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!

In Tropical Idolatry, R.L. Green examines how thinkers within the Society of Jesus attempted to convert indigenous peoples of New Spain, the Philippine Islands, and the Mariana Islands to Catholicism during the early modern period. Through the close readings of Jesuit authored theological treatises and historical texts, all placed firmly within a rich, vibrant, and nuanced Catholic intellectual tradition, the evolution of ideas on the topic of indigenous religion within an imperial context becomes apparent. The purpose of this book is to demonstrate the importance that both religious and political beliefs played in the establishment of the Church in the Spanish Pacific world. The intent is to reconsider some commonly held assumptions regarding the Jesuit missionary enterprise and its role in the origins of global Catholicism.

The Resurrection Code reads like a well crafted mystery that carries the reader along with successive intrigues, hints and clues to a truly satisfying resolution that leaves the faithful both informed and inspired. With the adroitness of a skilled sleuth, Stibbe sorts out various puzzles in the 'Easter enigma' recorded in chapter 20 of the Fourth Gospel. In one of the most charming literary compositions in all the Bible, indeed all of literature, in The Resurrection Code we learn who the author is of the Fourth Gospel the identity and possible background of the mysterious figure (mentioned nowhere else in the New Testament) that John repeatedly refers to as 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' the likely timing of Jesus' resurrection from the grave and encounter with Mary (contrary to the conventional Sunday dawn scenario) why John's gospel (unlike the other gospels) points out details of Jesus' grave clothes left behind in the tomb and what they signify how the two angels posted at each end of the slab where Jesus lay may supply an interpretive key that unlocks the deeper meaning of Jesus' enigmatic encounter with Mary Magdalene why Jesus says to Mary, 'Do not touch me!' when later he invites the apostle Thomas to touch his hands and side. Mark Stibbe has a remarkable gift of teaching the Scriptures in a way that makes it real, relevant, applicable and life-changing. A gifted teacher, Mark's ministry has impacted my life in a profound way.' Ruth Graham - Director of Ruth Graham Ministries and daughter of Billy Graham

In the autumn of 1933 the 27-year-old Bonhoeffer accepted a two-year appointment as a pastor of two German-speaking Protestant churches in London. It was during this time that he began his friendship with Ernst Cromwell, one of his confirmands - a friendship that is now documented in these letters published for the first time here in this book (most of which are dated between 20 March 1935 and 27 March 1936). Seventy-five years later, the publication of these letters throws light on several aspects of Bonhoeffer's life and thought, including: the development of his views on the practice of silence; his practice of catechesis and confirmation; the impact on his personal relationships of his involvement in the Church struggle; his understanding of friendship, and in particular friendship that values the potential contribution of young people to living out the 'truth-telling' of Jesus Christ.

Holy Habits is an initiative to nurture Christian discipleship. It explores Luke's model of church found in Acts 2:42-47, identifies ten habits and encourages the development of a way of life formed by them. These resources, which include an introductory guide, have been developed to help churches explore the habits in a range of contexts and live them out in whole-life, missional discipleship.

In 1794 a group of Russian Orthodox missionaries landed on Kodiak Island, Alaska, with the intent of preaching to the native Americans, baptizing those who would accept the Christian life and developing for them both academic and agricultural schools. Of this initial effort there survived one monk, Father Herman, who lived among the Aleut people for forty some years and earned the loving nickname of Apa, or "grandfather." Father Herman had a fiery temperament and was often heatedly involved with local authorities concerning the rights of the local natives, who were constantly violated by explorers and foreign authorities. Father Herman's gentle admonition, sense of humor, strict asceticism and care for the physical needs of the natives left a memorable legacy.

In this charming volume, author and illustrator Dorrie Papademetriou captures the divine spark that shone in the monk Herman and reflects it across the pages. The world of Apa and the Aleuts comes alive in illustrations of northern lights, Kodiak bears, giant cabbages and angel's wings. Best of all, readers are warmed by the words of this human heart aflame with divine love.

Using the book of James as a road map, this multi-authored work will lead you on an adventure along the narrow road of discipleship. Only the Brave brings both challenge and excitement, while offering plenty of practical tips along the way! The five authors - Lisa Holmes, Krish Kandiah, Sim Dendy, Cathy Madavan, and Cris Rogers - each explore a chapter of James using these key themes: Face it; Live it; Tame it; Lose it; Finish it. They consider how we can use our heads, hearts, and hands to answer the challenge James, and ultimately Jesus himself, laid down. It takes courage to go beyond simply believing in Jesus: to live him, love him, and share him. Only the Brave urges us not to play it safe, but to live a life of abundance based on the example Jesus lived out on earth. Only the brave will change the world, and this book will inspire anyone who reads it to do just that.

