The expertise of veteran church consultant and best-selling author Gary McIntosh is now available in an easily portable format. McIntosh offers readers his invaluable insights on the church in order to help leaders make their churches more effective. It's just like hiring your own church consultant, but at a fraction of the cost. This at-a-glance practical guidebook helps pastors and church leaders with a wide variety of issues, including: -reaching different generations -assimilating visitors -following trends -designing worship -danger signs of decline -and many more. Short, to-the point chapters examine trends and ministry methods that can be easily adapted to fit every church's needs.
All local churches experience a predictable life cycle of growth and decline. But if a church is on a downward trend, how can it turn around? Taking Your Church to the Next Level explains the impact of age and size on churches and outlines the improvements that must be made at each point for a church to remain fruitful and faithful to its mission. McIntosh deftly describes the cycles of fruitfulness and the importance of continual improvement to diminish destructive forces that keep a congregation from its mission. Church leaders, pastors, and all who care about the church and desire to see it experience biblical growth will benefit from the sage wisdom offered in these pages.
All churches like to think that theirs is the friendliest in town. But do visitors see it that way? Church consultant Gary McIntosh invites readers to take a look at their church through the eyes of visitors and potential visitors. His starting point, grounded in an understanding of God as a "welcomer," is that churches should see those who enter their doors as not merely visitors, but as guests, and themselves as gracious hosts. This practical book offers sound advice on assessing and improving the ways in which churches attract people, welcome them, do follow-up, and bring them into the church family. It also offers suggestions for making a welcoming attitude part of the very fabric of the local church.
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.
Every pastor wants to have a vibrant, dynamic church. There are many popular models for church growth based on outstanding churches led by outstanding pastors. But unfortunately, specific models are temporary and go out of style quickly. Author Gary McIntosh explores the biblical principles for church growth and applies them to today's culture. Instead of concentrating on the ephemeral how of church growth, he focuses on the unchanging why. McIntosh defines church growth as "all that is involved in bringing men and women who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ into fellowship with him and into responsible church membership." In other words, church growth is effective evangelism, not a methodology for increasing membership. According to Biblical Church Growth, growing churches always evidence a desire to fulfill the Great Commission by cooperating with God in building a faithful church. Using personal stories and current statistics as well as numerous biblical examples, the author sets forth ten basic principles that provide an eternal foundation for helping any church-large or small-achieve lasting vitality and growth.
The Christian world has been rocked by the number of prominent leaders, in both church and parachurch organizations, who have been compromised by moral, ethical, and theological failures. This pace-setting volume addresses this alarming problem and offers Christian leaders valuable guidance in dealing with the inherent risks of their work. Using biblical and current examples, the authors describe the characteristics of five types of leaders and the problems that are most likely to develop if their particular dysfunctions develop unrestrained. McIntosh and Rima offer a series of steps for leaders to consider so they can take control of their dark side and learn to harness its creative powers. This edition includes a new introduction, updated information throughout, a self-assessment tool, and other additional material. Includes endorsements from John Maxwell, Leighton Ford, Leith Anderson, and Rob Angel.
If most pastors were pressed to describe an average day of ministry, they'd have trouble doing it. In a single day, a pastor may fill many different roles in quick succession, from counselor to theologian to student to CEO to custodian (well, let's hope there's usually someone else available to perform that last role). Some roles come more naturally than others, but every pastor wants to perform each role to the best of their ability. In The 10 Key Roles of a Pastor, church consultant Gary L. McIntosh shows pastors how to - understand and juggle their many essential roles - prioritize their time and energy - manage their people's expectations of them - and empower others to take up the vital work of the church body Pastors just starting out in ministry, as well as those who have been at it a while and find themselves overworked and overwhelmed, will value this practical resource. It is also an enlightening read for those in church leadership who would benefit from understanding the pressures their pastor faces on a daily basis.
