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Institutions matter. They give us an opportunity to have an
influence for the common good that far outlasts us. But we often
assume that institutions are at cross-purposes with dynamic
communities, with personal vocational calling, and with core human
values. We view them somewhat cynically as, perhaps, a necessary
evil. Institutions, far from that, remain essential to human
flourishing. They are the very means by which communities thrive,
individual vocations are fulfilled, and society is changed for the
good. As a result, we all need to learn how to work effectively
within institutions. That is just what Gordon Smith provides. He
unpacks the core of institutional intelligence-the wisdom of
working effectively within an organization. At the same time, he
shows how team leaders, directors, executives, board members, key
stakeholders, and employees can avoid what is often their greatest
source of stress on the job-working with the institutional
character of their organizations. Focusing on the nonprofit sector,
Smith unlocks the essential elements of how institutions function
in a productive, healthy manner. Church staff, educators, and those
in service agencies can all thrive by understanding these dynamics
instead of fighting against them. By developing this essential
vocational capacity, we and those around us can not only fulfill
ourselves but also a mission that is larger than we are.
Lord's Supper. Eucharist. Communion. Sacrament. Ordinance. While
it's the meal that should unite us as followers of Christ, it
sometimes appears we can't even agree on what to call it, let alone
how we might share a common theological view of its significance.
Even if we cannot reach full agreement, how can we better
understand one another and this central observance of the Christian
faith? Gordon Smith has invited five representatives of differing
views within Christian tradition. Each holds his or her views with
conviction and makes the case for that tradition. Each responds to
the other views with charity, highlighting significant areas of
agreement and disagreement. The views and contributors include The
Roman Catholic View--Brother Jeffrey Gros, F.S.C., Professor of
Church History, Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tennessee
The Lutheran View--John R. Stephenson, Professor of Historical
Theology, Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catherines,
Ontario The Reformed View--Leanne Van Dyk, Academic Dean and
Professor of Reformed Theology, Western Theological Seminary,
Holland, Michigan The Baptist View--Roger E. Olson, Professor of
Theology, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, Texas The
Pentecostal View--Veli-Matti K?rkk?inen, Professor of Systematic
Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California Here's
a book that offers more light than heat on an important topic.
Our vocation is the outworking of how God has made us. It is not a
goal on the horizon but a present reality that we are called to
discern and explore. However, in the midst of our daily lives,
finding meaning can prove both difficult and elusive, and we are
often left wondering if we are missing out on God's purpose for our
lives. Gordon Smith invites us to reflect on our vocation and step
into God's call in the present moment. When discerning our vocation
feels overwhelming, Smith offers a simple question as a way
forward: "At this time and place, who am I meant to be, and what am
I called to do?" Theologically and historically grounded, Your
Calling Here and Now offers theological reflections and spiritual
practices that will help you discern God's call on your life.
Whether you are navigating career transitions or looking for
meaning in the ordinary, God has a purpose for your life for the
here and now.
What does it mean to provide leadership for the church in an
increasingly secular context? When religion is privatized and
secularism reigns in the public square, Christians are often drawn
toward either individualist escapism or constant cultural warfare.
But might this context instead offer a fresh invitation for the
church to adapt and thrive? Gordon Smith is passionate about the
need for capable, mature leaders to navigate and respond to a
changing society. In this book, he draws on his extensive
experience as a university president, pastor, and international
speaker to open a multidisciplinary conversation about the
competencies and capacities essential for today's leaders. After
analyzing the phenomenon of secularization in the West and charting
common Christian responses, Smith introduces four sources of wisdom
to help guide us through this new terrain: the people and prophets
of Judah during the Babylonian exile, the early church in its pagan
environment, contemporary churches across the Global South, and
Christian thinkers in post-Christian Europe. From these resources
he identifies practices and strategies-from liturgy and catechesis
to mission and hospitality-that can give shape to faithful,
alternative communities in such a time as this. In cultures fraught
with fear and division, Smith calls for leaders who can effect
change from the margins, promote unity and maturity among
Christians, and provide a non-anxious presence grounded in the
presence of Christ. Educators, church leaders, and those seeking to
understand the times will find this book to be an indispensable
resource for cultivating distinctively Christian leadership.
