Church Life
Showing 451–500 of 857 resultsSorted by latest
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Unlearning Church
$20.99Add to cartHow many things does your church do just because that’s the way it’s always been done? Does your congregation value tradition over passion and stability over creativity? If so, it’s time to unLearn. Leading congregations into a dynamic and prophetic future requires unLearning what you thought you knew about the church, leadership, and life. Pastor Michael Slaughter casts a vision for innovative and authentic congregations, and for the kind of leadership that can bring congregations to greater vitality and impact in today’s postmodern culture. Readers will be challenged to gaze boldly beyond franchised church models to a dynamic embodiment of God’s unique vision for each leader and each congregation. UnLearning congregations embrace new media and cultural trends, value transformation over information, and create a safe space for the tough and unanswerable questions of life. These are churches that lovingly dare to shoulder spiritual and prophetic leadership in our rapidly changing culture, re-articulating God’s ancient purposes to create high-tech, high-touch environments in which people can become radical followers of Jesus Christ.
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My Pew Things I Have Seen From It
$14.49Add to cart‘My Pew: Things I Have Seen From It’ is Dave’s second cartoon collection and in it he reveals: the five worst places to sit in church, reasons to shut your eyes during a sermon, what the church can learn from the retail sector, clergy washing lines – what you can discover from them, sharing the peace – a handy mathematical formula, a tried and tested reality tv method for appointing a new vicar, a guide to deciding whether to go to church or watch the football. In addition, this publication is distinguished by including what may be the world’s only wordless book introduction.
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Unlocking Gods Freeing Truth About Women
$19.49Add to cartThe original language wording of the Bible is wonderfully liberating for women, and Dr. Rocco brings to light what many have not heard. This book explains strong evidence for women in ministry roles. It untangles difficult passages pertaining to church and home life. Topics include: Elders Marriage Deacons Usage of “Head” Governing Authorities Unexpected Feminine Language Masculine Language Prohibitions about Speaking/Teaching Dr. Rocco is an adjunct professor in Biblical languages at Evangel Theological Seminary and serves on a church ministry team. The author has read through the entire Bible over 50 times in various translations and languages. Doctor of Ministry Master of Divinity Biblical Studies Diploma
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Experiencing The Truth
$22.50Add to cartCommunicates the need of a vibrant, experiential, Reformed Christianity among African-American and all believers.
The authors lay out the biblical basis for choosing and attending a church and demonstrate how the historic Reformed expression has been the most biblically accurate and experientially consistent expression of Christianity.
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Is The Tithe A New Testament Requirement
$12.49Add to cartSometimes God uses a man in the wilderness to present the truth of His Word. A man, who is unlearned and possess no scholarly degrees or eloquent speech. Concerning John the Baptist, Jesus asked and answered, “What did you come into the wilderness to see? Someone dressed in expensive garments.” The following question is asked of you. For what intent are you purchasing a Christian book? Is it to only learn from and to be dazzled by a writer with grammatically perfect skills and academic achievements? If your answer is yes, then put this book back. I have neither such credentials nor achievements but I do have a hunger towards God and a love of the truth. If such stimulates your palate, you may find many of these teachings refreshing and inspired. This book will help devoted Bible believing Christians to determine if the Tithe is a New Testament requirement.
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Doors Of The Church Are Closed
$15.49Add to cartMartin Luther and John Calvin challenged Roman Catholicism; John Wesley, George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards challenged spiritual lethargy; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged America’s social injustice; and now Dr. Dana Carson is challenging the Christian Church! The Doors of the Church are Closed is one of the most relevant 21st century writings to the Church. Statistics suggest nearly 4,000 churches are closing with only 1,200 to 1,800 opening annually. Less than 20% of Americans attend church and 97% of churches didn’t win one convert last year! Yet, the Church has exchanged its mission of Kingdom expansion for popularity and wealth. The Doors of the Church are Closed! This book identifies the root causes of the contemporary Church’s failures and raises some monumental challenges to believers. This book is a must read for the Body of Christ and those who desire to fulfill the will of God in their lives.
