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Pastoral Helps

  • Peter And The Children

    $17.95

    Effectively communicating with young people is vitally important — we are constantly challenged to share the story of God’s love in a way that really connects with them. Using puppets is an increasingly popular method for establishing a rapport with children and capturing their attention. Puppets are much more than just another gimmick — because children (and adults, too!) carefully listen to and absorb the messages presented, they can be a very useful teaching tool.

    If you are interested in trying this captivating approach in your congregation, then Peter And The Children is just the resource for you. H. Burnham Kirkland has created 66 short pieces perfect for “children’s time” in worship services or Sunday school classrooms. Employing witty dialogue between a presenter and a hand-held puppet named Peter, the frequently humorous and always instructive scenes can be used as written or to help generate ideas for your own presentations. Kirkland writes in a direct style that’s easy for young people to understand, and makes the Christian faith relevant to their lives.

    Some of the presentations include:

    * Will Roast Pig Bring Us Luck?
    * A Direct Line To Jesus
    * I’m Allergic To That Word “School”
    * Weather Or Not
    * How Do You Catch The Christmas Spirit?

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  • Many Servants : An Introduction To Deacons (Revised)

    $17.95

    In this newly updated and revised introduction to the permanent diaconate, Plater includes a history of deacons in the early church, a survey of deacons from the Reformation to the present, stories of modern diaconal ministries, including first-hand accounts, and a discussion of the formation, training, and deployment of deacons. A basic, essential text for discernment committees and commissions on ministry, and a comprehensive look at a vital ministry in the church today.

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  • My Way Or Thy Way

    $12.95

    Ever overhear a pre-teen or early teen conversation? It can be pretty dramatic — in fact, young people and drama go together like … God and the Bible! If you’re looking for quality material that draws middle school/junior high age young people into the scriptures, here’s an invaluable resource. My Way Or Thy Way is a collection of 12 brief plays that bring familiar Bible stories to life in contemporary conversation that’s easy to understand.

    By focusing on the choices made by the main characters — and their consequences — the scenes help young people make better choices in their own lives. “I want to do it my way, not thy way” was the struggle of these biblical personages, and many of us face similar issues today. Each skit lets participants “walk in the sandals” of ordinary people who faced extraordinary choices.

    Designed for versatility, these scenes can be given full dramatic performances with props, scenery, and costumes, or presented in readers’ theater format for use as dynamic classroom discussion starters. Each drama is accompanied by questions and a variety of related activities. My Way Or Thy Way is an excellent supplement to a Sunday school, Bible school, or Bible study curriculum, and is especially useful for youth groups.

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  • To Know You More

    $32.99

    SKU (ISBN): 9780830832217ISBN10: 0830832211Andy ParkBinding: Trade PaperPublished: October 2004Publisher: InterVarsity Press Print On Demand Product

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  • Beginning Again : Benedictine Wisdom For Living With Illness

    $21.95

    A practical resource for those who know little about St. Benedict and his Rule of Life, with exercises to help readers discover how to live with God at the center of their lives and illnesses. Useful for those living with illness, and for the clergy, counselors, and spiritual directors who care for them.

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  • Seeds Of Heaven

    $22.00

    This wonderful collection of sermons by renowned preacher, author, and speaker Barbara Brown Taylor is based on the Gospel of Matthew. Each of the fifteen sermons, three of them appearing here for the first time in print, is based on a reading from Matthew, including Exceeding Righteousness (Matthew 5:17-20), The Problem with Miracles (14:13-21), Family Fights (18:15-20), Once More from the Heart (18:21-35), Beginning at the End (20:1-16), and On the Clouds of Heaven (24:29-44).

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  • Work Of The Church Trustee

    $15.99

    1. Who Make The Best Trustees?
    2. It’s A Big Job
    3. Your Board Should Be The Best
    4. The Money In Your Hand
    5. Buried Treasure For The Kingdom
    6. Working With The Professional Team
    7. Trustees In A Changing World
    8. You Learn Through Others
    9. Trustees Are Ministers, Too
    Appendixes

    Additional Info
    There is more to serving as a trustee than counting money or arranging to repair the church plumbing! Beginning with the biblical and theological basis of service, Orlando Tibbetts has prepared a very comprehensive guide to deepen and broaden the trustee’s sense of ministry and mission in his/her service to the church. An excellent tool for new or experienced board members, this book covers every facet of the trustee’s responsibility as a steward of the community’s concerns and as a servant of the Lord. It is both practical and inspiring.

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  • Without A Net

    $16.95

    Does the idea of speaking without a manuscript in the pulpit make you feel like a trapeze artist trying to negotiate a high wire without a net? There you are, balancing delicately in the stratosphere and holding on for dear life with nothing but you and your ballet shoes, wondering “Why, oh why, didn’t I bring even a sliver of paper up here to catch me when I fall?”

