Church Life

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Job 41 : The Leviathan Spirit Of Pride
$18.11

Have you ever wondered why your ministry is not flourishing the way God promised you? Have you ever wondered why you are working in the ministry, but not operating in your calling? Has there been an inference that you were just a servant and your job was to support “the ministry inside the four walls,” while undermining the calling to extend beyond the four walls? God compels us to go and make disciples of men and women, and there should be no debate or pushback to advance the Kingdom of God. There is a spirit that has masked itself in the church of today as a spiritual mentor or covering, or one who provides spiritual guidance to you. This spirit that is exposed in the Book of Job is real and has stifled many parishioners, especially leaders, from walking in the ordained gifts of God. I have heard sermon after sermon on the story of Job, but never anything relating to Chapter 41. God allows certain messages to be released at a time when they will be heard and fully understood. This is a universal message for the church of today.

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Ive Been Raped By A Church
$13.95

Are you attending a church you used to love, but you’ve lost your zeal for God? Do you feel coerced, manipulated and even raped-as if others have stolen your freedom, your passion and even your joy?

In her landmark new book, I’ve Been Raped by the Church, A Recovery Guide for the Wounded, Co-Pastor and Evangelist Vicky Lynch shares a shocking truth-not all churches are safe places, even for believers. Everyday people are wounded by pastors who are supposed to be lovingly shepherding their flocks, but instead are wounding and killing them. Some are so good at it that their people wonder if they are delusional or if the church is out-of-order. How can these things be?

Well, even Old Testament Scripture addresses these issues. This problem is not a new one, but it has always broken the heart of God, who wants pastors to reflect His unconditional love and help His people find their destinies. Vicky shares insights that will equip you to identify church abuse and offers options on dealing with it. If you’ve been victimized by church abuse, she offers hope and healing for you and others you know who struggle.

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DiscipleShift : Five Steps That Help Your Church To Make Disciples Who Make
$18.99

Over the last thirty years, many influential church leaders and church planters in America have adopted various models for reaching unchurched people. An ‘attractional’ model will seek to attract people to a local church. Younger leaders may advocate a more ‘missional’ approach, in which believers live and work among unchurched people and intentionally seek to serve like Christ. While each of these approaches have merit, something is still missing, something even more fundamental to the mission of the church: discipleship. Making disciples—helping people to trust and follow Jesus—is the church’s God-given mandate. Devoted disciples attract people outside the church because of the change others see in their Christ-like lives. And discipleship empowers Christians to be more like Christ as they intentionally develop relationship with non-believers.

DiscipleShift walks you through five key ‘shifts’ that churches must make to refocus on the biblical mission of discipleship. These intentional changes will attract the world and empower your church members to be salt and light in their communities.

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Church Coup : A Cautionary Tale Of Congregational Conflict
$22.48

Conflict in churches has reached epidemic levels. With 1,500 pastors leaving ministry every month – many being forced out involuntarily – Jesus’ church is increasingly losing trained, impactful leaders. Such clashes damage pastors, their families, and congregations alike. While many Christian leaders are aware of this issue, most have chosen to maintain silence rather than combat this problem. Church Coup is the firsthand account of a seasoned pastor who experienced a devastating conflict. He exposes why such struggles occur while suggesting biblical, concrete solutions for their resolution. “This book should be read by every pastor and church board member and every lay leader. The story is compelling, and the lessons are critical.” Dave Rolph, senior pastor, Calvary Chapel Pacific Hills, Aliso Viejo, California and teacher on the nationally-syndicated radio program The Balanced Word “With candor and balance, Jim outlines a godly approach to handling the heartbreak of a ministry divided. A must read for anyone who is in the midst of considering letting a pastor go.” Kathi Lipp, author and speaker “Jim has been willing to be transparent about his experience so that others in the work of the church will read this, learn from it, and act differently.” Dale Frimodt, founder and director of Barnabas Ministries, Omaha, Nebraska “I encourage you to read the book carefully and to recommend it to other ministers as well as key church leaders who can make a difference.” Charles H. Chandler, executive director, Ministering to Ministers Foundation, Inc., Richmond, Viriginia A pastor for more than 35 years, Jim is the founder of Restoring Kingdom Builders, a 501(c)(3) organization designed to prevent and resolve church conflict biblically. A graduate of Biola University (B.A.), Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.) and Fuller Seminary (D.Min.), Jim and his wife Kim live in Southern California.

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Christianity After Religion
$16.99

Diana Butler Bass, one of contemporary Christianity’s leading trend-spotters, exposes how the failings of the church today are giving rise to a new “spiritual but not religious” movement. Using evidence from the latest national polls and from her own cutting-edge research, Bass, the visionary author of A People’s History of Christianity, continues the conversation began in books like Brian D. McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity and Harvey Cox’s The Future of Faith, examining the connections-and the divisions-between theology, practice, and community that Christians experience today. Bass’s clearly worded, powerful, and probing Christianity After Religion is required reading for anyone invested in the future of Christianity.