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Here To There
$23.99Add to cartDid you know that some 80% of all church growth is just people moving from one church to another? People are going to change churches but they need to leave for the right reasons in the right way. Discover Ten Good Reasons to leave and avoid Ten Poor Reasons to leave. Discover how to be sure that you leave well for a good reason and have a deep walk at your new church. It is time for Christians to be the Church. It is time for believers to be happy together and apart. It is time for each believer to live well and learn well at home before they ever think about leaving. Don’t guess! Are you changing churches? Are you tired of people changing churches so much? How can you help your friends who are leaving? Here to There can help you understand and answer all of these questions.
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Here To There
$15.49Add to cartDid you know that some 80% of all church growth is just people moving from one church to another? People are going to change churches but they need to leave for the right reasons in the right way. Discover Ten Good Reasons to leave and avoid Ten Poor Reasons to leave. Discover how to be sure that you leave well for a good reason and have a deep walk at your new church. It is time for Christians to be the Church. It is time for believers to be happy together and apart. It is time for each believer to live well and learn well at home before they ever think about leaving. Don’t guess! Are you changing churches? Are you tired of people changing churches so much? How can you help your friends who are leaving? Here to There can help you understand and answer all of these questions.
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Fidelity Of Betrayal
$21.00Add to cartWhat if one of the core demands of a radical Christianity lay in a call for its betrayal, while the ultimate act of affirming God required the forsaking of God? And what if fidelity to the Judeo-Christian Scriptures demanded their renunciation? In short, what would it mean if the only way of finding real faith involved betraying it with a kiss?
Employing the insights of mysticism and deconstructive theory, The Fidelity of Betrayal delves into the subversive and revolutionary nature of a Christianity that dwells within the church while simultaneously undermining it.
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Breakout
$23.99Add to cartBreakout is the story of one church’s discovery of a Spirit empowered, New Testament model of church.
It is an honest, inspiring testimony to the truth that the Gospel of Jesus still maintains its life-changing power and God’s people still have it in them to change the world.
St Andrew’s Chorleywood has been at the forefront of church renewal for over three
decades. In the last five years, it has seen substantial growth as the congregation has moved from drawing people to one place, to a model in which well over a thousand believers have been sent out in mission-shaped communities of up to 50 members, meeting in school halls, community centres, coffee shops and other contexts.This daring move has resulted in the raising up of over a hundred new leaders, a massive release of spiritual gifts, great vision and creativity in outreach, and major growth through evangelism.
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Saints Have We Turned The Lighthouse Into A Hell House
$16.99Add to cartThis book was written to address the disappointments people are facing today caused by Ministry faculty members. It is designed to encourage obedience and hope in the midst of betrayal or shame experienced from hypocritical practices or personal attacks by such members. Therefore, this is a faith-building book!
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Tangible Kingdom : Creating Incarnational Community
$24.95Add to cartWritten for those who are trying to nurture authentic faith communities and for those who have struggled to retain their faith, The Tangible Kingdom offers theological answers and real-life stories that demonstrate how the best ancient church practices can re-emerge in todayOs culture, through any church of any size. In this remarkable book, Hugh Halter and Matt Smaytwo missional leaders and church plantersoutline an innovative model for creating thriving grass-roots faith communities.
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Worship Matters : Leading Others To Encounter The Greatness Of God
$18.99Add to cartNothing is more essential than knowing how to worship the God who created us. This book focuses readers on the essentials of God-honoring worship, combining biblical foundations with practical application in a way that works in the real world. The author, a pastor and noted songwriter, skillfully instructs pastors, musicians, and church leaders so that they can root their congregational worship in unchanging scriptural principles. Bob Kauflin covers a variety of topics such as the devastating effects of worshiping the wrong things, how to base our worship on God’s self-revelation rather than our assumptions, the fuel of worship, the community of worship, and the ways that eternity’s worship should affect our earthly worship. Appropriate for Christians from varied backgrounds and for various denominations, this book will bring a vital perspective to what readers think they understand about praising God. Includes a special addendum for pastors and worship leaders.