    For many pastors, preaching without notes is a terrifying prospect — yet reading verbatim from a manuscript prevents a sermon from being natural and spontaneous. This book shows how you can learn to preach freely without needing the net of written reminders, while still retaining full control over your material. It presents a concise and workable method for creating memorable sermons that connect with listeners. By focusing on delivery, Shepherd casts the entire sermon preparation process, including both study and composition, in a completely new light. Using this approach will make it easy to preach sermons without notes, because they were meant to be preached in the paperless pulpit.

    Featuring a user-friendly design, Without A Net is a convenient, instructive text for both beginning and experienced preachers. In addition to a complete system for constructing and delivering a sermon from start to finish, there’s a brief outline of the entire process that allows you to quickly locate more details on specific topics. A concise “nutshell” summarizes each chapter’s highlights, and there are plenty of pithy “hints and tips” to help you with the essential steps. Several sample sermons are also included so you can see how this approach actually works.

    Preaching without a net may seem like magic to congregations. But there’s no real secret; the answer is right here in this book. With a little practice, one day they’ll be asking you too, “How do you do that?”

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  • Sermons On The First Readings Series 1 Cycle A

    $36.95

    Bring the Old Testament to life with this inspiring and thought-provoking collection of sermons for each Sunday and major celebration in the Church year. Based on the First Readings from Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary, these powerful messages by five exceptional preachers from diverse denominations explore the meaning of the Hebrew scriptures for today’s Christian living. Abundant insights into vital current issues are woven together with powerful proclamation of timeless themes of justice and righteousness — and these imaginative homilies are full of compelling examples of how a loving God uses us to further his divine plan.

    This essential resource is useful for:
    * Fresh homiletical approaches to the lectionary texts
    * Preaching illustrations
    * Understanding scripture passages
    * Adult study and discussion groups
    * Personal devotions and Bible study

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  • Big Influence Of Small Things

    $21.95

    Anyone who has done children’s sermons will sooner or later hear from someone that “I learn more from the children’s sermon than I do from the real sermon.” And indeed, the truths of scripture are so simple that even a child can understand them. So it’s no accident that children’s sermons have become a central part of the worship service in many churches.

    Brett Blair and Tim Carpenter offer a year’s worth of object lessons that engage children and impart profound lessons for all ages. Two sermons are provided for each Sunday in Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary, one based on the Second Lesson and one based on the Gospel. The messages are structured in two parts: the “lesson” uses an object to draw out active responses from children, then the “application” connects that object to the assigned scripture reading. Each message includes a clear statement of its exegetical aim.

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  • Transform Your Church With Ministry Teams

    $23.99

    The concept of “ministry teams” is rapidly taking hold in churches, but what are they and how do they work? This book outlines what effective ministry teams look like, describes what they have to offer local congregations, and gives concrete advice for making them happen. According to Stanley Ott, the power of ministry teams lies in their unique capacity to generate genuine Christian fellowship, grow disciples, develop leaders, and mobilize people for ministry. Where traditional church leadership organizations concentrate almost exclusively on task, policy, and program, ministry teams are designed to enhance faith development and, therefore, ministry effectiveness. Transform Your Church with Ministry Teams offers clear guidance for building the leadership of a mission or church into a true ministry team. The book enables readers to form ministry teams and, through them, to transform the life of their church or Christian organization.

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  • Reconstructing Pastoral Theology

    $42.00

    In Pastoral Care in the Classical Tradition, Andrew Purves argued that pastoral care and theology has long ignored Scripture and Christian doctrine, and pastoral practice has become secularized in both method and goal, the fiefdom of psychology and the social sciences. He builds further on this idea here, presenting a christological basis for ministry and pastoral theology.

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  • Whats The Matter With Preaching Today

    $28.00

    SKU (ISBN): 9780664226329ISBN10: 0664226329Editor: Mike GravesBinding: Trade PaperPublished: September 2004Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Print On Demand Product

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  • This Way To Youth Ministry Companion Guide

    $24.99

    “Duffy Robbins’s book This Way to Youth Ministry is a foundational Introduction to youth ministry. This companion text, Embarking on the Grace Adventure, is filled with supplemental material, primarily case studies, but other resources as well. It is written by Dr Leonard Kageler, professor at Nyack College in New York, with Duffy Robbins. This companion booklet gives Robbins’s main book “legs’ and is a resource that professors and students can use to implement concepts and applications. It will assist youth ministry professors in teaching from the Robbins text and to help students engage with the text’s contents in ways that are experiential, participatory, image based, and connective. Many youth ministry professors lack contemporary and relevant youth ministry illustrations. Many have not been youth workers themselves, or, in some cases, are decades past in-the-trenches experience. Embarking on the Grace Adventure is a vital resource for educators who don’t have the time or opportunity to be practicing youth workers. Embarking on the Grace Adventure supplies case studies, discussion questions, simulations, websites, applications, relational activities and “homework assignments” in order to facilitate student involvement and engagement. At the end of every chapter, several options for processing the material are offered–a modular, user-friendly menu of choices for the instructor. The best use of Embarking on the Grace Adventure will be every student to have, and use, his/her own copies, and therefore the design includes spaces in the text to note their own responses for later sharing in class, to take note of instructors’ points, and to process discussion items. Embarking on the Grace Adventure includes a preface by Duffy Robbins; an Introduction by Len Kageler including a word to professors about how to use the book and to students about maximizing their use of it; and 10-12 pages of material for each of the 12 chapters in the Robbins text. And in each instance 8-10 pages of case studies/short examples, and 2-4 pages of discussion questions, activities, simulations, reflection exercises, etc. Embarking on the Grace Adventure “closees the circle” and form a perfect companion-piece for the foundational This Way to Youth Ministry. “

