Pastoral Helps
Showing 1501–1550 of 2680 resultsSorted by latest
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Interpreting The Bible
$30.00This volume provides preaching students and clergy with introductory knowledge of current approaches and methods in biblical studies, familiarity with the questions and aims that pertain to them, and facility with various methods of biblical exegesis. Approaches to biblical interpretation are then examined in light of the questions and concerns that arise specifically in the context of preaching. Methods of biblical interpretation are reviewed and explained in succinct fashion and related directly to the dynamics that give rise to the sermon and shape exegesis for sermon preparation, namely, the preacher’s engagement with the text, the author’s context, and the congregation. This volume enables preachers to approach the biblical text with greater clarity.
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Pastoral Care Of Alcohol Abusers
$26.66Over 120 million American teens and adults use alcohol at one time or another. While in most situations these individuals are able to use it responsibly and with moderation, no one is immune to its destructive use – which makes it a significant public health issue. Many drinkers find that their otherwise responsible use turns problematic and abusive when faced with depression, trauma, grief, undue social pressures, or other tempting and potentially addictive behaviors. Not all of these people become full-fledged alcoholics, but they do develop an alcohol problem that needs careful and sensitive pastoral care to understand the underlying issues for their alcohol abuse. Because of this, clergy and other pastoral counselors need to develop competence in recognizing alcohol abuse problems, including alcoholism, identifying when to make referrals, helping persons to find available community resources, and training congregational members to provide support to affected individuals and families.
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And Still The Hour Shines
$29.93Are you tired of going with the flow of the rest of the world? Do you want to stand out from the crowd and be counter-cultural, perhaps even revolutionary? While this may seem to be a tall order to many of us, the blueprints for personal and cultural change have been with us for centuries in the words of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Considered by many to be the most powerful message ever recorded, the Sermon on the Mount flies in the face of much of what our society esteems. In a world that thrives on stress, irreverence, and greed, Jesus describes a life of spiritual contentment, deep piety, and abundant generosity. And Still the Hour Shines… journeys through the Sermon on the Mount, examining everything from the Beatitudes to its teachings on prayer and giving. As Stephen Crotts unearths the simple yet profound messages in this passage, holding these principles up against our current societal standards, he calls us to embark on a different journey, living as examples of hope and goodness for the rest of the world to see. This resource is ideal not just for personal study but also for sermon inspiration and small group study.
And Still the Hour Shines… calls us to shine as beacons of light, guiding a world in darkness to its savior.
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Ministry By The Book
$31.99Focusing on pastoral leadership within local churches or groups of churches, Derek Tidball provides a comprehensive survey of the variety of ministry models and patterns found in the New Testament with applications for today’s ministry.
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Transitional Ministry : A Time Of Opportunity
$33.26Multi-denominational look at transitional ministry
Professional resource for local and national judicatory leaders, local congregational leaders, clergy
Transition is the word we use to describe the time following significant change. In congregations, that change might be the departure of the pastor, a catastrophe such as Hurrican Katrina or 9/11, or simply the changes caused by growth. Transition calls for clergy with special training to respond to the needs generated by the special time. “Task, training, and time limit” are the hallmarks of transitional ministry. Trained intentional interim clergy must have the skill and experience to lead congregations during transition.
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Preaching The Atonement
$32.00Preaching the Atonement is a unique teaching tool that offers a theological discussion of ten important Bible passages connected with the sacrifices of Christ. It brings historical and literary questions about the text into dialogue with Christian tradition in order to draw out the implications of the passage for preaching the doctrine today. In each chapter, a complete sermon on the passage in question is presented, followed by a commentary that sets the sermon in the context within which it was preached and highlights the strategy of the preacher in the theological interpretation of the text and its incorporation into the rhetoric of the sermon.
Sermons are provided by the authors as well as David Southall, Spurgeon’s College, London, UK; Kent Anderson, Northwest Baptist Seminary, British Columbia, Canada; A. Katherine Grieb, Virginia Theological Seminary; and David Schlafer, Episcopal priest and preaching consultant, Washington, D.C.
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Together In Prayer
$26.99Andrew R. Wheeler lays the groundwork for establishing a responsible, meaningful prayer ministry in your small group. Here you’ll find guidelines for praying in groups, common pitfalls of communal prayer and suggestions for spurring your group onward.