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Faithful Generations : Effective Ministry Across Generational Lines
$28.95

Faithful Generations provides a hopeful and helpful guide to the different adult generations alive today, discussing the events that formed them and the issues important to them. Most importantly, it describes their spiritual distinctions-the particular needs, gifts and concerns that drive these different generations. With a basic understanding of how other generations think and what drives them spiritually, ministers and congregations can not only avoid conflict, but also put those distinctions to work in order to minister more effectively and create harmony in our religious communities.

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Insourcing : Bringing Discipleship Back To The Local Church
$22.99

Too many of today’s pastors and leaders mistakenly think that thriving programs, lively worship services, and relevant preaching are adequate for developing people into the spiritual dynamos God desires. In many churches, the primary objective of the church—discipleship of people into mature followers of Jesus—has been ‘outsourced’ to programs and large-scale efforts to train and teach. But is that happening? Are people growing in spiritual depth and missional determination?

Twenty-five years ago, the leaders of Randy Pope’s rapidly growing church took serious stock of their own spiritual development and realized all of them had benefitted from a personal discipleship relationship that had helped them grow in their faith and discover where God was calling them to service. As a church, they decided to make personal discipleship their do-or-die aim: applying one person’s real life to another’s to accomplish something far bigger than that single life. Perimeter calls their approach ‘life-on-life missional discipleship’ and Insourcing tells their story.

Randy Pope writes for church leaders who recognize the value of discipleship and need practical ideas for reorienting church ministries around personal discipleship. Readers will be encouraged that a wide scale personal discipleship program is attainable for any church.

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Connecting Church 2.0
$24.99

The development of meaningful relationships, where every member carries a significant sense of belonging, is central to what it means to be the church. So why do many Christians feel disappointed and disillusioned with their efforts to experience authentic community? Despite the best efforts of pastors, small group leaders and faithful lay persons, church is too often a place of loneliness rather than connection. In this revised and updated version of his bestselling book, Randy Frazee shows us how church can be so much…better-more intimate and alive.

The answer may seem radical today, but it was a central component of life in the early church. First-century Christians knew what it meant to live in vital community with one another, relating with a depth and commitment that made “the body of Christ” a perfect metaphor for the church. What would it take to reclaim that kind of love, joy, support, and dynamic spiritual growth? Read this book and find out.

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Parenting In The Pew (Revised)
$18.99

Foreword By Ruth Bell Graham
Preface To The 3rd Edition (2013)
Preface To The Expanded Edition (2001)
Thank You
1. Daddy, I’d Like You To Meet My Children
2. Worship B.C. And A.D.
3. Praise And Puppies
4. Sunday Morning Starts Saturday Night
5. Counting Bricks Or Encountering God
6. Make A Joyful Noise
7. Prayer, Confession And Canned Goods
8. Just How Long Was That Sermon?
9. Saving Up For Something Special
10. The Holy Hug
Discussion Questions And Reflections
Appendix A: Parenting In A Wiggly Pew, The Challenge Of An Overactive Child
Appendix B: Childrens Worship For Seeker Churches
Appendix C: Guidelines And Ideas For The “Children’s Sermon” In Worship
Appendix D: Developing An Intergenerational Approach To Ministry

Additional Info
Daddy, I’d like you to meet my children. That’s Robbie Castleman’s attitude about taking her children to church. She believes that Sunday morning isn’t a success if she has only managed to keep the kids quiet. And she knows there’s more to church for kids than trying out their new coloring books. Children are at church for the same reason as their parents: for the privilege of worshiping God. Worship, Castleman writes, is “the most important thing you can ever train your child to do.” So with infectious passion, nitty-gritty advice and a touch of humor, she shows you how to help your children (from toddlers to teenagers) enter into worship. In this significantly revised and updated third edition Castleman includes a new preface and two new appendices that provide new perspectives on children’s sermon and intergenerational community. She also provides a study guide for personal reflection or group discussion. More than ever, Parenting in the Pew is essential reading for parents and worship leaders who want to help children make joyful noises unto the Lord.

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Come On Church Wake Up
$10.99

Are You Awake?

Believers around the world are being deceived. Many walk in unrepentant sin, lulled into a misguided sense of security by false doctrine. It is time for the church to take a stand and preach the truth: Jesus is coming soon, and His bride, the church, must be free from sin when He returns.

In Come On Church! Wake Up! author Michele Neal shares the God-inspired message that drove her to action. She calls believers to wake from their state of complacency, repent, and begin to serve God wholeheartedly before it is too late.Time is short! We must open our eyes and change our attitude toward sin. Come On Church! Wake Up! will stir you to action, encouraging you to reconsider what it means to be a true follower of Christ on the path to heaven.

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Small Groups With Purpose (Reprinted)
$22.35

This practical book walks church leadership through the questions they need to answer to develop their own intentional small group strategy. Built around the most commonly asked questions, it outlines the step-by-step process of creating a successful small group ministry. Because it is built upon principles and not methods, this plan can be implemented in any size church. Each chapter ends with a list of questions for leaders to answer to help them assess their current situation and their desires for the future.

