A practical, road-tested vision and process to equip church leaders to reinvigorate their church How can churches stay healthy and dynamic over the long-term? What's needed to avoid or reverse church stagnation and decline? While some churches are vibrant and growing, many more are struggling, especially after Covid. The congregation might be declining and ageing, there's little success in reaching out to with the gospel, and more time is spent on inward facing problems than loving God and loving others. But the potential that could be released is huge. David Brown draws on his experience revitalising a church in central Paris to offer a vision and a process for church revitalisation, with a focus on UK and European contexts. Whether you are church planting, in a well-established and thriving church, or looking to turn around a church in decline, Brown provides biblically grounded wisdom along with change management principles for long-term health. When we reapply God's priorities to the church, we unleash new life and energy in following Christ in community.

In 1993, Andrew Brunson was asked to travel to Turkey, the largest unevangelized country in the world, to serve as a missionary. Though hesitant because of the daunting and dangerous task that lay ahead, Andrew and his wife, Norine, believed this was God's plan for them. What followed was a string of threats and attacks, but also successes in starting new churches in a place where many people had never met a Christian. As their work with refugees from Syria, including Kurds, gained attention and suspicion, Andrew and Norine acknowledged the threat but accepted the risk, determining to stay unless God told them to leave. In 2016, they were arrested. Though the State eventually released Norine, who remained in Turkey, Andrew was imprisoned. Accused of being a spy and being among the plotters of the attempted coup, he became a political pawn whose story soon became known around the world. God's Hostage is the incredible true story of his imprisonment, his brokenness, and his eventual freedom. Anyone with a heart for missions, especially to the Muslim world, will love this tension-laden and faith-laced book.

Christian dialogic writings flourished in the Catholic missions in late Ming China. This study focuses on the mission work of the Italian Jesuit Giulio Aleni (Ai Rulue , 1582-1649) in Fujian and the unique text Kouduo richao (Diary of Oral Admonitions, 1630-1640) that records the religious and intellectual conversations among the Jesuits and local converts. By examining the mechanisms of dialogue in Kouduo richao and other Christian works distinguished by a certain dialogue form, the author of the present work aims to reveal the formation of a hybrid Christian-Confucian identity in late Ming Chinese religious experience. By offering the new approach of dialogic hybridization, the book not only treats dialogue as an important yet underestimated genre in late Ming Christian literature, but it also uncovers a self-other identity complex in the dialogic exchanges of the Jesuits and Chinese scholars. Giulio Aleni, Kouduo richao, and Christian-Confucian Dialogism in Late Ming Fujian is a multi-faceted investigation of the religious, philosophical, ethical, scientific, and artistic topics discussed among the Jesuits and late Ming scholars. This comprehensive research echoes what the distinguished Sinologist Erik Zurcher (1928-2008) said about the richness and diversity of Chinese Christian texts produced in the 17th and 18th centuries. Following Zurcher's careful study and annotated full translation of Kouduo richao (Monumenta Serica Monograph Series, LVI/1-2), the present work features a set of new findings beyond the endeavours of Zurcher and other scholars. With the key concept of Christian-Confucian dialogism, it tells the intriguing story of Aleni's mission work and the thriving Christian communities in late Ming Fujian.

What does it mean to evangelize ethically in a multicultural climate? Following his successful Evangelism after Christendom, Bryan Stone addresses reasons evangelism often fails and explains how it can become distorted as a Christian practice. Stone urges us to consider a new approach, arguing for evangelism as a work of imagination and a witness to beauty rather than a crass effort to compete for converts in pluralistic contexts. He shows that the way we lead our lives as Christians is the most meaningful tool of evangelism in today's rapidly changing world.

Aimed at practitioners, church leaders, academics, and students of mission and world Christianity, Mission in the Twenty-First Century provides fresh insights on the theology and practice of mission in our age. It brings together scholarly reflection on practice, case studies and stories, and questions for discussion. Addressing the "five marks of mission ???????????????????????????????????????????????? evangelism and proclamation, discipleship, social service, social transformation, and ecological concern ???????????????????????????????????????????????? chapters examine these marks in the context of such important factors as globalization, migration, Islam, "old Christendom," and peace and reconciliation. In addition to the editors, the international group of contributors includes Desmond Tutu, Jehu Hanciles, Anne Marie Kool, David Zac Nirigiye, Tony Gittins, Lamin Sanneh, Ashish Crispal, Melba Maggay, Hami Tutu Chapman, Gerald Pilay, Kwame Bediako, and Moonjang Lee.

