averett Jr.
Presiding Elder, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
“If a preacher is looking for quick and easy sermons, this tool is not what s/he is seeking. But if a preacher is looking for solid biblical scholarship, thoughtful exegesis, a possible preaching theme for each of the appointed lessons for each Sunday in the lectionary year accompanied by a variety of ideas for how that theme might be developed, then CSS’ latest “Lectionary Preaching Workbook” will be a valuable resource. Built around the Revised Common Lectionary and the Christian church year, Pr. Mark Ellingsen has put together a highly useful resource.
Ellingsen’s passion for justice and equality as applied to the social issues of the day comes through clearly in some of his “sermon moves” as well as the socio-economic and political illustrative connections he offers. Incorporating insights and quotations from a variety of sources — everything from modern brain research to Luther, Calvin, Liberation Theology, Bonhoeffer, Pascal, and Barth — Ellingsen strives to connect God’s word to our world in ways that the preacher will find stimulating and inspirational.”
Glenn L. Simmons
Assistant to the Bishop
Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
When it comes to preaching from a lectionary, it can often be a daunting task to create new ways of preaching about a passage that has been around for thousands of years. It would seem that, after a while, there would be no new ways of looking at a scripture passage. A different perspective, however, can be most beneficial in finding a new way to help your congregation see each of the readings.
This is the inspiration behind the “Lectionary Preaching Workbook “series and this special edition for Lent and Easter. By providing new insights into each of the readings in the Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal Lectionaries, Mark Ellingsen has given pastors everywher

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Navigating The Sermon Cycle C
$34.95

For each Sunday in Cycle C, the writers and editors of “Charting the Course,” an integral part of Emphasis: A Lectionary Preaching Journal from CSS Publishing Company, delve into the heart of the lectionary readings, providing you, the pastor with in-depth lectionary-based commentary; relating several fresh, solid ideas — based squarely on the lectionary texts — for creating sermons that speak powerfully to your audience. The team of Navigating the Sermon looks for overall topics for the entire Cycle C church year that hold the readings together. Then, they zero in on the theme and the specific scripture links, suggesting directions for the sermon and worship service. Since a single application for each week may not provide what you are looking for at that particular time, Navigating the Sermon in most cases suggests several ideas, giving you the opportunity to select the one that matches your specific needs.

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Why Not Now Leaders Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$9.99

Like most of the rest of us, Christian students tend to set the bar too low for themselves, especially when it comes to actively following Jesus. This 6-week Bible study curriculum and correlated-but-stand-alone daily devotional will challenge students to accept the mission to live like Jesus now, not later, by telling the stories of adolescents from the Bible and in modern life who did — and are doing — significant and amazing things in the world and for the God who saves. In a society where cultural adolescence is lingering into the 30s, its no wonder Christian students often fail to confront the call to act meaningfully on their faith in Christ. It’s easy to package that commitment with big ideas like picking a college, a spouse, and a career — and then to never quite get around to it.

God, however, posts no minimum age on discipleship, and his book contains several examples of younger people both willing and able — in his power — to do extraordinarily difficult and necessary things with their lives for him. Why Not Now? will mine stories from the young lives of Miriam, Joseph, David, Solomon, Daniel, and Mary to find why and how they said yes to God before they would have been old enough to rent a car in our modern society. All six of these people believed God could use their lives to do something that mattered. What is holding us back?

To bolster the argument and generate interest in the books, Why Not Now? will also seek contributions from living examples of people who are doing or have done things we just don’t expect students to do these days. Abby Sunderland, for instance, generated worldwide controversy for attempting to sail around the world solo simply because she was 16 at the time. How dare she? How cold her parents allow that? Another 16-year-old, cheerleader Kealey Oliver, recently made news for courageously tackling a shoplifter at the local mall rather that letting him escape. She saw it as her responsibility to stand for justice. And 17-year-old Steven Ortiz made headlines by demonstrating the practical wisdom of bartering his way from an old cell phone to a convertible Porsche.

