Bestselling author Steve Sjogren untangles the complex jumble commonly known as greatness in today’s mega church, mega everything world. As a successful pastor, he launched the servant evangelism movement, but along the way he discovered that significance was not where or what he thought it would be. Now, in a very practical book, he focuses on genuine greatness. Is it the size of the sanctuary? The number of new believers baptized each year? The youth attendance? The quantity of best selling books the pastor has written? The list of television shows, radio shows or podcasts the pastors appears on? Or is it something more? What is the buzz on good churches that become great in God’s eyes? Sjogren argues that greatness is not a point at which you arrive; rather, it is an ongoing process of worshipping, serving and living in God’s presence. It not a slick program; rather, it is a family, a hospital, an army and a school. When God is a present, His people are empowered. When God empowers His people, a good church becomes great.
Imagining the Small Church: Celebrating a Simpler Path bears witness to what God is doing in small churches. Steve Willis tells stories from the small churches he has pastored in rural, town, and urban settings and dares to imagine that their way of being has something to teach all churches in this time of change in the American Christian Church. Willis tells us in the introduction, 'This book boasts no ten or fifteen steps to a successful small church. Instead, I hope to encourage you to give up on steps altogether and even to give up on success, at least how success is usually measured. I also hope to help the reader imagine the small church differently; to see with new eyes the joys and pleasures of living small and sustainably.' The joys and sorrows Willis helps us see through the compelling stories of faith in the small church puts flesh and bones on the possibilities that lie ahead for congregations in the future as well as the here and now. From the foreword by Tony Pappas: 'In Imagining the Small Church, pastor, writer, and lover of small things Steve Willis takes us on a narrative and imaginative journey. Some readers will have a sense that what Willis is describing simply names what they have already known in their hearts about their small churches. For them the journey will cover some familiar ground, explore some territory from a fresh angle, but deposit them nearly home again, hopefully with just a bit more awareness and appreciation. For others, though, Willis will take them on a long journey to a far and foreign place. They probably won't bother to finish reading it, and they will miss his invitation to find pastoring a small church extremely rewarding and meaningful. They will find this a strange book weird, off-center, and impractical; unlivable in the twenty-first century and undesirable in any event. This is because Willis is taking on the ethos, the values of our age, and claiming that it needn't be so. We can live on a different basis. We can live on the basis of gospel values.' There will be a variety of paths as the Church seeks new ways of being in this time. Willis knows this. In Imagining the Small Church he presents us with one that embraces a life of faith on the periphery and challenges church leaders to do the same.
Church is not a meeting you attend or a place you enter," write pastors Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. "It's an identity that is ours in Christ. An identity that shapes the whole of life so that life and mission become 'total church.'" With that as their premise, they emphasize two overarching principles to govern the practice of church and mission: being gospel-centered and being community-centered. When these principles take precedence, say the authors, the truth of the Word is upheld, the mission of the gospel is carried out, and the priority of relationships is practiced in radical ways. The church becomes not just another commitment to juggle but a 24/7 lifestyle where programs, big events, and teaching from one person take a backseat to sharing lives, reaching out, and learning about God together. In Total Church, Chester and Timmis first outline the biblical case for making gospel and community central and then apply this dual focus to evangelism, social involvement, church planting, world missions, discipleship, pastoral care, spirituality, theology, apologetics, youth and children's work. As this insightful book calls the body of Christ to rethink its perspective and practice of church, it charts a middle path between the emerging church movement and conservative evangelicalism that all believers will find helpful.
Although the largest churches in the world are cell-based, many have questioned whether the model will work in North America. The Church In Many Houses: Reaching Your Community Through Cell-Based Ministry makes the case that the cell model will work— if key assumptions about spiritual growth and the nature of the church are reexamined and renewed. By drawing on scripture, research, and insights gained through personal experience as the pastor of a growing cell church, Steve Cordle identifies the four pivotal philosophical shifts necessary for the cell approach to work. These are mindset shifts that move from: programs to relationships—the purposes of the church are best fulfilled in the cell group instead of in programs member to disciple-maker—every member can and should become a group leader educating to equipping—spiritual growth is not knowing more but applying more “come and see” to “go and show”—the power of penetration evangelism. Impose a cell structure upon a congregation that has not yet made these philosophical shifts we are likely to fail. But when people adopt these biblical mindset changes, the cell approach will seem natural, and will result in great unity and effectiveness. The Church In Many Houses will help congregations make the changes that are necessary for success.
