The managing editor of Christianity Today and founder of the popular Her.meneutics blog encourages women to find joy in vocation in this game-changing look at the importance of women and work.Women today inhabit and excel in every profession, yet many Christian women wonder about the value of work outside the home. And in circles where the traditional family model is highly regarded, many working women who sense a call to work find little church or peer support. In A Woman's Place, Katelyn Beaty, print managing editor of Christianity Today and cofounder of Her.meneutics, insists it's time to reconsider women's work. She challenges us to explore new ways to live out the Scriptural call to rule over creation--in the office, the home, in ministry, and beyond. Starting with the Bible's approach to work--including the creation story, the Proverbs 31 woman, and New Testament models--Beaty shows how women's roles in Western society have changed; how the work-home divide came to exist; and how the Bible offers models of women in leadership. Readers will be inspired by stories of women effecting dynamic cultural change, leading institutions, and living out grand and beautiful vocations. Far from insisting that women must work outside the home, Beaty urges all believers into a better framework for imagining career, ambition, and calling. Whether caring for children, running a home, business, or working full-time, all readers will be inspired to live in a way that glorifies God. Sure to spark discussion, A Woman's Place is a game-changing look at the importance of work for women and men alike.

Ever wonder how a restaurant or hotel earns a five-star rating? Is it the people? The location? The service? In most cases, it is all of this and more. Why should your church be any different? The Five Star Church reveals how you can pursue Christian excellence and uphold the Lord's command to "honor one another above yourselves" (Romans 12:10). It contains tips, tools, and the inspiration you need to build a top-quality church that people will flock to and participate in. No matter how small your ministry or budget, God can use your church effectively to make everyone there feel welcome and cared for--the marks of a five-star church!

First published in 1980, but then out of print for several years, this collection, together with The History of Ideas and Doctrines of Canon Law in the Middle Ages, presents a series of fundamental articles by the acknowledged master of medieval canon law studies. For this second edition they have been provided with extensive sections of new notes and references and the detailed indexes have been wholly revised and expanded. The volumes therefore now constitute essential works of reference for all those interested in the study of the medieval Church and its law. Ces deux collections, tout d'abord publiees en 1980, mais actuellement hors impression depuis plusieurs annees, presentent une serie de textes fondamentaux du mAcitre inconteste de l'etude du droit canon medieval. Pour cette seconde edition, elles ont ete enrichies de sections importantes de nouvelles notes et references et les index detailles ont ete entierement revises et approfondis. De ce fait, ces ouvrages constituent aujourd'hui des travaux essentiels de reference pour tous ceux interesses par l'etude de l'Eglise medievale et de son droit.

This classic text outlines the development of the Papacy as an institution in the Middle Ages. With profound knowledge, insight and sophistication, Walter Ullmann traces the course of papal history from the late Roman Empire to its eventual decline in the Renaissance. The focus of this survey is on the institution and the idea of papacy rather than individual figures, recognizing the shaping power of the popes' roles that made them outstanding personalities. The transpersonal idea, Ullmann argues, sprang from Christianity itself and led to the Papacy as an institution sui generis.

A radical reassessment of the role of Mary the mother of Jesus and other women in the early Church Despite the commonly held assumption that the Bible says little about the mother of Jesus, there are many indications that Mary preceded and inspired her son in fostering the emergence of a new faith community. In the Gospel of John, Mary instigates Jesus' first miracle, and in all four gospels she is present at the crucifixion, suggesting hers was a place of unparalleled importance in the Christian story. Setting aside presuppositions based on doctrine, Chris Maunder returns to the New Testament to answer the question 'Who was Mary?' He re-examines the virgin conception of Jesus, Mary's contribution to Jesus' ministry, and her central role in the events of the crucifixion and the resurrection. In so doing, Maunder casts a thought-provoking new light on Mary and the women, including Mary Magdalene, who stood alongside her.

This foundational book will equip each believer with the basic steps to a life-transforming, deeper intimacy with the Father. "Transforming the Inner Man "introduces the keys that reach to the depth of the heart with the power of the cross and resurrection to effect lasting change through continual death and rebirth. John and Paula Sandford take a no-nonsense approach to Christian living. A few of their chapter titles are as follows: - Sanctification and Transformation - Performance Orientation - The Central Power and Necessity of Forgiveness - The Role of a Christian Counselor - Bitter-Root Judgment and Expectancy - Generational Sin
In this thought-provoking and sensitive message, the Sandfords challenge every believer to focus on change from the inside out. A change that will last.

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. Confessions describes Saint Augustine's conversion to Christianity and is the basis for his reputation as one of Christianity's most influential thinkers.

Will empower all leaders - whether of the church, a small group or an Alpha gathering - to better hone and share their message in a way that will connect with the person or people they are trying to reach.

Awaken the dormant dreams in your heart and start paving a path toward freedom and healing. Sometimes life smacks us upside the head while we are looking the other way. We get knocked down and struggle to get back up. But your past struggles do not determine your future. Using the pain of her past, Nicole Crank walks you through the hurdles meant to keep you down, which will, in turn, bring you closer to God. I Will Thrive gives you the courage to look at your past and be able to declare freedom from fear--allowing a daring spirit to rise up in those who have forgotten how to be brave. This freedom awakens the fight that's inside of you to stand up to the enemy and dream again. Regardless of what happened to you or even because of you, God's plan for you always has a hope and a future, and it never changes. You'll learn to find healing and happiness in every day.