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Prayer Book Guide To Christian Education
$49.26A Christian educator’s one-volume guide for how to teach week by week according to the ethos and tradition of the Episcopal Church ethos while still connected to experience and faith in daily life. This guide to education and formation is based on the Book of Common Prayer, the cornerstone of Anglican liturgy and theology. Keyed to the Revised Common Lectionary, all activities and lessons are structured on the seasons and lessons for Years A, B, and C. The Guide stresses the major themes of baptismal theology and shows how teachers, parents and children can live the liturgical cycle in its Christian formation ministries at church and at home.
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Deacon Relationships Through The Body Of Christ
$21.23Be the leader God intended you to be! Churches often elect deacons and fail to give them the training they need to accomplish their task, assuming that if one is qualified to become a deacon, he doesn’t need training. This assumption has proven injurious both to the individual deacon and to the body of Christ. Dr. Ledbetter is one of the most qualified leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention to assist deacons in becoming the leader God intended them to be. As a pastor, he worked with deacons in four growing churches. Since entering evangelism in January 1984, he has conducted several hundred deacon retreats in both small and large churches across America, in addition to conducting revivals. To be an effective leader, a deacon must have a right relationship with Christ, his family, his church, his pastor, and with himself. This book discusses each of these relationships and provides spiritual insights that will help not only deacons, but every Christian leader to become all God intended them to be.
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Psalms For Preaching And Worship
$45.99A full, stimulating discussion of the psalm readings in the Revised Common Lectionary by notable contributors. Highlights the literary, spiritual, and theological dimensions of Israel’s prayerbook. There is also a rich discussion of imagery, along with drawings from ancient artifacts, based on Keel’s Symbolism of the Biblical World.
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Christianity Encountering World Religions
$38.00Given the unique religious climate of the twenty-first century and the challenges to Christian mission it poses, Christianity Encountering World Religions proposes a new, albeit very biblical, model for mission. Specifically, it is a model for interacting with people of other faiths. The authors term this model giftive mission, as it is based on the metaphor of free gift. They suggest that seeing mission activity through the lens of giving the greatest gift possible–the gospel message–not only has the potential for greater missionary success but also enables us to more closely imitate God’s gracious activity in the world.
The book begins by addressing preliminary matters: the current state of religion, the biblical material, and the presuppositions readers bring to the subject. Part 2 explores eleven practices that constitute giftive mission. Each practice is illustrated through the story of a figure from mission history who embodied that practice. Part 3 addresses method: how to apply the eleven practices in specific cultural and religious settings. The concluding section of the book ties all the prior discussion together and presents a compelling case and vision for giftive mission. Mission scholars, students, and practitioners will benefit greatly from this probing study.
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Shame And Grace
$17.991. The Heaviness Of Shame
2. The Varieties Of Shame
3. The Sources Of Shame
4. Grace And The Healing Of Our Shame
5. The Lightness Of GraceAdditional Info
Recognizing and remedying the undeserved shame that burdens our spirit and crushes our joy-from the author of Forgive and Forget.If you persistently feel you don’t measure up, you are feeling shame-that “vague, undefined heaviness that presses on our spirit, dampens our gratitude for the goodness of life,” and diminishes our joy. The good news is that shame can be healed.
With warmth and wit, Lewis B. Smedes examines why and how we feel shame, and presents a profound, spiritual plan for healing. Step by step, Smedes outlines the road to well-being and the peace that comes from knowing we are accepted by “the grace of One whose acceptance of us matters most.”
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When Do I Cry Wolf
$16.86Many churches have found themselves on the brink of a great breakthrough for God only to have everything torn apart and victory snatched away. Doubts and questions may plague church leaders’ minds concerning what happened to their church. The answer may be that the church has been ravaged by a wolf. Just what is a wolf in the church? How can a wolf in sheep’s clothing be identified? How is a leader to deal with a wolf? Tackling these questions in a straightforward manner, When Do I Cry Wolf? is a book designed to uncover the deception and work of the enemy within the church. It gives valuable tools and insights for dealing with this problem without creating an air of paranoia and confusion. Sound scriptural advice and encouragement give much needed answers that will aid those called to guard God’s “sheep.”