What’s Going on Out There?Author Steve Taylor takes trips to the edge of the church envelope and sends us back what he’s finding inside the emerging church around the globe. From the revival of ancient spiritual practices to the rise of multimedia, each of his posts sketches a view of the body of Christ in wild flux. Topics include: birth; pilgrimage; community; creativity; DJing; and leading and following.
‘As St. John of the Cross said: “Mission is putting love where love is not.” This book is full of ideas. It should prompt us all to examine the effectiveness of the way local churches are organized.’—The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr. John Sentamu, Archbishop of York ‘Everything that Steve Chalke writes is insightful and cutting-edge. Here he argues in favor of a church that thinks and acts in ways that make the Kingdom of God visible and reasonable in a secular society.’--Tony Campolo, PhD Eastern University, Pennsylvania, USA The task of the Church is “to be the irrefutable demonstration and proof of the fact that God is love,” claims Steve Chalke. An intelligent church intentionally connects the Bible and its twenty-first-century culture, is authentic and, most importantly, has thought through its practice. In other words, the way it does church is a reflection of its understanding of who God is. This foundational issue must be addressed by pastors, church and ministry leaders, small group leaders and others as we continue to grapple with the shape of effective church in the postmodern, post-Christian West. As Chalke unpacks central theological concepts, such as the incarnation, human sinfulness and the Trinity, he points us to the corresponding characteristics of an intelligent church, such as inclusiveness, messiness and diversity. Each thought-provoking chapter concludes with a ‘Yes but How?’ section, which gives practical suggestions for moving your church along this path.
Lead a small church? New Testament Church Dynamics is perfect for you!Unlike many church growth books, we present proven, Biblical strategies to grow your church both spiritually and numerically.These are not theories cooked up in an ivory tower. Our network of churches lives these principles out in multiple cultures and countries around the globe.By following Scriptural strategies, our unity, participation, purity, community, size, love, and evangelistic fervor have grown dramatically.Our joy is helping leaders of small churches follow Christ's model for church practice and planting.
HOW DOES THE CHURCH REACH THE UNCHURCHED? We live in an increasingly post-Christian culture. More and more we find ourselves on the margins as less and less people have any intention of ever attending church. What used to work doesn’t work anymore and we need to adapt. Helping us to see the way forward, this book offers practical ideas and personal stories for engaging with Western society. Find out how to effectively reach people in the context of everyday life and take hold of the opportunity to develop missional communities focused on Jesus.
Beloved pastor Steve Poe helps Christians identify and break free from the destructive patterns that are keeping them from the joy-filled, flourishing life Jesus promised. We all have both good and bad habits in our life. Creatures of Habit reveals how to remove bad habits and replace them with godly ones. But it's not a matter of working hard, of "pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps." That approach simply doesn't work. True transformation is God's work--our job is to listen, obey, and put into practice what he's already directing us to do. Steve Poe has pastored large, growing churches for more than thirty-four years, and during that time he has counseled hundreds of people. He's seen that poor choices often become bad habits that in turn cause people a lot of problems. Hundreds of things can become a bad habit in our lives, but Poe focuses on the most common, among them: anger, lust, worry, cynicism, pride, self-centeredness, and greed. Each chapter provides insights, biblical examples, and tangible tools that will help you break the bad habits that can become spiritual strongholds in your life.