Why Not Now? will use stories like theirs — and those from Scripture — to equip youth leaders to challenge students to use their unique gifts, skills, and opportunities right now to do bigger things with their lives for God’s glory. The curriculum will include teaching outlines, commentary, group activities, discussion questions, a

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Mindful Ministry : Creative Theological And Practical Perspectives
$35.99

A constructive resource linking the skills required by clergy in their day-to-day ministry with active reflection on what it means to be a reflective practitioner.

Christian ministry requires a wide range of skills as well as the ability to reflect theologically. Part 1 considers how clergy and those who work with them can explore the skills required, while Part 2 focuses on identifying, considering and acquiring the necessary skills. The authors consider among others caring, praying skills, guiding, organizing and liberating as well as the skills of weakness.

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In Season Out Of Season
$30.00

This latest collection of sermons by Eric James is also the best, drawing as it does on a lifetime of experience, a deep personal faith, and a love of people, music, literature and the richness of life. It also has a valedictory quality, since during the period covered by the collection the charity Christian Action, of which Eric James had been director, closed down after fifty years, and he resigned from being Preacher to Gray’s Inn, an office which he had held for nineteen years. Here too is a farewell to an era, with ‘In memoriam’ sermons on a number of distinguished figures who embodied that era, and constant references to a world which is passing away.aHowever, that is only part of the story. In Season, Out of Season is dedicated to an ordinand preparing to preach to the next generation, and like Eric James’s favourite collect, ‘0 God, who hast prepared for them that love thee such good things as pass man’s understanding…’, it is full of hope for the future.

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People Of The Way
$24.95

There is a renewed conversation about identity and mission in American Anglicanism today, based on the recognition that the church’s context in the U.S. has dramatically changed. The legacies of establishment, benefactor approaches to mission, and the ‘national church’ ideal are no longer adequate for the challenges and opportunities facing the 21st century church.

But if the Episcopal Church is no longer the Church of the Establishment and the benefactor model of church is dead, what is the heart of Episcopal mission and identity?

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Genesis
$19.99

Studying the Bible can be a daunting prospect, with each passage revealing new truths at every reading. The Studies on the Go series is designed to help keep your youth group focused and exciting, exploring the rich depths in every book of the bible.

In Genesis, Laurie Polich-Short delivers a set of 30 in-depth study sessions to unlock the potential in the first book of the Bible. Every chapter is examined with care and matched with questions to promote discussion in a group study setting. These segments also include tips to help your students apply what they learn in their everyday lives.

The Studies on the Go series has provided invaluable resources for small group leaders, and Genesis is a title in that same tradition. Structured study questions and varied discussion topics promise a rich experience and deeper understanding of God’s word for your small group.

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High School TalkSheets Old Testament Epic Bible Stories
$19.99

In just four short years, high school students develop friendships and habits that affect them for the rest of their lives. They need to be inspired through strong role models who embody Christian values. Where better to look for these influences than in the godly heroes of the Bible? The Talksheets series returns with another 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 high 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 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 to actively participate and have fun while they learn.

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Middle School TalkSheets Epic Old Testament Stories
$19.99

Middle 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 Talksheets series returns with another 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 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 opportunity to actively participate and have fun while they learn.

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Prayers For Advent And Christmas
$14.99

This collection is ideal for the Sundays of Advent, as well as Christmas Eve services. It includes:

Invocations
Opening Prayers
Prayers of Confession
Pastoral Prayers

Drawn from a variety of traditions, the prayers in this collection will aid any congregation as it worships throughout the journey of Advent.

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When The One You Love Is Gone
$11.99

When a loved one dies, you don’t get over it, but you can move on.

The bad news is that we never fully “get over” the loss of those we hold most dear; we bear those scars to the grave. The good news is that God is at work in us turning our loss and pain into something beautiful. God can take the scars and the mess and the heartache of our lives– yours and mine– and use it to give new life, new life to us and new life to others.

God is not in the business of zapping our loved ones and stealing them away from us. But in a world where death waits for every person, God stands ready. God stands ready to receive our beloved dead as they cross over; and God stands ready to guide us through the saddest days, to walk with us through our grief, and to take us into places we never could have imagined places of hope and renewal. If God could take a cross and broken body and make of them redemption, God can take your pain and heartache and fashion them into new life.