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More Power In The Pulpit
$28.00In this companion and sequel to the best-selling Power in the Pulpit (Westminster John Knox, 2002), which has sold over 11,000 copies, more of Americas best-known and most influential African American preachers describe how they prepare their sermons. Each preacher also presents a sermon that highlights his or her particular method of sermon preparation.
Contributors to this volume include: Willette Alyce Burgie-Bryant, William S. Epps, C. E. McLain, Otis Moss Jr., Otis Moss III, Veronica R. Goines, Cynthia L. Hale, Melvin V. Wade Sr., Raquel A. St. Clair, and Walter S. Thomas Sr.
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Feasting On The Word Year B 4
$55.00Season after Pentecost 2 (Propers 17-Reign of Christ) With this popular new lectionary commentary series, Westminster John Knox Press offers one of the most extensive resources for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes of the series will cover all the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, Holy Week, and All Saints Day.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. They might focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text, or they might explore connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays for each one. Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time.
In Ordinary Time, the Old Testament lections in Feasting on the Word are from the complementary stream for Year A, split between the complementary and semicontinuous streams for Year B, and from the semicontinuous stream for Year C. Essays on the alternate lections will be available on the Feasting on the Word web site beginning for Year C in May 2010.
For each lectionary text, preachers will find four brief essays one each on the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text. They might focus on the Gospel text, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text, or they might explore connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays for each one. Each lectionary year will consist of four volumes, one for the Advent and Christmas season, one for Lent and Easter, and one for each half of Ordinary Time.
In Ordinary Time, the Old Testament lections in Feasting on the Word are from the complementary stream for Year A, split between the complementary and semicontinuous streams for Year B, and from the semicontinuous stream for Year C.
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Easter Experience Participants Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$9.99Paint yourself into the story and transform Easter into a truly life-changing experience. Once you experience the story of Easter, absolutely everything in your life changes. The Easter Experience is a unique, DVD-driven study which brings the passion and resurrection of Jesus to life through dramatic storytelling and challenging teaching. This companion to The Easter Experience small group DVD follows the six 20-minute episodes, providing additional information, discovery questions, and tips for helping your small group grow spiritually and bond with each other as well as with the eternal message of Easter. Also available are the Easter Experience Church Program and the Easter Experience Ministry Devotional.
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7 Deadly Spirits
$31.25T. Scott Daniels, pastor of a Los Angeles megachurch, contends that corporate bodies like churches form an individual spiritual personality of sorts. Cultural influences can impact the collective spirit or attitude of a congregation, either hindering it from becoming all God intends it to be or setting it free to glorify God.
In this practical work, Daniels examines the nature of the seven representative “angels” of the churches addressed in Revelation to show how congregations can escape the principalities and powers that hold them captive. The book encourages working pastors, church leaders, and ministry students to consider a systems approach to church leadership–one that takes seriously the powers at work within local congregations–and offers suggestions for transformation.
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Words Made Flesh
$52.99Words Made Flesh draws together a number of Elaine Grahams shorter writings and essays and thereby maps out the work of a pioneer theological thinker and the development of pastoral and practical theology in the last twenty years.aElaine Graham considers the theological significance of topics as diverse as nativity plays, science fiction, gender, consumerism, cyberspace and urban regeneration. They all share a concern with the way the sources and norms of the Christian tradition can enter into a creative and critical conversation with contemporary experience in order to generate the practical wisdom by which the life of the Church can be directed. They reflect Elaine Grahams fundamental conviction that theology as talk about God-in-the-world is always practical and public u and that it begins and ends in the complexities of the human condition: where words become flesh.
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Leaders Who Last
$33.26Is helping others overrated? Is ministry a recipe for burnout? How can pastors last the course? Author and pastor Margaret Marcuson introduces the notion of “sustainable ministry,” which trains and empowers pastors to focus on their inner resources for proactive leadership, instead of trying harder to help, fix or change others.
Leaders Who Last draws upon the author’s own pastoral experience and leadership, plus a significant analysis of leadership in both families and churches over generations. Interviews with current church leaders punctuate chapters on stress, spiritual practice, church triangles, relationships, selfawareness, money, and creating a climate where true change can take place.
