Church Development

Life crises can throw you into a tail-spin - a lost job, a failed relationship, a struggling business, a financial mess. Where do you start? How do you pull it together? How do you begin again? Tom Holladay experienced a catastrophe first-hand when a sudden flood in California destroyed his home, his church, and the homes of many church members. Tom and his congregation had to rebuild, and they used the principles in the book of Nehemiah to get back on their feet.

Sometimes it can seem as if friends are more work and pain than they're worth, with friendship challenges that we have to endure and struggle through. Life gets in the way of our well-intentioned efforts to connect. Conflicts and differences over serious issues divide us and make us think that we could never be close to a person ever again. How can we build real relationships that are life giving and pass the test of time? Bryan Loritts mines one of the Bible's least-known books for insights into how friendships can flourish even in the midst of sin and brokenness.

James Carroll weaves together the story of his quest to understand his personal beliefs and his relationship to the Catholic Church with the history of the Church itself. From his first awakening of faith as a boy to his gradual disillusionment as a Catholic, Carroll offers a razor-sharp examination both of himself and of how the Church became an institution that places power and dominance over people through an all-male clergy.

A Weed in the Church: How a culture of age segregation is harming the next generation, fragmenting the family, and dividing the church. While almost everyone involved in youth ministry agrees there is a crisis, not everyone agrees on its severity nor has the same diagnosis. A Weed in the Church suggests that this well-recognized crisis has a specific cause, which will surprise many. Brown argues that while scripture defines and wholeheartedly encourages youth discipleship, the premises of modern youth ministry are at odds with biblical teaching and must be reformed.

This book focuses on the development of a missional ethos at New Hope Church of God in Christ in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Members were encouraged to embrace missiology as a means of spreading the gospel, making disciples within New Hope Church, and throughout the community. The project was based on the premise that the congregation was not involved in missional ministry. The hypothesis was that an attitudinal change would occur within members once they were informed of the concept of a missional church. The methodology used to evaluate the hypothesis was qualitative, using surveys, ...

When the people of Israel, those who had witnessed the most abundant and inexplicable acts of God, grew tired of waiting for Moses to come off the mountain, they made a calf of gold. It was easier for them to make a new god than to continue serving a God that didn’t conform to their schedule and expectations. Just like the Israelites in the desert, we are all fundamentally longing for God… but who and what are we actually reaching for and serving? Disobedient God addresses the things we do when we feel ignored, inconvenienced and frustrated by God

Einstein is quoted as having said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” The point he makes is important: preparation has great value to problem solving. Einstein knew that problems are full of clues to their own successful solution. Sometimes we can not see those clues, because the problem is too large, staring us in our face, and enveloping our every-thought. That's when we need the set of 'fresh eyes' from others. In this book I've taken hundreds of quotes from my notes over the past four ...

The Sunday collection in every Catholic church throughout the world is as familiar a part of the Mass as the homily and even Communion. There is no doubt that historically the Catholic Church has been one of the great engines of charity in history. But once a dollar is dropped in that basket, where does it go? How are weekly cash contributions that can amount to tens of thousands of dollars accounted for? Where does the money go when a diocese sells a church property for tens of millions of dollars?

Most Christians dismiss their dreams, yet they're the gateway to the supernatural realm, the place where God reveals his plans and purposes. Diving deep into the supernatural side of your dreams, pastor and bestselling author Jennifer Eivaz offers a thorough, practical guide to navigating the vital God-given dreamscape. Laying out a biblical framework, she empowers you to reawaken your spirit to God's voice at night; discern the source and meaning of your dreams; discover the plans God reveals as you sleep; access supernatural weapons for any battle you face; and more.

Most of us want to change something about ourselves - our stress levels, weight, relationships, or our performance at work. Change is hard and emotional, but it’s not as tough as you think. In this life-changing book, Gabija takes us on an eye-opening journey through the extraordinary human brain, explaining the science behind what makes us tick. With practical tools and simple tips, Gabija shows how you can make change happen.

Praying together was a mark of the early church. Most Western churches today struggle to have group prayer that is powerful and draws people to participate. In this special 40-page e-book, Jonathan Graf, president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network shares helpful thoughts and ideas to make your church's group prayer come to life! Includes the following chapters: The Benefits of Praying Together Biblical Principles of Corporate Prayer Prayer in the Worship Service Hindrances to Corporate Prayer The Purpose of Your Prayer Meeting

We have a leadership problem, and we all know it. When we look at our churches, we see two glaring problems: a lack of qualified leaders, and a general mistrust of leadership as a response to sinful leadership. But churches need leaders. What do we do? The answer is in The Leadership Formula.

Do you want your children to be actively serving in the local church when they turn 30 and beyond? Why They 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.

Hope for the City unites two academic and ministry interests and practices – transformational leadership and urban ministry. One of the clarion calls is for leadership development and training for laity and clergy serving in urban settings. Hope for the City provides a framework that addresses this call. My prayer is that this volume will serve as a resource for urban leaders who are seeking to develop transformational leaders and vital churches and organizations.

We all long for the perfect marriage. Implicit trust, unspoken understanding, deep talks, fits of laughter, passionate intimacy, shared commonalities, and spontaneous adventures are just some of the joys of marriage. It begins with learning about who you both are in Christ, about His specific and complete love for you individually, and putting in action the particular scriptures designed to keep you and your spouse on track to the marriage of your dreams.

Online church is the new front door to visitors. Is your church connecting effectively with people behind the screen? When the pandemic forced congregations to set up online services in record time, people thought it would be temporary. But for too many, online church has become a staple, the new front door for visitors. But what does this mean for congregations who struggle to effectively reach online guests? Is it possible to create a connected virtual experience that fosters Christian community and enhances our faith? In Visiting Online Church: A Journey Exploring Effective Digital ...

The Centrality of the Church is the latest book in Kingdom Pastor's Library, a new series of books that brings you a succinct, complete pastoral philosophy and training from Tony Evans.

As humans we are social beings. Our organizations are too. Therefore, we create opportunities to interact with each other. This book speaks about one of those entities - the Baptist association. The purpose of an association is to help members of the association - the churches - work, fellowship, and better fulfill their purposes. The association does not take the place of a church; it is there to help so it can function better.The purpose of this book is to help churches form associations which can help them fulfill their purposes. It is also a tool that can be useful to the associational ...

Unlock the secrets of one of early Christianity's most contentious and influential debates with "Arianism: A Beginner's Guide." This book is your gateway to understanding the theological, historical, and cultural dimensions of the Arian controversy, a conflict that shaped the very foundations of Christian doctrine. Explore the Origins Step into the world of Arius, the compelling and controversial priest whose teachings set off a theological firestorm. Discover the historical context that gave rise to Arianism and grasp why this movement captured the hearts and minds of so many. Meet the Key...

After listening to this book, you will have all the tools you need to finally deal with the affair in a proper way. You will be able to decide if you should leave your marriage, or if you are going to be able to put in the work necessary to stay and repair your relationship with your husband.