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Vulnerable Communion : A Theology Of Disability And Hospitality
$28.00Add to cartIntroduction
1. Theology And Disability – Perils And Promises
2. Communal Bondaries: Dwelling Together And The Cult Of Normalcy
3. Able Bodies? The Illusion Of Control And Denial Of Vulnerability
4. Recovering Disability: Love And The Strange Power Of Weakness
5. Love Divine: God, Creation, And Vulnerability
6. Worthy Of Love? Humanity, Disability, And Redemption In Christ
7. Being Together: Love, Church, And HospitalityAdditional Info
As parents of an autistic son, Thomas Reynolds and his wife know what it’s like to be misunderstood by a church community. In Vulnerable Communion, Reynolds draws upon that personal experience and a diverse body of literature to empower churches and individuals to foster deeper hospitality toward persons with disabilities.Reynolds shows that the Christian story is one of strength coming from weakness, of wholeness emerging from brokenness, and of power in vulnerability. Wholeness, he argues, comes not from self-sufficiency, but from the “genuinely inclusive communion” that results from sharing our humanity–including our lack of ability–with one another. Then, and only then, will we truly live in hospitality with one another and with people with disabilities.
Reynolds offers valuable biblical, theological, and pastoral tools to understand and welcome those with disabilities. The book will be useful to academics, students, and pastors, as well as anyone touched by disability in some way. Readers will find penetrating examinations of the difficult questions of why God allows disability and what the church can learn from people with disabilities.
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Transforming Congregations
$25.95Add to cartHow can our patterns of congregational life and mission renew themselves and adjust to changing culture without selling out what Episcopalians stand for? How can local faith communities stay resilient and hopeful? What styles and practices of spirituality do most to enrich our mission?
These are some of the questions James Lemler poses in this book on mission for clergy and congregational discussion. As with evangelism, there is both good and bad news about Episcopalians and mission. Lemler also provides a variety of models for moving forward in mission and hope, to a more abundant future.
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Conversations With Scripture And With Each Other
$16.95Add to cartLay leaders play an essential role in congregational life, but can find themselves spending more of their time at church balancing budgets than deepening their own faith. Written from his years of experience as a priest and now as the bishop of Massachusetts, M. Thomas Shaw’s Conversations with Scripture and with Each Other is designed to encourage and strengthen the faith of lay leaders, while also helping them consider how scripture treats various issues in church life, such as stewardship, conflict, and evangelism. Perfect for individual reflection or group discussion, each chapter includes a close examination of biblical passages as well as practical questions for reflection on how the scriptures apply to collective church life and individual spiritual growth.
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Young Restless Reformed
$17.99Add to cartFrom places like John Piper’s den, Al Mohler’s office, and Jonathan Edwards’s college, Christianity Today journalist Collin Hansen investigates what makes today’s young Calvinists tick. Church-growth strategies and charismatic worship have fueled the bulk of evangelical growth in America for decades. While baby boomers have flocked to churches that did not look or sound like church, it seems these churches do not so broadly capture the passions of today’s twenty-something evangelicals. In fact, a desire for transcendence and tradition among young evangelicals has contributed to a Reformed resurgence. For nearly two years, Christianity Today journalist Collin Hansen visited the chief schools, churches, and conferences of this growing movement. He sought to describe its members and ask its leading pastors and theologians about the causes and implications of the Calvinist resurgence. The result, Young, Restless, Reformed, shows common threads in their diverse testimonies and suggests what tomorrow’s church might look like when these young evangelicals become pastors or professors. “Collin Hansen invites us on a voyage of discovery, learning how our restless youth are discovering anew the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Weary of churches that seek to entertain rather than teach, longing after the true meat of the Word, these young people are pursuing doctrine. Discover how God is moving among the young, the restless, and the Reformed.” Tim Challies, author, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment; blogger at Challies.com “Young, Restless, Reformed is the product of some outstanding research. This book will help the reader gain valuable insight into the growing Reformed movement in America.” Jerry Bridges, author of The Pursuit of Holiness “Collin Hansen has uncovered a fresh movement of young Christians for whom doctrine fuels evangelism, kindles passion, and transforms lives. Read it and rejoice.” David Neff, editor-in-chief, Christianity Today media group “A number of strategic ministries have been quietly upholding the doctrines of grace, planting churches, seeing people converted, teaching the whole counsel of God. It is time for quiet gratitude to God and earnest intercessory prayer that what has begun well will flourish beyond all human expectation.” D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School “This lively account is must reading for ministry leaders working with young adults. A wake-up call to ba
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Reweaving The Sacred
$19.95Add to cartIdeal growth and development tool for small congregations in all mainline denominations
Simple, clear exercises and techniques to help leaders and members pinpoint problems and claim and identify gifts and values of their shared history, in order to engage in a ministry of renewal, welcome, and growth
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Suburban Church
$28.00Add to cartOver half of all North Americans live in the suburbs. In The Suburban Church, retired pastor Arthur DeKruyter encourages Christians to “go where the people congregate” and illustrates how to plant, grow, and renew suburban congregations.