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Preaching From Memory To Hope
$27.00In this compelling and hard-hitting book, respected preacher and teacher Tom Long identifies and responds to the most substantive theological forces and challenges facing preaching today. The issues, he says, are fourfold: the decline in the quality of narrative preaching and the need for its reinvigoration; the tendency of preachers to ignore Gods action and presence in our midst; the return of the churchs old nemesis, Gnosticism, evidenced in todays new spirituality; and the absence of eschatology in the pulpit.
Long once again has his finger on the pulse of American preaching, demonstrated by his creative responses to these challenges. Whether he is calling for theologically smarter and more ethically discerning preaching, providing a method of interpretation that will allow pastors to recover the emphasis on God in our midst, or encouraging a kind of interfaith dialogue with gnosticism, he demonstrates why he has long been considered one of the most thoughtful and intelligent preachers in America today.
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Like Those Who Dream
$31.58With wit and wisdom, James C. Longacre’s sermons address current and tough issues of the faith – suffering, judgment, family fights, war and peace, capitalism and its effects, dignity and justice for those on the lower rungs of wealth or power or status as well as those on top, and more. The sermons draw deeply from the poignant and pungent perspectives of the Scriptures. Breathing through these sermons, often implicitly engaging the thought of leading theologians and homileticians (including foreword writer Walter Brueggemann), is the updraft of the biblical message and its vision of salvation, compassion, and justice.
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Cultural Intelligence : Improving Your CQ To Engage Our Multicultural World (Rep
$29.99As twenty-first-century society grows increasingly complex, pluralistic, and multicultural, it behooves Christians to communicate effectively between and among diverse populations. Research indicates that missions often fail because of cultural collision and lack of empathy and understanding between different peoples. David Livermore proposes a meta model–based on sound research principles and social science methodology–for helping Christians intelligently navigate the multicultural maze in Cultural Intelligence. The much-needed skill of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) both at home and abroad is the ability to work effectively across national, ethnic, and even organizational cultures. Livermore explains that CQ is not simply learning how to externally modify behavior but is based on inward transformation. His work is replete with assessment tools, simulations, case studies, and reflective exercises. Professors and students of missiology, practical theology, ministry leadership, intercultural studies, and sociology in Christian colleges, seminaries, and lay training programs will glean needed knowledge to become culturally sensitive, aware, and intelligent. This addition to the Youth, Family, and Culture series will help individuals and organizations share the Christian message with those of different backgrounds.
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Pastoral Care In Times Of Death And Dying
$13.99Counseling someone who is dying or consoling a family who has suffered a death is one of the hardest parts of ministry. In times like these it’s important for pastors to know what to say and how best to offer their support.
Pastoral Care in Times of Death and Dying is a practical guide that offers step-by-step direction and solid advice for handling the difficult responsibility of ministering to others in situations surrounding death. From visiting and shepherding the terminally ill to overseeing funeral arrangements and comforting grieving families, Danny Goddard helps pastors, chaplains, and lay leaders understand their roles and bereavement responsibilities so they ll know the best way to offer compassion, love, and support to those who need it most.
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Strategic Disciple Making
$21.17For many people, church is there to meet their needs–with programs designed with them in mind. Strategic Disciple Making teaches these churchgoers to develop a servant’s heart. Readers will discover that they control the destiny of their church. If they seek personal contentment, they must grow as disciples, and church expert Aubrey Malphurs explains the true meaning of the word.
This refreshing resource offers a radical “how-to” for renewing faltering faith. It is perfect for burned-out ministers and downcast church leaders who want a more authentic discipleship experience.
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Inclusive Yet Discerning
$25.99Worshiping communities today have access to more arts and styles from more times and places than ever before. In this volume Frank Burch Brown explores how Christians can navigate this increasingly diverse world of worship.
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Ethical Leadership : The Quest For Character Civility And Community
$48.33We live in a leadership crisis. “In an age when incompatible worlds collide and when scandals rock formerly stable institutions,” says Walter Fluker, “what counts most is ethical leadership and the qualities of personal integrity, spiritual discipline, intellectual openness, and moral anchoring.” Fluker finds these characteristics exemplified in the work and thought of black-church giants Martin Luther King Jr. and Howard Thurman.