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  • Practicing Congregation : Imagining A New Old Church

    $29.00

    Diana Butler Bass’ groundbreaking project to explore encouraging signs of vitality among mainline Protestant churches is now gaining the momentum of a movement. The author’s cover story in Sojourners magazine offers a compelling overview of what characterizes these healthy, vital, and inspiring congregations. The Practicing Congregation is a central text on the road to envisioning a new way of being a church. From Nomads to Pilgrims, its follow-up companion book, contains reflections on practices by the pastors of some of the vibrant congregations that were studied in the writing of The Practicing Congregation.

    ABOUT THE BOOK

    The conventional wisdom about mainline Protestantism maintains that it is a dying tradition, irrelevant to a postmodern society, unresponsive to change, and increasingly disconnected from its core faith tenets. In her provocative new book, historian and researcher Diana Butler Bass argues that there are signs that mainline Protestant churches are indeed changing, finding a new vitality intentionally grounded in Christian practices and laying the groundwork for a new type of congregation.

    The Practicing Congregation tracks these changes by looking at the overall history of American congregations, noting the cultural trends that have sparked change, and providing evidence of how mainline churches are reappropriating traditional Christian practices. The signs of life that Butler Bass identifies lead the reader beyond the crumbling “liberal vs. conservative” dualities to a more nuanced and fluid understanding of the shape of contemporary ecclesiology and faithfulness. In so doing, she helps readers understand tradition in new ways and creates an alternative path through the culture wars that today arrest the energies of most denominations.

    Invigorated by stories from Bass’s own experience, The Practicing Congregation provides a hopeful and exciting vision of “the once and future church” that Alban founder Loren Mead first named over 10 years ago. The imaginative “retraditioning” the author identifies and celebrates will guide pastors and other leaders on this “pilgrimage of creating church,” and convincingly counter the naysayers that long ago gave up on the viability of the mainline church.

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  • Playing With Fire

    $16.95

    The discipline of homiletics can be undertaken via many approaches. In Playing with Fire, David J. Schlafer offers an invitation to the art of preaching by way of metaphor. Metaphors are perhaps the best teaching techniques at our disposal, and two–fire and play–dance together across the pages of this book. Fire is multisensory and mysterious, life nurturing and life threatening, and the history of preaching is a story of sacred fire sharing. How can those called to proclaim the Gospel tend and transmit this fire? Perhaps by playing with it, by participating in God’s own sacred play.

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  • Informed By Faith

    $15.95

    All of us educate, teach, and form others; as Christians, the place in which this formation takes place is our community. Every waking moment offers opportunities for education, and the home especially is a place for ongoing Christian formation. At home, we equip the family to know that God is a mystery and a God of life and love, and our families can be much-needed examples of how best to struggle with what it means to know God in everyday life experiences of love, suffering, and death.

    In Informed by Faith, Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones creates a dialogue between religious educators and parents that is designed to lead to meditation, prayer, reflection, and a new perspective on the ministry of teaching. Through examination of the history of education, education as life, and the meaning of being a Christian, Bozzuti-Jones offers those who teach a sense of refreshment in soul, mind, and body, leading to a new commitment to teaching and proclaiming God’s life and love.

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  • Hidden Lives Of Congregations

    $30.00

    Faced with crisis, lack of direction, or just plain “stuckness,” many congregations and their leaders are content to deal only with surface issues and symptoms-only to discover that the same problems keep recurring, often in different, and more serious, ways. In The Hidden Lives of Congregations, Christian educator and consultant Israel Galindo takes leaders below the surface of congregational life to provide a comprehensive, holistic look at the corporate nature of church relationships and the invisible dynamics at play.

    Informed by family systems theory and grounded in a wide-ranging ecclesiological understanding, Galindo unpacks clearly the factors of congregational lifespan, size, spirituality, and identity and shows how these work together to form the congregation’s hidden life. He provides useful tools for diagnosing and understanding how one’s congregation fits into the various categories he names and suggests what leadership skills are necessary to get beyond the impasse of surface issues and help the congregation achieve its mission.

