Church Life
Showing 701–750 of 830 results
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Soul Of The Congregation
$23.99Add to cartThomas Edward Frank points out that the dominant paradigm of many comtemporary books about church administration reflects an underlying “theology of progress,” a distilling of the gospel into self-worth, a conflation of basilea with market growth. According to Frank, good fortune and blessing are confused; praise and good feeling are identified. The paradigm of success and progress, however, fails to account adequately for the vision of the believers’ presence in the world as ecclesia. “The soul of the congregation,” argues Frank, is a way of being and being-in-the-world, and not didactic or productive.
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Mainline To The Future
$24.00Add to cartWhile others lament the declining attendance of mainline churches and blame it on a stodgy and out of date tradition, Jackson W. Carroll offers a more hopeful perspective. According to Carroll, the key to the future health and vitality of mainline churches can be found in that same tradition. In Mainline to the Future: Congregations for the 21st Century, Carroll states that tension between change and tradition has always been part of the Protestant heritage. He believes that when older practices are challenged by change, tradition can no longer be accepted at face value and must be adapted. In this spirit, Carroll calls mainline churches to “go forward, remembering.”
Neither change nor tradition supercedes the other. Both are gifts of divine grace that enable churches to live faithfully in the world. When churches no longer accept tradition as unchangeable, they are free to engage in dialogue with the secular culture and are able to retrieve and reinterpret selective aspects of their tradition in ways that are meaningful for today’s congregations. True to the Protestant tradition itself, the ability to adapt allows the authority of tradition to shift from being “out there” to being “in here.” Thus does the church reclaim its interpretive power to make the Gospel relevant to every time and place.
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True Worship : Reclaiming The Wonder And Majesty
$15.99Add to cartWorship is one of the most divisive Issues in churches today. Donald Hustad responds to the cataclysmic changes in worship styles over the last fifty years, examining the biblical elements of worship and offering a model for richer, God-honoring services. This provocative book is must reading for all pastors, church music leaders and educators, worship committees, and all Christians interested in worship.
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Serve The Community Of The Church A Print On Demand Title
$37.99Add to cartServe the Community of the Church, the second volume in the First-Century Christians in the Graeco- Roman World series, explores the nature of organization and leadership roles in the first-century Christian community, especially as they were variously taught by Paul and practiced in the earliest congregations.
Drawing from ancient source material as well as from the New Testament, Andrew Clarke describes the theories and practices of organization and leadership in key areas of first-century Graeco-Roman society – the city, the colony, voluntary associations, Jewish synagogues, the family – and discusses the extent to which these models influenced the first Christians in defining their own communities. Clarke then turns to the Christian community itself, discussing how Paul, through correspondence with a number of congregations, laid out important parameters for leadership that he considered appropriate to the new Christian context. Some of these parameters, Clarke shows, were defined in express contrast to the patterns of leadership widely practiced in Graeco-Roman society and occasionally also in the early Christian communities.
Providing a fascinating look at the social and historical background of the New Testament, this volume is also important for its discussion of a subject that has implications for the organization of church life in our own time.
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1 Body One Spirit (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Add to cart1. That All Of Them May Be One – John 17
2. The Do-ers And The Don’t-ers – Romans 14:1-4
3. Can We Judge Another’s Motives? – Romans 14:5-12
4. What If We See A Christian Sinning? – 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2:5-11
5. Can’t I Do What I Want To Do? – Romans 14:13-18
6. What Does Stumbling Mean? – Romans 14:19-23
7. Following Jesus’ Example – Romans 15:1-7
8. But Don’t I Know Best? – 1 Corinthians 8:1-8
9. When Do I Give In? – 1 Corinthians 8:9-13
10. Why Do Eyes Need Ears? – 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
11. What Happens If I Don’t Forgive? – Ephesians 4:25-32
12. Is Tension Healthy? – Galatians 5:13-26Additional Info
Unity among Christians? Does that mean merging into one super church? Celebrating communion exactly the same way? Singing the same kind of music? Never differing on points of theology? No! Unity conformity – it’s oneness. Discover what unity in Christ means through the Larsen’s dynamic studies. And then put it into practice in relationships with other believers. -
Suffering Divine Things
$31.50Add to cartUsing “pathos”-“suffering” God’s saving activity-as a powerful theological motif, Hutter offers fresh insight into the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the church, between doctrine and theology, and between beliefs and practices. In addition, Hutter shows how reclaiming “pathos” as a central motif for theology challenges modern and postmodern views focused on human identity, agency, and creativity as definitive of theology’s character and task. Throughout, Hutter remains acutely aware of recent trends in theological discourse and develops his argument in conversation not only with the Christian tradition but with leading contemporary theologians from North America and Europe. The result is a pioneering work that promises to reclaim theology’s crucial role in the life and mission of the church.