A Leadership Network Publication

With this much-needed handbook, the authors brilliantly combine their experience guiding dozens of churches through the change process with both the study of Christian disciplines and the sophisticated understanding of such important business thinkers as John Kotter on leading change and Peter Senge on learning organizations. In this eminently readable book the authors have distilled their insights and practices into simple but powerful concepts for leading congregations, whether long established or recently formed, through profound change.

Leaders using this guide will also be interested in the companion "Leading Congregational Change Workbook," which offers assessment questions, planning worksheets, activities, and case examples for each stage of the process.

For: *Individual use *Group training Includes usher s checklist and resources for the offering Your importance as an usher can t be overstated. Your impact is enormous both in meeting the needs of people and in keeping the church service running smoothly. Serving as a Church Usher sheds light on *The Ministry of Ushers *The Functions of an Usher *An Usher s Standard of Excellence *The Authority and Responsibility of Ushers *Ushers as Greeters Zondervan Practical Ministry Guides provide you with simple, practical insights for serving in today s churches. Written by experienced pastors and church workers, these easy-to-read, to-the-point booklets address the fundamentals of different ministries as practiced effectively in real life. You ll find biblical insight and wise, field-tested advice you can apply today, as well as discussion questions to help you think through and integrate what you read."

Contemporary models of Christian leadership are often shaped more by culture than by Christ. Ineffective leadership, overbearing authority and burnout are endemic. In stark contrast, John Stott urges that our view of leadership must be determined by our view of the Church, and not the other way round. He demonstrates that the theme of 'power through weakness' is central. He expounds the role of the Holy Spirit in God's revelation, and he examines four of Paul's most striking models of ministry, each of which is an aspect of humility. In contrast to seductive styles of leadership being advocated by the wisdom of the world, John Stott urges Christian leaders to be characterised above all else by 'the meekness and the gentleness of Christ'.

"Women and the Church" provides an overview of the historical, biblical, and cultural perspectives on the unique roles and gifts women bring to the church, while exploring what it takes to minister to women today. Important insight for any leader seeking to understand how to more effectively minister to women and build women's ministries in the local church.

Should we actually practice church discipline today? Is it unloving? Once an ordinary part of church life, churches gradually stopped practicing church discipline in the 20th century. But Jesus commands it. Paul practiced it. And churches benefit from it. Why practice church discipline? It shows love for the individual caught in sin, love for the whole church, love for non-Christian neighbors, and love for the glory of Christ. In the Church Basics Series, trusted church experts write practical, trustworthy resources on issues like Church Discipline, the Lord's Supper, and Baptism that every pastor can hand every church member.

As the church continues to hear and heed Christ's call to reflect the multiethnic character of his people, pastors and lay leaders need to gain skills and competencies to serve in those contexts. The multicultural team of Juan Martinez and Mark Branson has written this book to equip such leaders to create environments that make God's reconciling initiatives apparent in church life and in our missional engagement with neighborhoods and cities. Generated by courses they teach at Fuller Theological Seminary, Branson and Martinez take an interdisciplinary approach that integrates biblical and theological study with the disciplines of sociology, cultural anthropology and communications. The result is a rich blend of astute analysis with guidance for practical implementation of a deeper intercultural life for the church. Case studies, Bible studies and exercises for personal reflection and classroom use connect the real life and everyday challenges that inevitably arise in multi-ethnic contexts. Martinez and Branson offer not static model but a praxis of "paying attention," reflection and study that can lead to a genuine reconciliation and shared life empowered by the gospel that is personal, interpersonal, cultural and structural.

Help! I'm Married to My Pastor is written for ministry wives who feel alone, afraid, and stressed to the limit, reminding them that God will work out his good purposes through even the hardest moments of ministry and marriage.

In this addition to the 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series, Matt Merker explores the biblical understanding of corporate worship as an activity where God gathers the church by his grace, unto his glory, for their mutual good, and before the world's gaze.

During the anxiety-laden period from the Great Depression through World War II to the Cold War, Americans found a welcome escape in the new medium of radio. Throughout radio's "Golden Age," religious broadcasting in particular contributed significantly to American culture. Yet its historic role often has been overlooked. In Ministers of a New Medium, Kirk D. Farney explores the work of two groundbreaking leaders in religious broadcasting: Fulton J. Sheen and Walter A. Maier. These clergymen and professors-one a Catholic priest, the other a Lutheran minister-each led the way in combining substantive theology and emerging technology to spread the gospel over the airwaves. Through weekly nationwide broadcasts, Maier's The Lutheran Hour and Sheen's Catholic Hour attracted listeners across a spectrum of denominational and religious affiliations, establishing their hosts-and Christian radio itself-as cultural and religious forces to be reckoned with. Farney examines how Sheen and Maier used their exceptional erudition, their sensitivity to the times, their powerful communication skills, and their unwavering Christian conviction, all for the purpose of calling the souls of listeners and the soul of a nation to repentance and godliness. Their combination of talents also brought their respective denominations, Roman Catholicism and Missouri Synod Lutheranism, from the periphery of the American religious landscape to a much greater level of recognition and acceptance. With careful attention to both the theological content and the cultural influence of these masters of a new medium, Farney's study sheds new light on the history of media and Christianity in the United States.

This fully updated second edition of Growing Young Leaders offers practical guidance for all those mentoring 13- to 18-year-olds in a faith context, with a view to nurturing them towards leadership roles. Linked to CPAS Growing Leaders - Youth Edition course, it also works as a stand-alone resource. It defines mentoring, analyses the necessary skills and attributes of a mentor today, encourages good practice, considers safeguarding issues and, above all, considers how to help young people identify their gifts and grow as Christian disciples. 'I hope and pray that this book will help release the potential of our young people so that they become even greater disciples of Jesus Christ.' John Sentamu, former Archbishop of York