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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Christian institutions & organizations > Christian ministry & pastoral activity
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.
Get ready for a crash course in effective communication. More than
just a book on how to do talks, Speaking to Teenagers combines the
experience and wisdom of two veteran youth ministry speakers, along
with insightful research and practical tools, to help you develop
messages that engage students with the love of Christ and the power
of his Word. Whether you re crafting a five-minute devotional or a
30-minute sermon, Speaking to Teenagers is essential to
understanding and preparing great messages. Together, Doug Fields
and Duffy Robbins show you how they craft their own messages and
give you the tools to do it yourself. They ll guide you,
step-by-step, through the process of preparing and delivering
meaningful messages that effectively communicate to your students.
Fields and Robbins walk you through three dimensions of a message
the speaker, the listener, and the message itself and introduce you
to the concept and principles of inductive communication. You ll
also get helpful tips on finding illustrations for your talk and
using them for maximum impact, as well as insights on reading your
audience and effective body language. As Speaking to Teenagers
guides you toward becoming a more effective communicator, you ll
find that this book s practical principles will positively impact
the way you view, treat, and communicate to teenagers."
Contagious Faith will prepare you to share God's love with others
in a way that's authentic, comfortable, and impactful. As disciples
of Christ, we are called to share the gospel, but few of us are
naturally comfortable with evangelism. We wrestle with internal
fears, a lack of preparation, and the sense that reaching out to
others might force us to act like someone we're not. What if we
could find a way to talk about Jesus that fits our personalities,
makes us feel confident, and ignites a fire in others? In
Contagious Faith, bestselling author and teacher Mark Mittelberg
introduces five approaches to evangelism and helps you determine
which of them fit best with your unique personality and style:
Friendship-Building Selfless-Serving Story-Sharing Reason-Giving
Truth-Telling He also explains in a down-to-earth fashion several
key skills that will help you talk about Jesus effectively,
illustrating his message with real-life accounts of ordinary
believers who applied these principles for extraordinary impact.
With inspiring stories, fresh approaches, and timeless biblical
wisdom, Contagious Faith will equip you to make a spiritual impact
in the lives of the people around you-even in our increasingly
resistant culture.
Religion today comes in many forms. The arrival of the twenty-first
century brought with it a wave of religious tolerance and
indifference unlike any before. As Christians struggle to unfold
the truth tangled by modernity and postmodernity, many choose to
radically and disrespectfully oppose other religions or passively
accept their possible validity for the sake of tolerance. The
effects of religious pluralism in our world today make it
increasingly difficult for the life-giving message of Christ to
reach the hearts of those who need to hear it. How should
Christians attempt to tell the Gospel story in a world that
believes no one religion is right? How should Christians live and
speak in the crowded marketplace of world religions? With Cords of
Love presents Christians with an introduction to religious
pluralism and offers a sound, loving response drawn from the
essential doctrinal features of the Wesleyan theological tradition.
This thorough examination discusses the historical, philosophical,
and cultural factors that have contributed to religious pluralism
and explores the major responses currently embraced in some
Christian circles. In addition to this historical overview, it also
outlines ways the Church can bear a hopeful, effective, and
intelligible witness for the message of Christ. Using Paul's
response to the Athenians in the Book of Acts, With Cords of Love
compels us to approach people from other religions with both
respect and compassion, urging us to allow God to direct and guide
our words and actions as we help to complete the work He's already
begun in their hearts.
Senior adult ministry isn't what it used to be. The comfortable
assumptions and outdated programs that were the basis for local
church ministry are being challenged. Baby boomers are hitting
middle age and retirement. And their own parents are living longer.
Authors Win and Charles Arn have updated and supplemented Catch the
Age Wave with ideas, examples and advice to help the local church
leader start and maintain a senior adult program. In addition, they
have added practical program ideas to use in any local church
setting. New challenges for a new day. Catch the Age Wave won't let
you miss the boat.
What are the theological foundations of Christian ministry? What
should a vital Christian ministry look like in the world today?
Teacher and veteran of urban ministry Bryan Stone addresses these
important questions in an engaging and challenging book.
Compassionate Ministry explores systematically the relationship
between Christian doctrines of God, church, and human existence,
and the focus and meaning of ministry today. It offers a solid
introduction to the theology of ministry through an approach rooted
in the compassion of God, which Stone shows is evident throughout
the scriptures and made real in the incarnation and ministry of
Jesus. Compassionate Ministry locates a primary focus in the
experience of suffering and poverty which marks daily life for the
majority of people today. Stone builds continually on this insight,
drawing out the dimensions of a humanizing ministry that
participates in restoring the "image of God" in which all have been
created: an image of freedom, humanity, community. Understanding
God as all-compassionate, and Jesus as the Compassion of God, this
book provides a model of a compassionate church as a "liberating
community: " people who, knowing what they believe, work and
worship together in the service of humanizing praxis in their own
community, and in the world at large. Finally, this ministry call
for "compassionate evangelism" which proceeds itself from the
community, as a more holistic and historical approach than current
consensus might suggest.