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Teaching Like Jesus
$24.99Add to cartAs a teacher, you long to help others do more than understand the Bible. You want them to experience its relevance and power for their lives. Teaching like Jesus is the answer! This commonsense guide offers examples of Jesus’ teaching style from the Gospels, then shows how you can make these principles work for you — regardless of what age group or ethnic background you’re dealing with. Using a proven, four-step plan, Teaching Like Jesus gives you action steps, summaries, and other practical resources that will make your classroom a lively place to learn and apply the lessons so vitally important for transforming lives and nurturing disciples. You’ll learn to think in terms of “see, hear, and do” in your lesson plans. And you’ll find sample plans for age groups and cultures ranging from African-American preschoolers to Chinese married couples.
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Women In The Church
$35.99Add to cartThis painstaking work will enlighten people on all sides of the issue, though Stanley Grenz makes no secret of his bold conclusion. Historical, bibical, and theoological considerations, he writes, converge not only in allowing, but also in insisting, that women serve as full partners with men in the work of the church.
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Meditations For Vestry Members
$12.95Add to cartWho is this God who seeks us in so many ways, who calls us from our familiar and comfortable places and moves us into new roles? Part of the answer can be found within the Church. We come to know God better by serving as church members and in church ministries. God is present with us and in others all around us as we worship and serve.
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Following Jesus In The Real World
$19.99Add to cartIn this guidebook for the post-college generation, Richard Lamb deftly blends scriptural insights, stories of recent graduates and his own life experience to offer sound advice and practical encouragement for a confusing time. From jobs to relationships to the ministry, he shows how spiritual growth can continue after you leave the college community.
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Visually Speaking
$36.00Add to cartWhat can preachers learn from the art of radio broadcasting? How can preachers develop more imaginative patterns of speaking?
Visually speaking is a brilliant book about radio preaching in Britain and America, but also an alert, deeply thoughtful book. It is an important and pioneering book, grounded in the realities of the pulpit and the broadcasting studio.
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Eros Defiled : The Christian And Sexual Sin
$23.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
With tough-minded compassion, seasoned wisdom, and an awareness of sin’s destructiveness, White offers forgiveness and a way out for Christians struggling with premarital and extramarital sex, homosexuality, and masturbation. He concludes with a telling chapter on how your church can help strugglers in a context of love and forgiveness.
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Revisioning Evangelical Theology
$28.99Add to cart1. Revisioning Evangelical Identity
2. Revisioning Evangelical Spirituality
3. Revisioning The Theological Task
4. Revisioning The Sources For Theology
5. Revisioning Biblical Authority
6. Revisioning Theologys Integrative Motif
7. Revisioning The ChurchAdditional Info
IVP Print On Demand TitleRecent decades have witnessed new gains in respectability and influence for evangelical theology. To strengthen that influence evangelicals can no longer simply maintain a defensive posture. The postmodern era calls for a fresh articulation, a renewed vision for theology that will address the gospel to new concerns.