    The Hidden Lives of Congregations provides one of the most far-reaching looks into the invisible nature of faith communities written in recent years. For seminaries and divinity schools, it provides a standard text for getting a solid start in congregational practices; for experienced pastors, it provides support for renewing ministry; for lay leaders and committees, it offers insight to deepening mutual ministry. Israel Galindo has written an indispensable manual that leaders will return to repeatedly for new wisdom and guidance on the unseen mechanisms that drive congregational life.

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  • Becoming Barnabas : The Ministry Of Encouragement

    $28.00

    Western culture has made a cult of success, and the church has accepted the larger culture’s definition, focusing on success as growth in membership and budget, rather growth in faithfulness as disciples of Jesus. When we do not measure up, we become discouraged, disillusioned, and perhaps even envious.

    Paul Moots offers a welcome antidote: a vision for the ministry of encouragement. Based on his study of the book of Acts, Moots has identified five incidents from the ministry of Barnabas, an easily overlooked character, that provide a starting point to explore encouragement and how it can work in a congregation. Moots then examines five components of this ministry: partnership, hospitality, courage, reconciliation, and authenticity.

    Moots details numerous examples to show how the ministry of encouragement offers a workable, effective pattern for church leadership. “I am convinced,” he writes, “that accepting Barnabas as my model has changed my ministry for the better and that Barnabas’s example can benefit any pastor and congregation who take his lessons seriously.”

    Barnabas and his ministry of encouragement offer us a focus for the vital, messy, and exhilarating work required of us as faith communities. Foreword by Robert Reber

    “At last! Here is a leadership book that provides practical help for congregations of every size and setting and pastors with a variety of gifts. Drawing from his own experience as a pastor, Moots shares a model of faithful ministry that is within the reach of every pastor, layperson, and congregation.”-Rueben P. Job

    “In an age when so many pastors and leaders are discouraged, no work of the Spirit is more needed or more welcome than encouragement. Moots’s book moves beyond diagnosis and actually shows readers how to ‘become Barnabas’ in ministries of partnership, hospitality, courage, and reconciliation.”-Donna Duensing

    Paul Moots has served as pastor in a variety of settings in his 22 years of ministry: associate pastor, campus ministry, pastor of an urban congregation, and his current position in the village church of First United Methodist in Mount Sterling, Ohio.

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  • When Better Isnt Enough

    $28.00

    Many sociologists and a growing number of church scholars have noted that we live in a time of transition-from the modern era to the postmodern. Whenever a shift of this magnitude occurs, it leaves all of life, including the church, in flux. We instinctively strive to stabilize the situation by re-establishing what has worked in the past. Increasingly, however, congregations are finding that the same old things done harder or better don’t seem to make a difference.

    Author Jill Hudson argues, “We must identify new criteria for success, and perhaps even for faithfulness, and hold ourselves accountable to them.” Approaching the postmodern era as a tremendous opportunity, Hudson identifies 12 characteristics by which we can measure effective ministry for the early 21st century.

    Based on those 12 criteria, Hudson has created evaluation tools, “an early measuring stick” to help congregations evaluate their work in this new era. Not everything of the past is ineffective and best discarded, she says, nor will everything we try in the future be successful. But by faithfully listening for God’s guidance and carefully evaluating progress using Hudson’s tools, looking at the ministry of the whole people of God as well as that of the professional staff, congregations can improve their ministry, help members and staff grow in effectiveness, deepen a sense of partnership, and add new richness to the dialogue about the congregation’s future.

    Jill Hudson makes us face the hard reality that the world has changed, but the church hasn’t. This gap can create a problem when assessing the effectiveness of church leadership. Practical and easy to read and understand, this book will prove an effective new tool in assisting pastors to lead today.-Mike Regele

    Our kicking and screaming aside, the postmodern church beckons, and Jill Hudson provides guidance and information to equip us for this enormous ministry challenge.-The Rev. Christine Shiber

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  • Shaped By Gods Heart

    $24.95

    Preface: A Personal Letter To The Reader.
    Acknowledgments.

    Introduction: Sending The Church Into The World.

    PART ONE: The Church In A New And Changing World.

    1. From Maintenance To Missional: The Church In A World Of Change.

    2. Be Church And Be Changed: How Missional Churches Live Their Passion.

    PART TWO: The Nine Essential Practices Of Missional Churches.

    3. Missional Practice Number One: Have A High Threshold For Membership.

    4. Missional Practice Number Two: Be Real, Not Real Religious.

    5. Missional Practice Number Three: Teach To Obey Rather Than To Know.

    6. Missional Practice Number Four: Rewrite Worship Every Week.

    7. Missional Practice Number Five: Live Apostolically.

    8. Missional Practice Number Six: Expect To Change The World.

    9. Missional Practice Number Seven: Order Actions According To Purpose.

    10. Missional Practice Number Eight: Measure Growth By Capacity To Release, Not Retain.

    11. Missional Practice Number Nine: Place Kingdom Concerns First

    PART THREE: Structures And Strategies For Becoming Missional.