How to do Mission Action Planning was the first book in the field and still appears to have a large share of the market

The excellent memoirs of Charles G. Finney are published here in their original form: the preface, all thirty-six chapters and the conclusion are included. Charles G. Finney stands as one of the greatest preachers to ever grace the United States. In this book we encounter his life story, told in his own moving and eloquent terms. We journey with the great reverend as he captains revival after revival, preaching the word of God to crowds in great cities and villages alike. His eloquent and conscientious sermons, and support of Christian perfection, appealed to many Americans of the era. An inspiring story honestly told, we witness the spiritual growth of Finney and the lessons he dispensed to congregations far and wide. Eventually Finney would spread his spiritual wisdom to England and Scotland, where he received a warm reception. A leading Presbyterian, it was through tireless campaigning that Finney united many Christians voices against the slavery, which was abolished after the American Civil War.

Evangelicalism contributed to the great transformation of ideas in the modern world. This book represents a pioneering study of discussions within the evangelical movements from Central Europe to the American colonies about what constituted evangelical identity and of the basis of the fraternity among evangelical leaders of strikingly different backgrounds. Through a global study of the major figures and movements in the early Evangelical world, W. R. Ward aims to show that down through the eighteenth century the evangelical elite had coherent answers to the general intellectual problems of their day and that piety as well as the enlightenment was a significant motor of intellectual change. However, as the century wore on the evangelicals lost the ability to state a broad intellectual setting for their case, and when they entered on their period of greatest social influence in the nineteenth century their former cohesion disintegrated into acute partisan wrangling.

Sounds From Heaven recounts the story of the Revival on the Scottish Isle of Lewis in the 1940s. A fascinating blend of history, biography and testimony, it includes eyewitness accounts from Duncan Campbell and Mary Peckham.

Could sharing your faith be the secret to developing your spiritual maturity? For many followers of Jesus, discipleship means doing certain things to deepen our connection with Jesus Christ. But our spiritual growth checklists are often disconnected from the mission of reaching a lost world with the gospel message. Taking a holistic approach that unites evangelism and discipleship, Kevin and Sherry Harney demonstrate how God's plan for our spiritual growth is intimately connected to his mission to the world. In Organic Disciples, the couple lead ordinary followers of Jesus through seven markers of spiritual maturity, showing how simple shifts in our Bible reading, prayer, community life, giving, service, and other biblical practices can connect us with God's work of reaching people with his love. You'll learn: Why true spiritual maturity will always lead believers outward to engage the world with the good news and truth of Jesus. How to overcome the common roadblocks and false narratives that stand in the way of spiritual maturity. How to design a personal pathway of growth to be more like Jesus in character and mission. Along with the Organic Disciples book, churches and individuals can utilize a free, self-directed online tool at OrganicOutreach.com to help each person identify where they are in their growth journey. Also look for eight-session small group curriculum-Organic Disciples Study Guide (9780310139089)-to take congregations and Christians deeper on this journey.

What kind of men were missionaries? What kind of masculinity did they represent, in ideology as well as in practice? Presupposing masculinity to be a cluster of cultural ideas and social practices that change over time and space, and not a stable entity with a natural, inherent and given meaning, Kristin Fjelde Tjelle seeks to answer such questions.Using case studies of Norwegian Mission Society members the author argues that missionary masculinity was the result of a complex dialogue between the ideals of male 'self-making' associated with the late nineteenth century and the Christian ideal of self-denial. This masculinity was also the product of the tension between male missionaries' identity as modern professional breadwinners and their identity as 'pre-modern' patriarchs whose calling demanded the integration of their private lives and their public roles as missionaries. Missionary manliness (or appropriate mission masculinity) supported the upward social mobility of Norwegian men from fairly humble backgrounds and, more importantly, gave them power - but power that was always threatened by the dangers of inappropriate mission masculinity - or unmanliness.

The focus of this book is on English and American evangelicals during the early and mid-19th century, examining the effect of aggressive conversion techniques used by American evangelicals upon the English revival movement.