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What They Dont Always Teach You At A Christian College
$15.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Prepare your high-school graduates for the challenges that await them as they enter college life! From time management to dating to living for Christ, this relevant resource will help them make faith-full decisions as they face the complex issues of life.
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Church That Never Sleeps
$18.99Add to cartAuthor Barnett tells of a dream his renowned evangelist father, Tommy Barnett, experienced as he drove through the streets of Los Angeles more than thirty years ago: a vision to take the inner city for Christ. Supposedley hand-picked by God, then seconded by the elder Barnett, young Matthew leaves his comfy, suburban church home and heads for Los Angeles, seeking to flesh out his father’s vision. Barnett shares the struggles and success stories from his position as pastor of the L.A. International Church that he and his father co-founded. With a 24-hour open-door policy, this five-year-old church now leads more than 200 ministries, feeding roughly 10,000 people weekly, distributing more than 1000 articles of clothing monthly, caring for the 100 addicts who live in the Discipleship Home, rescuing troubled teens and homeless young people off the streets and running a free medical clinic. Through individual personal testimonies, Barnett reveals the work that he feels God has accomplished in the lives of the locals. He also recounts stories of miraculous monetary provision to continue this work and equip the workers to serve the city’s people. Barnett excitedly tells how the poorest and the wealthiest stand side by side to minister to others, united through the inspiring, enduring bond of a vision for a better world.
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Church : Contours Of Christian Theology
$35.99Add to cartPerhaps no other doctrine has more tangible impact on Christians that their doctrine of the church. In a cultural climate where the very word church sounds a tone of dull irrelevance, the doctrine of the church has suffered studied neglect. The persistent demands to market and grow the church threaten to quench serious theological reflection on its abiding nature and mission. But few activities bear greater promise for renewing and reshaping the church than the work of theology. Edmund Clowney addresses these issues from decades of thinking and teaching. Biblical, historical, systematic and reformed, The Church is a timely reflection on the life, order and purpose of the household of God.
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Women Authority And The Bible
$35.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Evangelical advocates of traditional roles for women say the heart of the matter is biblical authority. Supporters of more open roles say the crux is biblical interpretation and application. The 26 evangelical leaders represented here ask the hard questions about women’s roles and refuse to shirk the hard exegesis needed to get answers. Essential reading for all concerned with women’s roles in the church.
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Peculiar People : The Church As Culture In A Postchristian Society
$30.99Add to cartContents
/12 Chapters
Additional Info
Christians feel increasingly useless, argues Rodney Clapp, not because we have nothing to offer a post-Christian society, but because we are trying to serve as “sponsoring chaplains” to a civilization that no longer sees Christianity as necessary to its existence. In our individualistic, technologically oriented, consumer-based culture, Christianity has become largely irrelevant.The solution is not to sentimentally capitulate to the way things are. Nor is it to retrench in an effort to regain power and influence as the sponsor of Western civilization. What is needed is for Christians to reclaim our heritage as a peculiar people, as unapologetic followers of The Way.
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1 New People
$27.99Add to cartIf you are aware of the rich benefits of fellowship that crosses racial lines, but aren’t sure how to make that happen in your church, then this book is for you. Loaded with models from those who have done it, One New People will inspire you to broaden the ministry of your church. With questions to help groups process the material, it will give you everything you need to find the model that fits your situation so you can begin the process of change and growth. And if you are already in a multiethnic church, you’ll find ideas and principles for improving communication, developing new leadership and managing conflict from someone who has been there.
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Women In Ministry
$28.99Add to cartMay women teach or exercise authority over men? Should they be ordained? Questions like these rage in the debate over women in ministry. Four committed evangelicals, Robert Culver, Susan Foh, Alvera Mickelsen, and Walter Liefeld, explain their positions and respond to the others, making for a lively exchange of ideas.