Like many women in the Church, Joy Loewen didn't fully understand Muslim women or their roles in the Muslim culture and religion. In fact, she was afraid of them and not particularly interested in befriending them. But with prayer, wisdom, and a lot of love, Joy overcame these obstacles, found that she actually liked them, and that many of these women are irresistibly attracted to the love of Jesus. For the last thirty years she has used this knowledge to build authentic connections with Muslim women, reaching out to them in a sensitive, effective way.
In this practical and very personal book, Joy shares not only her insights into befriending Muslim women, but many helpful stories from her own experiences. Her goal is to help readers "move from fear to love and compassion" so that they, too, can love as Christ does. Woman to Woman is essential reading for Christian leaders, ministries, and any layperson who wants to grow in love for and understanding of Muslims.

In this pathbreaking book, award-winning author Douglas Jacobsen describes global Christianity and provides a framework for understanding the varied experiences of Christians around the world. Focusing on the five big continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America, Jacobsen recounts their differing histories, contemporary experiences, and cultural theologies. In the current era of massive and dynamic global challenges, this accessible and fair-minded volume sets the stage for Christians worldwide to engage the gospel--and each other--more deeply. Global Gospel contains numerous maps, charts, and illustrations that aid comprehension. Accompanying videos can be found on YouTube's "Global Christianity" channel (www.youtube.com/globalchristianity).

Originally published many years ago, this outstanding book, now revised, is still fresh and challenging us today. It tells the story of a group of children - mostly street beggars and orphans - living in Adullam Rescue Mission in Yunan Province, China, under the care of missionaries H.A. Baker and his wife. These children experienced an immense and incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit - so great that they literally 'experienced heaven' through visions, were aware of the prescence of angels, and were able to describe in great detail what they saw. The result of these intense experiences of God was a fervent passion for worship, the Word of God, and prayer.

A collection of essays that demonstrates that to be effective in the twenty-first century, mission must be prophetic as it encounters other cultures and religious traditions.

"When we speak as mission as dialogue, then, we are about as far away from imagining mission as 'conquering the world for Christ' and missionaries as 'marines of the Catholic Church' as we probably can get. There has indeed been a radical shift, both in the world in which the church does mission and within the church's own consciousness of the goodness and even holiness of that world." These words from one of the essays in this superb collection clearly demonstrate the changing of mission today.

In this volume, Fathers Bevans and Schroeder address a primary challenge faced by Christians missioners today: How can they bring the Christian tradition to interact respectfully and effectively with members of other cultures and traditions from around the globe and still be prophetic?

'You don't honestly believe all that stuff in the Bible!' Challenged by her friends, and later as a student by theological teachers, Amy Orr-Ewing was determined to leave no stone unturned in her eagerness to prove that the Bible was unique and wholly reliable. Her passion drove her to complete an in-depth study of the answers to ten of the most frequently raised objections she encountered, including: * Isn't it all a matter of interpretation? * Can we know anything about history? * Are the original manuscripts reliable? * What about the canon? * What about other holy books? * Isn't the Bible sexist? * What about all the wars? * Isn't the Bible out of date on sex? * How can I know? Sensitively yet convincingly, the author addresses the issues and the arguments, showing that we have every reason to trust the Bible today.

Today we are facing a global crisis when it comes to families. Marriages are under
more pressure than ever. Many children are growing up without experiencing the
security of their parents' love and commitment to each other-and consequently are
finding it harder to receive God's unconditional love. There is an urgent need to invest
in marriage and family life, for strong societies are built on strong families, and
strong families are built on strong marriages.

The Marriage Course, developed by Nicky and Sila Lee of Alpha, has been revised and
updated to provide practical tools to help couples at every stage of their relationship.

This update includes talks from experts including Dr. Gray Chapman, Dr. Henry Cloud,
and Dr. Sue Johnson on topics such as money, sex, love languages, healthy
boundaries, and building connections. The course will also cover how couples can:

• Better understand each other's needs
• Communicate more effectively
• Grow closer by learning methods to resolve conflicts
• Recover from the way they may have hurt each other
• Recognize how their upbringing has affected their relationship
• Improve relationships with parents and in-laws
  

The Marriage Course is based on a Christian understanding of love and serves to
strengthen marriages within the church while being accessible for all couples from any
cultural background, with or without a background in the Christian faith.

