Life is hard--for everyone. No matter how blessed or fortunate you might be, there is a level of difficulty to your life: hard classes, jobs, relationships, and losses. But by following seven basic life disciplines, anyone can experience accomplishment, freedom, and ease in navigating through life's daily challenges. In this positive, insightful book, veteran pastor Bob Merritt describes a set of universal principles that can work for everyone in every stage of life, showing that what you do today determines who you become tomorrow.
"The life disciplines in this book will lead readers away from failure and regret to accomplishment and ease--not easy, but ease in getting 'out of the boat' and on with navigating through life's daily challenges."--John Ortberg, author, "The Me I Want to Be
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"Here's your breakthrough--insightful, practical, biblical wisdom that can turn your life around "--Lee Strobel, author, "The Case for the Real Jesus"

Discover a Proven Approach to Raising Your Church s Evangelistic Temperature Evangelism. It s one of the highest values in the church. So why do so few churches put real effort into it? Maybe it s because we don t understand the evangelistic potential of the church well enough to get excited about it. Becoming a Contagious Church will change that. Revised and updated, this streamlined edition dispels outdated preconceptions and reveals evangelism as it really can be. What s more, it walks you through a 6-Stage Process and includes a brand-new 6-Stage Process assessment tool for taking your church beyond mere talk to infections energy, action, and lasting commitment. This book is not optional It s required reading for all who are serious about reaching their communities for Christ. Ignoring this book would be pastoral malpractice Lee Strobel, author of The Case for the Real Jesus You can t read this book without having your heart stirred to share the gospel. It s contagious Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life Entire leadership teams and outreach committees should read and discuss this powerful book---and then put its principles into action. John Maxwell, author of Developing Leaders Around You I can t emphasize how important books like this one are for the future of the church. It demythologizes the fear and awkwardness of evangelism into something biblical, tangible, and practical for every person. Dan Kimball, author of They Like Jesus but Not the Church Becoming a Contagious Church is hands-down the most comprehensive work on church evangelism I ve ever read. Its principles can turn inward-looking church attenders into outward-looking church evangelists. Craig Groeschel, senior pastor, LifeChurch.tv"

"Breakthrough ideas to take your church to the next level of effectiveness"--Bill Hybels
After more than twenty-five years of ministry in Hawaii, Wayne Cordeiro knows how to do church as a team. In his signature style, he shares this expertise with pastors, lay leaders, and people in the pew who want to see their churches become more vibrant. He presents twelve practical proven steps to develop a church God wants to bless, including ways to help people become part of a community, develop a culture of serving, turn visitors into regular attenders, and much more. This short, easy-to-read book is one pastors will want to share with their leadership team.

Rediscovering Church is the candid story of Willow Creek Community Church's phenomenal growth, from 100 members meeting in a Palatine, Illinois, movie theater to its present Sunday morning attendance of 15,000. Bill Hybels and his wife, Lynne, tell about Willow Creek's beginnings, its struggles, the philosophy behind its success, and the strategies that have made it a model for church growth. The first half of the book, written by Lynne Hybels, explores the early years of Willow Creek and the personal accounts behind one of this century's most remarkable church stories. It offers an honest look at the ways God has used both the strengths and weaknesses of His people, creating a church of believers who have had tremendous impact for Christ in their community. In the second half of Rediscovering Church, Bill Hybels helps you apply the strengths of Willow Creek's ministry philosophy to your own congregation's mission. From mission statements to developing leadership, making sound financial decisions, and handling growth, Bill stresses that God wants to build His church to be an effective and committed community of faith that reaches out to a hurting world, to be the body of Christ in real and tangible ways. Rediscovering Church draws on the experiences of Willow Creek to show how one fellowship crystallized its mission and methodology, its vision and values. The Willow Creek story provides an example that churches and individuals alike can turn to for inspiration, encouragement, and a means of uncovering the pattern for their own unique mission and ministry.

David Anderson writes about multicultural leadership not from the perspective of an ivory tower intellectual, but as a hands-on practitioner who loves and believes in the body of Christ. . . . If you believe there is no solution to the race problem, I urge you to reconsider and to learn from someone who is on the frontlines of making multicultural ministry a reality in the church today. ---Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church Multiculturalism isn t a trend, it s a reality. Evidence of this country s rich racial mix is all around us in our schools, our stores, our neighborhoods, our recreational facilities---everywhere except our churches. Heaven may include every culture, tongue, and tribe, but in the United States, Sunday morning remains one of the last bastions of ethnic separatism. It s time to stop merely talking about multicultural worship and start living it. In this groundbreaking book, David Anderson invites us all---African-American, Asian, Caucasian, and Latino---to learn how to dance the dance of multicultural ministry. We ve all got different moves, but that s the beauty of diversity: the various gifts we bring, the wisdom of our heritages, the different creative ways we express the same Lord. Think it can t be done? Think again. As Anderson demonstrates, it is being done successfully by more and more churches. Wherever your church is now on the multicultural continuum, you can join the ranks of those moving toward a diverse and thriving ministry. Combining frontline insights with inspiring stories, Anderson takes you and your church into the strategy-level realities of what it takes to make multicultural ministry work in your setting. Do you hear the beat of the Spirit? God is calling your church to the dance of unity in diversity. Don t hold back Grab this book, get out on the dance floor, and let Multicultural Ministry show you the steps. Includes a Racial Reconciliation survey and six-session Racial Reconciliation curriculum."

