The end of Christendom, where the Christian story was known and the church was central, invites Christians in western culture to embrace marginality and discover fresh ways of being church and engaging in mission. While the transition from modernity to postmodernity has received a huge amount of attention, the shift from Christendom to post-Christendom has not yet been fully explored. This book is an introduction; a journey into the past, an interpretation of the present and an invitation to ask what following Jesus might mean in the strange new world of post-Christendom. Drawing on insights from the early Christians, dissident movements and the world church, this book challenges conventional ways of thinking. For those who dare to imagine new ways of following Jesus on the margins, it invites a realistic and hopeful response to challenges and opportunities awaiting us in the 21st century.

Today pastors and church leaders have an unparalleled opportunity to shape a biblical vision for Kingdom giving. Based on the foundational premise that stewardship is the management of time, talents, and treasure, authors Stan Toler and Elmer Towns set forth a vision for pastors and church leaders to shape the thinking in the pews. Developing a Giving Church provides guidance for shaping a giving environment, suggestions for developing committed steward leaders, and counsel on biblical strategies. This vital stewardship resource merges insightful principles with proven methods for creating a climate for giving through stewardship education.

"I for one am learning that I cannot be fulfilled apart from other people. In fact, the bottom line of this book is this: You can't do it alone. If you want to be a successful leader--if you plan to have a successful ministry--then you must develop not only your gifts but also the gifts of those around you." --Wayne Cordeiro Your church may have many members, but does every member have a purpose? In Doing Church as a Team, Pastor Wayne Cordeiro underscores that church numbers are insignificant when every individual is not involved. However, if the team members work together as one toward a single, clearly defined goal, anything is possible--and everyone shares in the joys and rewards of success! Pastor Wayne Cordeiro shows you how to identify the hidden callings of the members in your church so that together you can accomplish anything God has called you to do.

This book explores the art of conversation, and the process of good listening and counseling. Right From the Start: A Pastor's Guide to Premarital Counseling is a guide for pastors and counselors to help couples prepare for and succeed in married life, not just pass a test. It discusses the five main points of discussion covered in the companion piece, Right From the Start: A Premarital Guide for Couples.Counselors will learn that it is okay to say no to a couple, because the point is to help the couple find out if they are actually compatible. Marriage is for life, and it is your duty as a counselor to advise couples who realize that.Through story-telling, David and Lisa Frisbie open up the doors for couples to hash out their ideas, differences, and misunderstandings before anyone is hurt in the future. It's better to prevent harm rather than trying to heal the hurt.

This is a biblical approach to help addicts who have relapsed in their addiction, or those who wish to develop tools to prevent relapse in the future.

Being a pastor is a complex and demanding role, especially for someone leading alone. The majority of pastors find themselves in this position, leading their smaller church with no additional professional assistance. The challenges are many, including loneliness, isolation, self-doubt, overwhelm, feelings of inadequacy, and a constant search for additional resources and volunteers. Where does a solo pastor turn for help and encouragement? With compassion and plenty of proven, practical strategies, church consultant and former solo pastor Gary L. McIntosh steps in to fill the void. In this book he helps the solo pastor * understand the strengths and challenges of the solo-pastor church * develop effective leadership skills * build and maintain vital relationships * manage expectations * spot and neutralize "bullies" who seek to control the church * communicate clearly * make the most of limited resources * establish healthy priorities and boundaries * and more

Most people focus on pastoral ministry--the activities, programs, and outreach connected with the life of the church--when considering the work of a pastor. But one of the most important parts of a minister's job is pastoral care--activities such as compassion, healing, sustaining, guiding, and reconciling people to one another and to God. People today earnestly seek a minister who knows their names and cares about their hurts. Foundations of Pastoral Care introduces both clergy and laity to the ministry skills and personal qualities needed to provide effective care for people inside and outside the church. With thorough examination, Professor Bruce Petersen traces the historical development of soul care from the primitive church and on through the centuries to the church of today. In unit one, he introduces the place of pastoral care in the local church. He emphasizes the unique responsibility of church leaders and pastors to provide spiritual guidance while caring for the physical and emotional needs of their people. In unit two, he examines the pastoral care roles clergy are asked to fill--shepherd, counselor, collaborator, and spiritual leader. In unit three, he addresses the need for a pastoral presence in the life of the church, and in unit four, he concludes with a discussion about the pastor's personal life and the importance of personal spiritual formation. Foundations of Pastoral Care provides the fundamental elements pastors and church leaders need to care for people in meaningful, personal ways with the love, compassion, and grace Christ showed during His ministry on earth.