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Church As Moral Community
$49.98

In this work, Michael O’Neil investigates Karl Barth’s theology in the turbulent and dynamic years of his nascent career, between 1915 and 1922. It focuses on the manner in which this great theologian construed Christian and ecclesial existence. The author argues that Karl Barth developed his theology with an explicit ecclesial and ethical motive in a deliberate attempt to shape the ethical life of the church in the troublesome context within which he lived and worked.

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Western Christians In Global Mission
$22.99

Preface: An Invitation To A Journey
Introduction: Questions For The Journey
Part 1: Where Are We Now?
1. The State Of The World
2. An Appraisal Of The North American Church
3. An Appraisal Of The Majority World Church

Part 2: Moving Forward
4. Biblical Continuity
5. Posture Of Humility
6. Purposeful Reciprocity
7. Sacrifice–Not Just Generosity
8. Partnership Equality
9. Listening To Our Non-Western Brothers And Sisters
10. United Together–So That The World Might Know

Conclusion: Responding To The Invitation
Bibliography
Appendix: Letters To The North American Church

Additional Info
The world has changed. A century ago, Christianity was still primarily centered in North America and Europe. By the dawn of the twenty-first century, Christianity had become a truly global faith, with Christians in Asia, Africa and Latin America outpacing those in the rest of the world. There are now more Christians in China than in all of Europe, more Pentecostals in Brazil than in the United States, and more Anglicans in Kenya than in Great Britain, Canada and the United States combined. Countries that were once destinations for western missionaries are now sending their own missionaries to North America. Given these changes, some think the day of the Western missionary is over. Some are wary that American mission efforts may perpetuate an imperialistic colonialism. Some say that global outreach is best left to indigenous leaders. Others simply feel that resources should be focused on the home front. Is there an ongoing role for the North American church in global mission? Missions specialist Paul Borthwick brings an urgent report on how the Western church can best continue in global mission. He provides a current analysis of the state of the world and how Majority World leaders perceive North American Christians’ place. Borthwick offers concrete advice for how Western Christians can be involved without being paternalistic or creating dependency. Using their human and material resources with wise and strategic stewardship, North Americans can join forces with the Majority World in new, interdependent ways to answer Gods call to global involvement. In this critical age, the global body of Christ needs one another more than ever. Discover how the Western church can contribute to a new era of mission marked by mutuality, reciprocity and humility.

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Biblical Foundations For The Cell Based Church
$18.68

Why cell church? Is it because David Cho’s church, the largest church in the history of Christianity, is a cell church? Is it because someone said the number twelve will bring blessings and growth? Is it because cell church is the strategy that many “great” churches are using?

Ralph Neighbour repeatedly says, “Theology must breed methodology.” I’ve arrived at the same conclusion. This book sets forth the biblical theology for cell based ministry. Without biblical truth, we don’t have a firm under-pinning upon which we can hang our ministry and philosophy. On the other hand, we can plod through most anything when we know that God is stirring us to behave biblically.

Cell church is not the latest, greatest church growth strategy. If it were, it would simply be a passing fad until the next hotter, more relevant strategy comes along. In fact, in many places around the world, cell church transforms the church through a purification process. Church growth is slow but cell church helps Christ’s church go deeper.

I’ve been studying the cell church movement since 1991, and the more I travel on this cell church journey, the more I see that the cell church strategy doesn’t produce rapid growth in itself. God reserves growth for himself. He wants to receive the glory for all church growth.

The first section of this book will bring out what the Bible says about small groups. I will start in the Old Testament with the Trinity, family, and how the nation Israel divided into groups of ten. Then I’ll explore how Jesus started house churches and gathered together his own small group of twelve. I will cover extensively how the early church met in homes and then gathered those house churches together. We’ll look at the images of the church and how New Testament leadership naturally developed through the house church process.

In the second section I’ll cover what I believe is the main reason for small groups: to make disciples who make disciples. God has ordained small groups to develop followers of Jesus. Cell groups are leader breeders. They prepare future disciples to be more like God, and He uses the small group atmosphere in the following areas:

Community: Our God is a social God. He’s in constant unity with the other members of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is not an individualist. Jesus demonstrated this same unity while on earth. He never did anything that wasn’t perfectly pleasing to the Father and Spirit (John 5:19-30). He then

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Why You Need Not Fear Death
$15.61

In the process of our lifetime and commitment to Christ, we are taught what was then thought to be the “full gospel truth,” but in fact wasn’t as complete as it could have been. You will be surprised at what we missed.