Do you want your children to be actively serving in the local church when they turn thirty and beyond? Why The Stay can help! Much has been written about younger adults and their departure from church involvement. Concerned parents and church leaders want to know what has caused them to depart. Instead of asking why young adults are leaving the church, Parr and Crites conducted a national research project of those who grew up in church and are still serving faithfully. They studied why they have stayed and the results are compelling. You will learn as a parent, pastor, or church leader specific actions that you can take to make a definitive difference in whether or not the fifteen-year-olds attending your church now are still attending and serving when they turn thirty. You will discover: fifteen factors that make a great difference in the likelihood that children and teens will remain in church as adults ten issues that make somewhat of a difference in lifetime involvement five surprises that do not make as much difference as you might think the greatest gap discovered in the ministry focus of a church actions you can take as a parent that greatly increase the likelihood your children will remain faithful to church when they are adults strategies church leaders can implement that increase the probability that children and youth-group members will serve in the church as adults Why They Stay is much more than numbers and data. Parr and Crites share from their personal experiences, and the information can help you be more effective in your parenting and church leadership.
“Urgent, timely, and inspiring biblical wisdom for Christian leaders who want to start strong, thrive fully, and finish well!” –W. Scott Brown, Christian Leadership Alliance “Too often technique and numeric growth are on the minds of young pastors. Learn from a veteran and seek faithfulness!” –Matt Schmucker, co-founder, 9Marks “A powerful and preventive message for every pastor who desires to hear ‘well done’ at the finish line.” –Cliff Clifton, North American Mission Board, director of Send DC As leaders, it’s our greatest desire: a life that honors God, strengthens our family, and draws those we lead to Jesus Christ. But behind our well-intentioned efforts and carefully prepared sermons, we also carry fear of failure, disappointments, hurts, and hidden sins. These can become slow leaks resulting not only in public failure, but more importantly, in devastation to those we love and lead. But here’s the good news: You don’t have to live in fear. The God who called you stands ready to empower you to confidently plug the slow leaks in your life, to vigorously flourish, and to finish well. In Beware the Slow Leaks, Pastor Steve King draws on over forty years of ministry to equip Christian leaders to build healthy, gospel-centered habits now so they don’t have to bail their ship later. With biblical wisdom, personal stories, and spiritual care, King inspires ministers to practice what they preach—providing eight pro-active strategies to help Christian leaders fully thrive and confidently finish. Now is the time to fortify your hull against the slow leaks. Join Pastor King as he points you to the God who has called you to sail the waters with Him, not just bail your boat.
Over the past fifteen years, small groups have become a vital way to build community in large churches. Nowhere has this been more apparent than at Saddleback Church. Now Steve Gladen, pastor of small groups at Saddleback, shares the secrets of that ministry's incredible success in creating small groups with purpose. This practical book walks church leaders through the questions they need to answer to develop their own intentional small group strategy. Built around the most commonly asked questions, Small Groups with Purpose 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 readers to answer to help them assess their current situation and their desires for the future. Personal stories, Scripture, and examples ground the discussion and show the system in action. Pastors and small group leaders will find this book instrumental in making small groups work in their churches.
We all have a surface self we present to the world, but our smiling faces often hide our pain that comes from unsuccessful attempts to find relief through harmful choices. How can we keep past wounds from damaging us? Learn to allow God to heal triggers, insecurities, and more so you can experience spiritual health and wholeness. Every driver knows the importance of avoiding potholes when navigating a route. Besides the uncomfortable bump, they can create permanent damage to vehicles and endanger entire roadway systems. The same is true of our lives. We all have potholes that have been formed by pain, trauma, or choices that we’ve made. Usually we find a quick fix, filling the hole with activities and even addictions disguised as culturally acceptable life choices. But before long, the hole is back—and often wider and deeper—waiting to catch us off-guard, which in the end creates even more permanent damage. In The Thing Beneath the Thing, pastor Steve Carter asks the simple question, “How is life working for you?” He knows that potholes exist and that the longer we live disconnected from answering this question, the more we will fill those holes with harmful choices. The solution? Allow God to fill them with His grace and love so that we can discover the beauty of peace and wholeness He has for us. The process lies in discovering our: Triggers: the setup that sets us off Hideouts: where we go to escape the pain of our story Insecurities: the false stories we create about ourselves Narratives: the false stories we create about others Grace: the place where we discover how to become whole, holy, and spiritually healthy Journey with a seasoned fellow traveler who has learned how to ask key questions that help us unlock the places where we’ve buried things. Then we can dig deep, invite healing, and learn new ways to operate so we can begin experiencing the life of freedom Jesus promised.