Dangerous Prayer offers a strategy for fostering prayer and spirituality in mission that focuses on neighbourhood transformation and global needs using the Lord's Prayer as a radical blueprint. Sustainability in mission is not possible without prayer; vibrancy in prayer is not possible without mission. Christians on mission need a vibrant life of prayer in order to be effective yet to have a vibrant prayer life they need an outlet in mission. The Lord's Prayer offers a radical inspirational framework to help move Christians beyond praying just for themselves and to have their imaginations captured by the mission of God and concern for global needs. Jesus' words guide us to pray for God's Kingdom on earth, for restoration, for food for all who are hungry, for people to experience forgiveness and all that really is good news about Jesus. It is a dangerous prayer because of its counter-cultural and radical stance, and because it invites us to be, in part, the answer to our prayers. This book offers inspiring and practical approaches for unleashing the whole people of God for missional prayer and prayerful mission.

Recent decades have seen an ever-increasing number of Western Christians going abroad as English teachers. Many of these teachers are going to countries that are not very receptive to other forms of Western Christian mission. Some Western Christians view English teaching primarily as a means to gain access to "closed" countries for the purpose of evangelistic outreach. Other Western Christians see it mainly as a form of social service. Snow's well-thought-out details of how to bear witness, engage in ministry, serve the poor, contribute to peace, and build bridges of understanding between churches clearly show the special role of Christian mission that Christian English teachers can have. 192 Pages.

The transition from apartheid to the post-apartheid era has highlighted questions about the past and the persistence of its influence in present-day South Africa. This is particularly so in education, where the past continues to play a decisive role in relation to inequality. Between Worlds: German Missionaries and the Transition from Mission to Bantu Education in South Africa scrutinises the experience of a hitherto unexplored German mission society, probing the complexities and paradoxes of social change in education. It raises challenging questions about the nature of mission education legacies. Linda Chisholm shows that the transition from mission to Bantu Education was far from seamless. Instead, past and present interpenetrated one another, with resistance and compliance cohabiting in a complex new social order. At the same time as missionaries complied with the new Bantu Education dictates, they sought to secure a role for themselves in the face of demands of local communities for secular state-controlled education. When the latter was implemented in a perverted form from the mid-1950s, one of its tools was textbooks in local languages developed by mission societies as part of a transnational project, with African participation. Introduced under the guise of expunging European control, Bantu Education merely served to reinforce such control. The response of local communities was an attempt to domesticate - and master - the 'foreign' body of the mission so as to create access to a larger world. This book focuses on the ensuing struggle, fought on many fronts, including medium of instruction and textbook content, with concomitant sub-texts relating to gender roles and sexuality. South Africa's educational history is to this day informed by networks of people and ideas crossing geographic and racial boundaries. The colonial legacy has inevitably involved cultural mixing and hybridisation - with, paradoxically, parallel pleas for purity. Chisholm explores how these ideas found expression in colliding and coalescing worlds, one African, the other European, caught between mission and apartheid education.

Outreach 2021 Resource of the Year (Theology and Biblical Studies) Many sincere Christians dismiss evangelism due to enduring evangelistic caricatures. This book helps readers move beyond those caricatures to consider thoughtfully and practically how they can engage in evangelism, whether it's through one-on-one conversations, social media, social justice, or the liturgy of worship services. At once biblical, theological, historical, and practical, this book by a seasoned scholar offers an engaging, well-researched, and well-organized presentation and analysis of eight models of evangelism. Covering a breadth of approaches--from personal evangelism to media evangelism and everything in between--Priscilla Pope-Levison encourages readers to take a deeper look at evangelism and discover a model that captures their attention. Each chapter introduces and assesses a model biblically, theologically, historically, and practically, allowing for easy comparison across the board. The book also includes end-of-chapter study questions to further help readers interact with each model.

At the end of your life, will you be able to say you squeezed out all the gusto and good you were created for?

Deep inside all of us is the relentless knowledge that we were created for greatness, yet years can pass, and all our efforts don't add up to what we envisioned life would bring.

Author, pastor, and evangelist Craig Walker challenges you to forget the mediocre and dream again. It's time to answer the high calling within you! It's time to unlock your potential as never before!

Craig witnessed nearly 800,000 decisions for Christ in 22 months by utilizing today's internet technology. Now he has set out to inspire you to discover and leave the huge footprint you were destined to place on planet Earth. Born in this generation by God's design, your destiny is tied to the technological context of your world. This is THE greatest time ever to be alive. You have more opportunities to change your world than any preceding generation.

In Born for the Extraordinary, Craig shares...

• How to tap into the greatness God placed within you
• How just one God-inspired idea can evolve into a plan that reaches the world
• Jaw-dropping, firsthand testimonies of miracles, healings, and even witchdoctor deliverances
• How to recognize God's voice, follow His instructions, and dream beyond your ability