Institutions matter. But we often view them somewhat cynically,
perhaps as a necessary evil. In truth, institutions remain
essential to human flourishing. They are the very means by which
communities thrive, individual vocations are fulfilled, and society
is changed for the good. We all must learn the wisdom of working
effectively within institutions-what Gordon Smith calls
institutional intelligence. In this book Smith unlocks the
essential elements of how institutions function in a productive,
healthy manner. Focusing on the nonprofit sector, he shows how team
leaders, directors, executives, board members, key stakeholders,
and employees can avoid what is often their greatest source of
stress on the job-working with the institutional character of their
organizations. Church staff, educators, and those in service
agencies can all thrive by understanding these dynamics instead of
fighting against them. By developing institutional intelligence, we
and those around us can not only flourish personally but also
fulfill a larger mission.
This volume offers much-needed theological reflection on the
phenomenon of conversion and transformation. Gordon Smith provides
a robust evaluation that covers the broad range of thinking about
conversion across Christian traditions and addresses global
contexts. Smith contends that both in the church and in discussions
about contemporary mission, the language of conversion inherited
from revivalism is inadequate in helping to navigate the questions
that shape how we do church, how we approach faith formation, how
evangelism is integrated into congregational life, and how we
witness to the faith in non-Christian environments. We must rethink
the nature of the church in light of how people actually come to
faith in Christ. After drawing on ancient and pre-revivalist wisdom
on conversion, Smith delineates the contours of conversion and
Christian initiation for today's church. He concludes by discussing
the art of spiritual autobiography and what it means to be a
congregation.
World Guild Award Winner As the renowned scholar Thomas Oden noted,
"No subject of Christian teaching is more prone to fanaticism and
novelty and subjectivism than that of the Holy Spirit." The Bible's
own metaphors for the Spirit are as elusive as they are
evocative-wind, oil, flame, water, dove-making pneumatology a
mysterious study. But shying away from the topic is no solution.
Gordon Smith encourages us to seek both fresh understanding and
fresh experience of the Spirit through openness to learning more,
no matter what our theological tradition. In this way, as we hold
biblical convictions firmly but gracefully, the guiding principles
of discernment and humility will help us intentionally live
Spirit-responsive lives day by day. Welcome, Holy Spirit is a
much-needed master class with a trustworthy and encouraging
teacher. How can we cultivate an understanding of the Holy Spirit
that helps us experience the presence of the Spirit in worship, in
witness, in joy and sorrow, in seasons of blessing and times of
difficulty alike, all the while honoring the fullness of the
Trinity? An attentiveness to the Spirit need not replace Christ as
the focus of our lives and worship but can rather bring us truly
into the presence of the living and ascended Lord. It is to this
end that we pray, "Welcome, Holy Spirit."
Logos Bookstore Association Award for Christian Living One of the
most basic and vital dimensions of the Christian life is the
practice of prayer. Frequently our prayers begin with a petition or
request, so the content of our prayers is informed by our
circumstances. But what if the opposite were true? What if we
allowed our prayers to inform our lives? What would our lives be
like if prayer altered our living and began to shape the contours
and content of our daily experiences? Gordon Smith invites us to
learn three movements of prayer-thanksgiving, confession, and
discernment-in order to be formed and transformed by prayers that
seek God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Whether you are a
beginner in the life of prayer or further along, this small book is
a resource for deepening your prayer practice.
Christianity Today Award of Merit Best Book of
Spirituality—Academic, from Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds
Bookstore Evangelicals are known for their emphasis on conversion.
But what about life after conversion and beyond justification?
Desperately needed is a comprehensive theology of the Christian
life from beginning to end, along with the means of formation and
transformation. In Called to Be Saints, Gordon Smith draws on a
distinguished lifetime of reflecting on these themes to offer us a
theologically rich account of our participation in the life of
Christ. Both profound and practical, this book is a trinitarian
theology of holiness that encompasses both justification and
sanctification, both union with Christ and communion with God.
Smith unfolds how and why Christians are called to become wise
people, do good work, love others and enjoy rightly ordered
affections. If holiness is the ongoing journey of becoming mature
in Christ, then there is no better guide than Smith. Christians in
every walk of life will find this a rich resource for learning what
it means to "grow up in every way . . . into Christ" (Ephesians
4:15).