    12. They Run Rapids In Rubber Rafts: Church Structures That Can Survive The Rapids Of Cultural Change.

    13. Seeing Beyond The Horizon: The Nature And Task Of Missional Leadership.

    14. Moving To Missional: Becoming A New Kind Of Church.

    Appendix: Missional Church Cultural Assessment.

    Notes.

    About Leadership Network.

    The Author

    Additional Info
    Discover the tools to create a new kind of church and move from merely surviving to thriving. Drawing on an extensive two-year field study of 200 churches from a variety of denominations and geographic regions, Milfred Minatrea–a missiologist, urban strategist and practioner in minister–presents the best practices for re-energizing Christian spirituality in a congregational setting. He provides readers with the tools for assessing their congregation’s position on the continuum between maintenance and mission and for determining the actions that will move them toward becoming a missional community. He also outlines key strategies that successful churches have used to become relevant in a postmodern society without losing what is distinctly Christian in their spiritual practices.
    Milfred Minatrea (Irving, TX) is Director of the Missional Church Center for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

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  • Jazz Of Preaching

    $20.99

    What if preachers were as contagiously joyful in their preaching as Louis Armstrong was in his playing and singing? As rich in their sermonic renderings as Sarah Vaughan was in her musical vocals? As honest about heartache as Billie Holiday was every time she sang about the blues of life? As alluringly clear as the angelic voice of Ella Fitzgerald? As tenaciously uninhibited in the action of creating as Duke Ellington?

    Of course, this is too much to ask of people, even those called by God. However, it is not too much to ask this question: Can preaching be enhanced through the metaphor of jazz? Can an understanding of the inner dynamics of jazz–its particular forms, rules, and styles–inform one’s practice of preaching as well? Can jazz’s simultaneous structure and spontaneity help preachers better understand their own art? The answer to these questions, says Jones, is an unqualified yes. He explains how one can dramatically improve one’s preaching through understanding and applying key elements of the musical art form known as jazz. No musical background is necessary; all examples are well explained and tied in with preaching.

    The key elements include innovation (what one commentator refers to as “the experimental disposition of jazz”), improvisation, rhythm, call and response, honesty about heartaches, and delight. After discussing the reality and role of each of these elements in jazz, and how they can be important for preaching as well, each chapter concludes with five exercises for applying the jazz element to preaching preparation and performance.

    Drawing on a deep love of jazz and enlivening the discussion with insights drawn from the realities of African American preaching, Jones introduces readers to rich and rewarding possibilities for constructing and delivering the sermon.

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  • Creative Bible Lessons In 1-2 Timothy And Titus (Student/Study Guide)

    $16.99

    This newest installment of the bestselling Creative Bible Lessons series provides practical faith-sustaining principles for Christian teenagers from every walk of life. These “pastoral epistles,” written by the Apostle Paul at the end of his life, give sound instruction on how to lead the young church in a world of oppression, danger, and difficulty. In twelve chapters this book covers leadership, worship, getting in shape, walking the talk, knowing your enemy, money, overcoming opposition, and the Bible.

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  • Values Driven Leadership (Reprinted)

    $22.00

    This book is a pioneering work designed to help church and parachurch leaders understand the cutting-edge concept of identifying and refining organizational core values.

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  • Preaching To A Shifting Culture

    $23.00

    A challenge to preachers to proclaim the Scriptures with authority and power in a post-Christian world.

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  • Teaching That Makes A Difference

    $34.99

    This comprehensive, research-informed textbook reviews all aspects of traditional and contemporary theories and experience in youth ministry, but also points to the future by analyzing youth culture and charting innovative paradigms in the art and craft of teaching. The book is fueled by the urgent need in youth ministry to better reach students, to inform them about God’s will for their lives, and to encourage change in their lives beyond the youth group setting. Features include: * Website dedicated to the book, including chats hosted by the author * Scriptural instruction on reaching the minds, hearts, and souls of students * Cultural analysis of adolescents in ministry contexts and in the larger community * Explanation of learning styles: auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic * Explanation of multiple intelligences: imaginative, analytic, common sense, dynamic * Tips on creativity: where to find ideas, list of teaching methods

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  • Prayer (Student/Study Guide)

    $9.99

    This book will explore and define biblical and contemporary images of prayer. All the sessions exploring prayer will be based upon God’s relationship with humans as the ground of all prayer and the essential human need to reach toward God that leads to prayer. Readers will explore definitions of prayer, a variety of scriptures that show Jesus’ teachings and practices related to prayer, methods of prayer, aids to prayer, the varieties of individual and communal words, needs, and emotions that form the content of prayer, ways people interpret answered or unanswered prayer, and the unity between prayer and human action. The book will invite readers to reflect upon questions like: Why do we pray? What is God’s role in prayer? the human role? How is God’s grace involved in prayer? What is prayer? What did Jesus teach about prayer? How do we pray? What do we pray? What is an attitude of prayer? How does God answer prayer? What difference does prayer make in our lives? Have I been praying all along? What happens in the quiet times of my week? in the busy times?
    Is prayer possible in both quiet and busy times? Why do I feel like I don’t have
    time to pray? Do I need to make time for prayer? How? The book will affirm
    persons and groups who struggle with an understanding of prayer or with
    a style of prayer. It will provide opportunities for transforming encounters with
    God.