Throughout this book, DeKruyter relies on forty-five-plus years of pastoral ministry experience in which his own congregation grew from five families to more than five thousand members. He demonstrates how to minister successfully, dispels myths about suburbia, and explains how to recruit and support volunteers and how to connect international missions to local church growth, and more.
Each chapter concludes with questions for discussion, making the book ideal for pastors and church committees.
Foreword by Leith Anderson
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Field Guide For The Missional Congregation
$19.00Add to cartThe roster of books on leadership is full of high theory and grand expositions of biblical principles. But there is precious little practical advice for regular people committed to releasing positive change within their local churches. Here one of the church’s foremost theoreticians and one of its most accomplished transformational leaders combine strengths to clarify both how sound congregational transformation can be accomplished by regular folks and the very Christcentered foundations upon which transformation must rest. With unflinching honesty and a deep, knowing sense for the joy that comes from Spirit-led change, the authors guide the reader on a quest for a future church alive with the abundant life God intended.
A Field Guide to the Missional Congregation reveals seven “transformational keys,” using real-life case studies to illustrate each key. A reflective milestone framework, including discovery questions for each chapter, ground the book in a practical process.
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Discovering Church Life Student Edition (Student/Study Guide)
$19.99Add to cartDiscovering Church Life is a 24-lesson series designed to teach believers the foundational truths concerning life in the local church, the corporate church, and the Kingdom of God. This series, based on biblical principles, covers the major events in the believer’s life, from initial repentance, grace and baptism to progressive spiritual growth and finding God’s will through scriptural truths. This study book will assist believers in building community with a spirit of harmony and commitment toward a local church. It can be used as a church membership course, a new believer’s series, or a small group study.
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Canonical Theism : A Proposal For Theology And The Church
$39.99Add to cartCanonical Theism is a post-Protestant vision for the renewal of both theology and church. The editors call for the retrieval and redeployment of the full range of materials, persons, and practices that make up the canonical heritage of the church, including scripture, doctrine, sacred image, saints, sacraments, and more. The central thesis of the work is that the good and life-giving Holy Spirit has equipped the church with not only a canon of scripture but also with a rich canonical heritage of materials, persons, and practices. However, much of the latter has been ignored or cast aside. This unplumbed resource of canonical heritage waits for the church to rediscover its wealth. With a bold set of thirty theses, the authors chart and defend that mine of opportunity. They then invite the entire church to explore the benefits of their discoveries. This ambitious book offers insights to be integrated into the church body, renewing the faith that nourished converts, created saints, and upheld martyrs across the years.
