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associate-staff-ministry

Associate Staff Ministry: Thriving Personally, Professionally, and Relationally

This vital revised and expanded update to How to Thrive in Associate Staff Ministry (Alban, 2000) provides guidance to the growing population of staff members employed by churches. Churches are expanding their staffs, but the turnover rate remains high, often due to stress, isolation, and conflict on the job. Lawson and Boersma address what it takes to thrive personally, professionally, and relationally within associate staff ministry. In addition to addressing those in associate staff roles, the book also includes chapters to help supervising pastors and church boards support their associate staff members. Each chapter includes questions for personal reflection or discussion with others to help readers engage with the material and determine what steps they might take to improve their own experience in associate staff ministry.

church-multi-ethnic

Being the Church in a Multi-Ethnic Community: Why It Matters and How It Works

ByGary McIntosh

The face of America is growing rapidly more diverse, and many churches are wondering what it means to carry out the Great Commission in a community where different ethnicities are represented. Being the Church in a Multi-Ethnic Community is an introductory guide, a basic primer for pastors and congregation leaders who are wrestling with how to reach the ethnic groups next door and welcome them into the multi-ethnic body of Christ. Gary L. McIntosh and Alan McMahan offer a research-based overview of the issues, challenges, and essential principles for developing multi-ethnic churches in the United States.

beyond-first-visit

Beyond the First Visit: The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church

ByGary McIntosh

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.

biblical-church-growth

Biblical Church Growth: How You Can Work with God to Build a Faithful Church

ByGary McIntosh

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. 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.

breaking-missional-code

Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Become a Missionary in Your Community

Across North America, many pastors are excited to see churches growing as they achieve their mission to connect the message of the gospel with the community at large. Still others are equally frustrated, following the exact same model for outreach but with lesser results. Indeed, just because a “missional breakthrough” occurs in one place doesn’t mean it will happen the same way elsewhere. One size does not fit all, but there are cultural codes that must be broken for all churches to grow and remain effective in their specific mission context. Breaking the Missional Code provides expert insight on church culture and church vision casting, plus case studies of successful missional churches impacting their communities.

building-the-body

Building the Body: 12 Characteristics of a Fit Church

ByGary McIntosh

Is your church performing at its highest level? Just as a physically healthy person might not actually be fit enough to run a 5K, so churches can appear healthy–with no obvious issues, maintaining a healthy size–but 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 unveils the twelve characteristics of fit churches and shows pastors and church leaders how to move their church through five levels of fitness, from beginner all the way to elite.

building-the-body-audio

Building the Body: 12 Characteristics of a Fit Church – Audiobook

ByGary McIntosh

Is your church performing at its highest level? Just as a physically healthy person might not actually be fit enough to run a 5K, so churches can appear healthy–with no obvious issues, maintaining a healthy size–but 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 unveils the twelve characteristics of fit churches and shows pastors and church leaders how to move their church through five levels of fitness, from beginner all the way to elite.

childrens-spirituality

Children’s Spirituality, Second Edition

The Society of Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives launched in 2003 with its first conference held at Concordia University Chicago, in River Forest, Illinois. An earlier edition of this book, composed of chapters based on presentations from that conference, was published in 2004. In 2018 a decision was made to revise this book from the inaugural conference, updating some chapters and providing a new perspective on the ongoing work of the organization, now called the Children’s Spirituality Summit. What this revised volume provides is a collection of chapters offering theological perspectives, social science research, and insights on ministry practice about the spiritual lives of children: how they relate to God, how this relationship grows, and what helps in promoting the spiritual formation and vitality of children in the home, church, and school.

christians-our-best-study

Christians at Our Best: A Six-Week Guide to Living in the Age of Outrage

Today there are too many examples of those claiming to follow Christ being caustic, divisive, and irrational, contributing to dismissals of the Christian faith as hypocritical, self-interested, and politically co-opted. What has happened in our society? It seems one short outrageous video or pithy post can trigger an avalanche of comments on social media. In this guide, Ed Stetzer―respected columnist and popular Bible teacher―leads small groups through a deep conversation of what it would look like if Christians were at their best. How might our world and our communities be different? Spend the next six weeks discussing what it means to represent the love of Jesus Christ in this new polarized age. This discussion guide for small groups is designed to be used with the teaching videos featuring Ed Stetzer.

christians-age-outrage

Christians in the Age of Outrage: How to Bring Our Best When the World Is at Its Worst

Today there are too many examples of those claiming to follow Christ being caustic, divisive, and irrational, contributing to dismissals of the Christian faith as hypocritical, self-interested, and politically co-opted. What has happened in our society? One short outrageous video, whether it is true or not, can trigger an avalanche of comments on social media. In this groundbreaking book featuring new survey research of evangelicals and their relationship to the age of outrage, Ed Stetzer offers a constructive way forward. You won’t want to miss Ed’s insightful analysis of our chaotic age, his commonsensical understanding of the cultural currents, and his compelling challenge to Christians to live in a refreshingly different way.