This volume, for leaders and emergent leaders in religious and other settings, sets forth the context and principles for ethical leadership, particularly for ministries and other professions whose mission directly advances the common good. Fluker’s volume grounds leadership in story, the appropriation of one’s roots, as a basis for personal and social transformation. He then explores the key values of character, civility, and community for ethical action on the personal, public, and spiritual realms. From these considerations he develops a model of the specific virtues that embody each realm of ethical leadership before applying them to the practical aspects of leadership and decisionmaking.
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Crisis Counseling : Third Edition
$31.65Crisis Counseling unites the historic skills of pastoral care and counseling with current methods of crisis intervention from the fields of psychology and psychotherapy. Like the original edition, the present book is written for ministers – both clergy and lay – who are called upon to care for those in crisis. Its concepts and methods will be of value to mental health professionals and crisis hot-line volunteers as well.
Crisis Counseling discusses the minister’s role as a crisis intervener, incorporating the understanding of recent crisis intervention theory and exploring how the dynamics of crisis is vital for effective crisis management.
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Sustainable Youth Ministry
$23.99One of the big problems in youth ministry is the constant turnover of youth ministers. Mark DeVries addresses the problem with a systematic answer: churches need to take corporate responsibility for establishing a vision and structure for effective ministry, rather than leaving it all up to the youth minister.
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Chasing Chariots
$13.68Because the New Testament speaks directly to us as Christians, it can be tempting to focus more of our attention there at the expense of the Old Testament. However, the Hebrew scriptures still have relevance even for 21st-century Christians. Chasing Chariots is an exploration of 11 scripture passages featuring the chariot, an ancient symbol of power and strength. In each account, K. D. Weaver draws out ancient wisdom that still speak to our contemporary lives concerning faith, judgment, healing, and destiny.
Some of the lessons included in this collection are:
Deal with Change
Execute Your Exodus
Seize What God Has for You
Mature in ChristThis collection is perfect for sermon inspiration, small group Bible study, or personal reflection. Each of the accounts explored in Chasing Chariots fosters spiritual maturity and draws us closer to the God of both the Old and New Testaments.
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Performance In Preaching
$30.00While there are no shortage of texts offering advice on the writing and delivery of sermons, most of them adopt a fairly traditional approach to the subject. This volume takes a unique approach by examining the role of performance in preaching.
The contributors, who teach in seminaries and divinity schools across the nation, bring a variety of theological and denominational perspectives to the subject. They are united, however, in their concern for the importance of the performance of the sermon-not in a shallow or theatrical sense but as an essential aspect of bringing God’s word to life for the congregation. To that end, they offer wide-ranging studies that examine theological, artistic, and musical aspects of a compelling performance.
This volume inaugurates the Engaging Worship series from Fuller Theological Seminary’s Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts. It offers an innovative approach and alternative perspectives to the subject of preaching that will engage and challenge clergy who are already in the pulpit as well as students in seminary classes. The volume comes with a 90-minute companion DVD that complements the text, covering practical subjects that range from warm-up exercises to the mechanics of oral presentation.
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Courage To Carry On
$11.18Using the Hebrew scriptures and the book of Acts as a guide, David Webb journeys through the First Readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Lent and Easter seasons. The Courage to Carry On not only draws people into a deeper appreciation and understanding of the meaning of Lent and Easter, it also offers insight into living the Christian life in today’s world. Ideal for sermon inspiration and preparation as well as small group Bible study and personal reflection and meditation, The Courage to Carry On is a valuable addition to any library.
Some of the sermons included in this collection are:
* Relentless Grace
* A Precious Gift
* Salvation Is Coming
* The Church’s DNA
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Should We Use Someone Elses Sermon
$19.99A short but definitive study of the growing problem of pulpit plagiarism, which people are reluctant to talk about, with suggestions on how to avoid the problem or deal with it if it comes to light in a church.
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Vocation Of The Child
$42.99Rather than discussing their possible vocation, discussions of children tend to center on their rights or duties. Does God have intentions for their young lives – before they grow up and become “real” people? Distinguished jurist Patrick McKinley Brennan has gathered sixteen authors to approach this idea in various ways, from historical to psychological to theological. The authors explore throughout whether it is possible for adults to either squander their children’s vocations or instead to help discover and embrace them.