Every time a pastor goes to a new church, they form hopes, dreams, and expectations - without necessarily realizing it - for the progress and growth of their new ministry. Not only do these pastors have to transition into a new congregation and community, but they also have to think about building strong relationships with other influential people in the area. Almost every day, pastors of new churches face unexpected hardships and challenges. Some of the issues are financial mismanagement from their predecessor, moral or ethical misbehavior, or unresolved conflict that has just been suppressed long enough to find a new pastor. The fact is, pastors of new churches need guidance. The First 100 Days is for these pastors who need some guidance and insight to help them lead with godly wisdom and purpose during the first few months.

Sunday worship is the central act of the Christian faith, yet few people truly understand what is happening during the service, and why, and how. Based on numerous visits with congregations of many denominations, Jane Rogers Vann examines how we can eliminate the barrier between the preacher and the people in the pew and offers practical advice directed not just toward church leaders but to worship committees and church members--all who are yearning to be fully engaged in worship. Photographs of many of the churches she visited are included.

Named One of Fifteen Important Theology Books of 2022, Englewood Review of Books Churches and their leaders have innovation fever. Innovation seems exciting--a way to enliven tired institutions, embrace creativity, and be proactive--and is a superstar of the business world. But this focus on innovation may be caused by an obsession with contemporary relevance, creativity, and entrepreneurship that inflates the self, lacks theological depth, and promises burnout. In this follow-up to Churches and the Crisis of Decline, leading practical theologian Andrew Root delves into the problems of innovation. He explores where innovation and entrepreneurship came from, shows how they break into church circles, and counters the "new imaginations" like neoliberalism and technology that hold the church captive to modernity. Root reveals the moral visions of the self that innovation and entrepreneurship deliver--they are dependent on workers (and consumers) being obsessed with their selves, which leads to significant faith-formation issues. This focus on innovation also causes us to think we need to be singularly unique instead of made alive in Christ. Root offers a return to mysticism and the poetry of Meister Eckhart as a healthier spiritual alternative. This is the fifth book in Root's Ministry in a Secular Age series.

The KJV Paragraph-style Large Print Thinline Bible features the timeless beauty of the trustworthy King James Version Bible. While the traditional design of the King James text starts each verse on its own line, this edition improves the reading experience and comprehension by keeping the writers' thoughts together in paragraph format. And with Thomas Nelson's exclusive KJV Comfort Print (R), you'll enjoy typography designed to be exceptionally easy-to-read and honoring the legacy of the King James Version. In 1611 the King James Bible was published and authorized by the monarch of England and Scotland. Today, more than 400 years since its initial publication, the KJV is considered one of the most influential and beautiful works of the English language and continues to be the favorite translation for millions of Christians worldwide. Features include: Clear and readable 10-point KJV Comfort Print Line-matched double column text Bible book introductions Words of Christ in red Over 22,000 translator notes Over 43,000 cross-referenced passages Concordance One-year Bible Reading Plan The Parables of Jesus Christ chart The Miracles of Jesus Christ chart 8 pages of full-color maps 1 satin ribbon

Small churches can be found in every denomination and among every ethnic group but often these churches struggle to survive in the shadow of the larger churches around them. And many of these churches are afflicted with unhealthy issues such as feelings of unimportance, a lack of vision, exclusivity, limited resources, and unbalanced leadership. It is because of these aliments that many churches fail to survive. But it is possible for an unhealthy church to become a healthy church capable of experiencing growth--both physically and spiritually. In his new book, The Healthy Small Church, small church pastor Dennis Bickers diagnoses the issues that threaten the life of the smaller church and prescribes practical remedies for treating these issues. He reminds churches that transformation and healing are never easy but always worth it. He emphasizes that to maintain a healthy church one must be aware of the symptoms and act accordingly to prevent new problems from arising. The Healthy Small Church offers pastors and church leaders a great diagnostic tool for small churches that want to be healthy and stay that way. It includes a number of diagnostic questions at the end of the book that they can use to determine the health of their church. Become a healthy church that: Has a positive self-image Shares a common vision that creates a sense of purpose and unity Maintains community while still warmly welcoming new visitors Practices the importance of faithful stewardship and financial support Understands ministry to be the responsibility of all the members of the church Encourages everyone to serve according to his or her spiritual gifts--not by seniority or guilt