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  • Lifetime Of Blessing

    $20.99

    In the same successful formula as ‘World of Blessing’, Geoffrey Duncan has compiled blessings from a great variety of resources to commemorate every conceivable stage of life from planning and praying for a child to bidding loved ones farewell. aaIn between there are a wide range of thanksgiving and blessing prayers for pregnancy, the birth of a baby, adoption and fostering, christening or naming ceremonies,godparents, growing up, starting school, birthdays, confirmation or church membership,friendship, love, work, leaving home, engagement, marriage, moving house, anniversaries, the big’O’s(!)and all important occasions in life-joyful or sad. aaA unique pastoral and personal resource that will be used over and over again.

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  • Postmodern Childrens Ministry

    $19.99

    This practical, thought-provoking book presents a new paradigm for children’s ministry in the emerging 21st century and explores how churches are currently putting that vision into practice. Advocating the need to regard children as full participants in their faith communities, the book provides strategies for building intergenerational community where children feel they belong and have the opportunity to serve.

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  • Divine Distinction : The Ministry Of The Apostle The Office Of The Bishop

    $10.99

    It’s very important that we use utmost sensitivity as we embrace the significant subject of apostles and bishops in the New Testament and attempt to present a biblically sound position statement. Approaching this kind of discussion with preconceived notions and closed minds could put at risk those who trust our input for divine direction. Correct interpretation of the Scriptures, not history, must be what we trust as the order of God. Church history has not always demonstrated the will of God. Where it does, it can be used as a divine pattern; where it does not, it must be replaced with the truth of God, even if it presents the challenge of accepting something different from our traditions.

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  • Keys To Becoming An Effective Associate Minister And Church Leader

    $14.95

    Joshua Ministry Title

    Hopewell shares the truths that he has discovered in his journey that will strengthen the relationship between the pastor and associate minister, and create an atmosphere that allows both to work together as a team, fulfilling God’s purpose.

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  • Pastoral Protocol : A Guide To Ministerial Ethics

    $15.49

    Every profession and vocation has rules that govern its operation and dictates the behaviour and conduct of its professors, so also is the church world. The ministry has ethics of behaviour different from all other professions. In this book, the minister’s relation with his church, community, opposite sex and colleagues are all spelt out. Dealing with finances, the family and denomination amongst others have also been dealt with by Dr. Agyin-Asare. Pastoral Protocol emphasises the fact that people’s opinion about God and Christianity and your own church are shaped by the ethical standards the minister maintains. Ministers of the gospel, ministers in training, aspiring Church leaders, lay church workers and in fact every individual believer who sees himself herself as part of the “universal priesthood of the believer” would benefit by this book to prevent spiritual disaster and ministry suicide. Apostle Dr. Michael Ntumy M.Th President of the Ghanna Pentecostal Council, Chairman of the Church of Pentecost I thorougly enjoyed this book “Pastoral Protocol”. It is one of the best I have ever read on this subject. Every minister should read it. Bishop Paul E. Paino D.D., Th.D, D.Lt. Carol Road Christian Fellowship Fort Wayne, Indiana

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  • Preaching The Parables (Reprinted)

    $29.00

    This guide to how one might preach New Testament parables responsibly provides an introduction to interpreting the parables and exemplary sermons that point out key interpretive decisions.

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  • Postmodern Life Cycle

    $24.99

    “Friedrich Schweitzer is knowledgeable of both European and American cultural shifts into postmodernity. This well-written account of the impacts of media saturation, the relativization of religious authority, and the rapid global emergence of varieties of spiritual orientations and practices, is the first of its kind. Schweitzer’s knowledge of practices of faith and his mastery of the available research literature on posmodern conditions make this work indispensable for religious leaders, students of postmodernity, and a broad reading public. A great achievement!”

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  • Moderatism Pietism And Awakening

    $58.99

    The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church is a multivolume study by Hughes Oliphant Old that explores the history of preaching from the words of Moses at Mount Sinai through modern times. In Volume 5, Moderatism, Pietism, and Awakening, Old brings the story of preaching up through the eighteenth century, showing how, after the tumultuous age of the Reformation, preaching in the eighteenth century was driven in several very different directions. The book’s first chapter considers moderatism, an inevitable reaction against the high tensions of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. In the second chapter Old discusses pietism, examining the contributions of Philipp Jakob Spener, Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Samuel Davies, and other preachers. The remaining seven chapters delve into a variety of national or denominational schools of preaching.

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  • When Prisoners Return

    $11.95

    “When Prisoners Return” identifies the need for individuals and churches to be involved as prisoners return to society; this book also equips individuals and churches with the information they need to effectively assist former prisoners.

