Ted Haggard presents a successful and tested model for a small group ministry here that can be implemented by a church of any size. By enabling members to embrace and capitalize on their own unique abilities, the diverse groups create an environment where people meet mentors that can disciple and guide them. This need-and interest based approach redefines the model for powerful church growth.

We might be relieved if God placed our sanctification only in the hands of trained professionals, but that is not his plan. Instead, through the ministry of every part of the body, the whole church will mature in Christ. Paul David Tripp helps us discover where change is needed in our own lives and the lives of others. Following the example of Jesus, Tripp reveals how to get to know people, and how to lovingly speak truth to them.

Stewardship: The Proven Path: Fund-raising Principles for Church Capital Campaigns is the first book by the national fund raising specialist James D. Klote. After years of educating churches one at a time, he felt called to put his experience and educational information into an easy to read, simple to follow format. He wants churches to achieve their goals in mission in ministry This inside look at the complexities of a Capital Campaign offers the unique perspective of his 20 years of experience with churches. The anecdotes throughout the book highlight the lessons he has learned along the way so you don't have to learn them. This easy to understand description of his practical and straightforward approach to a Capital Campaign will make you wonder why it is not the most common approach to fund raising.He describes in detail the process of conducting the campaign, complete with sample campaign prayers. However, he offers a warning to not attempt a campaign on your own if you have needs greater than one times your annual giving. Outlined are the most common mistakes made by churches attempting campaigns on their own and those made by part-time fund raising consulting firms.You will be convinced that there is more to a Capital Campaign than you might imagine and the guidance of a full time consultant is the key to Capital Campaign success.

The Author's Account Of His Travels To Monasteries Of The Mediterranean And Mid-East Area, Including Egypt, Jerusalem, Athos As Well As Details Of Native People, Their Beliefs.

There is so much forgotten because we don't remember to record our heritage. Greater Holy Temple Church of God in Christ is a stellar example of an urban church surviving and thriving in the midst of economic, political, social, and cultural change spanning from 1925 to the present. The earliest members risked moving from the familiar agrarian society of the South to the unknown urban environment of the North sixty years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Over eight decades, this haven for hundreds of migrants from the South and their descendents have been led by three visionary pastors: Bishop Eleazar Lenox, Elder James E. Lenox, and now Pastor Lamont Lenox. The members' stories are ones of faith, courage, perseverance, love, and devotion to God, family, and each other. In this book, Dr. Mary F. Lenox identifies, records and places in context the growth and development of this phenomenal spiritual center known as Greater Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, and to celebrate its magnificent history with a view of its promising future.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Discusses the current crisis of Christian community and offers timely, helpful insights based on 1 Corinthians

At a time when secularism is put forward as the answer to religious fundamentalism and violence, Secularisms offers a powerful, multivoiced critique of the narrative equating secularism with modernity, reason, freedom, peace, and progress. Bringing together essays by scholars based in religious studies, gender and sexuality studies, history, science studies, anthropology, and political science, this volume challenges the binary conception of "conservative" religion versus "progressive" secularism. With essays addressing secularism in India, Iran, Turkey, Great Britain, China, and the United States, this collection crucially complicates the dominant narrative by showing that secularism is multifaceted. How secularism is lived and experienced varies with its national, regional, and religious context. The essays explore local secularisms in relation to religious traditions ranging from Islam to Judaism, Hinduism to Christianity. Several contributors explicitly take up the way feminism has been implicated in the dominant secularization story. Ultimately, by dislodging secularism's connection to the single (and singular) progress narrative, this volume seeks to open spaces for other possible narratives about both secularism and religion-as well as for other possible ways of inhabiting the contemporary world. Contributors: Robert J. Baird, Andrew Davison, Tracy Fessenden, Janet R. Jakobsen, Laura Levitt, Molly McGarry, Afsaneh Najmabadi, Taha Parla, Geeta Patel, Ann Pellegrini, Tyler Roberts, Ranu Samantrai, Banu Subramaniam, Rajeswari Sunder Rajan, Angela Zito

Bixby discusses the ways in which churches can restructure themselves and work through issues that are causing stagnation, early dismissal of pastors, and other conflicts that detract from the mission and vision of the church. Challenging the Church Monster suggests new ways for churches to function so that mission and ministry can once again become priorities, and people can begin to feel their time and energy are being used for something other than adding fuel to the fire of conflict within the congregation.

"An old dog (galu wamkota) does not dig for nothing," so the proverb says. The two authors, one from America (with 45 years in Zambia); the other from Zambia, explore the encounter of the Christian faith with African Traditional Religion, treating concept(s) of God, the world of the spirits, of powers and witchcraft, and then how the Bible can be translated into the language of Zambia and Malawi taking into account both changes in concepts of translation and in society

With Islam making headway in winning believers, Christians in an ever-increasing number are deeply involved in study to find out why they believe the things they do. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Like detectives investigating to find the "facts," they are finding many of their traditional beliefs inconsistent with what the Bible reveals. Does one actually have a soul-and is it immortal? What does the Bible reveal? What does history have to say? These are just a few of the questions being asked among many more spoken on in this book. Millions of Christians agree that their end-time fate rests upon the beliefs they have. Their response has been to study the Bible. This book, while not the last word, attempts to bring out the basis for its conclusions. It is a book that will help the ordinary student of the Bible who sits in the pews of a church every Sunday to develop a deeper understanding of their beliefs. What is written in this book is presented in a strong enough way to justify its acceptance, yet in so doing does not discredit those who can't accept it for whatever reason. You Decide.