Previous works: Redeemed? Say So! Harper & Row 1977 Divorce & the Christian. Tyndale House Publishers 1980 Who is Jesus Christ & What is Christianity? Joint Heirs Pub 1998 Bridge to Eternity (Thai Language) Bible League Bangkok 1989 Hard cover Divorce & Christian Joint Heirs Publishers 1997 Why Jesus? Joint Heirs Pub 2001. Theologians who endorsed one or more of Dr. Plekker’s works in the past William Hendriksen, Author, New Testament Commentary. Richard Halverson. Pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Washington D.C. Rev M.S. Jorritsma First Christian Reformed Church Seattle Washington. Dr. Harold Ockenga. President, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Dr. Tim LaHaye Pastor, Scott Memorial Baptist Church El Cajon, California. Robert Schuller, Garden Grove Community Church. Dr. James A De Jong, President emeritus Calvin Theological Seminary. William Stoddard. Author, First Light Multnomah-Portland, Oregon. Luder G Witlock, Jr President, Reformed Theological Seminary; Ben Haden. Speaker, Changed lives. Richard Mouw, President, Fuller theological Seminary; A Kenneth Curtis. Gateway Films-AM. Baptist Convention. Edwin Y Bernard, World Missions and Evangelism, Moody Bible Institute; Harold Lindsell. Editor emeritus Christianity Today.

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Missional God Missional Church
$33.99

Introduction
1. The Greatest Commission
2. Breaking Free … Through Discerning Inculturation
3. Breaking Free … Of The Entrapment Of Indiscriminate Enculturation
4. Greatest Co-mmission: The Missional Trinity

Part One: Discovering Shalom
5. Communities Of Christ’s Risen Presence
6. Mission Of Incarnation And Resurrection
7. Communities Of Christ’s Crucified Presence … Beautiful Scars
8. Mission About The Cross, Mission Under The Cross

Part Two: Disseminating Shalom …
9. Communities Of The Triune Missional God: Mission The Mother Of Theology, Theology The Mother Of Mission
10. Mission In Participation With The Son By The Spirit: The Spirituality Of Mission As Theosis 11. Communities Of The Spirit: Gathered And Scattered
12. Communities Of Forgiveness: Mission Of Absolution And Freedom

Additional Info
Pastor, teacher and theologian Ross Hastings addresses the fear and frustration that often accompany talk about the churchs missional vocation. There is an antidote to the “locked door” syndrome that affects us now as it did that band of apostles in the upper room. Hastings directs us to the foundation of hope in the trinitarian commission of John 20 where Jesus grants them his peace by breathing on them his Spirit. He formed them into his community of shalom. Leaving that place of isolation, these “sent ones” went out to participate in Gods own ongoing mission to the world. Hastings tackles the dual challenges of isolation from and accommodation to the surrounding culture. In doing so he opens up a theological vista on the missional character of our trinitarian God and the missional identity of his church. Building on the works of David Bosch, Lesslie Newbigin, Christopher Wright and Darrell Guder, the author corrects numerous dichotomies that hinder the church. In the power of the Spirit the gathered church is spiritually transformed and also scattered as it proclaims Gods forgiveness and freedom Hastings presents here a comprehensive theology of mission. In doing so he confronts the fears and pessimism that erode our faithful effort to join in Christs mission to the world.

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Start This Stop That
$18.99

We need less conventional wisdom and more creative leadership.

Not all of the advice church leaders have heard on church growth works. Judging by declining membership in many mainstream denominations, most doesn’t. It’s time to reevaluate the standard thinking on how to grow a church, especially considering the number of new voices questioning the worth of church growth.

The Cowarts have an amazing story to tell. Harvest Church has grown from a church plant of four – Jim and Jennifer and their two children – to a thriving community of more than 2,200 disciples of Jesus. Harvest Church is changing the world and having an awesome time doing it.

Learn why conventional church thinking such as pastoral care, long-term planning, stewardship campaigns, committees, and even staff appointments can actually inhibit church growth.

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Intergenerational Christian Formation
$30.99

Acknowledgments
Venturing Into Intergenerationality: Our Stories
Introduction
Part One: Generational Realities
1. What Is The Problem?
2. How Did We Get Here? Why Churches Tended To Separate The Generations
3. Why Bring The Generations Back Together? The Benefits Of Intergenerationality
4. What Shall We Name This Approach?
Part Two: Biblical, Theological, And Theoretical Support
5. Feasts, Jehoshaphat And House Churches: Biblical Foundations
6. Growing Each Other Up: Theoretical Foundations
7. Midwives, Tailors And Communities Of Practice: Learning Theory
8. The Trinity, Koinonia And The Body: Theological Foundations
Part Three: Support From The Social Sciences
9. Becoming Christian In Community: “Religious Socialization”
10. The Very Old And The Very Young: Contributions From Gerontology
11. Millennials, Xers, Boomers And Silents: Generational Theory
12. By The Numbers: Empirical Research
Part Four: Intergenerational Christian Formation Practices
13. Creating A Culture Of Intergenerationality
14. Intergenerational Worship
15. Intergenerational Learning Experiences
16. Intergenerationality And Story Sharing
17. Intergenerational Service And Missions
18. Intergenerational Small Groups
19. Cross-Generational Relationships In Multicultural Churches
20. Intergenerationality And Megachurches
Conclusion
Appendix A: Forty Intergenerational Ideas
Appendix B: Intergenerational Resources
Appendix C: Biblical Passages That Reflect An Intergenerational Outlook