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Christians in the Age of Outrage: How to Bring Our Best When the World Is at Its Worst – Audiobook

Today there are too many examples of those claiming to follow Christ being caustic, divisive, and irrational, contributing to dismissals of the Christian faith as hypocritical, self-interested, and politically co-opted. What has happened in our society? One short outrageous video, whether it is true or not, can trigger an avalanche of comments on social media. In this groundbreaking book featuring new survey research of evangelicals and their relationship to the age of outrage, Ed Stetzer offers a constructive way forward. You won’t want to miss Ed’s insightful analysis of our chaotic age, his commonsensical understanding of the cultural currents, and his compelling challenge to Christians to live in a refreshingly different way.

church-that-works

Church That Works: Your One-Stop Resource for Effective Ministry

ByGary McIntosh

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. Short, to-the point chapters examine trends and ministry methods that can be easily adapted to fit every church’s needs.

comeback-churches

Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can, Too

Research shows that over time, most churches plateau and then eventually decline. Typically, they start strong and experience periods of growth, then stagnate and lose members. Since 1991, the North American population has increased by 15 percent while the number of “unchurched” people has increased by 92 percent. Large church houses that were filled in the 1950s and `60s now hold a fraction of their capacity.To counter this trend, authors Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson surveyed 300 churches from across ten different denominations that recently achieved healthy evangelistic growth after a significant season of decline. What they have discovered is an exciting method of congregation reinvigoration that is shared in the new book entitled Comeback Churches.

compelled-by-love

Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living

Understand what it means to be compelled by love. In the book entitled Compelled by Love, trusted missiologist Ed Stetzer and coauthor and pastor Philip Nation challenge readers to look at love within the context of God, the church, and the lives of individual believers. Selected as the 20082009 emphasis book for WMU®, a million-member nonprofit missions organization, Compelled by Love will give readers a basic theological grounding and a platform for personal application as they understand what missional living is all aboutit is simply the calling to love others. Look at the love of God; begin to truly understand what is at the center of the churchs foundation, commission, and direction; but most importantly, understand your role within the mission of God as you integrate love into all aspects of your missional calling.

counseling-mental-health

Counseling and Mental Health in the Church: The Role of Pastors and the Ministry

ByKevin Van Lant

Featuring chapters written by mental health professionals who are also experienced Christian practitioners, Counseling and Mental Health in the Church: The Role of Pastors and the Ministry provides ministry leaders with a foundational understanding of common mental health issues, typical approaches to treatment, and sage advice for supporting those experiencing mental health concerns. Recognizing that parishioners may seek guidance from pastors or others within the church before seeking help from mental health specialists, this text equips ministry leaders with the critical knowledge and helpful resources they need to successfully support and advise members of their congregation, or to direct them to additional useful resources.

Version 1.0.0

Creating Community: Deeper Fellowship Through Small Group Ministry

ByGary McIntosh

Two leading experts on church growth present six reasons why small groups fail, nine secrets of what people want in small groups, seven ways to use prayer in small groups, and six key skills of a small-group leader.

donald-a-mcgavran

Donald A. McGavran: A Biography of the Twentieth Centurys Premier Missiologist

ByGary McIntosh

Meet the man who sparked the entire modern church growth movement. In this first full biography of Donald A. McGavran, Gary L. McIntosh tells the complete story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest church leaders and influential thinkers. Now, for the first time, discover the roots of the modern Church Growth Movement during the 1950s to understand what is applicable to ministry today.

eval-church-growth-movement

Evaluating the Church Growth Movement: 5 Views

ByGary McIntosh

What exactly is the Church Growth movement? This timely volume in the Counterpoints series addresses the history of the movement that has become such an enormous shaping force on the Western church today, and it explores–in a roundtable forum of leading voices–five main perspectives on the classic Church Growth movement. Each view is first presented by its proponent, then critiqued by the co-contributors. The interactive and fair-minded format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions. Evaluating the Church Growth Movement concludes with reflections by three seasoned pastors who have grappled with the practical implications of Church Growth.

feeding-soul-bsl

Feeding the Soul of the Bible Study Leader: 52 Devotionals

This collection of 52 devotionals is for all who lead Bible study groups, whatever settings you are in, to encourage your own spiritual growth as you study the Scripture and lead your groups. This book grows out of nearly 50 years experience leading various kinds of Bible study groups and over 30 years of equipping others to teach the Bible in ways that promote spiritual growth and transformation. God wants to be our teacher, and I know from experience this can be difficult at times. These devotionals remind us of how God wants to work in our lives first so that we can encourage others on the same path of growth. Let God nurture your soul even as you seek to lead others in studying the Bible.

find-them-keep-them

Finding Them, Keeping Them: Effective Strategies for Evangelism and Assimilation in the Local Church

ByGary McIntosh

This book is an excellent step to help laypeople understand the science of church growth and apply it to their local church. McIntosh and Martin have taken the traditional concepts of church growth and written them so the average layperson can understand them…For many years church growth has been in the hands of scholars and pastors. This book attempts to help laypeople and church leaders understand the terms and apply them to their church.

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