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Chaplaincy Ministry And The Mission Of The Church
$35.99Add to cartIn Chaplaincy Ministry and the Mission of the Church, Victoria Slater explores the significance of chaplaincy for the mission and ministry of the contemporary Church. She discusses the reasons for the recent growth in new chaplaincy roles in the contemporary cultural and church context and provides a theological rationale for chaplaincy along with practical suggestions for the development and support of chaplaincy practice. The book provides conceptual clarity about what chaplaincy actually is and will move beyond the common polarisation of chaplaincy and Church to position chaplaincy as a distinctive form of ministry with its own identity and integrity that, together with other forms of ministry, makes a significant contribution to the mission of the Church.
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Discover Your Spiritual Type
$29.00Add to cartFrom Urban T. Holmes’ spiritual typology and her own experience as a spiritual director and pastoral counselor, Ware provides a framework for people to name and understand their spiritual experience-in much the same way Myers-Briggs typology provides a framework for understanding personality type. Readers explore four spiritual types-head, heart, mystic, and Kingdom-and exercises allow individuals and groups to assess their type. Additional help for clergy to use this tool with congregations is included, which will help them gain greater understanding of how members learn about, worship, and celebrate God-and why there may be tension about such issues as the form or content of the worship service
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Saying Goodbye : A Time Of Growth For Congregations And Pastors
$23.00Add to cartLeaving a pastorate is hard on both congregation and pastor. Learn how to make this transition a growth experience for all. Written for congregations and pastors, Goodbye skillfully weaves accounts from clergy, laity, and educators of seven denominations with White’s own insight as a former General Presbyter to create a resource for meaningful and healthy partings. Includes examples of a “farewell” worship service and litany for closure of a ministry.
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Inviting Church : A Study Of New Member Assimilation
$23.00Add to cartEver wonder why some people never return after their first visit? Why some join but you rarely see them? Or why others become active participants in your church family’s life and worship? Discover how your congregation can meet growth challenges. Based on Alban Institute research, The Inviting Church includes a self-study design for assessing assimilation processes and analyzing visitors’ perceptions.
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Firestorm : Preventing And Overcoming Church Conflicts (Reprinted)
$20.00Add to cartAccording to one survey, as many as one third of all congregations have suffered conflicts severe enough to result in the firing or forced resignation of one or more of their pastors. Ron Susek, who has firsthand experience of the lasting effects of church controversy and has ministered to churches in turmoil, offers a detailed portrait of how events can often spiral out of control–not unlike the flames of a wildfire.
Firestorm describes the six successive phases through which conflicts generally pass. In each phase, Susek identifies the tensions that tend to develop, explains how they are compounded if left unresolved, and offers practical, spiritual guidance for pastors and congregational leaders.
The book also explains the spiritual, social, and psychological causes of conflict; the most appropriate means for dealing with controversy in its various stages; and what can be done in the firestorm’s aftermath to restore faith and hope.
A detailed plan of action is included.
If you think that God fell into good fortune the day you committed your wonderful leadership skills to his work and that the two of you are building a masterpiece of a church that will stand until the Lord returns, then don’t bother reading this book. Enjoy your illusion while it lasts.
If, on the other hand, you have been in the ministry long enough to know that your church could blow into a firestorm of conflict despite your best efforts and that it demands a constant vigil to keep the temperature set at spiritually warm, not destructively hot, then this book may be of some assistance.
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Total Ministry : Reclaiming The Ministry Of All Of Gods People
$23.00Add to cartUsed successfully in Episcopal dioceses and congregations, Total Ministry describes a new way for local congregations (especially small ones) and judicatories to organize their response to God’s call and to provide resources, support, and encouragement for ministry-a way that is not dependent only on full-time, seminary-trained, ordained leaders.
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Evaluating Ministry : Principles And Processes For Clergy And Congregations
$23.00Add to cartGrounding evaluation in the theological and organizational context of mission (everyone a minister), Hudson describes case studies of four successful evaluation models that include the whole church. She suggests how “whole church” reviews might result in stronger pastoral ministry and new directions for mission. An important resource that will help clergy and laity explore mutual ministry, judicatory executives strengthen congregations, and new pastors get through their first congregational evaluation.