SESSIONS

1. Building Strong Foundations
2. The Art of Communication
3. Resolving Conflict
4. The Power of Forgiveness
5. The Impact of Family-Past and Present
6. Good Sex
7. Love in Action

Extra Session: Coping with Times of Separation

This hand sized NKJV edition is the perfect travel companion for readers who like to take their Bibles with them throughout the day. Though it fits easily into backpacks and purses, you won’t have to sacrifice readability or study resources.

The exclusive Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print® typeface was designed to be easy to read at any size, so you can experience deeper engagement in God’s Word. This edition also includes over 73,000 cross-references, a concordance, and full-color maps so you have everything you need for serious study at your fingertips.

Features include:

• Presentation page
• Red letter words of Christ
• 73,000+ cross-references trace the connections in Scripture
• Concordance
• Full-color maps
• Satin ribbon marker
• Clear and readable 7-point NKJV Comfort Print

Commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson, 130 international and multi-denominational Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay Christians worked for seven years to create a completely new, modern translation of Scripture that retained the purity and stylistic beauty of the King James Version. The New King James Version is faithful to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic text, and provides transparency to the recent research in archaeology, linguistics, and textual studies in the footnotes. The result is a Bible translation that is both beautiful and uncompromising—perfect for serious study, devotional use, and reading aloud.

This hand sized NKJV edition is the perfect travel companion for readers who like to take their Bibles with them throughout the day. Though it fits easily into backpacks and purses, you won't have to sacrifice readability or study resources. The exclusive Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print (R) typeface was designed to be easy to read at any size, so you can experience deeper engagement in God's Word. This edition also includes over 73,000 cross-references, a concordance, and full-color maps so you have everything you need for serious study at your fingertips. Features include: Presentation page Red letter words of Christ 73,000+ cross-references trace the connections in Scripture Concordance Full-color maps Clear and readable 7-point NKJV Comfort Print Commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson, 130 international and multi-denominational Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay Christians worked for seven years to create a completely new, modern translation of Scripture that retained the purity and stylistic beauty of the King James Version. The New King James Version is faithful to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic text, and provides transparency to the recent research in archaeology, linguistics, and textual studies in the footnotes. The result is a Bible translation that is both beautiful and uncompromising-perfect for serious study, devotional use, and reading aloud.

Meticulously faithful to Bosch's great work, Stan Nussbaum offers readers a companion to bring into relief the major themes of this great classic in missionary history and theology. The book is a chapter-by-chapter introduction, complete with page references to Transforming Mission for every theme developed. It contains 25 figures and diagrams to help the reader see patterns and is written to make it easier to penetrate and grapple with the questions that define Christian mission in our age

Marriage Course, developed by Nicky and Sila Lee, is a seven-session study designed to help couples obtain the tools to build a strong and healthy relationship that lasts a lifetime. This Leader's Guide offers a concise yet thorough overview of Marriage Course. It includes timetables for each evening, suggested reading, details on how to set up and run the course, and practical tips for making your Marriage Course successful. This leader's guide is included with The Alpha Pre-Marriage Course and is also sold separately. The course covers: An Introduction to Marriage Course Building Strong Foundations The Art of Communication Resolving Conflict Forgiveness The Impact of Family - past and present Good Sex Love in Action Marriage Course Party Coping with Times of Separation (optional session) Marriage Course serves as a bridge between the church and local community by recognizing the need to go beyond the social, as well as physical, walls of the church to help couples with their relationships. The courses are easy to run, and the talks are also available on DVD (sold separately). If you enjoy hosting people and have a passion for strengthening family life, you could run a course!

If God is in control of everything, can Christians sit back and not bother to evangelize? Or does active evangelism imply that God is not really sovereign at all? In this classic study, J. I. Packer shows how false both these attitudes are. In a careful review of the biblical evidence, he demonstrates how a right understanding of God's sovereignty is not so much a barrier to evangelism as an incentive and powerful support for it.

When Jesus commissioned his followers, he was not just inaugurating the historical church, he was founding a missionary movement.Originally released by Missional Press and now revised and expanded to include a multi-session discussion guide, Steve Addison's Movements That Change the World draws from biblical, historical and contemporary case studies to isolate the essential elements of a dynamic missionary movement. The church fulfills its mission today to the extent that it honors these essential elements, modelled perfectly in Jesus? missionary enterprise: white-hot faith commitment to the cause contagious relationships rapid mobilization adaptive methods Throughout the ages Jesus' followers have been called to continue his movement in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like many such movements, it changed the world. Unlike most movements, which have their historical moment and then fade away, Christianity is actively, continually changing the world for the better.