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  • Word Made Plain

    $27.00

    Preaching mediates the word of God into a cultural matrix. And no American preaching has done so more effectively and powerfully than African American preaching, claims noted homiletician James Harris. Known for its rhetorical strength, social-justice orientation, and dead-on connection to the community’s lived experience, black preaching is here analyzed and proposed as a model for all preaching.
    Harris grounds black preaching in the self-understanding of the historic black church and its most prominent preachers, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Samuel Proctor. Harris also explores the hermeneutical and aesthetic dimensions of preaching, especially at the intersection of sacred text and the broader culture. He then lays out the specific distinguishing characteristics of black preaching, including verbal cadence and rhythm, use of gestures, and, most thoroughly, the narrative model of the sermon. His last chapter, “Preaching Plainly,” provides specific instructions on how to put the sermon together employing this model.

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  • Raising Up Young Heroes

    $22.99

    Youth ministry is about much more than Sunday night Bible study and lock-ins. It’s about changing the lives of youth and empowering young heroes to change their world. Here is a model for holistic ministry that addresses all the needs of students–body, soul and spirit. Powerful stories from the author’s urban, multiethnic context shape the context of this book, while the principles within are designed to serve the whole body of Christ.

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  • Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook

    $24.99

    This handbook offers more than eighty activities youth workers can use to help students connect. It also offers twenty-one examples of specific program sequences that show how these activities can be used intentionally to become more than just games. Additionally, seven templates for specific contexts common in youth ministry enable youth workers to adapt the activities into an infinite number of program combinations.

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  • Growth By Accident Death By Planning

    $21.99

    A congregation that had been growing in numbers and spiritual vitality reaches a plateau, and then begins to decline. What has happened? Whitesel explains where churches go wrong planning for growth and how they can correct themselves by looking at three related phenomena: the factors that cause initial growth; the erroneous decisions that lead to getting stuck on the plateau; and corrective steps they can take to regain growth and vitality.

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  • Ducking Spears Dancing Madly

    $19.99

    Leadership among God’s people is not a matter of easy answers or simple solutions. There is no foolproof list of character traits that one can acquire and develop in order to be a successful leader. Authentic leadership is a complex interaction of the leader’s gifts and calling, the people’s needs and response, the particular situation of the moment, and, above all, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Birch and Parks believe if we wish to understand the intricate and messy character of leadership in the church, the obvious place to start is Scripture. The Bible portrays leaders not as heroes placed on a pedestal, but rather as flawed and fallen human beings who nonetheless work with the people around them and with the situation at hand to move toward accomplishing the will of God.

    Ducking Spears, Dancing Madly is a penetrating look at church leadership through the stories of Saul, David, and other central Old Testament figures. The authors demonstrate that those who have a clear and honest understanding of the triumphs and flaws of the individuals who lead God’s people in Scripture will be better prepared to lead God’s people today. In order to provide that understanding, they engage in a dialogue with the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, texts that portray the people of Israel in frequent social and political transition, and hence in need of effective leadership.

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  • More Movie Based Illustrations For Preaching And Teaching

    $14.99

    Preachers and teachers recognize that movies are having a powerful voice in influencing the thoughts and ideas of modern Americans. Therefore, increasing numbers of preachers/speakers are using video movie clips or verbal references to contemporary movie scenes in church services and classrooms. But how do they find an appropriate movie to relate to a particular theme or text? Using the extensive indexes in More Movie-Based Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching will enable them to refer to illustrations in context and even locate where the clip can be found. The illustrations are contemporary and provide extended descriptions of the settings and dialogue for the selected scenes. Ninety to ninetyfive percent of these illustrations have never before appeared in print. Purchasers of the book will also receive a free threemonth subscription to Christianity Today’s PreachingToday.com. This useful reference tool will help any preacher or speaker find moving illustrations to connect with today’s audiences and reinforce biblical truths.

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  • Right Road : Life Choices For Clergy

    $17.00

    Many clergy are in startlingly bad health. Not only do they regularly report depression, stress, and serious family and financial problems, they also exhibit higher than normal incidences of obesity, high cholesterol levels, inactivity, high blood pressure, and heart disease. How effective can professionals in ministry be with such debilities and vulnerabilities? Are clergy too busy helping others to take care of themselves?

    Gwen Halaas’s caring and savvy book addresses clergy health directly: clergy have a spiritual as well as physical need to care for themselves, to live to the fullest, to ensure that they enjoy the life and gifts God gave them. Building her brief, practical book around the wellness wheel, Halaas emphasizes not just healthy eating but a whole array of life-affirming choices for clergy. Halaas provides the tools for clergy to choose growth and well-being over burnout and decline. With this practical and upbeat volume, clergy can begin to put their own lives in perspective and ‘keep [themselves] in training for a godly life’ (1 Timothy 4:7).