This book is composed of the reflections that point to broader lessons that will help those who find themselves passing through grief, as well as the pastors, counselors, and friends whose job is to accompany the traveler.

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6 Deadly Sins Of Preaching
$17.99

This ethics of preaching text identifies vices of irresponsible preaching practices. Preachers who fail to develop deep respect for their listeners or drift into a lack faithfulness to the Gospel can end up becoming:

* The Pretender (The Problem of In-authenticity)
* The Egoist (The Problem of Self-absorption)
* The Manipulator (The Problem of Greediness)
* The Panderer (The Problem of Trendiness)
* The Crusader (The Problem of Exploitation)
* The Demagogue (The Problem of Self-righteousness)

Just as the church historically derived its Seven Holy Virtues (chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, & humility) by naming Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, & pride), Reid and Hogan call preachers to turn away from pulpit vices and strive to realize the homiletic virtues of becoming:

* Authentic (The Call to Be Genuine)
* Altruistic (The Call to Be Selfless)
* Careful (The Call to Exercise Self-Control)
* Passionate (The Call to Be Honest to God)
* Courteous (The Call to Woo a Reasoned Reception)
* A ‘Namer’ of God (The Call to Reveal an Ineffable God)

The Six Deadly Sins of Preaching explores the difference between the irresponsible practices, unfortunate missteps, and mere unthinking mistakes in preaching. A chapter is devoted to Preaching Missteps (problems that do not rise to the level of being irresponsible) that includes:

* Short Changing the Process
* Waving a Red Flag
* Thou Shall Not Bore the Congregation
* Through the Looking Glass Darkly
* The Mumbler
* TMI-Too Much Information
* Your Cup Do Runneth Over
* Where’s This Sermon Going, Anyway?

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Real Conversations Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99

For many teenagers, sharing their faith in Jesus to their friends is an overwhelming and scary prospect. Outreach is inviting their friends to a fun event once a year. In this entertaining DVD training, Jonathan McKee ignites the passion of Christian teenagers to live authentic lives and gives them tools to reach out to their friends in ways that won’t give them cold sweats! The message is simple: an authentic faith creates opportunities to talk about Jesus. In this dynamic DVD training, students will discover the secret to sharing the reason for the hope that’s within them.

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40 Days Of Community Devotional
$10.99

40 Days of Community Devotional is a dynamic individual or small-group devotional journal that will help you learn how to fulfill God’s five purposes for your life. It includes the biblical support behind each purpose, the ways it applies to you and your circle of influence, and how you can use this knowledge to benefit God’s kingdom. According to Warren, from the beginning, God planned for Christians to fulfill his purposes in community with each other in our church families, small groups, and in the world as a whole. Why did God plan it this way? Because we’re better together! This 40 Days of Community Devotional will deepen your understanding of how God uses community for your own good and growth, as well as help you cultivate deeper relationships with those around you. Learn to fulfill God’s purposes … discover how we are better together. This devotional journal is designed for use with the 40 Days of Community DVD and 40 Days of Community Study Guide.

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40 Days Of Community Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99

40 Days of Community Study Guide—part of the Living with Purpose series by Rick Warren—is a dynamic individual or small group study guide that will help you learn how to fulfill God’s five purposes for your life. It includes the biblical support behind each purpose, the ways it applies to you and your circle of influence, and how you can use this knowledge to benefit God’s kingdom. From the beginning, God planned for Christians to fulfill his purposes in community with each other in our church families, small groups, and in the world as a whole. Why did God plan it this way? Because we’re better together! 40 Daysandnbsp;of Community Study Guide will deepen your understanding of how God uses community for your own good and growth, as well as help you cultivate deeper relationships with those around you. Learn to fulfill God’s purposes … discover how we are better together. This study guide is designed for use with theandnbsp;40 Days of Community DVD and 40 Days of Community Devotional Journal.