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Downtime : Helping Teenagers To Pray
$24.99A practical book for youth ministers, pastors, parents, and teachers who want to teach prayer to teenagers. The book will be written in short, meditative chapters that provide readers with the appropriate history, theology, pedagogy, and examples for introducing teens to the life of prayer.
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Aqua Church 2.0 (Revised)
$14.99We live in a fast-paced, fluid world. A postmodern place where people are drifting, making mid-course corrections in every aspect of life, from careers, to relationships, to beliefs.
Church leaders must continually reshape their ministries to reach a society adrift. They must move from being adaptive to being proactive, remaining flexible while delivering an uncompromising message.
AquaChurch is a guide for developing responsive and relevant church leadership. Fusing biblical wisdom and modern-day insights, acclaimed author Leonard Sweet explores the essentials of leadership arts, including vision, creativity, and teamwork. Thus updated and revised edition will enable ministries to navigate today’s cultural currents, provide a beacon to their community, and connect with a postmodern world.
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Planting Churches That Reproduce
$19.93The goal of Planting Churches that Reproduce Starting a Network of Simple Churches is to simplify the church planting process in order to start a network of simple, reproducing churches. This book will give invaluable information to those contemplating church planting or in the process of planting a church. Comiskey has been gathering material for this book for the past ten years. He has also planted three churches in a wide variety of settings. Planting Churches that Reproduce is the fruit of his research and personal experience. Comiskey uses the latest North American church planting statistics, but also extends the illustrations to include worldwide church planting. In the first section, Comiskey lays out the Biblical basis for church planting, including the all important question what is the church? In order to understand how to plant a network of reproducing churches, its essential to know how the New Testament defines Christs church (and the New Testament definition is a simple one). Paul the apostle was the first centurys model church planter and arguably the most effective church planter the world has ever known. The book goes into detail about how Paul planted churches and the important lessons that we can apply twenty centuries later. The book then moves from the Biblical basis to the contemporary scene. Comiskey answers the question of how in todays complicated society we can plant churches that reproduce and even start a network of simple churches. The book shows statistically why church planting is absolutely essential to keep up with the population growth. Many statistics are noted to demonstrate the grave need for continual church planting today. Then Comiskey tackles the question of the modern day church planter. What makes a modern day church planter successful? What are the key characteristics that todays church planters need to successfully plant a church in the 21st century? Comiskey provides indepth information from recent studies about the character qualities necessary to plant a church. Comiskey provides helpful information on church planting barriers. These barriers come from the fieldboth from those who have planted churches andor those who are currently doing so. The book reveals what church planters would do differently if they could do it over again. This information will help future church planters avoid similar mistakes. The second section goes into detail about the three main church planting strategies the celebrat
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Sabbath In The City
$24.00Drawing on their research involving urban pastors from across the United States, Bryan Stone and Claire Wolfteich identify and examine spiritual practices that foster excellence in urban ministry. After discussing the specific challenges facing urban pastors and presenting the kinds of excellence required of them, Stone and Wolfteich explore several practices that help sustain ministers working in urban contexts, such as cultivating holy friendships, practicing Sabbath, maintaining lives of prayer and study, and setting appropriate boundaries. Throughout, the authors weave together stories from urban pastors from a variety of denominations with insights from the history of Christian spirituality and theology to chart a theological course for the formation and renewal of pastors in diverse contemporary contexts.
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Skys The Limit
$16.18Do you have the desire to create or expand your church s ministry to children, but don t know where to start? The Sky s the Limit offers valuable insight into how to create a kids club in your church where children can not only have fun, but also learn more about God and grow in their Christian faith. Although the idea of starting a children s ministry may seem overwhelming, The Sky s the Limit takes you step by step through the process to ensure a smooth transition for both children and teachers. Drawing from her own experience, Kathy DeGraw guides ministry leaders in every aspect of the creation of a kids club — from assembling a ministry team to choosing snack ideas to creating fun activities, and so on. According to DeGraw, having a kids club can be a powerful evangelistic outreach, because by reaching out to the children in your community, you are also reaching out to their entire families, drawing them not only into your church, but into a relationship with God. In taking this first step to establishing a children s ministry in your church, the sky truly is the limit on the impact you can have in your community!