Additional Info
One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 Most churches and faith communities segment their ministries by age and generation. The kids go to childrens church, the teens go to youth group. Worship services are geared toward different generational preferences, and small groups gather people at the same life stage, whether singles, young marrieds, parents or empty nesters. In some congregations, people may never interact with those of other ages. But it was not always so. Throughout biblical tradition and the majority of history, communities of faith included people of all ages together in corporate worship, education and ministry. The church was not just multigenerational; it was intergenerational, with the whole church together as one family and people of all ages learning from one another in common life. In this comprehensive text, Holly Allen and Christine Ross offer a complete framework for intentional intergenerational Christian formation. They provide the theoretical foundations for intergenerationality, showing how learning and spiritual formation are better accomplished through intergenerational contexts. It is not just elders teaching youth; learning also takes place when adults discover fresh insights from children. Then the authors give concrete guidance for intergenerational praxis on how worship, learning, community and service can all be achieved intergenerationally. Case studies of intergenerational congregations provide models for how a culture of intergenerationality can be created in local churches. This volume serves as an essential guide for all preparing for and involved in congregational ministry and formation. Discover the riches of intergenerational ministry, and let all generations commend the works of God to one another.

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Teaming Church : Ministry In The Age Of Collaboration
$18.99

Create a successful team culture.

Great teams live and serve in light of the Divine Team-the Trinity, and to be truly effective they need: a deeply challenging goal, a creatively empowering leader, and a willingness to collaborate and honor the Bible.

Author Robert C. Crosby provides innovative ways in which biblical teams reflect the workings and nature of the image of God. Revealing what he calls “The Four C’s of Great Teams” : The Character, The Carrot, The Coach, and The Contex. Crosby shows how successful teams reach their goals more effectively. Conversely, he also addresses the “Four Fatal Teaming Errors” and how to avoid unnecessary, time-consuming missteps.

This book provides biblical motivations, vivid examples, and practical approaches for creating a teaming culture in any faith community. Crosby, a leader who has built teams as a senior pastor, youth leader, and university administrator, is now training and mentoring a new generation of pastors and leaders.

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Restart Your Church
$18.99

Recognize
Realize
Restore
Review
Reform
Resensitize
Release
Reinvigorate
Reemphasize
Rebirth

Additional Info
As a result of the near-death experiences of many congregations today, denominational leaders are looking for ways to revitalize churches. The act of revitalization often starts with the assumption that what was once vital can be vital again, if church leaders simply do the same better. So congregations increase programs, budgets, and formulas. They look back in time, trying to recapture a period when the church’s role in society was vital. A church seeking revitalization typically does more of the same, but faster.

However, the central story of faith is the story of both death and resurrection. Followers of Christ like to live out the resurrection part of their faith, but they often aren’t very comfortable dealing with what must come before resurrection – death. The church must be willing to live out its entire story, from beginning to end.

The church needs to trust the idea that God brings to life what God wants to. This book suggests shifting away from the language of revitalization toward the story of death and resurrection. Escobedo-Frank focuses on ten specific “re-” words to outline a strategy for dying and resurrecting again – for restarting the church.

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Strategic Church : A Life Changing Church In An Ever Changing Culture (Reprinted
$26.25

Today’s church world is complex, with an array of church and leadership models that can cause confusion rather than bring clarity. It’s no wonder that some leaders can lose sight of the church they is commissioned to build. Strategic Church will help pastors and leaders refocus on visioning and building a faith community that is biblically based and spiritually transformative, helping people become fruitful disciples of Christ. Readers will uncover principles from the church Jesus built and find out how to apply these strategies to their local context. Strategic Church offers road-tested tools and proven principles for building a life-changing church in a complex culture.

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Joy Together : Spiritual Practices For Your Congregation
$22.00

Guidance and examples for Christian leaders as they seek ways to involve their congregations or small groups in spiritual practices

Although interest in spiritual practices has grown in recent years, most of the books available address individuals who wish to try Christian disciplines such as fasting or fixed-hour prayer. This book, by contrast, offers guidance and examples to Christian leaders as they seek ways to involve their congregations or small groups in spiritual practices.

In Joy Together, Lynne M. Baab describes six spiritual practices that congregations can attempt together: thankfulness, fasting, contemplative prayer, lectio divina, hospitality, and Sabbath keeping. She goes on to explore how these practices can help with congregational life and discernment and provides practical instructions for communicating with group members. Discussion questions are included at the end of each chapter so groups can delve into the topics more fully

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Missional Moves : 15 Tectonic Shifts That Transform Churches Communities An
$22.99

The church was never designed to be a fortress for the righteous, but a flood of revolutionaries, bringing the Good News of the Kingdom to broken lives and broken communities. Today, millions of Christians are awakening to the holism of the gospel call, expanding their understanding of mission beyond just touching individual lives to impacting and transforming entire communities with the message of God’s grace. If this calling toward movement and transformation is to be realized, it will require some earth-shaking shifts—‘Missional Moves’—that fundamentally alter our understanding of the church and how its mission is lived out. This book provides a plan of action for your church that will empower you to unleash each member on a mission, both locally and globally.