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Making Your Small Group Work Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$10.99

Whether you’re a new or seasoned group leader, or whether your group is well-established or just getting started, the Making Your Small Group Work DVD and participant’s guide (sold seperately) will lead you and your group together to a remarkable new closeness and effectiveness. Designed to foster healthy group interaction and facilitate maximum growth, this innovative approach equips both group leaders and members with essential skills and values for creating and sustaining truly life-changing small groups. Created by three group life experts, the two DVDs in this kit include:
* Four sixty-minute sessions on the foundations of small groups that include teaching by the authors, creative segments, and activities and discussion time.
* Thirteen five-minute coaching segments on topics such as active listening, personal sharing, giving and receiving feedback, prayer, calling out the best in others, and more.

Formerly titled ReGroup.

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Building A Life Changing Small Group Ministry (Workbook)
$26.99

Our hearts were made for deep, authentic relationships—for community with others. And like nothing else, small groups provide the kind of life-giving community that builds and empowers the body of Christ and impacts the world.

In this book, part of the Groups That Grow series of small group resources, authors Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson provide guidance for the strategic decisions that must be made to establish, develop and grow a thriving small group ministry in the local church. In Building a Life-Changing Small Group Ministry, they answer questions like:
* Which approach or model for small group ministry is best for my church?
* Who has responsibility for the ministry and how are they supported?
* How do I organize the groups and coach the leaders?
* Where do I find leaders and what kind of training do they need?
* How do I guide people toward community life?
*What are the pathways and events that move people to become part of a small group?
* What kinds of groups should we offer?
* How do you multiply groups and launch new groups?
* How do we define success in this ministry?

As you work through the questions in each chapter you’ll develop a coherent, strategic plan for building and leading the small group ministry at your church.

And whether you are establishing a new ministry or transitioning from older models of small group ministry that are no longer effective today, you’ll benefit from the time-tested wisdom of the authors.

This workbook can be used as a stand-alone resource or it can be used with the five-session training videos taught by the authors available on the Equipping Life-Changing Small Groups DVD (sold separately).

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Called To Love
$35.99

Life comprises a series of transitions: from childhood to adolescence, adulthood, senescence, death and life beyond death. Christian life is graced by transition into Christlikeness which requires us to make choices, continually, to remain faithful to Christ. At times of transition we seek the will of God as we journey through life making decisions about what to do and where to go next in the service of God and our neighbor.

This is a beautiful and thoughtful resource with a focus on those in ordained ministry and those aspiring to ordination. Combining pastoral experience, wisdom and empirical research, the author explores how we discern God’s will and how we make decisions about the direction for ministry.

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Leading Life Changing Small Groups
$16.99

Like nothing else, small groups have the power to change lives. They’re the ideal route to discipleship-a place where the rubber of biblical truth meets the road of human relationships.

This updated and revised third edition of the bestselling Leading Life-Changing Small Groups handbook helps small group leaders learn the basics of leading a successful small group. Regardless of whether a person is leading for the first time or has been for years, this resource will help a small group leader more effectively facilitate group discussion and encourage and support group members in a way that leads to authentic and lasting life change.

The unique, ready-reference format highlights the requirements and responsibilities of a small group leader, gives helpful insight into the process of group formation and answers practical questions about meeting preparation and how to encourage group participation. It includes a model for discipleship within a small group and suggestions for dealing with some of the common roadblocks and struggles that most groups encounter.

This workbook can be used as a stand-alone resource to train coaches or partnered with the eight-session training videos taught by the author, available on the Equipping Life-Changing Small Groups DVD (sold separately). For those who want to lead small groups with excellence and truly witness life change in their small groups, this go-to guide offers practical answers and inspiring examples.

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10 Temptations Of Church
$17.99

Church after church faces eventual death while helplessly lamenting its fate. What perversity is at work that causes those who sincerely love the church to become obstacles to growth? Like the apostle Paul, churches don’t always do the things they want, but instead they do the very thing they hate. Why? While the theological answer is sin at work in us, the organizational answer may just be that members of dying churches unconsciously find a payoff in the church’s decline. They are tempted by church.