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Growing Up Christian
$19.11McGuffey’s Readers. Public school. Family prayers. In the 1800s, these were primary and successful strategies by which children learned to become Christians. Sunday school was developed to support what was already being done at home and in school. Today many churches still rely on the nineteenth-century model to encourage young people to become disciples of Christ. In Growing Up Christian, Dr. C. Ellis Nelson explores why these strategies are inadequate for the twenty-first century and offers practical, specific guidance for congregations who wish to nurture disciples of Christ more effectively. Part 1 describes the pattern of influences that form our images of God. Given the way culture and family influence the rising generation, Part 2 outlines a strategy for nurturing disciples that capitalizes on the persuasive power of the congregation in fellowship, worship, and instruction. A detailed discussion guide further assists congregations who wish to form a study group to assess and improve their Christian education.
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1001 Illustrations That Connect
$32.99Here are 1001 of the best illustrations assembled by the editors of Christianity Today’s PreachingToday.com. They’re contemporary, proven, memorable, and illuminating-these illustrations will preach! Furthermore, they’re carefully arranged and indexed so it’s easy to find the right one. An included CD-ROM makes getting the illustration into your sermon or lesson a breeze.
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Spiritual Direction : A Practical Introduction
$36.99Spiritual direction has been an intrinsic part of the Christian tradition since the earliest days of the church when desert mothers and fathers were sought out for their wisdom and guidance. Today, the popularity of retreats and renewed interest in monastic spirituality has put spiritual direction in the spotlight. It is shedding its rather exotic, mystical associations and is increasingly regarded as a core component of Christian ministry. This guide aims to equip clergy and laity engaged in this task, or in training for it. It includes, Part One: What is spiritual direction? This is an exploration of biblical, historical and contemporary models of spiritual direction. What makes a good spiritual director? Part Two covers listening and responding to God, prayer, paying attention, discernment, interpreting religious experience, recognising God in the every day, journalling, and holy leisure. Part Three covers listening and responding to others, listening to stories and experience, looking for signs of grace, pain
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Unbinding The Gospel (Revised)
$20.99Part One:
1. Breaking The Curse
2. Why Do Evangelism?
3. If You Don’t Like Statistics, Skip This Chapter!Part Two:
4. Unbinding The Gospel: Three Stories Of Victory
5. Real Life
6. What New Members Want – Transformed LivesPart Three:
7. How’s Your Church Doing? Bandwidths, Barriers And Bridges
8. The Holy And The Practical: Who Does What?
9. Smart Sailing: Navigating Through Growing Pains, Conflict And Distractions
10. Getting StartedPart Four:
Your 40-Day Prayer Journal
Afterword By Brian McLaren
Works CitedAdditional Info
After the transformation of thousands of congregations, your could be next! The Unbinding the Gospel Series presents the most effective way to help mainline churches want to do evangelism.After quickly becoming one of the top-selling religious books in the U.S., Unbinding the Gospel expanded into the creation of two more books – Unbinding Your Heart and Unbinding Your Church. Together, the three books give churches a yearlong, intensive faith and faith-sharing experience.
Start by having your church leaders read Gospel, and work up to an all-church saturation study with Heart. Church will be used along the way to help guide your leaders through it all.
The new 2nd edition of Gospel now includes an all-new, 40-day personal prayer journal!
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Sharper Than A Two Edged Sword
$19.99Keen insight for preaching and teaching Scripture are to be found in these pages. Several respected scholars here discuss how to read and live the Bible theologically in our contemporary context. Editors Michael Root and James Buckley maintain that these essays, though varied, share at least three assumptions: (1) The word of God (not necessarily human preaching and teaching) is “sharper than any two-edged sword.” (2) Preaching, teaching, and living the Bible are firmly yet delicately intertwined in the communion of saints. (3) There are distinctive ministries of preaching and teaching in the church as well as other liturgical and diaconal ministries. With its complementary reflections from theologians, exegetes, and preachers, Sharper Than a Two-Edged Sword will appeal to any clergy or laypeople who find themselves uncertain about how to relevantly preach, teach, and live the Bible today.
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