We tend to organize our youth ministry from the inside out. We give gathered groups of individual youth tools and teaching to form their souls around a Christian identity. So far, so good. But what if our identity is not merely or even primarily rooted and established somewhere inside ourselves? What if our identity is shaped and cultivated in the relationships we inhabit--each with their own distinctives and demands--and in the overlapping stories we find ourselves in? Prefabricated approaches to ministry that focus on the interior makeup of our youth may make for good youth group members, but these limited approaches don't reach beyond the youth room into other corners of their lives. Rather than centering them on the faith, our inside-out approach may be pushing their faith to the margins of their life. Brandon McKoy mines the insights of social construction theory to help us locate Christ not in our hearts but in our midst. We learn to embrace him as our own and our students as whole people engaging in a life's worth of encounters. Approaching youth ministry from the outside in, we discover our students in a whole new light--and with them, the fullness of our faith.

"This is a practical manual of everything our church did," says author Molly Phinney Baskette, "to reverse our death spiral and become the healthy, stable, spirited and robust community it is today evident in the large percentage of children and young adults in our church, and a sixfold increase in pledged giving in the last decade."

Baskette, pastor of First Church Somerville UCC in the Boston area, strongly believes her church's strategies will work for any church, in any setting, regardless of denomination, demographics, and political landscape. Here, in her new book, Real Good Church: How Our Church Came Back from the Dead, and Yours Can, Too, she shares everything her church did, addressing topics such as: outreach and growth strategies, finances and giving, creative worship, including personal testimony and corporate prayer, church conflict and change, anxiety and humor, and much more.

In The Weary Leader's Guide to Burnout, Sean Nemecek takes Christian leaders on a journey from burnout through recovery and on to spiritual transformation. By understanding the causes and symptoms of their burnout, these leaders will be ready to take practical, actionable steps toward wholeness. Then, if they choose, they will be poised to do the inner work of spiritual transformation by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. In the end, these leaders will emerge from burnout more confident in Christ, more connected with others, and with greater purpose, courage, and grace in their leadership. This book integrates biblical interpretation, theology, psychology, and contemplative spirituality into a holistic approach to recovery. It is filled with relatable stories of church leaders who have walked this path and includes discussion questions for personal contemplation or group discussion. The Weary Leader's Guide to Burnout will help pastors and Christian leaders develop an integrated approach to life, work, and ministry through healing and spiritual transformation.

Walking through Psalm 23 phrase by phrase, therapist and author K.J. Ramsey explores the landscape of our fear, trauma, and faith. When she stepped through her own wilderness of spiritual abuse and religious trauma, K.J. discovered that courage is not the absence of anxiety but the practice of trusting we will be held and loved no matter what. How can we cultivate courage when fear overshadows our lives? How do we hear the Voice of Love when hate and harm shout loud? This book offers an honest path to finding that there is still a Good Shepherd who is always following you. Braiding contemplative storytelling, theological reflection, and practical neuroscience, Ramsey reveals a route into connection and joy that begins right where you are. The Lord is My Courage is for the deconstructing and the dreamers, the afraid and the amazed, for those whose fear has not been fully shepherded but who can't seem to stop listening for their Good Shepherd's Voice.

Profound and practical spiritual insights on cross-cultural ministry and mission, at home and abroad.

Jesus trained a handful of ordinary people to follow Him as He established God's kingdom on earth. His primary training method was intimate, personal conversations on a friend-to-friend basis. As they walked along, in the daily routines of life, He taught them the practical principles of the Kingdom. He then commissioned them to go and make disciples of all nations by teaching others what they had learned. He still calls believers today to accept this 'great commission', but at times it seems that the work of discipleship is more about public proclamation than personal relationships and conversation. Churches today house hundreds of believers, but few true disciples. Making disciples is more than witnessing to nonbelievers. It is about building authentic relationships with our Christian friends and helping each other follow Jesus one discussion, one conversation, one heart-to-heart talk at a time. Making Disciples-One Conversation at a Time discusses the importance of having redemptive conversations and demonstrates how to turn our meaningless chatter into a means of grace, helping our friends become all God intends them to be and enriching their lives and ours in the process. Author Michael Henderson explains how practicing the disciplines of attentive listening, appropriate questioning, Scripture application, and praying with our friends, will allow us to not only fulfill Christ's request to make disciples but also follow His commandment to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Making Disciples-One Conversation at a Time challenges us to examine how we use our words and presents ways to bring Christ into the conversations of our everyday lives to give those around us a better understanding of God and His love for them.