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Discerning Gods Will Together (Revised)
$51.66

Bible study, research, and fieldwork merge in this book of practical principles for decision making by spiritual discernment. The step-by-step approach can be used to help any size group learn a new way to make decisions–a way that is interactive, spiritual, and rooted in faith practices and community. Small groups, committees, church boards, church leaders at all levels, and seminary professors will find this book valuable.
This is a revised and updated version of the book, originally published in 1997. This new version includes revised and updated material, as well as a new introduction by Charles Olsen.

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Will The Real Church Please Stand Up
$16.95

In this challenging and thought-provoking book, author James David Montgomery points out that although churches dot almost every street corner in America, many have strayed from God’s original design. He believes too many churches today stand in stark contrast to the first century church that turned the world upside down. Rev. Montgomery calls on Christians of every denomination to return to their roots and rediscover what made the early church great. He reminds us of the building-shaking, great-grace, fear-of-God-preaching, Pharisee-defying, souls-added-to-the-church-daily explosions of God’s glory in the book of Acts.

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Church Planting For Reproduction
$20.61

The task of church planting requires the wisdom of a practitioner and the logic of a strategist. With his years of experience planting churches, and his extensive research on the subject, the author displays these two requisites on every page of his fruitful study.

“As a missionary and missiologist,” writes J. Ronald Blue of Dallas Theological Seminary, “the author gives a new perspective to church planting that extends beyond the immediate and sometimes shallow goal of a newly installed fellowship of believers. This book will be an invaluable aid to church planters and missionaries. This is a church planting guide that puts it all together.”

The author emphasizes that the primary goal of missions constitutes planting churches, which in turn are able to reproduce themselves. By using the proven management method Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), the author outlines each step needed to accomplish that goal. Over sixty charts illustrate his principles and directives.

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Developing Healthy Churches
$23.99

Church House Publishing

Developing Healthy Churches is an utterly practical and realistic guide for any leader seeking to revitalize and grow their church.The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling Healthy Churches’ Handbook, this new volume will help you implement tried and tested approaches for healthy church growth in your parish.

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Fresh Expressions And The Kingdom Of God
$27.00

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

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Peculiar Goings On
$14.49

Dave Walker, cartoonist, web editor and former church and community youth worker has become the UK’S leading cartoon commentator on the state of the Church (from what the biscuits you’re offered there say about it, to insider knowledge of synod workings). His uniquely styled Guide to the Church cartoons appear weekly in the Church Times, and on the paper’s daily blog, and many more can be found on Dave’s website, www.cartoonchurch.com. This is his fourth collection of cartoons and his books alone have sold 13,500 copies so far. His many fans will love this further collection with its numerical table of churchgoing types, its at-a-glance guide to going on a retreat, its explanation of what actually happens to all those yogurt pots collected for the holiday club, and its startling revelation of what people are really thinking about during the prayers, and a great deal more hilarity on every page.

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Messy Church
$15.99

When God created the church, He didn’t build a corporation. He created a family.

We are not called to be consumers who ask what the church can offer us. Instead, we are called to be a family, loving deeply, fighting fairly, and bringing hope to a new generation. A true family is where we are known, loved, accepted, and ultimately, where our deepest needs are met.

Our culture is dying for the kind of community that only the church can provide-if we are living as the family God intended-protecting one another, extending grace, and loving unconditionally.

In Messy Church, Pastor Ross Parsley shares his compelling vision for a better way of life. It’s called church-and it’s a place where no one gets left behind.

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Welcoming Congregation : Roots And Fruits Of Christian Hospitality
$24.00

This practical book by pastor and writer Henry G. Brinton studies the biblical basis for Christian hospitality and how it is practiced in congregations today.

“Every time people sit down to eat and drink together, there is the possibility that community will grow and people will be reconciled to one another. This is good news for a fractured and polarized world, and a strong sign of the importance of being a welcoming congregation that embraces all people with God’s love and grace.” from the introduction

This practical book by pastor and writer Henry G. Brinton studies the biblical basis for Christian hospitality and how it is practiced in congregations today. While recognizing the challenges for embracing all people in the life of the church, Brinton offers a helpful guide for creating a hospitable congregation and welcoming others through spiritual formation, reconciliation, and outreach. He includes discussion questions and an action plan in each chapter.

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Christians Disguised As Prisoners
$29.98

Prisons are an institutional altar God has placed in communities all around us. In this book, the author is giving an invitation for the outside churches to minister in such a way that Jesus can say: I was in prison and you came to me.

Prisons are mission fields in which God has brought the world to our back yards. Any given prison in America houses inmates from all nations around the world. This book is also a call to the Church to answer Jesus Christ’s Great Commission: to go into all the world and make disciples.

After thirty years as a prison chaplain and assistant program director, the author has a keen insight into this rewarding ministry. He draws that knowledge from personal experiences, writing policies, and training staff and volunteers. He has ministered with and to the inmates on every level of the system, including Death Row. This book is essential for serious readers who are seeking to improve relationships with wardens, correctional officers, chaplains and inmates, their family, and the victims.