As Your Children Grow, Will Their Faith Grow Too? As both stories and statistics attest, the number of evangelical children who abandon Christianity in adulthood is staggering. To see effective change, parents cannot leave their child’s faith to chance. Rather, families must start nurturing faith early—you cannot start once your child is grown, you must start at home. Strengthening family and home life is the best way to encourage your children to maintain a lifelong faith. It Starts at Home upholds marriage and family as the proving ground for lasting success. Experienced pastors Kurt Bruner and Steve Stroope provide a clear purpose, an effective strategy, and a simple plan for anyone who wants to be intentional in their homes. Their insights will help leaders recalibrate their priorities by asking them to evaluate their leadership where it counts most. This newly revised edition evaluates the current trends families and young adults face that can contribute to this crisis. Don’t let your child’s faith fade to memory—learn how you can create a home that will prepare them for lifelong faith.
The gown of the Bride of Christ is being shredded by sibling rivalry within the Christian community. The Church''s life is weakened and its witness compromised. This is nowhere more evident than the issue of homosexuality. Dr. Steve Harper laments this sad state of affairs and offers a way of love through the dilemma. His pastoral spirit and practical counsel offer guidance and hope for the future. "A dark picture is emerging--a contentiousness between professing Christians and a persecution of the homosexual community by professing Christians. In the season of Lent, the Holy Spirit broke my heart one morning by speaking into it these words, "My Bride, the Church, is being abused. Her gown is being torn to shreds by siblings who are trying to end up with the biggest piece of the cloth, and who would rather expose her nakedness than give up the fight. Enough is enough!" "I was stunned-- so much so that I kept the experience to myself. I''m old enough to know the difference between a passing feeling and a sacred impression." -- Excerpted from the introduction. "Steve Harper writes as an evangelical who loves the United Methodist Church. He has written a thoughtful, helpful, and surprising book on the church he loves and the ways it might wrestle with the issues that divide it." --Rev. Adam Hamilton, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas "For The Sake of the Bride is a helpful reflection on the unity of the church concerning human sexuality. He risks moving deeply into the conversation, and he does so in a way that is evangelical (Christocentric) and mystical. His rediscovery of E. Stanley Jones''s round-table discussion points a way beyond our tribalism. I hope you will read this book, for the sake of the bride--the church of Jesus Christ." --Bishop Kenneth Carter, The Florida Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church "Steve Harper has written a book for "just such a time as this." He provides a balanced theological reflection on the crisis facing The United Methodist Church today. Reflecting upon Scripture, tradition, and the work of E. Stanley Jones, Harper lovingly proposes a way forward." --Rev. Steve Manskar, Director of Wesleyan Leadership, Leadership Ministries, GBOD, The United Methodist Church "For the Sake of the Bride sets aside the all-too-easy rhetoric of division and antagonism and invites the divided church to fully engage the greater way of love that Jesus models and bids us follow. Harper writes with pastoral courage, sensitivity and genuine humility, inviting us not to a particular position, but to generous dialogue on behalf of the church we cherish." --Dr. Kandace Brooks, Senior Pastor, Tamoka United Methodist Church, Ormond Beach, Florida "Steve Harper succeeds in his desire to move the Church beyond the impasse of name calling and shouting and calls for schism, and brings us to the table, the Round Table, in a spirit of grace filled love, integrity, honesty and mutual respect for all parties. That''s a difficult place for many to maintain, but it''s where we all must meet." --Dr. Dan Johnson, Senior Pastor, Trinity United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Florida "Steve Harper reflects the evangelical and holiness traditions of American Methodists. From this framework of traditional Christian piety, he shows how we can reflect faithfully on these contemporary issues in ways that honor each other as the presence of Christ, the "Bride of Christ." This is a breath of fresh air amid the rancor that has too often polluted church conversations in recent years. His concern is that Christians damage the church--not just the institution of the church but the church as the body and "bride of Christ"--by the uncharitable and unprofitable conversation we too often carry on, especially over the issue of same-sex relationships." --Ted Campbell, Associate Professor of Church History, Perkins School of Theology "Steve Harper courageously shares his thoughts after weeks of prayerful reflection on a topic that has challenged the Church for millennia. Pay particular attention to his mention of E. Stanley Jones'' use of the roundtable. Steve has renewed my own desire to be more loving and far less judgmental." --Robert G. Tuttle Jr., Emeritus Professor of World Christianity, Asbury Seminary "Invaluable . . . Steve Harper is ''spot-on'' for what he describes as a need for a third way. In our social media-driven culture, selecting the enter button often creates environments fueled by vitriol, instead of love for the sake of the Bride." --Toni King, retired registered nurse, Department of Veterans Affairs "Steve Harper entrusts us with a deeply personal account about his unexpected, prayer-born call to reexamine the church''s embattled position regarding same-gender relationships. Intimate, prayerful, and tenderly biblical--this book reminds us that we already share a way forward--and the way is Love." --Pam Hawkins, discipleship pastor and former associate editor ofWeavings, Belmont United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee "Steve Harper does not provide easy answers to our problems, but challenges a polarized church to focus on Christ through our Wesleyan tradition." --Kyle Cuperwich, pastor, Bernardsville and Gladstone United Methodist Churches, New Jersey
For anyone who is concerned about Church decline, the contents of this book offer an essential blueprint for building God’s whole community in the coming years. This unique set of resources offers practical help and insight for all who want to grow, enrich and develop their congregational life. The Church of Scotland has drawn on the findings of extensive new research that it has commissioned in order to put together this set of carefully crafted and informed resources aimed at helping every congregation to understand why people leave the Church, how to avoid unnecessary departures and, above all, to develop an enriching, vital Christian fellowship with the large numbers of Churchless Christians in every community across the country. This ground-breaking book, illustrated by Dave Walker, offers information, hope, insight, prayerful reflection and practical ideas for bringing together in fellowship all Christians, whether they are members of an institutional Church or not.
Do you want to share your faith but don’t know where to begin? Are you worried about coming across as a salesperson for Christ? This eight-week guide gives you practical ideas and a biblical foundation for talking about what you believe and why. With questions and reflections that dig deeper into This Invitational Life, you’ll find a passion beyond your insecurities so that you can speak about God’s love and live out His truth with abandon.
If you want to plant a church, you need to dream big. If you want your seedling church to survive--and ultimately bloom and blossom--you really need this book! Written by church planters who have "been there, done that," Community of Kindness is a practical, real-world guide to successful church planting--credible, informative, inspirational, supportive, and, most of all, 100 percent problem-solving oriented. All of the book's lessons are pithy and to the point. So you can use them to pre,plan your goals-,or refer to them every time the unexpected pops up (which is more often than not). Wherever your church-planting journey takes you, keep this book by your side,-and have copies for each member of your team!