Forty years ago, Toolan composed the words and music of the famous hymn I Am the Bread of Life, performed in 25 languages worldwide. Today, Toolan is one of the most respected writers of religious hymns in the world; the story behind her work sparks creativity in other artists and musicians. (Motivation)

All Things Are Ready by Peter Andrew Smith is a lectionary book based on Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. Here are some of the topics covered in this lectionary book: - Communion prayer - Communion prayers - Prayers after communion - Responsive prayer - Stewardship - Christian stewardship - Lectionary resources - Lectionary scripture - Lectionary worship Make your celebration of the Lord's Supper flow together with music and other liturgical elements with this stimulating collection of communion prayers. Peter Andrew Smith incorporates imagery and themes from lectionary scripture texts, church seasons, and special pastoral occasions into these eloquent prayers, allowing you to design seamless worship experiences in which the Eucharist reflects and reinforces the focus of the entire service. There are 35 responsive settings of pre-communion prayers for a variety of times throughout the year, including church seasons, seasons of the year, confirmation, stewardship, and more, as well as seven brief post-communion prayers. This volume will be a cherished resource for any pastor or worship planner. We do thank and praise you, Loving God, for the richness of the gifts you have given us. You have given us the bounty of creation, the bold colors of autumn, the cycles of nature, and the wonder of the earth around us. You have richly blessed us with a world of life and beauty. (excerpt from ""Autumn"") Peter Andrew Smith is a pastor in the United Church of Canada who currently serves in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. Smith is also a freelance writer of both fiction and nonfiction in several genres. His devotions have appeared in The Upper Room and United Online, and his stories have been in numerous publications, including The Drabbler and Storyteller. Smith is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick and Atlantic School of Theology.

This is the first book by a Malawian woman theologian. First released in 1997 it won an honorable mention in the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa in 1998 and is now updated here with a new introduction by the author. The study traces the struggles and contribution of Chewa women to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. Amongst the topics are female mediumships in traditional religion, post-missionary developments in Chigwirizano, womens attempts to achieve some public manifestation of their personal relatioship to God in open ministry, and the current women's organisation in Nkhoma Synod. Dr. Isabel Apawo Phiri is in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Malawi.

The author is a committed Christian, a member of the Chapel of the Resurrection in Nigeria. He was born into a pagan home, his parents worshipping the gods of ogun and osanyin. His grandmother was a priestess of the osanyin deity and his mother inherited her shrine. As a boy he was taken to an ifa preist. From early in his youth and his time as a student at the University of Ibadan, he has been a committed Christian, and this is his account of the Christian story of his time as a student and member of faculty at the University. He was the first President of Ibadan Varsity Christian Union, and an active member of the Chapel. Rather than an autobiography, this is a history of the Christian faith at the University of Ibadan. Kayode Adesogan Head of the Department of Chemical Sciences at Olabisi Onabanjao University, Ogun State; and is the retired Professor of Chemistry at the University of Ibadan.

The Author's Account Of His Travels To Monasteries Of The Mediterranean And Mid-East Area, Including Egypt, Jerusalem, Athos As Well As Details Of Native People, Their Beliefs.

MISSIONS STRATEGIES OF KOREAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARIES IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES is the most important book on Presbyterian missions in the Philippines to be published in this century. Historians of Asia and scholars of Christian history interested in learning about the planting of the Presbyterian movement in the Philippines cannot ignore this book. This book describes the origin and growth of the Presbyterian Church of the Philippines (PCP), a major Presbyterian denomination in the Philippines, and it explains the strategies used by Presbyterian missionaries to accomplish Presbyterianism in the Philippines. Written by the current director of the main missionary training agency of the Korean Presbyterian Church (Ko-Shin), one of the biggest Korean Presbyterian denominations with thousands of churches throughout the world and dozens of co-operative "daughter" Korean Presbyterian denominations worldwide - in the USA, Australia, the European Union, Indonesia, etc. - this book provides a picture into the secrets of success behind Korean Presbyterian missions work. This book is written by Rev. Dr. Hoo-Soo Jose Nam who has served as the President of Cebu Bible College in the Philippines for over a decade and trained hundreds of Christian clergy and leaders. Rev. Dr. Nam is not only an academic but personally founded or help found over 10 Filipino Presbyterian churches in the Philippines. This book is an authoritative book on Presbyterian missionary activity in the Philippines by one who was an important part of that history.

Here is a carefully researched yet accessible study by Luther E. Smith, Jr. of five religious communities -- Church of the Messiah, Koinonia Partners, Patchwork Central, Sojourners, and Voice of Calvary.