What on earth is God doing? Who are you? What is your stage of
life? What are your life circumstances? What is the cross you will
have to bear? What are you afraid of? We ask these six critical
questions-and then we ask them again-at points of transition in our
lives. They all lead us to the one core question: What is the good
work to which I am called? Gordon T. Smith, author of Courage and
Calling, writes: "It is a good question because our work matters to
us, to others and, of course, it matters to God. Work itself is
good. It is vital to our human identity; and we are most ourselves,
most who God calls us to be, living in what it means to know the
salvation of God, when we know the grace of work well done."
However, Smith acknowledges that this is not a simple question to
answer in the midst of our very complicated lives. That's why he
has written this brief and accessible book-to offer the support and
insight we need as we ponder these six core questions in community
with God and others. As a steward of your life, in attentiveness to
the calling of God, how is God inviting you to engage the world?
"Saints are made by good conversions." In this challenging and
provocative book, Gordon T. Smith contends that a chief cause of
spiritual immaturity in the evangelical church is an inadequate
theology of conversion. Conversion, he says, involves more than a
release from the consequences of sin--the goal is spiritual
transformation. But there is little transformation without a
complete and authentic conversion. The key is beginning well. In
this age of false starts and stunted growth, maturing Christians
need help reflecting on and interpreting their own religious
experience. Christian leaders need to rethink the way that
conversions happen. Beginning Well is a catalyst toward this end.
Surveying Scripture, spiritual autobiographies and a broad range of
theologies of conversion (Protestant and Catholic, Reformed and
Wesleyan), the author seeks to foster in the Christian community a
dynamic language of conversion that leads to spiritual
transformation and mature Christian living. In the process he moves
us from a short-sighted "minimalist" view to one that recognizes
seven elements necessary for good conversions. This book--a
stirring call to rethink the relationship between conversion and
transformation--is a must read for pastors, evangelists, spiritual
directors, seminary professors and others who are concerned about
the nurture and development of Christian converts, and the nature
of authentic religious experience.
How might our worship recapture and reflect the enchanted world of
God's nearness in Jesus Christ? In this first volume in IVP
Academic's Dynamics of Christian Worship series, John D. Rempel
offers a vision for this kind of transformative worship. A
theologian and minister in the Mennonite Church, Rempel considers
the role of the sacraments and ritual within the Free Church
tradition. While the Free Churches rightly sought to cleanse the
church of the abuses of sacramentalism, in that process they also
set aside some of the church's historic practices and the theology
behind them, which ultimately impoverished their worship. In
response to this liturgically thin space, Rempel appeals to the
incarnation of Christ, whose taking on of flesh can help us
perceive the sacramental nature of our faith and worship. By
embracing life-giving and peacemaking practices, the worship of not
only the Free Church tradition but of the whole body of Christ
might be transformed and become enchanted once again. The Dynamics
of Christian Worship series draws from a wide range of worshiping
contexts and denominational backgrounds to unpack the many dynamics
of Christian worship-including prayer, reading the Bible,
preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, music, visual art,
architecture, and more-to deepen both the theology and practice of
Christian worship for the life of the church.
Evangelical. Sacramental. Pentecostal. Christian communities tend
to identify with one of these labels over the other two.
Evangelical churches emphasize the importance of Scripture and
preaching. Sacramental churches emphasize the importance of the
eucharistic table. And pentecostal churches emphasize the immediate
presence and power of the Holy Spirit. But must we choose between
them? Could the church be all three? Drawing on his reading of the
New Testament, the witness of Christian history, and years of
experience in Christian ministry and leadership, Gordon T. Smith
argues that the church not only can be all three, but in fact must
be all three in order to truly be the church. As the church
navigates the unique global challenges of pluralism, secularism,
and fundamentalism, the need for an integrated vision of the
community as evangelical, sacramental, and pentecostal becomes ever
more pressing. If Jesus and the apostles saw no tension between
these characteristics, why should we?
This study guide is designed to be used alongside Gordon Smith's
book, Courage and Calling. You are invited to discover your
vocation by listening to God and becoming a coworker with him.
Working through this book will help you pray about and discern such
difficult questions as: What is my calling? How do I live it out in
the midst of difficult relationships or moral challenges? Will my
vocation change as I enter a new stage of life? As I cope with
competing needs and demands, how can I craft a balanced, ordered
way of living? Where do I find the courage to follow God's call?
Imagine you're longing for a cool refreshing drink of water . . .
And there, right in front of you, is a full glass, crystal clear,
just waiting to be picked up. You study the tantalizing trail of
droplets as they work their way down the side. You talk to people
who have drunk from the glass and even tell others how wonderful it
looks. You're convinced that this water will be deeply satisfying.