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  • Bored With God

    $18.99

    IVP Print On Demand Title

    In this book, Sean Dunn catalogs what he’s seen of apathy in his ministry to youth. Teenagers can be frustratingly sleepy in their faith, but once these slumbering giants are awakened to a life with God, they can apply virtually tireless energy to the problems of a world bored with God. And their energy is particularly contagious.

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  • Family Based Youth Ministry (Revised)

    $26.99

    Disappointed with the results from the glitzy programs and entertaining activities you’ve used with your church’s young people? Try Mark DeVries’s newly revised Family-Based Youth Ministry for a multigenerational approach that takes seriously the job of discipling teens and building mature believers. You’ll learn how to involve not just the nuclear family but the entire church body, from singles to seniors. Includes a bonus curriculum for youth and adults.

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  • Spiritual Direction And The Care Of Souls

    $30.99

    Gary W. Moon and David G. Benner, along with a team of expert contributors, provide a comprehensive survey of spiritual direction in its myriad Christian forms. Specific chapters offer careful historical perspective and contemporary analysis of how Christians from various backgrounds have practiced spiritual direction, with particular attention to each tradition’s definition of spiritual direction, the process of authentic transformation, the role of the spiritual direction, indicators of mature spirituality and other aspects of the spiritual direction process. Chapters also provide psychological and clinical insight into how spiritual direction is similar to, different from and can be integrated with psychotherapy and pastoral counseling. Spiritual direction holds the potential to revolutionize how soul care is practiced in our troubled society. This volume is an extraordinary resource for understanding and helping others experience spiritual transformation and union with God.

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  • Introduccion Al Aseoramiento P – (Spanish)

    $22.99

    La perdida de valores morales que llevan a considerar todo desde una perspectiva groseramente relativista; la situacion social y economica tan critica que lleva a tratar de protegernos de cualquier manera posible; el materialismo contemporaneo que nos hace creer que teniendo mas cosas seremos mas felices; y otros muchos aspectos similares, han provocado una crisis que se refleja y tiene sus efectos en la pareja y familia contemporanea. La sociedad ha contagiado su enfermedad a la familia.

    Asi pues, esta unidad basica sufre los devastadores efectos del tiempo y sociedad en que nos ha tocado vivir. Hay algo que se pueda hacer? Hay remedio que alivie esa enfermedad?

    El Dr. Maldonado nos muestra que para que la familia pueda procesar cualquier situacion critica que esten viviendo y salir avante por el camino de la recuperacion y el crecimiento, la mayor parte del tiempo requiere de orientacion, consejo, o asesoria. Asi pues, y desde la perspectiva cristiana, en este libro el Dr. Maldonado presenta los elementos basicos de la asesoria, los criterios que serviran para identificar a una familia sana e ir hacia ella, y las metas que se deben perseguir al asesorar y que serviran al asesor o consejero para promover el sano crecimiento tanto de la pareja como de la familia. Porque, a final de cuentas, la familia no es solamente el lugar donde encontramos refugio y alimento. La familia, por sobre todo, es el lugar donde nos formamos como y donde somos verdaderamente humanos y cristianos.

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  • Multicultural Ministry : Finding Your Churchs Unique Rhythm

    $24.99

    An inspiring and practical guide for learning how to transition from a unicultural to multicultural church The changing ethnic face of America will increasingly require evangelicals to minister to people of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, including AfricanAmericans, Hispanics, Asians, and others. In Multicultural Ministry, author and pastor David Anderson provides practical ideas to show how both new and existing churches can embrace greater cultural diversity and discover their unique rhythm. Anderson shares many stories from his experiences in planting Bridgeway Community Church, a successful multicultural church that has grown to about 1,500 people, half of whom are AfricanAmerican, 30 percent are Caucasian, and about 15 percent are from other racial and ethnic groups. This book provides transferable principles and practical ideas adaptable for churches of any size and setting. Features include: *How to discover your church’s unique rhythm and identify where you are on the racial reconciliation continuum, and move forward along the continuum *How to move from stadiumlevel repentance to strategylevel realities *Scriptural basis for multicultural ministry *Inspiring stories, specific howto’s, and dangers to avoid

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  • Ministerial Ethics (Reprinted)

    $30.00

    Provides new and experienced ministers tools for sharpening their unique personal and professional moral roles in society.

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  • Preaching The Calendar

    $25.00

    Pastors face a perennial challenge of knowing how to treat special days in the calendar. For days marked in the church year, the challenge is how to speak a fresh word about a familiar theme or story. For days marked in the civil calendar, the challenge is to discern within secular celebrations appropriate connections with the Christian gospel. In Preaching the Calendar, masterful preacher Ellsworth Kalas discusses the importance of embracing holidays and special days as occasions when sermons can enlarge and deepen spiritual yearnings. His words of wisdom demonstrate how this type of preaching can be done well and serve as valuable sources of stories and sermon illustrations for pastors eager to help people find new and renewed relationships with God.

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