Community Ministry

A cross-section of five frontline leaders in the controversial emerging church movement shed informative light on their beliefs and basic message to help us understand whether it’s all about new methods or a new message or both.

Naval Academy midshipman Jim Wilson didn't cuss or smoke or chew or go with girls who do. When a friend asked him if he was going to heaven, Jim replied, "If someone like me can't make it, heaven is going to be thinly populated." It was a serious answer, but his friend laughed. Jim was in for a surprise: You have to be bad to go to heaven.

Disobedience. It’s normal, right? For hundreds of years, the Church has struggled with how to overcome sin in the Christian life. We know that the cross takes care of our past sins at salvation and assures us life after death. But what do we do with the time in between? In Dead and Alive, Jim Wilson discusses the neglected requirement of obedience and explains God’s provision for it from Scripture. May the thoughts in it lead you into a victorious, obedient life in Christ.

The rules of Benedict and Basil show us how to live in community with one another. Though written for monasteries over 1500 years ago, these rules contain timeless wisdom about Christian community. Greg Peters has combined and reorganized the rule of Benedict and the rule of Basil for modern listeners so that we too can meditate on, enjoy, and apply the insights of two of the most influential Christians ever to have lived.

In every position of power—from executives and world leaders to church elders and parents—lies the potential for life-giving leadership or destructive corruption. Driven by sinful pride or opportunism, many people abuse their God-given authority, harming the ones they're called to lead and contributing to a skeptical attitude toward leadership. The answer to bad authority, however, is not no authority, but good authority—the kind that, according to Scripture, causes those under it to flourish.

Michelle Sanchez has discovered through her own journey that it’s impossible to separate racial discipleship from our relationship with God. In fact, deeper racial discipleship catalyzes a deeper relationship with God. Whenever we choose to courageously resist racism, we will discover new opportunities to encounter Christ in fresh and exciting ways. Color-Courageous Discipleship is our guidebook to a deeper connection with God through the adventure of racial discipleship.

Insist that Christ is Lord, and you divide the world. While most societies acknowledge God in some way or another, Christ as Lord is not so universally honored. For Christians, this matter should be settled. Christ is Lord and Savior - but many Christians have little or no idea of the meaning of this simple statement or its implications for our day-to-day lives. Sixty years after its first publication, the message of The Lordship of Jesus Christ is still needed.

Drawn from the personal experience of the authors and current research, The Heart of Recovery calls us to set aside judgment and mend recovering addicts and their families with the stuff God uses to heal: compassion and community. It's a call to serve the ones who cannot repay, to forgive 70 times 7, to fling the door wide open to the prodigal, and to remember the purpose of grace. A supportive community - family, friends, the church, and more - encourages and sustains long-term recovery. Through compassion, we bring hope for healing.

Hope is a promise of God. Anxiety is a lie of Satan. When we are anxious, we become immobilized. We cannot make decisions; we cannot get things done; we cannot sleep. What can we do to be free from this constant worry? “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10).

Whether your idea of camping is in a tiny tent, a luxury RV, or somewhere in between, nothing beats having fun with family and friends in the fresh air. Relive favorite memories of childhood vacations and get excited for future outdoor adventures with these humorous and heartwarming recollections from best-selling author and camping enthusiast Melody Carlson. Pack your gear and hit the road with Melody.

You may be a new believer and wonder what it means to belong to a church; you may be reluctant to commit to your church because of past experiences; you may have recently relocated and want to find a church where you feel at home; or you may love your church and desire to commit to it more deeply and serve it more fully. Whatever the case, this book will help you to see that belonging to a church is a good gift from God, the outworking of our identity as brothers and sisters in Christ, and worth your time, love, and commitment.

For those who declare that Sunday school doesn't work anymore, here is a book that can revitalize this often neglected ministry. Steve Parr encourages churches to re-energize traditional Sunday school by making it intentionally evangelistic, using proven methods and strategies already implemented in hundreds of growing churches. He guides churches through the process of analyzing their present programs and moving in a new direction to fulfill the Great Commission.

"Revolutionary love" sounds like an oxymoron. Revolution is usually a negative, violent, and destructive change, while love is positive, peaceful, and contented. But true love always changes people. And Christ’s love brings the most revolutionary change of all. Festo Kivengere (1919 - 88) experienced both kinds of revolution. He escaped Uganda when the brutal regime of Idi Amin seized power. But he could not escape the pursuit of Jesus, who came into his life with radically transformative grace.

During his time at Oxford, a friend asked Paget Wilkes one day, “I say, Paget, do you tackle everyone who comes into your rooms about his soul?" “Yes," answered Paget, “if he comes in alone." Wilkes was convinced that even the humblest Christian is responsible for bringing men to Christ. “If we have been forgiven and know it, if we have been made new creatures in Christ Jesus, then we...are commissioned to minister this same salvation unto men and to witness of all these things which Jesus our Savior has revealed to us. Hallelujah!"

Everyone needs advice, and everyone gives advice. In a world of dysfunctional families, churches, and societies, professional counseling is in great demand as a solution to our problems. The weak link in this solution is the inability to determine a counselor’s qualifications apart from his professional accreditation. Academics can give you knowledge, but no learning or books can give you wisdom. There are no graduate degrees in love or compassion. You cannot get a PhD in virtue. However, these things are available to everyone freely through Christ.

The Church of Facebook will move listeners toward understanding God's work in the body of Christ, the church, by introducing thought-provoking questions through observation, humor, and heartfelt storytelling. It will also do this by challenging readers to consider new perspectives in regard to their social networking habits and how those habits may point to deeper heart issues and, ultimately, our hunger for Jesus.

Jesús discipuló a sus seguidores por medio de relaciones interpersonales - y espera que nosotros hagamos lo mismo. A lo largo de las Escrituras encontramos abundantes exhortaciones a servirnos unos a otros. Este audiolibro le mostrará cómo hacerlo. La vida de aislamiento de la cultura occidental de hoy crea un deseo por vivir en comunidad y el mundo entero anhela ver discípulos relacionales en acción.

In today’s world, many Christians feel disconnected—spiritually homeless in a fast-paced society where true community has been replaced by surface-level relationships. But what if there’s a way to reclaim the power of Christian fellowship, starting at your kitchen table? The Communion Revolution offers a fresh, transformative vision for Christian spiritual growth through the simple act of gathering together to break bread, share life, and experience Christ’s presence in community.

Physical weakness coupled with civil unrest in the Ivory Coast had extended a six-month furlough to several years and threatened to derail the Leidenfrosts’ plans to return to their beloved Africa and continue mission work with the Bakwé people. But now they were finally going home to their village…or so they thought. “On top of all this, a subtle grief over the loss of Africa continued to grip my heart. In my dismal state, I felt the clouds part and God’s presence come down to touch His child.

Jesus cared the most for people - especially vulnerable people - and he calls us to do the same. Because relationships change lives, You Can Mentor will help you build positive, lasting, and life-changing relationships with the kids who need it the most. With stories of how his life was turned around by mentors, executive director of Forerunner Mentoring and podcast host Zach Garza shares practical tips for cultivating a godly mentoring mindset, engaging and sustaining a healthy mentoring relationship, and the tools to overcome difficult mentoring obstacles.