Whether youa (TM)re a layperson or a professional counselor,
Helping Those Who Hurt will help you care for others encountering
life crises such as:
a [ illness, hospitalization, and death
a [ a troubled marriage
a [ addiction
a [ suicide
You have a giant in your life. An adversary that's diminishing your
ability to live fully in Christ. Whatever it may be-rejection,
fear, anger, comfort, or addiction-this giant stands between you
and God's promise...and it must fall. Like with David and the
Israelites, God has a better plan for you than to stand and be
taunted day after day by a 9-foot Goliath. God's plan for you is to
live in victory. In this six-session video Bible study (streaming
code included), Pastor Louie Giglio reveals a twist in the story of
David and Goliath that will help you and your study group see how
God works victories in the lives of his people. This study guide
has everything you need for a full Bible study experience,
including: The study guide itself-with discussion and reflection
questions, activities, video notes, and a leader's guide. An
individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you
don't need to buy a DVD!). Each session will equip you with
practical, hands-on steps to take after engaging in passages from
the Bible and Louie's video talks, which show how living free from
our giants means putting our hope in Jesus. When we do, we get to
watch Goliath fall. Sessions and video run times: Dead but Still
Deadly (22:30) Fear Must Fall (23:00) Rejection Must Fall (20:00)
Comfort Must Fall (20:00) Anger Must Fall (22:30) Addiction Must
Fall (22:00) Watch on any device! Streaming video access code
included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code
may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not
be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet
connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by
law. Additional offer details inside.
This is not simply a book about having more discipline so you can live your dreams.
Rest & War is about pushing back the chaos and bringing about order to your life. It is about driving the evil dictator out of your heart and establishing the true King so you can:
- Overcome the deceptive strategies of sin aimed specifically at your weaknesses that bend your behaviors to broken ends
- Stop giving your heart to aimless affections and learn how to intentionally orient your life and loves around a God who cares for you
- Recognize that under your misdirected affections and motivations is a deep and good longing for God
- Discover methods of overcoming personal shortcomings that do not rely on shame-based motivation
The writer of Hebrews declares we are called to “cast off all that hinders” and “run the race marked out for us.” We are called into the action! In our race we must both flee some things and pursue others. It’s not about being free of all struggles. Rather, we have been empowered to struggle well.
There is a growing number of local church laypeople entering
children's ministry leadership. While this is helpful for
furthering the Kingdom, these leaders face a huge learning curve.
There are few resources available in the Wesleyan tradition for
children's ministry leadership.Best Practices for Children's
Ministry seeks to answer this need. With insight and understanding
of the children's ministry world, author Andrew Ervin provides
leaders with the tips, strategies, and skills they need to develop
a strong and successful children's ministry.Times have changed. No
longer does programming alone satisfy as the summation of
children's ministry. No, the role of the children's ministry leader
is far more complex. With Best Practices for Children's Ministry,
leaders will find the answers and solutions they need to better
practice children's ministry.
Spiritual and autobiographical reflections on the author's seminary days, early ministry, and writing career.
To communicate God??'s Word effectively in the twenty-first
century, you need to know how to connect with and confront an
audience of postmodern listeners. With this book, you???ll learn
how to change your style of preaching without compromising the
substance, take advantage of new opportunities provided by the
cultural shift, and show an inattentive society the relevance of
God??'s truth. "The world has gone through a major shift in
thinking and communication into a postmodern mode, yet much
preaching is still ???pre-modern??? and very out of touch. Graham
Johnston has made a significant contribution in his book, showing
how preaching can be thoroughly biblical, opening up the text of
the Bible but also concerned with the openings in the minds of
contemporary people." Leighton Ford, president, Leighton Ford
Ministries "Communicating God??'s Word is more than just speaking
the truth; it??'s being heard and understood as well. This book is
designed to help Christian leaders better understand their
listeners, so they can communicate biblical truths with
effectiveness and clarity." Josh McDowell, author of Evidence That
Demands a Verdict "Graham Johnston describes the water in which we
exist. . . . Better still, he provides some workable leads on how
to communicate the life-giving Word to men and women swimming in
the currents of the twenty-first century." Haddon W. Robinson,
author of Biblical Preaching "Johnston not only brings a shrewd
analysis of the present changes in our culture, he also contributes
from the perspective of a skilled practitioner. Such a combination
is both rare and valuable." Martin Robinson, director of mission
and theology, British and Foreign Bible Society "Foranyone desiring
a ministry of impact in today??'s postmodern society, Graham
Johnston has provided an understandable and useful focus." Howard
G. Hendricks, chairman, Center for Christian Leadership, Dallas
Theological Seminary
Spiritual discernment is a key theme in the Scriptures. From the
Garden when Adam and Eve turned away from the simplest terms of a
relationship with God, to the Garden when John the Apostle wrote
the book of Revelation to a distracted people anticipating
eternity, discerning God has been the heart of the matter. In
modern times, however, we have forgotten the basic premise of
practicing a preference for God, out of which we then are invited
to live for God. Instead, we have implanted strategic planning,
head-to-head battling, and will-of-God knowing in its place. In The
Discerning Life, Stephen A. Macchia seeks to upend the one-eyed and
limited Christian understandings of spiritual discernment and
invite readers and leaders to reconsider how they prioritize the
care of their souls, the grace of their communities, and the
mission of their lives, churches, and organizations. When we have a
fuller understanding of how spiritual discernment matters to the
whole of our lives, we will in turn encourage others to follow
likewise and then lean fully into the mission, mandate, and message
of the whole counsel of God.
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