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Christians Disguised As Prisoners
$19.36

Prisons are an institutional altar God has placed in communities all around us. In this book, the author is giving an invitation for the outside churches to minister in such a way that Jesus can say: I was in prison and you came to me.

Prisons are mission fields in which God has brought the world to our back yards. Any given prison in America houses inmates from all nations around the world. This book is also a call to the Church to answer Jesus Christ’s Great Commission: to go into all the world and make disciples.

After thirty years as a prison chaplain and assistant program director, the author has a keen insight into this rewarding ministry. He draws that knowledge from personal experiences, writing policies, and training staff and volunteers. He has ministered with and to the inmates on every level of the system, including Death Row. This book is essential for serious readers who are seeking to improve relationships with wardens, correctional officers, chaplains and inmates, their family, and the victims.

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Church For Every Context
$52.99

There has been – and continues to be – much learning about how to plant Fresh Expressions of church in contemporary culture and about theological resources to support this. Church in Context is the first textbook that reflects this learning.

For the first time, Michael Moynagh addresses the theology and methodology of Fresh Expressions/church planting. Topics will include ecclesiology, Fresh Expressions in the New Testament, social forces behind Fresh Expressions today, theologies to underpin fresh expressions, how fresh expressions develop, the missional dynamics involved, discipleship, worship and how Fresh Expressions can be sustained and supported.

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Church Transforming : Whats Next For The Reformed Project
$21.00

Theologian and author Michael Jinkins probes the present state and future of the Reformed faith.

In this book, theologian and author Michael Jinkins probes the present state and future of the Reformed faith. Addressing increasing division over scriptural authority, ordination and marriage of gay and lesbian people, and other social issues, Jinkins looks at some of the hallmarks of the Reformed faith and discusses how these can be viewed anew. Topics covered include scriptural interpretation, the place of Christ, living in community, the life of the mind, unity versus schism, and spirituality and mystery. He concludes by showing how the Reformed faith is not a castle to be defended but a living treasure of great gifts.

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Coaching Life Changing Small Group Leaders
$26.99

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sorrow And Blood
$58.81

This is a new publication in the Globalization of Mission series, Sorrow & Blood: Christian Mission in Contexts of Suffering, Persecution, and Martyrdom. The editorial team of William Taylor (USA), Tonica van der Meer (Brazil), and Reg Reimer (Canada) worked over four years to compile this unique resource anthology. This book is the product of the Mission Commission’s global missiology task force and a worldwide team of committed colleagues and writers. Some 62 writers from 23 nations have collaborated to generate this unique global resource and anthology. Ajith Fernando of Sri Lanka and Christopher Wright of the UK each wrote prefaces to the book This latest WEA volume has the potential of profoundly shaping our approach to mission in today’s challenging and increasingly dangerous world.

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African American Experience In World Mission (Revised)
$25.87

Venture into the world of overseas missions from an African-American perspective. This collection of articles takes you deep into the history of missions in the African-American community. You will learn of the struggles to stay connected to the world of missions in spite of great obstacles. You will read of unique cultural experiences while traveling abroad. You will feel the heart for fulfilling the Great Commission both in the African-American community and beyond. All text remains the same in this revised edition, with the exception of new study guide questions at the close of each chapter. The questions can be used to help facilitate discussions in Sunday School, Bible study, seminary classes, conference workshops and other group or individual studies.

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Adventures In Churchland
$16.99

Dan Kimball used to think that the church was a very strange group—certainly not something he ever would want to be part of! Then one day, while playing in a punk and rockabilly band in London, Dan discovered a tiny elderly church of loving people who began to change his mind. With them, he was able to begin exploring the uncomfortable questions and negative perceptions about Christianity that he had—and he found that not everything he thought was actually true.

In this book, Dan tells the story of some of the odd and strange encounters he had with Christians that caused him to want nothing to do with the church. Yet, despite these negative experiences, he found himself continually drawn to the truth about God and the person of Jesus Christ.

Kimball explains that the church is more than an organized religion; it’s a beautiful mess of broken people learning to follow Jesus together. He challenges Christians to move beyond the judgmental, critical responses to the world that often lead to stereotypes and parodies and fail to communicate the good news of Jesus.

There is another side to the church—a Christianity beyond the stereotypes. Kimball shows us that the church is a community filled with beauty and wonder and explains why an essential part of following Jesus is involvement in a local church where God is at work changing lives. He encourages us to break out of the Christian bubble we so easily create around our lives and to engage in mission with those outside the church, yet to do it in a way that isn’t awkward, confusing, or weird.

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Thin Places : Six Postures For Creating And Practicing Missional Community
$12.99

Joining the concepts of monasticism and mission, author Jon Huckins and Rob Yackly will walk you through six postures of missional formation:

listening
Submerging
Inviting
Contending
Imagining
Entrusting

As you begin to employ these postures become apprentices of Jesus who are committed to living in and experiencing the thin places.

Through Thin Places, create a fertile soil to commune with God, live in deep community with others, and extend the good news of the kingdom in your local contexts.