Yet again, author Steve Wohlberg artfully tackles a huge subject in just a handful of words. He brings into focus the seemingly nebulous topic of the emerging church movement by joining Scripture with history. Jesus Himself firmly noted to His disciples: “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:4&8211;5). The author makes Christ’s solemn warning personal in that “you” not only meant the disciples, but Christ was speaking directly to you, the reader. Emerging church proponents maintain that a change is needed in the church today; otherwise, many will be lost. They believe that changes need to be made in churches today to appeal to the electronically minded and to keep up with the times. Yet the God of the heavens exclaims, “I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). The changes that emerging church advocates, such as Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren, Richard Foster, and others, endorse are not really new. In fact, they are steeped in the Eastern mystic philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism, and especially that of medieval Rome. “Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind,” Richard Foster wrote in his book Celebration of Discipline. Those partisan to the emerging church doctrine look to Ignatius Loyola, who established the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits, as their founding father. “Inside a cave in Manresa, Spain, Ignatius emptied his mind. The otherworldly impressions did come from a ghostly entity claiming to be the Virgin Mary. That ghost gave directions. ‘Fine,’ Loyola decided. ‘I will obey’” (The Emerging Church Trap, page 24). Christ spoke directly to the danger of emptying our minds in the book of Matthew: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)
God’s biggest assignments have always been entrusted to those leading a small tribe. From the twelve families of Israel to early Christians who met in one another’s homes, great leaders begin by serving a core group of people who ripple outward for ever-extending social and spiritual impact. They go big by leading small. Today, leaders don’t fail because they lack vision. They fail because they neglect their tribe. It could be a father losing sight of his family, a lead pastor failing to leverage the strengths of his staff, or a small group coordinator ignoring a tiny but important process. Tribal Church helps pastors recognize the potential and power of various tribes within their congregations—one family, a network of small groups, maybe an entire age group—and then recalibrate ministry efforts to maximize the impact of each. Steve Stroope has spent three decades mastering the art of leading small in a church that has multiplied from dozens to over ten thousand. He explains why big impact does not come from any sort of mega-church ambition. It rather comes by attending to the little details and the smallest tribes. Endorsements: "Steve Stroope has done us a favor by collecting three decades of experience into one book. One glance at the manuscript and I thought of a dozen uses for it. First, it will strengthen my leadership skills. I can envision our leadership team reading it as a group. Seminaries should tap into its wisdom. Thank you, Steve, for living out an example of godly leadership." Max Lucado, pastor and best-selling author "Steve Stroope is one of the finest pastor-leaders of our generation. In his candid look at Lake Pointe Church's first 30 years, Steve shares helpful insight, wisdom, and practical experience that can help churches become more fruitful in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission. With a heart for local and global missions, Steve has modeled leadership methods that have been tested in the modern church world and can be great tools for equipping leaders in the days ahead." Bryant Wright, senior pastor, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church of Marietta, GA, and president of the Southern Baptist Convention "Steve Stroope is one of the most quietly influential voices in the growth and robustness of American Christianity. He is a collector of good ideas, what he calls 'little things,' the small but essential acts that cumulatively demonstrate the character of Christ in American church leadership. This book is by a leader I admire." Bob Buford, founder of Leadership Network and author of Halftime and Finishing Well "I've known Steve for 15 years and he's the real deal. His life and leadership inspires me and so does the tribe of Lake Pointe Church. The straightforward, practical wisdom in this book will recalibrate any leader and any church at any stage of the game." Bill Hybels, senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church "Steve Stroope is more than knowledgeable about leadership and ministry. He is wise. He leads with strategic skill, discernment, and intuition. Every conversation with Steve has marked me and impacted my ministry; therefore, I am eager to read anything he writes." Eric Geiger, acting vice president, Church Resources Division, Lifeway Christian Resources "Steve Stroope is the wisest and most effective pastor I know! This book is a treasure chest of godly wisdom for church leaders. Steve gives us an inside look at the actual tools and methods he's used to lead Lake Pointe from a handful of people to a thriving and healthy multi-site church of thousands. Every pastor needs this book in their library." Nelson Searcy, lead pastor, The Journey Church
Following on from his bestselling The Invisible Church, Steve Aisthorpe finds inspiration for his new book in the ecological concept of rewilding, an approach to the environment that allows nature to break free from the dulling effects of strategic control and bring wonder back into our lives. Applying this thinking to the Church, Steve Aisthorpe imagines what might happen if we put less faith in our strategies and plans, which inevitably depend on our own capabilities and resources, and allow the Spirit to lead us beyond our capacity to imagine. Rewilding the Church explores afresh the compelling invitation of Jesus to ‘Follow me’ and the call to ‘throw off everything that hinders and entangles’. It poses provocative questions and issues a call to contribute to the great rewilding of the Church – and to be rewilded ourselves. The same human instincts that have disrupted our natural environment have also constrained and domesticated the Church and Rewilding the Church commends a rediscovery of the adventure of faith. Steve Aisthorpe is one the freshest and most original voices in the church today.
