Small Church

Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want - practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups - and what they need - substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.

Flexible, Budget-Friendly Holiday Plays with a Gospel Message Three Christmas Plays and One Easter Play perfect for the small to medium sized congregation. Each only requires about fifteen performers with options to plug in more. The plays incorporate humor, drama, and the Christmas programs are set to include music if desired. Churches love these plays because: 1. Simple Staging- You likely have all the props you already need 2. Adaptable if you have between 10-20 people ready to be involved 3. Optional Musical Cues in the Christmas programs where you can easily work in your own music 4. ...

Camera-shy Elise Branson is different from the other women in her maternal line. Her mother is an award-winning actress. Her late grandmother, Vivian Snow, is a beloved Hollywood icon. But when Elise’s upcoming wedding coincides with a documentary being made about Vivian, Elise can’t escape the camera’s gaze. And neither can her grandmother, even in death.

People visit church for a thousand different reasons, but they only stay for one: a relationship. People are not looking for a friendly church; they are looking for friends. They don’t stick around because of the eloquence of the pastor. They don’t stick around because of the hot band or cool video or great coffee. They stick around because someone becomes their friend. Someone gets their phone number entered into their cell phone. One of the best ways to do this is through the ancient practice of hospitality. When we had people in our home, 90% of them joined the church. Through ...

He’s big city, she’s small town. He’s a fast-paced businessman, she’s a slowed-down artist. He loves the night life, she loves the quiet life. He’s wealthy, she... well, isn’t. Can such opposites make love work? Successful Austin CEO Isaiah Williams rarely gives himself the luxury of time off. He thrives on the buzz of making deals and signing multi-million dollar contracts. But spending the holidays in a small Oregon town with his former business partner will let him finalize the purchase of his friend’s share of their business. Plus, even better, he'll get to spend more time...

At last, Mitford's rector and lifelong bachelor Father Tim has married his talented and vivacious neighbor Cynthia. Now, of course, they must face love's challenges: new sleeping arrangements for Father Tim's sofa-sized dog, Cynthia's urge to decorate the rectory Italian-villa-style, and the growing pains of the thrown-away boy who's become like a son to the rector.

A singing chef. A widowed billionaire. A cottage by the sea. A father of two, widowed billionaire Diehl Brooks returns home to St. Simon’s Island and falls in love with his sister’s personal chef. Will complications from his unfulfilling first marriage threaten his chance for love a second time around? A selfless personal chef… Chef Skye Langston cooks for local residents and visitors to the Golden Isles. When her friend and client, Brinley Brooks, asks her to cook for her older brother, who will be in town for the summer, Skye is wary. Although they move in different social circles, ...

Who would murder a church pastor? Furthermore, WHY would anyone murder one of the most respected pastors in the small town? The list of suspects grows as the Chief of Police, Frederick Earl investigates the shocking murder of First Church Pastor, Todd Pierce. The brutal mode of the homicide has the chief wondering what clues are hidden in the execution. The investigation leads the chief and his officers through a series of interviews including other pastors, church members, those hostile toward the church, trespassers, protestors, loyal church members and others. Will the murderer strike ...

Jan Karon's millions of fans can't wait to spend time with her heartwarming and hilarious characters, who have a way of becoming family. In fact, fans and booksellers across the country kept Out to Canaan and At Home in Mitford on The New York Times best-seller list for months. In A New Song, Mitford's longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters.

His attractive neighbor is tugging at his heart-strings. A wealthy widow is pursuing him with hot casseroles. And his red-haired Cousin Meg has moved into the rectory, uninvited.

In the shadows of Salem Village in 1692, one young girl must navigate the complexities of a divided society. Often cold and hungry, eight-year-old Verity Manton, an orphaned ragpicker, clings to the scraps of love and kindness in her harsh world. Things get tangled as the village Puritans' strange behavior grows more alarming. Verity is caught between the safety of her life and the promise of a better future with a Quaker family who reaches out to her. Yet, she has been warned her whole life that Quakers are evil. Will Verity have the courage to trust her heart and choose a path that defies...

♥The Candy Beach Series ♥ Falling in love is not easy when you're 60+ years old! If loving him is so wrong, why does it feel so right?Childless, Michael Gray longs to find the secret daughter his deceased wife gave up for adoption years ago. His search takes a detour when he meets candy maker Dara Greene. Dara is also widowed and she’s determined to make her business, Caroline’s Candy Shoppe, a success. Dara suffers from stage fright and due to a recent traumatic event, she seeks Michael’s assistance. Can he help her win the Annual Cruise Ship Candy Competition and convince her to...

Father Joseph Brennan was an icon in the small North Dakota town of New London between 1953 and 1973. As the head of the town’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish and its associated boarding school, he amassed supporters with his show of dedication to the school. By recruiting elite coaches, Brennan built a high school sports empire that won state championships and strengthened a sense of pride among the town’s one thousand residents. But alongside the success story, another much darker tale was being written and ruthlessly suppressed. Sexual assault, theft, drug distribution, and ...

You can Double Your Church in Five Years or Less by helping Sunday School teachers and small group leaders double every two years or less. Barry Posner did some research that revealed an interesting result of quality. People were 6 times as likely to talk about a business that they considered a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5 than they were to talk about businesses they rate as a 4. This is the power of Wow! There is a reason Jesus taught us to shock people with above and beyond, “second mile” service. It is in the second mile that we get people’s attention. It is in the second mile that ...

Millions of readers and listeners have come home to Mitford, the little town with the big heart. But now change is coming to the village. Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his wife Cynthia are pondering the murky uncertainties of retirement; a brash new mayoral candidate is calling for aggressive development; a shady realtor with plans for a health spa is eyeing the beloved house on the hill; and, worst of all, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing.

Is being good the way to heaven? Being religious? Jesus said, “You must be born again.” John Wesley, spiritual forefather of Methodist, Pentecostal, and Holiness churches and the Salvation Army, explains Jesus’ words in this brief classic. One of the standard sermons Wesley required his circuit riders to learn and re-preach, The New Birth shows that religion and morality are good but new life in Jesus is vital. Wesley pulls no punches. But his 18th-century English is hard for most modern readers. As with his best-selling John Wesley’s The Character of a Methodist, David Wentz has ...

Maisie Cooper hasn't seen her brother in years. So it's a surprise when he gets in touch out of the blue. But when she returns to the village they grew up in, she discovers that he's dead. And not just dead - murdered. As Maisie investigates, she starts to uncover a sinister mystery at the heart of the perfect little village. Why is everyone so reluctant to answer her questions? Is the murder connected to the recent Cathedral robbery? What was her brother going to tell her? And when another death rocks the community, can Maisie solve the case before the killer strikes again?

Do you want to feed your heart? This loving, clean, romance series will breathe life back into your spirit and will give you new hope for humanity. Nestled in the hills of the Lake Michigan shoreline, Living River Ranch overlooks open fields and rich oak, maple, and beech tree groves. It has been owned by the Katzen family for generations. Once a working ranch, it has now turned into a therapy ranch supporting people as they unearth their challenges, rediscover themselves, and develop relationships with others. The seven, Living River Ranch stories make up one-half of the A Time For ...

It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's 60 years old.

REVISED EDITION! NOW CONTAINS MARRY ME! Four sweet and clean Christian romances to warm your heart this holiday season! Snuggle up with these faith-filled stories of hope and love, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. Visit London for a series of Christmas dates, experience New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh, fall in love after a marriage of convenience in a beach town, and discover home and healing in small-town Oregon, all within the pages of these complete and standalone romances. If you love Hallmark movies, Love Inspired Books, and deeply emotional stories of overcoming heartache to ...