Publication Date: 2002
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Bearing With One Another
The author goes to the sources, exploring impulses to unity within the reformed tradition. Dr. Sorge’s reading of Calvin, set within the context of Ephesians 4, shows that concern for theological integrity and commitment to the church’s unity are not at odds. To the contrary, it is theological integrity that is the ground for preserving…
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Leadership On The Line
Every day, in every facet of our lives, opportunities to lead call out to us. At work and at home, in our local communities and in the global village, the chance to make a difference beckons. Yet often, we hesitate. For all its passion and promise, for all its excitement and rewards, leading is risky,…
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Community Ministry
In this era of “faith-based initiatives,” congregations increasingly find themselves in the business of establishing and supporting community ministries-daycare for infants and toddlers, respite care for elders, and programs for housing rehab and home repair, tutoring, and social justice advocacy. In this volume, Carl S. Dudley revises and updates his earlier book, Basic Steps toward Community…
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Serving God With Style
Every church is driven by its faith in God, and seeks to grow that faith by guiding its members toward fruitful ministry. But in the face of accelerating change, congregations often find themselves spinning their wheels, exerting great amounts of energy to little effect: the faith is willing, but, faced with uncertainties, the results are…
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Ending With Hope
Ending with Hope grows out of the understanding that although closing a congregation is in many ways about dying, it can also be about new life. Closing a congregation does not have to be about failure but can be about redirecting resources for new ministry. Contributors represent eight denominations and include more than a dozen pastors,…
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Redeveloping The Congregation
What makes it possible for a church to reverse course from decline or stagnation into long-lasting vitality? How can a church immigrate from a congealing present into a compelling future? What can a congregation do to experience continuous, deep change rather than just temporary, surface improvement? How does a person lead redevelopment? The three authors…
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Multigenerational Congregations
Congregations need to learn new cultural languages and practices in order to speak to and be heard by new generations of people. But how do congregations enter the wilderness of ministry with these new generations when many of those in the entourage do not appreciate the trip? In contrast to many writers about church growth,…
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Journey Of The Spirit
The author of The Other Side of Silence here teams up with renowned South African writer and personal friend, Methodist pastor Trevor Hudson. Together they have drawn a road map for one year’s spiritual journey. Along the way they visit fifty-two destinations, such difficult-to-get-to places as “Showing Love in the Marketplace,” “Hanging on When Life Is Difficult,”…
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Hearing God’s Call
How can one discern if a calling truly is from God? How can one be alert to the fact that one call is ending and another is beginning? In this insightful book Ben Campbell Johnson gives inspiring, experience-based advice on these and other questions concerning the call of God. Johnson begins by relating several stories…
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Twelve Dynamic Shifts For Transforming Your Church
What is your church like today? Maybe your congregation is experiencing wonderful energy and growth. Or perhaps, like many, it was established some time ago and is now experiencing a loss of activity and vitality. In this book, E. Stanley Ott outlines twelve dynamic shifts in thinking and practice that can bring new vision and…
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Churches That Make A Difference
Churches over the past generations have been weakened by a failure to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of their communities. Many have adopted a narrow vision, focusing on only one aspect of ministry. But in today’s environment of faith-based opportunities many Christians are eager to start reaching out to their world with both…
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UnLearning Church
You were born to be an original, not a copy. So was your church. It’s time to break the rules…about the church…about leadership…about penetrating postmodern culture with God’s purposes. It’s time to unLearn ‘church.’ In this book, Mike Slaughter, Chief Dreamer of the renowned Ginghamsburg Church, shares a liberty non-model for emerging churches. Churches that…