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Once And Future Church
$23.00Add to cartMead takes a broad look at past and present changes in the church, and postulates a future to which those changes are calling us. Denominations, once structured to deliver resources to far-off lands of foreign mission, now encounter the mission field in the layperson’s workplace and the community surrounding the local congregation. Thus, the church is called to reinvention for this new mission frontier. Study guide information follows.
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In Between Church
$23.00Add to cartAlban Senior Consultant Mann draws on her lengthy experience in helping congregations deal with the hurdles and anxieties of expansion or contraction in size. Often, congregations experiencing size change do not recognize the need to change culture and form as part of the successful adaptation process. Mann details the adjustments in attitude-as well as practice-that are necessary to support successful size change.
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Discerning Your Congregations Future
$31.00Add to cartDrawing on extensive consulting experience with congregations, the authors provide a step-by-step guide to congregational planning that grounds strategic planning techniques in a process of spiritual discernment. The result: members will own the vision and be eager to participate in the congregation’s calling, life, and ministry. You and your planning committee learn the theory behind the techniques, along with receiving help for addressing specific situations.
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Once And Future Pastor
$25.00Add to cartHobgood examines new pressures on clergy that are emerging in the “post-Christendom era:” financial stresses; the effects of a conflicted and confrontational culture; the needs of an increasing number of people living broken or dependent lives; dysfunctional behavior on the part of pastors and parishioners; questions regarding clergy respect and job satisfaction. How is ministry being affected by these changes? What skills will clergy need as they enter the new century? An invaluable resource thoroughly grounded in research and full of practical observations for clergy, judicatory executives, seminary professors, and long-range planners.
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User Friendly Evaluation
$23.00Add to cartEach congregation must evaluate itself in light of its own mix of gifts, backgrounds, talents, and opportunities. Presenting the best of evaluation theory past and present, Woods shows clergy and lay leaders how to engage in mutual evaluation-not judgment-of ministry, mission, and community as a shared responsibility. The goal is building up the congregation. A special chapter provides commentary from church evaluation experts Roy Oswald (Alban), Paul Light (ABUSA denominational staff), and Jill Hudson (PCUSA judicatory executive) on dilemmas congregations face in evaluation
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Longing For Community
$21.99Add to cartUnderstanding the strength and unity of the ummah- the worldwide Muslim community-and its role in an individual’s identity is essential in comprehending the struggles that Muslims undergo as they turn to faith in Jesus Christ. It has been a place of security, acceptance, protection, and identity; turning away from it entails great sacrifice. Where, then, will Muslims who choose to follow Jesus find their longing for community fulfilled: ummah, church, or somewhere in between?
Longing for Community compiles the research and reflection of twenty missiologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and linguists-among them Muslims who have become believers in Jesus Christ- presented at the second Coming to Faith Consultation in February 2010. The contributors explore the multiple levels and hybrid nature of social identity, pointing to the need to free our discussions from single- dimensional scales, which are far from adequate to describe the complex nature of conversion and lived-out faith. Beyond the issue of identity, the contributors offer important lessons from mission history, explore liturgy as an appropriate vehicle for teaching, discuss appropriate means of communication, and point to both the need and contextually appropriate possibilities of greater involvement of women in training and ministry.
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Your Church Sign
$19.99Add to cartSigns have been almost as much a part of the modern church as the front doors. For that matter, they’ve been the entry into church life for countless people who have responded to their brief but cogent message. Your church sign has more potential than you may imagine — if you’re smart in using it. Your Church Sign offers you sound pointers on signage. You’ll find tips on impactful sign placement, captions, themes, and how to write effective messages. And you’ll get more than one thousand ready-made, eye-catching sayings. Some are humorous, some are encouraging, some are wise, some are convicting. All are designed to turn scant seconds of drive-by time into active spiritual awareness. Arranged by theme, Your Church Sign offers captions on: -Marriage and the Family – Prayer – Going to Church – Seasonal Themes – Christian Living – God in Charge – Evangelism – The Bible – Speech . . . and more. Turn to this practical, easy-to-use book for fast ideas and proven advice for helping your church sign make a difference in people’s lives.