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Church Of The Perfect Storm
$19.99Add to cartAn array of cultural forces is coming together to present the church with unprecedented challenge and unequaled opportunity. Such “category 5” realities as postmodernism, postChristendom attacks on belief in God, and the threat of global warming have coalesced to make a “perfect storm” that will leave people uncertain of their place in the world, and all they have previously believed in. Like the disciples when Jesus calmed the storm, the church can cower and cry out for relief. Or, when everything is spinning and whirling in the wind, the church can go out to meet the storm, embrace the gale, . . . and pass out kites.
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7 Strategic Changes Every Church Must Make
$15.99Add to cartAuthor Mark Conner reveals seven strategic changes that every church must make to remain relevant and progressive in today’s culture. These shifts – from inreach to outreach, from events to relationships, from consumers to contributors, from local to kingdom – will transform your church into a powerful force in the 21st Century.
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Discovering Church Life Teacher Edition (Teacher’s Guide)
$19.99Add to cartDiscovering Church Life is a 24-lesson series designed to teach believers the foundational truths concerning life in the local church, the corporate church, and the Kingdom of God. This teacher edition of the study series shows the group leader how to assist believers in building community with a spirit of harmony and commitment toward a local church. Along with the student edition, it can be used as a church membership course, a new believer’s series, or a small group study.
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Re Mission
$20.99Add to cartIn this innovative and radical book, postmodern mission and New Testament studies collide. Andrew Perriman examines the mission ofthe earliest church in its historical context and argues that our context is very different and so our mission cannot simply be a matter of doingexactly what the earliest church did. The key question at the heart of the book is, How do we shape a biblical theology of mission for apostbiblical church?Controversially, Perriman maintains that the eschatological crisis faced by the early church the coming judgment on the enemies that opposed Gods people has now passed with the collapse of the Roman Empire.Eschatology, says Perriman, is about temporary transitions from oppression to deliverance in the history of the people of God.However, creational disorder is with us all the time. The postmodern church does not face an eschatological crisis but a creational crisis. Amissiology that is oriented towards a new creation is far more relevant to us now than a missiology oriented, as it was in most of the New Testament, towards rescue from opposition and persecution.
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Afire With God
$15.00Add to cartFinding a way to make the act of stewardship appealing and comforting to a congregation is nearly impossible. Afire with God urges ministries and congregations to become stewards-in-action of all that God has entrusted to us. This text examines how being a good stewards goes beyond one’s financial commitment and becomes the way we live out the gospel. Included is this text are examples to reinvigorate stewardship from worship to long range planning and individual ministry growth.
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Dynamic Diversity : Bridging Class Age Race And Gender In The Church
$28.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
From the footpaths of our cities to the chatrooms of the Internet, people are connecting today as never before. As the planet shrinks through the multiple forces of immigration, travel, electronic communication and more fluid employment patterns, we will find ourselves increasingly forced into contact with those who are significantly different from ourselves. Sadly however, the stranger is often a threat to be resisted rather than a friend to be embraced. In this context of in-your-face diversity, it is time to revisit the heart of the New Testament, with its claim that in Jesus Christ a new quality of human relationship is possible. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul claims that Christians are a new kind of people, part of a new community: a ‘new humanity’ in Christ (Ephesians 2:15). We exist not in isolation, but in relationship. Dynamic Diversity contends that all Christian congregations everywhere are called to be bridging places, centres of reconciliation, where the major diversities separating human beings are overcome through the presence of God’s Holy Spirit. Bruce Milne presents a biblical model for today and tomorrow where the diversities of gender, generation, ethnicity, color and socio- economic status present exciting and challenging opportunities to demonstrate practical oneness. When this happens, churches become wonderfully alive. In Christ we can be one people, one new humanity, one life.
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Life After Church
$25.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Out of his own experience as a leaver, Brian distills the complex problem into two viable options:
Stay. Remain in your church with the blessing of Christ and in the power of his great vision for the church to come.
Take the path of revolutionary leaving. Move purposefully, seeking the kingdom of God that is beyond institutions.Whether Sunday mornings find you alone in a one-bedroom apartment or isolated in a church of thousands, Brian reminds you to keep listening for God’s call.