Today s spiritually searching culture is less inclined than ever to attend church. Yet, no time of the week is filled with more life-changing potential than Sunday morning. Imagine . . . experiences that bring people heart-to-heart with God.messages in which God s truth connects to everyday life.transcendent moments that leave people awestruck---and transformed. That s what can happen when you unleash the arts in your church through the power of the Holy Spirit. An Hour on Sunday is not about nitty-gritty programming details or cookie-cutter how-to s. It s about foundational issues---ten enduring principles that: unite artists and ministry leaders around a common language empower artists and pastors to effectively work together create the potential for moments that matter on Sunday morning. An Hour on Sunday is for worship and arts ministry leaders, pastors and teachers, artists---including musicians, writers, dancers, actors, visual artists, film makers, light and sound engineers and anyone who believes in the limitless potential of the arts in their church. Whimsically illustrated, written with passion and humor, and filled with stories of both success and failure, An Hour on Sunday explores the deep, shaping forces that can make your hour on Sunday a time of transformation and wonder for believers and seekers alike."

No one can deny our culture is opposed to Christian values, and the influences bombarding our children's moral development are difficult to contend with. But few parents and church leaders realize that a child's moral development is set by the age of nine. It is therefore critical to start developing a child's biblical worldview from the very earliest years of life. The problem is complex: parents who themselves did not receive early spiritual training leave their children's training to the church. Yet the church often focuses on older children. The answer is for churches to come alongside parents to provide them biblical worldview training, parenting information, and counseling that will equip them to help their children become the spiritually mature church of tomorrow. This helpful and hopeful book unpacks just how to develop this kind of dynamic church/parent relationship and includes profiles of churches that are effectively ministering to children and winning the war for their hearts and minds.

Promiseland is Willow Creek's highly successful children's ministry. Using examples from Promiseland and churches of all sizes around the country, this book provides step by step guidance and creative application exercises to help churches develop a thriving children's ministry-one that strives to be the best hour of every kid's week. Included are Scripture-based principles and practical resources for church staff members and volunteers who agree with the critical role children's ministry plays in a local church. Making Your Children's Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid's Week, based on twenty-eight years of experience at Willow Creek, explains four ministry foundations: Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategy. Content includes: Detailed answers to questions facing every children's ministry: * What does Jesus expect from children's ministry? * How can we evangelize lost kids and disciple saved kids at the same time, and should we? * How do we engage kids so they don't become bored? * How do we get better at recruiting and leading volunteers? * How can our ministry be a safe place for children? * Six specific ministry values that address the needs of today's children * Practical first steps for ministries that want to get serious about change * Clear indicators of success in children's ministry

One of the church's primary responsibilities is to foster genuine spiritual growth in people's lives. Today's pastors bring tremendous effort and passion to this task, but they are often disappointed by people who sit in the pews for years, knowing about Jesus but never really knowing him. In 2004, Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago undertook a three-year study to measure spiritual growth called the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey. Over the next six years, additional data was collected from over a quarter million people in well over a thousand churches of every size, denomination, and geographic area. Move presents verifiable, fact-based, and somewhat startling findings from the latest REVEAL research, drawing on compelling stories from actual people-congregation members of varying spiritual maturity, as well as pastors who are equally candid as they share their disappointments and their successes. It provides a new lens through which church leaders can see and measure the evidence of spiritual growth. The local church is uniquely equipped to foster spiritual growth and challenge people to pursue a life of full devotion to Christ. Move helps pastors and church leaders inspire and direct that challenge with confidence as they lead their congregations to move closer to Christ.

Building on the solid foundation laid in Becoming a Contagious Christian, Just Walk Across the Room signals the next era in personal evangelism. Pastor Bill Hybels s firm conviction is that the highest value in personal evangelism is being attuned to and cooperative with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This means playing only the role you are intended to play---walking when the Spirit says to walk, talking when the Spirit says to talk, and falling silent when the Spirit suggests that you ve already said enough. More than two thousand years ago, Jesus himself introduced the perfect model for evangelism. He left the marvelous adoration of the angels and the perfection of heaven, and he chose to walk clear across the cosmos. He had no memorized script, no forced formulas. Instead, he was armed only with an offer of redemption to people just like you and me, many of whom were neck-deep in pain of their own making. Today, the goal for every Christian is to reflect Christ s love and follow his example by taking simple walks across rooms---leaving our circles of comfort and extending hands of care, compassion, and inclusiveness to people living far from God. Hybels encourages Christ-followers to live in 3-D ---developing friendships, discovering stories, and discerning appropriate next steps---as a means of learning to understand the Spirit s promptings. With fresh perspectives from his own reflections and experiences collected during his most recent decade of ministry. Hybels shows with undeniable clarity the power of this approach to evangelism. The stakes are high. The implications are eternal. And you may be only a conversation away from having unparalleled impact on someone s life---if you will just walk across the room."

Overscheduled. Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Sound familiar? Too familiar? You are living at a velocity you know deep down is unsustainable. Your life is off course - too crammed with busyness, too out of focus. You keep waiting for things to get better, but they never do. In Simplify, bestselling author Bill Hybels identifies core issues that drive this kind of living and offers action steps to help you live a better way. By eradicating clutter from your inner world, you can experience immediate rewards: greater energy, clearer purpose, richer relationships and more. Your life won't simplify itself. You must act. Isn't it time?