Being a pastor is a complex and demanding role, especially for someone leading alone. The majority of pastors find themselves in this position, leading their smaller church with no additional professional assistance. The challenges are many, including loneliness, isolation, self-doubt, overwhelm, feelings of inadequacy, and a constant search for additional resources and volunteers. Where does a solo pastor turn for help and encouragement? With compassion and plenty of proven, practical strategies, church consultant and former solo pastor Gary L. McIntosh steps in to fill the void. In this book he helps the solo pastor · understand the strengths and challenges of the solo-pastor church · develop effective leadership skills · build and maintain vital relationships · manage expectations · spot and neutralize "bullies" who seek to control the church · communicate clearly · make the most of limited resources · establish healthy priorities and boundaries · and more
It's no secret that the evangelism methods of yesterday are not yielding the kinds of results they did in the 1970s and 1980s. So how are new Christians hearing the Gospel today? How are they finding churches? And what makes them stay at a church? The answers to these questions have the power to dramatically alter the way we do outreach. And Dr. McIntosh has them. Based on ten years of scientific research, Growing God's Church shows pastors and church leaders how people are actually coming to faith in the 21st century. It covers factors such as our motive for ministry, the priorities churches set for themselves, the reality of churchless Christians, generational and gender-based differences in evangelism effectiveness, the name of your church, the influence of pastors, and much more. The appendix includes a copy of the survey that provides the basis for McIntosh's arguments and an overview of the study is provided in the first chapter.
The Apple Macintosh Encyclopedia provides easily accessible, brief and understandable information on the topics that you are most likely to have questions about. We have carefully digested the manuals, books, magazine articles, and other information sources for the Macintosh. These, combined with our own experience in using the Macintosh and other personal computers, have been integrated into an alphabetical sequence of short entries in the style of an encyclopedia. The goal is to provide concise, useful and easy-to-understand information on a particular topic that is quickly accessible when you need it. Much of the information in the entries is not contained in the manuals provided with the Macintosh and various software products. For example, notice the discussion, under WIDTH, of the "deferred" nature of this command when used with a device name, the discussion of the colon (:) in Multiplan for ranges, or Saving, Problems With. These topics are omitted or inadequately covered in the standard manuals. The Macintosh is the first truly visual computer. In keeping with the highly visual nature of using the Macintosh, we have provided over 100 illustrations. Each shows exactly what you will see on the screen when exploring topics discussed in the text. The Macintosh Encyclopedia opens with a visual guide to icons, and remains highly visual in orientation throughout the text.
Why, when, and how should a church add to its professional staff? Here is a practical manual dealing with the issues of hiring and utilizing multiple staff positions to encourage church growth.
Pastors and church leaders are constantly faced with strategic questions. How much staff does the church need? How many workers are needed in the nursery this month? When is the right time to start a second worship service? How many people should we train for evangelism this year? How does seating and parking impact worship attendance? When church leaders have questions about planning, running, or growing their churches, they need answers fast! What Every Pastor Should Know offers pastors and leaders 101 valuable rules and "sacred" laws to help answer real-life ministry questions. From advertising to facilities to visitation, this valuable book offers the practical help that leaders need, just when they need it most. This comprehensive guide will become one of the most valuable books in a leader's library. Never again will they wonder if they based critical decisions on the right information. They'll get the answers they're looking for all in one place.
Church Growth specialist Gary L. McIntosh explores six different church models designed to reach yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's generations for Christ.
Just as a physically healthy person--at an ideal weight and with good blood pressure and cholesterol numbers--might not actually be fit enough to run a 5k, so churches can appear healthy--with no obvious issues, maintaining a healthy size--and yet not exhibit fitness. A fit church is one that is not satisfied with merely coasting along with no problems. A fit church is actively making disciples, maturing in faith, developing strong leaders, reaching out to the community, and more. Building the Body offers pastors and church leaders twelve characteristics of fit churches and shows them how they can move their church through five levels of fitness, from beginner all the way to elite--just as an athlete, through training and practice, can become the top in his or her class. Includes comparison charts at the end of each chapter so readers can clearly see where their church currently falls and concluding "Complete the Progress Chart" so that they can see what their goals should be for the future.