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Understanding Four Views On The Lords Supper
$24.99Add to cartFour different ways Christians understand the Lord’s Supper-Baptist view (memorialism), Reformed (spiritual presence), Lutheran (consubstantiation), and Roman Catholic (transubstantiation)-are fairly represented and debated to provide readers with an opportunity to draw their own conclusion on this important Christian institution.
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Leadership Essentials : Shaping Vision Multiplying Influence Defining Chara
$22.99Add to cartIntroduction: The Art Of Multiplying Influence
Part One: The Character Of A Leader
1 Holy
Developing A Vision Of Christlike Character
2 Habitual
Cultivating Spiritual Disciplines To Sustain Our Leadership
3 Humble
Keeping Watch Over Our SoulsPart Two: The Posture Of A Leader
4 Kneeling
Embracing Servant Love As Our Primary Model
5 Teaming
Building Teams To Accomplish Our Corporate Mission
6 Stewarding
Stewarding Our Gifts, Passions And PersonalityPart Three: The Vision Of A Leader
7 The Compelling Christ
Loving Passionately The Compelling Christ
8 Embracing The Kingdom
Engaging People In Mission
9 Helping Others See
Lifting People Out Of Lethargy And InertiaPart Four: The Shaping Of A Leader
10 Taming Temptation
Facing The Dangers Of Money, Sex And Power
11 Conquering Criticism
Handling Criticism With Humility And Fortitude
12 Defeating Dragons
Addressing Disappointment, Frustration, Anger And DepressionAdditional Info
As essential as the leadership itself is the preparation beforehand, which is why Greg Ogden, a seasoned leader himself, has created this interactive guide that will give you the tools you need to lead well, using your unique gifts and experience.Divided into four sections, this workbook will help you develop character, postures, vision and skills as you participate in the following elements in each chapter:
a memory verse
a Bible study
a reading
a leadership exerciseBy working through these multiple channels of learning you’ll be equipped not just with head knowledge about leadership but with true character formation and awareness of your own abilities that will prepare you for the challenges and choices of leadership.
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Christianity For The Rest Of Us
$17.99Add to cartFor decades the accepted wisdom has been that America’s mainline Protestant churches are in decline, eclipsed by evangelical mega-churches. Church and religion expert Diana Butler Bass wondered if this was true, and this book is the result of her extensive, three-year study of centrist and progressive churches across the country. Her surprising findings reveal just the opposite-that many of the churches are flourishing, and they are doing so without resorting to mimicking the mega-church, evangelical style.
Christianity for the Rest of Us describes this phenomenon and offers a how-to approach for Protestants eager to remain faithful to their tradition while becoming a vital spiritual community. As Butler Bass delved into the rich spiritual life of various Episcopal, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Lutheran churches, certain consistent practices-such as hospitality, contemplation, diversity, justice, discernment, and worship-emerged as core expressions of congregations seeking to rediscover authentic Christian faith and witness today.
This hopeful book, which includes a study guide for groups and individuals, reveals the practical steps that leaders and laypeople alike are taking to proclaim an alternative message about an emerging Christianity that strives for greater spiritual depth and proactively engages the needs of the world.
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Missional Church In Context
$31.99Add to cartThere is an increasing realization in American churches that they are now their own mission field. In light of this awakening, many conversations have begun and work been contributed toward a solution. The Missional Church in Context addresses the realization and offers new insights. Based on the first annual Missional Church Consultation hosted by Luther Seminary, this book is organized into two sections. The first section consists of four essays explore the engagement of the missional church in relation to contextualization. Contributors explore biblical, theological, and historical dimensions regarding how the church is to engage in ministry within and to a specific cultural context. The second section examines four case studies in order to provide readers with concrete examples of how missional understanding of the church can be brought to bear on particular denominations and particular contexts. The Missional Church in Context will extend the conversation by taking it in new directions, while maintaining the foundations of what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ in the world.