Could many churchgoing Christians be getting a diluted Christianity—one that diminishes the loving, giving, personal God who provides the believer everything in life? Author Steve McVey passionately but unwittingly taught from the pulpit the very lies he now exposes. Forthrightly but humbly, he shows how pastors and churches can end up distorting scriptural truths because of their preconceptions. Opening up the Scriptures freshly, Steve examines typical problems such as Leaving out half of the truth: “Becoming a Christian means having your sins forgiven.” (We also are made alive!) Using “shorthand” that promotes an unbiblical view: “Our sins are under the blood of Jesus.” (Far better, they’ve been taken away!) Confusing our role with God’s: “Salvation is giving your life to Christ.” (More important, He gives His life to us!) Readers will see that God’s undiluted truth is always best...and brings a fulfilling, close relationship with Him.
For the new small group leader, the seasoned leader who feels their small group lacks purpose, or the leader who is itching to move their small group to the next level, Leading Small Groups with Purpose is the road map to follow. Steve Gladen, author of Small Groups with Purpose and pastor of small groups at Saddleback Church for more than a decade, takes small group leaders step-by-step toward a healthy, dynamic group with focus and purpose. Every chapter includes ideas that small group leaders can implement immediately as well as ways to shape their small groups over time. Gladen helps leaders define success clearly, develop a personal leadership plan, invite members into the group, and shepherd members through fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship. He also includes a chapter devoted to addressing problems proactively and using them as opportunities for growth. Includes a foreword by John Ortberg and a free small group assessment tool ($12.50 value).
This book is a church leader’s guide for connecting guests and closing the back door. You’ll discover how to intentionally serve people from their first visit, to becoming a flourishing member. You’ll learn how to build a culture of connection that purposefully expresses the value that Jesus places on all people. It’s this connection culture that has allowed Milestone Church to grow to thousands of active members, while maintaining its heart for the one, and a focus on the next one coming. Three intentional sections cover the POWER, the PRINCIPLES, and the PROCESS of connection. The why, the what, and the how—why connection is so powerful, what you can do to be better at it, and how to build a process that creates a culture of connection. Great services and excellent service are imperative, but connection is the value people feel. Connection is more than an action, it’s an attribute. This book will help you deliver on a desire to see people loved into a relationship with Jesus, grow spiritually, and find meaningful relationships in His Church.
With so much attention given to the presentation aspect of modern worship services, is it possible that many people attending church today forget to focus on the primary purpose of actually being in God's presence? Pastor Steve Gaines and coauthor Dean Merrill (Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire) fear this is the case and call for a return to the core point of corporate worship in When God Comes to Church. The goal here is to "send people out the door saying not 'What a sermon!' or 'What great music!' but rather 'What a Savior!' . . . the only 'Wow!' in a church should be God." With that in mind, Gaines and Merrill write thoroughly about what attracts God to our worship gatherings--sincere prayer, repentance, unity, etc.--and warn against the worldly hindrances to pure worship such as legalism, liberalism, and fanaticism.
Steve Saccone shows how you can raise up leaders from within your own community and develop them into passionate, faithful servants of God. You will be personally challenged to grow as you discover how to cultivate a culture of leadership development in your ministry.
Discover 101 simple, effective ways your church or small group can demonstrate the love of God to your community. Be encouraged to discover new ways to reach out to those in need. The activities in this book can be used during outreach events, missions activities, and evangelism.
In 2012, Steve Austin, then a pastor, nearly died by suicide. He wondered: if church folks had talked about mental health, suicide prevention, abuse, and other hard issues, would that have changed his story? Hiding in the Pews challenges and equips leaders to transform their communities into places where suffering people can find a sense of safety.
Most Christians agree that discipleship is important, even essential for Christian maturity; few understand biblical principles and even fewer apply a biblical process when it comes to discipleship.
Seeking insight from the real-life development of the earliest expressions of emerging church from their birth, through times of adolescent angst and into the reality of adulthood, this book offers a unique insight into the long-term sustainability of fresh expressions. Presenting the lived practice of the church in mission through a longitudinal lens, and eschewing the rose-tinted approach, it considers the reality of emerging churches - their birth and death, their creativity and conflict, their dreams and despair. A picture of a church that is neither gathered and parish nor independent and networked emerges as the biographies of mission are brought into dialogue with a very ancient expression of mission, the birth of Philippians as a first expression of church in Europe..
