Methodism started out as a missional alternative to establishment Christianity, but is now like the establishment Christianity it once critiqued. In this book, Dr. Hunter asks whether enough New Testament Christianity exists in any institutional form of Christianity, including The United Methodist Church, to change the world. If United Methodism is to survive, it must recover bold directions in ministry, in addition to Wesley s theological vision. If only it was so simple as to stand on Wesley s shoulders to see our way forward. This means that laity and clergy must be biblically informed, spiritually energized, and systematically organized. If United Methodism is to thrive, it needs to focus on mission, recalling that early Methodism was an extravagant expression of missional Christianity. Net membership decline is not from losing more people but from reaching fewer people than it used to. The need for the gospel of Jesus Christ is greater than ever. United Methodists must create structures and serve God and neighbor in order to spread, as Wesley admonished, scriptural holiness throughout the land. George G. Hunter III is Distinguished Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of several books, including Radical Outreach and The Celtic Way of Evangelism, both published by Abingdon Press."

A church in the heart of Manhattan and a congregation among the Inuit people of Northern Canada would seem to have little in common with one another. Yet in one way they are surprisingly similar: They are both apostolic congregations, churches whose every program exists for the purpose of presenting the gospel to non-Christians, and making disciples of Jesus Christ.

What is the secret of churches like these; how have they learned to make evangelism central to everything they do? In studying apostolic congregations around the world, George G. Hunter III has discovered a set of perspectives and practices that they all share. With the passion and insight for which he is so well known, Hunter demonstrates how your congregation can learn to focus on the one thing that most matters: bringing people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Most pastors are comfortable with the role of leader. Inspiring people and helping them discover and make use of their own gifts are tasks to which ministers generally feel called. Too many pastors and church leaders, however, forget that along with skills at leadership must come at least some acquaintance with the work of managing staff (whether it be paid or voluntary) and resources. What are the chief qualities and functions of a leader? Why are management skills necessary for an effective leader? Most important, how can pastors and other church leaders adapt these insights to their particular work as servants of the church?

In Leading & Managing a Growing Church, George Hunter brings together insights from the best writers and thinkers on leadership and management, and presents them in a brief, accessible introduction. With the clarity and style that is his trademark, he explores the most important ideas to emerge from leadership and management studies, and demonstrates how they can be put in the service of congregational vitality and growth.

Key Features: Brings together insights from the best thinkers on leadership and management, and shows how these insights can be put in the service of congregational vitality and growth Written by a well-known and highly respected author

Key Benefits: Provides readers quick access to the best and most relevant insights of recent studies in leadership and management Helps readers understand the need of church leaders to possess certain crucial management and leadership skills Shows readers how to put these skills and insights into practice in the service of the church

GEORGE G. HUNTER III is Dean of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism and Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. A sought-after preacher and lecturer, he is the author of the bestselling Church for the Unchurched, How to Reach Secular People, and The Celtic Way of Evangelism, all published by Abingdon Press."

Provides six proven successful "mega-strategies" for bringing more people into the church. Explains why John Wesley's writings still hold valuable insights for church growth.

"In reading the manuscript, I was inspired by the constant swing between theory and practice. Here is a valid principle, writes Hunter; here is how it works in Tampa, Florida, or Wilmington, Delaware. I was also enthused, as you will be, to observe how McGavran and Wesley targeted 'responsive' people, how they both used indigenous music and language and culture, how they identified needs and met them, and how determined both were to have supportive fellowship groups, lest converts die 'aborning'."--Richard Wilke, from the foreword.

Celtic Christianity the form of Christian faith that flourished among the people of Ireland during the Middle Ages has gained a great deal of attention lately. George G. Hunter III points out that while the attention paid to the Celtic Christians is well deserved, much of it fails to recognize the true genius of this ancient form of Christianity. What many contemporary Christians do not realize is that Celtic Christianity was one of the most successfully evangelistic branches of the church in history. The Celtic church converted Ireland from paganism to Christianity in a remarkably short period, and then proceeded to send missionaries throughout Europe. North America is today in the same situation as the environment in which the early Celtic preachers found their mission fields: unfamiliar with the Christian message, yet spiritually seeking and open to a vibrant new faith. If we are to spread the gospel in this culture of secular seekers, we would do well to learn from the Celts. Their ability to work with the beliefs of those they evangelized, to adapt worship and church life to the indigenous patterns they encountered, remains unparalleled in Christian history. If we are to succeed in reaching the West . . . again, then we must begin by learning from these powerful witnesses to the saving love of Jesus Christ. This classic book on the power of indigenous evangelism has been thoroughly revised and updated, proving once again how much these ancient Christians have to teach anyone who seeks to spread the word of the gospel."