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Deafening Sounds Of Silent Tears
$15.99Add to cartCaring For Life is a charity that began in a Baptist church in Leeds and for twenty years has provided vulnerable young adults with the stability they need to rebuild their broken lives. It has nationally unrivalled success rates in preventing re-offending (85 per cent) and in obtaining long-term settled accommodation (98 per cent). Its focus, as its name suggests, is not on quick fixes, but lifelong support that makes the love of Jesus tangible for some of the most damaged young people. Some of the stories of abuse and deprivation in this book are a shocking indictment of today’s affluent society, but dedicated pastoral care has produced many miracles of transformation. This is an inspiring account of faith in action, answered prayer, and the gospel being practiced, rather than preached. It is essential reading for all churches and agencies who work with the marginalized.
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Perfect Pastor : Understanding And Relating To The Life And Work Of A Pasto
$28.99Add to cartThe Perfect Pastor? by D. Thomas Owsley, D.Min., is an engaging new book about the realistic, humorous, and poignant life experiences of a fictional pastor. More than just a wonderful story, the book is a tool for church members and pastors alike. It equips laypeople with the insights to relate to and support their pastor while providing pastors with a solid understanding for how to address the various expectations of church members. Dr. Owsley draws upon four decades of church experience, as both a member and pastor, to clarify the biblical requirements, roles, and responsibilities of a pastor. He taps into this wisdom to reveal what the Bible illuminates as a healthy, balanced relationship between pastor and church members. Through compelling anecdotes and profound observations, The Perfect Pastor? improves relationships between church members and their pastors and drives both groups to a greater proximity to God’s purposes.
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Ministry Of The Missional Church (Reprinted)
$25.00Add to cartContents
1. Spirit Led Ministry
2. Spirit Led Ministry In The Bible
3. Spirit Led Ministry In Context
4. Spirit Led Ministry In The U.S. Context And The Missional Church
5. Spirit Led Discernment And Decision Making
6. Spirit Led Leadership And Organization
7. Spirit Led Growth And DevelopmentAdditional Info
There’s a different kind of church conversation going on these days–one that moves beyond just focusing on purpose, strategies, or recovering early church practices. Craig Van Gelder argues that understanding the nature of the church is foundational for clarifying the purpose of the church and for developing and organizing its ministry.
Moving beyond methods and techniques to create or sustain church growth, Van Gelder shows that when a church is focused on Spirit-led ministry, growth and development are the natural outcome.The Ministry of the Missional Church brings together theology and organizational theory in a way that inspires biblical and theological imagination about how to let the church be the church–a Spirit-led, missional community that seeks to participate fully in God’s mission in its particular place in the world.
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Cultivating Prayer And Intercession In The Local Church
$9.99Add to cartCultivating Prayer And Intercession In The Local Church is a dynamo in a small package. From his years of experience, personal and corporate observation, and mentoring of prayer warriors, layers of revelation and clear understanding open before the discerning reader. Wave upon wave of anointed illustration, interspersed with plentiful Scripture proofs, combine to sweep one into the stream of intercession which is the writer’s passion. Far from dry, this brief but powerful treatise resonates with true devotion and an infectious spirit of the joy of prayer.
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Tribal Church : Ministering To The Missing Generation
$31.00Add to cartMany churches are seeking ways to reach out to the younger generations. Unfortunately this often manifests as either a “come be just like us!” attitude-suggesting an unwillingness to change in order to be inclusive of young people-or as a slick marketing campaign that targets young adults in much the same way secular advertising does. Both of these approaches often leave young adults feeling that their particular spiritual gifts and needs are unwanted by the church. “We only want you for your demographics” is the message given.
Carol Howard Merritt, a pastor in her mid-thirties, suggests a different way for churches to be able to approach young adults on their own terms. Outlining the financial, social, and familial situations that affect many young adults today, she describes how churches can provide a safe, supportive place for young adults to nurture relationships and foster spiritual growth. There are few places left in society that allow for real intergenerational connections to be made, yet these connections are vital for any church that seeks to reflect the fullness of the body of Christ.