In this collection of non-fiction narratives Steve Doughty offers an evocative exploration of contemporary spiritual seeking. The figures in these stories are as varied as a Muslim woman and Christian couple meeting at a peace vigil, a minister dazzled by photos from the Hubble telescope, a Native American stone carver, a miner receiving his last communion, and two attorneys risking their lives to defend victims of political violence in Colombia. A number of the main figures live on society's margins. They contend with issues of life and faith in arenas ranging from social justice to science, prayer, mental illness, sexuality, interfaith encounter, and the humdrum of daily life. The author notes that the main characters have attracted him as a pastor and seeker because "they offer images to ponder. Images of real people. Images of the wonderings and affirmations that take shape within our deepest selves. And, finally, images of the living God at work within us, among us, and through us. As with all such images, these challenge us at least as much as they comfort and reassure." An appendix offers questions for personal reflection, group study, and retreats.
Leading a church brings lots of challenges and when the church is growing, the challenges grow too. Leadership strategies and decisions can make or break a healthy ministry! This book offers an insightful account of how one south London church grew to over 1,000 in 15 years, and the lessons learned along the way.
All too often, Christians have bought the world's definition of what is necessary, reasonable, and worthy. In I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said That, Steve Timmis highlights ten sayings of Jesus that challenge---at a fundamental level---these worldly values, sounding a call to Christians to consider what it truly means to be his disciple.
A reader’s delight, A Scandalous Freedom sometimes shocks with challenges to prevailing wisdom, but it follows up with compelling validations of our need to celebrate real, unstinted freedom in Christ. Christians do not trust freedom. As author Steve Brown explains in this brave new book, they prefer the security of rules and self-imposed boundaries, which they tend to inflict on other Christians. Brown asserts that real freedom means the freedom to be wrong as well as right. Christianity often calls us to live beyond the boundaries, bolstered by the assurance that we cannot fall beyond God’s love. Freedom is dangerous, but the alternative is worse—boxing ourselves up where we cannot celebrate our unique gifts and express our joy in Christ. Each of the book’s eleven chapters explores a common pharisaic, freedom-stifling tendency, then opens the door to the fresh air of a remedial liberty.
You Are the Church covers the basics of everyday Christianity in a way that is both practical and Biblically accurate. By challenging and equipping us to take personal responsibility for our faith, this book details the fundamentals of Bible study, fellowship, communion, prayer, evangelism, baptism, and church leadership. A must-read for new believers and for anyone who wants to better understand and live out the Christian faith.
Money Matters in Church helps leaders to discover a one-stop, comprehensive model for managing finances and fundraising. It guides leaders of any size church or ministry to create a culture of giving that supports savvy, faithful, and legal financing. The authors present a biblical theology of stewardship that supports ways to develop donors and maximize contributions, enact a strategic budget and effective audit process, project income and expenses, work with banks, compensate staff, and address debt. The book's practical step-by-step approach makes finance issues understandable for leaders without a business background.
The kingdom of God was the central theme of Jesuss preaching. Yet in spite of the centrality of the kingdom in Jesuss ministry, the kingdom of God is far from a dominant theme in most mainline Protestant pulpits and churches. Preaching and teaching about the kingdom have been supplanted by such great themes as personal salvation, heaven and hell, faith, sin, the church, missions and evangelism, justice issues, stewardship, and moral living. So where is the kingdom? In A God-Shaped World, author and pastor Steve Langford shows how the kingdom of God grows out of and is an expression of the character of God. The kingdom of God is the realm in which the divine character shapes the way we live so that we do the will of God in every dimension of our lives. A God-Shaped World identifies the four central characteristics of the kingdom of God, how out of step the ways of the kingdom are to the fear-based, self-serving ways inherent to the human condition, and the implications of the kingdom for followers of Jesus today. The Lords Prayer teaches us that the kingdom of God is inseparably tied to Gods character and will. The kingdom of God is where life is patterned after the merciful, gracious character of God, where the ways of God are lived, and where the will of God is donehere on the earth!
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