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Contagious Generosity : Creating A Culture Of Giving In Your Church
$22.99

What does it look like when pastors cultivate a culture of generosity in the church by actively teaching and mentoring people in the spiritual act of giving? It’s generosity that’s contagious.

A growing number of leaders are beginning to discover that there are key factors that make some churches thrive with abundant resources while others struggle with shrinking budgets.

Jim Sheppard and Chris Willard have spent years consulting with church leaders across a broad spectrum of church settings and have gathered their observations into this resource, part of the Leadership Network Innovations Series.

Contagious Generosity highlights the best practices gleaned from real-life church leadership situations and shows how church leaders can effectively cultivate a culture of generous giving in the local church. It explains why some churches are experiencing unexplainable ministry growth and unprecedented church funding … even in the midst of tough economic times.

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Calling On The Spirit In Unsettling Times
$19.95

Based upon addresses given to Anglican audiences in North America and Australia, Bill Countryman directly confronts the challenges that face Anglicans and other Western Christians at a time of internal division and increasing indifference to religion on the part of educated elites. He regards these challenges as a work of the Holy Spirit, who is clearing the ground for a new era of building, and help readers start thinking about what kind of future the Spirit is leading us toward.

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Beyond The Broken Heart
$5.99

Grief is not a crisis of faith; it is a crisis of the heart. This affordable and pocket-sized book is the perfect gift for anyone who has experienced a recent loss or is grieving. Using excerpts from Beyond the Broken Heart, an eight-week support and grief ministry program, readers will find comfort and both spiritual and practical guidance during their grief journey.

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Equip : A Youth Workers Guide To Developing Student Leaders
$14.99

Most any endeavor of significance is going to require someone to be a leader. One of the main points Equip makes is that only youth workers (excuse us, youth leaders) who reflect on their own journeys can develop the personal leadership skills necessary to equip other leaders specifically students, in this case to mature and lead their peers. Simply put: Developing leaders develop leaders.

In Equip: A Youth Worker’s Guide to Developing Student Leaders, Tim Milburn challenges youth leaders to create environments where student leadership development will thrive. Rather than step-by-step program (which he explains why he does not provide), Milburn uses anecdotal evidence as well as alliterative tips to get you started in recognizing how to apply the principles in your own context. Then he sets you free with an encouragement to implement in your own way, at your own pace, and in whatever methods work for you and the group of leaders you are developing. May Equip guide your leadership development philosophies, programs (or non-programs), and processes.

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Leading Gods People
$21.99

Written by an acclaimed patristics scholar with firsthand parish experience, this book presents the key principles of church leadership as they were taught by some of the great pastor-theologians of the early church. Over the centuries, countless leaders from all church traditions – Eastern and Western, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox – have turned to the classic works on pastoral ministry for inspiration and guidance. Here Christopher A. Beeley draws on the wise teachings of early Christian leaders as he offers warmhearted pastoral advice to fellow ministers and candidates for ministry. Topics covered include the nature of Christian service, pastoral authority, spirituality for leaders, pastoral care and healing, Scripture and theology as resources for ministry, and the transformative power of word and sacrament.

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Kingdom Man Leader Kit (Teacher’s Guide)
$99.99

SKU (ISBN): 9781415871959UPC: 634337220383Tony EvansBinding: Boxed SetPublished: March 2012Publisher: LifeWay Christian Resources

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Kingdom Man Bible Study Book (Student/Study Guide)
$14.99

SKU (ISBN): 9781415870044ISBN10: 1415870047Tony EvansBinding: Trade PaperPublished: March 2012Publisher: LifeWay Christian Resources

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Preaching With A Plan
$18.00

Every pastor wants the sermon to be an important tool for maturing those listening in the pews. Having a preaching plan is an essential part of this process. If a preacher’s messages are scattered, unrelated to one another, or haphazardly prepared, it can be difficult for those in the congregation to make connections to aid their spiritual growth. Preaching with a Plan encourages and equips pastors to develop a cohesive preaching plan to guide their choice of Scripture, topics, and concepts on which to expound on Sunday mornings.