Using the metaphor of a tribe to describe the close bonds that form when people of all ages decide to walk together on their spiritual journeys, Merritt casts a vision of the church that embraces the gifts of all members while reaching out to those who might otherwise feel unwelcome or unneeded. Mainline churches have much to offer young adults, as well as much to learn from them. By breaking down artificial age barriers and building up intentional relationships, congregations can provide a space for all people to connect with God, each other, and the world.
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2nd Resurrection : Leading Your Congregation To New Life
$19.99Add to cart1. When It’s Not A Matter Of Sickness
2. Are We Spiritually Dead?
3. How Churches Die Spiritually
4. Turnaround Is An Eternal Issue
5. Leaders: It’s Time To Die To Yourself
6. A Life Worth Watching
7. Resurrection Begins With You
8. Rolling Away The Stone
9. Life Beyond The Tomb
10. Pastor, Are YOU Ready For Resurrection?
Epilogue: The Meaning Of FaithfulnessAdditional Info
For many congregational and denominational leaders, the goal for churches experiencing declining worship attendance is to turn those congregations around. The “turnaround church” is one that has stagnated or is in decline. The old trends are reversed, new members are added, and everyone rejoices in this story of a congregation restored to health and vitality. But what if the metaphors of decline, stagnation, and loss of health just aren’t getting to the problem? What if the situation is much worse than what those ways of describing it imply? What if the congregation is spiritually dead? The only solution is resurrection. Churches that have lost their sense of mission, that exist only to provide fellowship for the “members of the club,” that expect their leaders to focus solely on ministering to the members’ personal spiritual needs; these churches have died to the purpose of the New Testament church, to make disciples of Jesus Christ. They cannot be turned around; they must come to life again. The key to that resurrection is leaders who are not afraid to diagnose the problem for what it really is, and who realize that resurrection is what being a Christian is about.The goal of this book is to guide the leaders of these churches through the painful, yet ultimately life-giving work of leading a church to new life in the Spirit. If you want to find new life for your church, read on . . .
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Teacher Leader Shepherd
$12.99Add to cartTeacher, Leader, Shepherd: The New Testament Pastor does not attempt to tell the minister how preach or to describe how the pastor should go about his work, or to treat the practical problems faced by pastors. On the contrary, Teacher, Leader, Shepherd focuses on an understanding of what the Bible has to say to or about the pastor and his ministry. The author gives a solid treatment of the New Testament passages, which speak specifically, whether directly or indirectly, to the role of the pastor.
The author presents an exegetical approach to the New Testament passages that includes practical exposition of the implications of the biblical text. Such a study is beneficial to any pastor-whether a veteran or new candidate for pastoral ministry.
The work is informing and challenging, helping to point the pastor’s understanding in the right direction. The author does not offer chapters on each passage, but presents a more thematic approach, a succession of chapters on various aspects of the pastor’s call, qualifications, and role. Yet, the discussions are entirely grounded in exegesis of several passages. At the beginning of the book the passages are listed, together with a brief exegetical outline and a pointer to the chapters that will give more attention to them.
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11 Innovations In The Local Church
$19.00Add to cartJoin three seasoned church-ministry experts on an insider’s tour of the most innovative churches today! Discover a dozen types of innovation, each with profiles of congregations that have implemented that innovation. This is more than a show-and-tell tour, however. Each chapter offers a solid take-away for church leaders on how to learn and apply the appropriate innovation profiled. The authors also offer scripturally based assessments of both the positive and negatives implications of implementing each innovation, providing guidance and wisdom. There are many ways to present the gospel, and this timely book will serve as a springboard for church leaders scratching their heads and asking themselves, “What should we do next?” By learning from a dozen different church types, church leaders can become more intentional about exploring new directions and reaching more of the world for Christ.
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No Perfect People Allowed
$24.99Add to cartThis book challenges Christian leaders to engage in the messy art of creating the right culture to reach our postmodern, post-Christian society. Through real stories of God’s perfect work in the lives of imperfect people, you will experience the power of an authentic church community and learn how to deconstruct barriers and bring hope and healing to America’s most unchurched generation.