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Partners In Ministry
$21.99Add to cartCould you use a partner in your ministry? Utilize the laity! Writing from the standpoint that ministry is the fundamental vocation of all Christians, the authors provide practical guidance on how the work of clergy and laity complements and strengthens each other; understanding of the functions of each; and direction on building ministry teams.
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Torch Of The Testimony
$14.95Add to cartThe 2,000 year history of those Christians – and churches – that have stood outside the Protestant-Catholic tradition. This book was originally published in India in 1964 and is little known in the western world. Beginning in the first century John Kennedy traces the history of Christian groups who remained outside formalized religion down through the ages. A stirring, passionate and sometimes heart-rending story of suffering to the centrality of Christ within the Body of Christ.
John W. Kennedy is from Great Britian, but has lived in India since 1952 ministering among indigenous and apostolic Christian groups.
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Imagining A Church In The Spirit A Print On Demand Title
$23.99Add to cartEveryone has an opinion about why mainline churches are declining, but few provide concrete, workable ideas to help stem the tide. As an academic, Johnson effectively couples his suggestions with McDonald’s pastoral experience. Together, they seek to re-energize the body of Christ with new vision.
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How To Meet In Homes
$11.95Add to cartThis book is an invitation to revolution!
Warning: Do not read this book if you enjoy Sunday morning church services!
This book is for those believers, be they Catholic, Protestant, Conservatives, Fundamentalists, or Pentecostal/Charismatics who want to utterly abandon it all, from top to bottom, and start over in a way that is a revolutionary, radical departure from all present-day church practices. -
Waking To Gods Dream
$20.99Add to cartBone-weary pastors can easily slip into survival mode, leading to spiritual stagnation for themselves and their flock. Relating his own brush with burnout, Wills shares how his large church went from decline to dynamic growth. Learn how the personal commitment of his leaders—more than mere innovation—helped infect the congregation with a vision for outreach.
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Congregations In Conflict
$47.99Add to cartCongregations in Conflict uses the suburbs of Chicago to examine the nature of American congregations as institutions, looking in particular at how they deal with conflict within their ranks, to gain insight into religious culture. In detailed and well documented case studies of conflict in twenty-three congregations including Protestant parishes, Catholic parishes, and Jewish synagogues, Becker examines such factors as organizational processes, the extent and types of ties among church members, their shared understandings about mission and identity, and their level of public commitment. At the local level Becker finds vital “public religion”: congregations that provide caring and support for members, service to the local community, and important arenas for moral debate and public activism.
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Worship Maze
$24.99Add to cartIVP Print on Demand Title
As the debate over worship styles rages, leaders and laypeople are often caught in confusion. Which style is right for your congregation? With gentleness and sensitivity, Basden addresses this question. His examination of five worship styles (liturgical, traditional, revivalist, praise, and seeker-sensitive); practical suggestions for choosing a style; and more will help you approach worship with joy.
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Stewardship Scrapbook
$24.00Add to cartThis remarkable book represents the very best of William Phillippe’s lifelong stewardship files: materials he has used in four decades of training, talks, and sermons about giving to the church. It includes biblical texts, sermons, sermon ideas, inspiring stories, quotations, and other miscellaneous suggestions and aids for ministers, lay leaders, and others interested in the many facets of stewardship.
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Royal Waste Of Time
$37.99Add to cartLearn how worshiping with appropriate adoration can liberate the hearts of jaded churchgoers who are trapped in today’s postmodern, media-saturated culture! Based on solid theological and biblical foundations, Dawn offers experience-based insights to help you navigate beyond destructive worship wars and stimulate renewal in your congregation. Includes nine Scripture-based sermons.