It answers four critical questions for pastors, including: Who plans preaching? Why should I plan my preaching? What kinds of preaching plans are available? How do I put together a preaching plan? Moving quickly from theory to practice, Preaching with a Plan helps pastors develop an entire year’s worth of sermons designed to educate, enrich, and nurture mature believers.

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Faith And The Future Of The Countryside
$40.00

Faith and the Future of the Countryside is a practical and theological handbook for rural ministry today, offers up to date resources for theological reflection, preaching and practical action in response to issues affecting rural congregations and whole communities in the 21st century. Practitioners in a variety of Christian denominations address the concerns of rural communities today, helping you to understand key issues in the context of mission and respond both pastorally and prophetically. Topics included are the changing profile of rural communities, health and wellbeing, the politics of food production, the rural economy, the local effects of climate change, the pastoral mission of the rural church, spirituality and the countryside and more.

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Church Actually : Rediscovering The Brillance Of God’s Plan
$13.99

An exploration of the challenges of ‘being church’ in the 21st century.

Church attendance in the west has declined in recent years, but decline has been accompanied by growth in spiritual exploration, a desire for spirituality, faith, even Jesus – all without the church. Experience, history and the New Testament suggest this desire is ill-founded. It is through the church, the Bible suggests, that the Kingdom comes. How can we find a wider vision of the Kingdom and the church’s role? Kelly explores four of the ‘brilliant ideas’ inherent in God’s design of the church. God works through his people, and the church trains and equips; the church is Spirit-driven, and spiritual formation is central to God’s mission; the church’s task force transforms the world through acts of love and service; the church is the rainbow-clothed Bride of Christ, one global family, a reconciling model for the world. Can we break out of the greyness of our church experience to discover the riot of colour God intended? Is there a route back to the brilliance of God’s plan?

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Am I Called
$16.99

An experienced pastor helps men explore their calling to plant or lead a church.

Many men have the skills to lead a church, but only some are called. Dave Harvey helps men considering pastoral ministry to see God’s active role in the process of discerning their calling.God’s Word offers a clear framework for evaluating one’s call, especially within the context of community. Harvey offers six diagnostic questions to help prospective pastors process their calling, and what they should be doing now if they aren’t sure. Illustrated with personal and historical stories, Harvey explores biblical and practical principles for determining the pastoral call.

Over the past twenty-four years of ministry, Harvey has enjoyed assisting many men in discerning whether they are called into ministry. This book will guide you through that all-important process with wisdom and confidence in God’s faithfulness in your life.

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Variegated Tapestries Of Ministry
$17.99

Amidst the postmodern technological explosion and the vexing complexities of our time, the church and its affiliate learning facilities need men and women thoroughly informed in theology, and well grounded in ministry to keep them afloat and make them the channels of hope, comfort, direction and leadership to a blind and dying world.In Variegated Tapestry of Ministry, P. Myles-Aikins puts into the hands of the clergy and seminary academics a premium text, and a profound lifelong material in ministry with a solid theological cornerstone to enhance the theological education and ministerial excellence.

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Episcopal Etiquette And Ethics
$21.95

What is the appropriate attire for an Episcopal priest at the events associated with the service in the Book of Common Prayer, the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage? What does it mean to be an icon of Christ at a cocktail party? How does one live with sensitive confidential information from a parishioner? These questions might seem almost trivial yet are deeply serious. The Episcopal Church is a distinctive culture: effective ministry needs an understanding of the distinctive Episcopal culture. At one level, this is a book that introduces and explains the Episcopal faith to a potential priest who wants to be effective in this world. At another level, this book is a reflection on the meaning and nature of the holy mystery of priesthood. Drawing upon his rich parish experience in the Episcopal Church, Hawkins distils a wealth of practical experience and tips to enhance the training of seminarians and the ministries of established priests. Hawkins takes the reader through the pastoral offices with theological reflection and vignettes in order to encourage good priestly habits. Ideal reading for anyone wishing to serve the Episcopal Church in an ordained capacity.

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