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Trailblazers For Translators
$17.63

By 1990, over 6,000 Wycliffe Bible translators around the world were working to give ethnic minorities the Bible in their own tongues. Scores of translators trained by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) are also doing translation work while working under other agencies. The roots of the Bible translation movement are found in an extraordinary conference held in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, in 1915. This book is a detailed record of those meetings.

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Healing Traumatized Churches
$20.61

This unique and entertaining format offers a plan of healing for individuals and congregations through the power of The Cross. Each Scene is designed for personal meditation, or to be presented as a Sunday School or Book Study Series, or produced in its entirety as a play.

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Church Search : Finding A Healthy Well Balanced Church
$13.73

Preaching…Music…Programs…Location…?

With a church on practically every corner, the choices seem almost endless. So where does a church hunter begin? And how can a person know for sure that any given congregation is a healthy one? In Church Search: Finding a Healthy, Well-Balanced Church, authors Kurt W. Wallace and Alvis R. House present a list of core criteria you can use to evaluate any church that you visit.

What are others are saying about Church Search?
“Wow! Everybody should have this tool!”
“When I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down! It was so helpful that I had to recommend it to my friends.”
“You need to find a way to get this tool out to the body of Christ.”

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Long Way Home
$27.48

Pastor’s wife…do you feel
*You have become disconnected from the Lord, while serving others?
*Loneliness from being so far from family and friends?
* Others expect more than you can give?
*Desperate in your given situation?
*Want to simply love your Lord and Savior, and find peace, rest and hope?
If you have thought about any of these, this book is for you.
It’s one of life’s puzzling ambiguities; a path dedicated to devotion to God and service to others can lead one away from actually walking with God.
Unfortunately, church ministry can have that bitter side effect. The Long Road Home comes alongside ministry wives as they trudge this path – examining the struggles with painful honesty; calling one and all back to their First Love.

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Making Things Happen For The Lord
$28.73

Making Things Happen is a “Survival Manual” for those who desire to abound in the work of the Lord. The church contains many types of personalities, which creates a challenge for those who desire to “Make Things Happen” for the Lord. As we attempt to walk in the fullness of God and carry on the works of Jesus, keeping unity within the Church can be a challenging endeavor. Having an understanding of what to expect will be the key to survival. Realizing and having an understanding that there are generally three types of people who make up the Church world will equip leaders and laymen with the tools to excel. The Lord’s will is that we have the strength and wisdom to keep peace and harmony within the Church, as we face the challenge of working with Those Who Make Things Happen – Those Who Watch Things Happen – and Those Who Wonder What Happened!

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Company Of Voices (Revised)
$31.99

This is vital reading for anyone who wishes to understand the nature of prayer. Down to earth and accessible, yet applauded for its scholarship, it is ‘truly exciting to read’ and full of help and sympathy for the Christian who finds prayer difficult. Truly breathtaking in its scope, this important study deserves its reputation as a contemporary spiritual classic.

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Long Way Home
$16.86

Pastor’s wife…do you feel
*You have become disconnected from the Lord, while serving others?
*Loneliness from being so far from family and friends?
* Others expect more than you can give?
*Desperate in your given situation?
*Want to simply love your Lord and Savior, and find peace, rest and hope?
If you have thought about any of these, this book is for you.
It’s one of life’s puzzling ambiguities; a path dedicated to devotion to God and service to others can lead one away from actually walking with God.
Unfortunately, church ministry can have that bitter side effect. The Long Road Home comes alongside ministry wives as they trudge this path – examining the struggles with painful honesty; calling one and all back to their First Love.

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Making Things Happen For The Lord
$18.73

Making Things Happen is a “Survival Manual” for those who desire to abound in the work of the Lord. The church contains many types of personalities, which creates a challenge for those who desire to “Make Things Happen” for the Lord. As we attempt to walk in the fullness of God and carry on the works of Jesus, keeping unity within the Church can be a challenging endeavor. Having an understanding of what to expect will be the key to survival. Realizing and having an understanding that there are generally three types of people who make up the Church world will equip leaders and laymen with the tools to excel. The Lord’s will is that we have the strength and wisdom to keep peace and harmony within the Church, as we face the challenge of working with Those Who Make Things Happen – Those Who Watch Things Happen – and Those Who Wonder What Happened!

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Thank God And Take Courage
$11.99

Lucas Park Books
Ministry is full of the surprising and unfamiliar events encountered daily. Rev. David C. Derby shares incidents both humorous and serious from his 50 plus years of ministry, as well as his insights into the value of faith for living in the present time …

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Theres Hope For Your Church
$25.88

A startling 85% of churches in the US are plateaued or declining, a trend that has been building for the past fifty years. In the face of shrinking attendance and lagging spiritual growth, pastors and church leaders are understandably discouraged and demoralized. But the first step to turning things around is hope. Church health expert Gary McIntosh offers this hope by showing church leaders the first things they need to do to make a new start for their church.

God can and does restore churches to new life, even as he restores individuals. The street-smart ideas and step-by-step instructions found in this book are ones that pastors and church leaders can put to use immediately in their churches to bring about solid growth and renewed hope for the future.

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