The rapid changes all around us in the new millennium may cause one of two errors: wishing to return to an idealized past or refusing to look back at all. Both patterns of thinking lead to ineffective churches and communities. Look Back, Leap Forward challenges Christian leaders to balance the two extremes: look back to find the core values that give meaning to ministry and then use them to build the future and take hold of new opportunities. This book's unique focus presents a holistic picture of how lay leadership, not just clergy, can turn a church around. It is packed with practical examples that may be put to immediate use. McIntosh, a church growth specialist, provides step-by-step guidance to help pastors and lay leaders: •recognize and defeat enemies of the twenty-first century church •heal past wounds •look back to discover purpose, values, and vision for the future •accomplish more by doing less •control finances while leaping forward •develop a long-range plan for effective ministry
Gaining form and momentum over the second half of the 20th century, the Church Growth movement has become an enormous shaping force on the Western church today. You may love it, you may hate it, but you can't deny its impact. But what exactly is Church Growth? In what ways has the movement actually brought growth to the church, and how effective has it been in doing so? What are its strengths and weaknesses? This timely book addresses such questions. After providing a richly informative history and overview, it explores---in a first-ever roundtable of their leading voices---five main perspectives, both pro and con, on the classic Church Growth movement: * Effective Evangelism View (Elmer Towns) * Gospel in Our Culture View (Craig Van Gelder) * Centrist View (Charles Van Engen) * Reformist View (Gailyn Van Rheenan) * Renewal View (Howard Snyder) As in other Counterpoints books, each view is first presented by its proponent, then critiqued by his co-contributors. The book concludes with reflections by three seasoned pastors who have grappled with the practical implications of Church Growth. The interactive and fair-minded nature of the Counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Exploring Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series.
Church growth expert Gary McIntosh explores the critical need of churches to serve both members and visitors as valued, respected guests in God's house. It is only by extending the hand of sincere Christian hospitality, both inside and outside the church, that congregations can continue to grow.--provided by the publisher.
Churches today are faced with the enormous challenge of meeting the needs of three different demographical groups--Builders, Boomers and Busters--while integrating them into one church body. This book shows church leaders how to ride the wave of the future and survive the inevitable riptides of change.
This manual will help your church develop a salary package that is equitable for your pastor(s) and suitable for your congregation. Developing a compensation plan is difficult, but taking the time to devise such a plan will clarify communication, lift morale, improve ministry among your church staff, and enhance pastoral longevity. Chapter titles are: 1. "We'll Keep Him/Her Poor!" 2. Biblical Principles 3. Financial Rules of Thumb 4: A Compensation Model 5: Salary Supplements 6: Benefits 7: Reimbursements 8: The Salary Review Process 9: Our Compensation Plan Appendix offers: Sample agreement letter, pastoral agreement, salary worksheet, housing allowance estimate, benefits, reimbursements, salary review. This interactive manual will help you develop or redefine your pastoral compensation plan as you work through the questions and fill in the worksheets. Are you on target? Does your plan need modification? Gain a clearer picture of your current practice and determine strengths and weaknesses to enable positive action toward greater effectiveness for the future. Includes: introduction, handbook, appendix, and CD. 100 pages.
In pro wrestling, the ability to talk is perhaps more important to a performer's chances of success than anything else. Forget about flashy high spots and technical expertise, those who can talk 'em into the building are the ones who become true icons of the sport. Every top start in every era of wrestling shares the common trait that when they talk, people listen. From Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair to Steve Austin and The Rock, these industry powerhouses were able to command the attention of a rabid crowd based on their words alone. Promos are an integral part of wrestling and are responsible for some of the most memorable moments in the history of the business. Now, for the first time, you can revisit them again and again in print. Read along with your favourites, discover interviews you have never heard before and practice them in the mirror. In the pages of this book, there are hundreds of promos - some good, some bad, but all of them memorable.
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