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5 Star Church (Reprinted)
$18.00Add to cartEver wonder how a restaurant or hotel earns a five-star rating? Is it the people? The location? The service? In most cases, it is all of this and more. Why should your church be any different? The Five Star Church reveals how you can pursue Christian excellence and uphold the Lord’s command to “honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). It contains tips, tools, and the inspiration you need to build a top-quality church that people will flock to and participate in. Now matter how small your ministry or budget, God can use your church effectively to make everyone there feel welcome and cared for–the marks of a five-star church!
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Rehearsing The Soul
$14.99Add to cartThe church choir prepares musically and vocally at each of its 52 weekly rehearsals. It is the purpose of this book to assist in choir members’ spiritual preparation, as focus is aimed away from notes and rythms and temporarily toward matters of faith and life. These thoughtful, easy-to-use devotions are ideal for use during choir rehearsal, before a choir program, or as food for personal meditation. Written by a life-long participant in the music of the church, each devotion is geared toward church choir members and their particular faith-walk. Each week’s devotional reflection begins with a Scripture or hymn passage and concludes with a brief prayer.
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Preaching While The Church Is Under Reconstruction
$22.99Add to cartIn this book the author constructs a framework for how to preach in this time of transition and failing certainties. He demonstrtes that, enlivened by the work of God’s Spirit, it is possible to preach with vision and insight, and help God’s people perceive their place in the world which God is creating anew
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Losing Our Virtue
$25.50Add to cartWells loudly throws down the gauntlet to the evangelical church in this perceptive analysis of our culture in crisis. Painting a vivid description of society’s moral and spiritual confusion, he explains how the church can regain its effectiveness and influence in our postmodern world. A challenging look at social reform vs. spiritual transformation.
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Equipping Your Church To Minister To Ex Offenders
$8.95Add to cartPrison ministry does not end at the prison gates. In any area of the country where there is a prison or a jail, or where ex-offenders reside, there is a need to help incarcerated men and women make a successful transition from prison to society. These 104-page manual gives practical, Biblically-based instructions on starting such a ministry, whether through the local church, or as a separate ministry working with the local church. This manual includes the following topics:
WHO ARE EX-OFFENDERS, AND WHY SHOULD THE CHURCH REACH OUT TO THEM?
WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO GET THE CHURCH INVOLVED?
THE GOAL OF EX-OFFENDER MINISTRY
INITIAL PREPARATION FOR THE EX-OFFENDER MINISTRY
DEALING WITH RACIAL ISSUES AND CROSS-CULTURAL SITUATIONS
FINANCING THE EX-OFFENDER MINISTRY
PEDOPHILES AND SEX OFFENDERS
GODLY LOVE TOWARD THE EX-OFFENDER-WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
DISCIPLESHIP FOR THE EX-OFFENDER: LEAVING THE NETS
THE PRUNING PROCESS: HOW TO DEAL WITH SUFFERING
THE SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR THE MINISTRY TO INMATES AND EX-OFFENDERS
SCRIPTURES RELATED TO PRISONERS
LEGAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF YOUR MINISTRY
STARTING AN AFTERCARE CENTER
BENEFITS FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED
THE WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT ACT
FEDERAL AND STATE BONDING FOR EX-OFFENDERS -
Spectacle Of Worship In A Wired World
$23.99Add to cartExamining the three central elements of electronic culture the author demonstrates that for those steeped in this culture, meaning arises from the convergence of these elements rather than from any one of them individually. He goes on to discuss how these are already present in Christian worship and how they might be made more evident. In adition, he explains that worship can serve as a corrective to electronic culture and concludes the book with suggestions on how to build worship around an awareness of this new kind of human perception.
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Revolution In Leadership
$25.99Add to cartEquipping God’s people for the ministry to which they are called can no longer be the responsibility solely of professional clergy. Increasingly we see that a new team of leaders, drawn from the membership of each congregation or its community, is arising to meet the challenges that ministry in the third millenium will present. Yet where, and how, will these leaders be trained?