You've done everything short of bringing the glass to your lips and
drinking for yourself. Your longing continues for a cool,
refreshing drink of water. Everyone is thirsty spiritually. "My
soul thirsts for God," says the psalmist. And Jesus, knowing our
longing, offers us Living Water. But how do we actually drink this
water so that it can begin to satisfy our souls? For centuries,
Christians have practiced spiritual disciplines to develop a deeply
satisfying relationship with God. These disciplines are like the
glass, bringing Living Water to our parched souls. Gordon Smith
recognizes that authentic spirituality often looks dramatically
different from one believer to the next. Still, there are certain
disciplines that are essential for any Christian who wants a
deeper, more satisfying relationship with God. ON THE WAY will help
readers identify those essentials and develop a spirituality that
encompasses every area of life such as work, friendships, and
recreation.
We are not alone. God is present with us. And God gives us
companions on the journey. A spiritual director is one such
companion, offering spiritual guidance to help make sense of the
faith journey interpret the significant markers on the road
encourage us, particularly through the more difficult transitions
and valleys of our pilgrimage and, most of all, to notice the
ministry of the Spirit in our lives Gordon Smith writes: Even if we
have been Christians and maturing in our faith for many years, we
still need the encouragement and guidance that might come through
spiritual direction. . . . Genuine humility is evident in our
realization that we need a companion, a fellow pilgrim and
Christian, who can help us discern and foster an attentiveness to
God's presence in our lives. This is the gift of spiritual
direction. Whether you are a director, a directee or simply someone
who wants to learn more about this ancient ministry, you will find
this book to be a helpful guide.
God calls us first to himself, to know and follow him, and also to
a specific life purpose, a particular reason for being. This second
call or "vocation" has implications not only for our work or
occupation, but also includes our giftedness, our weaknesses, our
life in community and what we do day to day. In this book Gordon
Smith invites you to discover your vocation by listening to God and
becoming a coworker with him. What is my calling? How do I live it
out in the midst of difficult relationships or moral challenges?
Will my vocation change as I enter a new stage of life? With
competing needs and demands, how can I craft a balanced way of
living? Smith addresses these questions and many more in the pages
of this book. This new edition has been revised and updated
throughout with two expanded chapters and a new chapter on four
specific areas of calling. Here is rich insight for all who long
for the ears to hear and the courage to follow God's call.
A Personal Growth Finalist in the 2004 Word Guild Canadian Writing
Awards "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me."
Jesus takes it for granted that you will hear his voice. But how do
you hear it? How do you separate it out from the cacophony of other
voices you hear everyday, including those of your own desires? Is
your experience of Jesus' voice something purely subjective, or is
it something you can talk about with others and have them confirm?
Building on the rich spiritual tradition that spans the diversity
of history and theology from Ignatius Loyola to John Wesley to
Jonathan Edwards, Gordon T. Smith helps open your ears and heart to
the depths of the inner witness of the Spirit. By learning to
attend to the Spirit, Smith urges, you will learn to hear and heed
the voice of Jesus in everyday life. Written with warmth and
wisdom, this book speaks to the mind and heart of every Christian
who longs for a closer, more intimate walk with Jesus.
All Christians yearn to live at the center of God's will. But how
to discern his will is an art that eludes many of us. And the
advice we get often conflicts. Some tell us to look for a divine
"blueprint"-the one perfect plan for our lives that we need to
find. We are encouraged to search the Scriptures and hunt for
signs, trying to uncover the map of our lives that God has drawn.
Others have rejected the blueprint school of guidance for the
"wisdom school." With minds renewed by the teaching of Scripture,
we are to develop the wisdom necessary to make wise choices. We are
told not to expect that there is just one answer to God's will for
every decision we face. Several may be possible. The difficulty
with both approaches, writes Gordon Smith, is that they minimize
the presence and voice of God in times of choice. Instead, he
argues for a third way. He suggests that we develop discernment as
a spiritual discipline. By stressing the personal aspects of
growing in our relationship with God, we can understand his will,
not just in times of crisis but throughout our daily lives. This
book provides no magic formulas, no recipes for guaranteed
success-just a lot of insight, gleaned from centuries of lived
Christian experience, that will guide and encourage you in the art
of discerning God's will.
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