Something is not working. Despite the church's place of prominence in American culture and the ubiquity of the church in every American town, misconceptions about the faith of Jesus Christ run rampant today. Christians are known more for exclusivity than for love, more for potlucks than for solving world hunger. It's time for churches to get over the cruise-ship mentality of being a program provider, and reconnect with the true message and mission of Jesus: to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the oppressed. Pastor Mike Slaughter challenges church leaders to look at the future of their congregations and make tough but necessary choices. Will you send the church out into the world? Will you focus on building disciples or tallying decisions? Will you multiply your impact or expand your facilities? Will you step out in courage or comply with the status quo?

The answers to these and other questions determine how your church will focus its time, its energy, and its budget to work for real change in a hurting world. Download Free Study Guide For more info, visit www.ChangeTheWorld.Cokesbury.com"

Visionary pastor Michael Slaughter calls all aspiring leaders to a life of faith, balance, and purpose. Operating on the principle that all leadership begins with self-leadership, the book outlines five crucial disciplines:

* Devotion to God * Readiness for lifelong learning * Investing in key relationships * Visioning for the future * Eating and Exercise for life.

Readers will gain insights and advice for enriching the spiritual, intellectual, interpersonal, missional, and physical areas of their lives, all of which are integral to effectiveness as a leader."

Freedom for Christians

Imagine feeling free from financial worry, free from debt, and free from the never-ending pressures of juggling all those financial demands. Imagine feeling "in control "of your finances.

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"Money Matters: Financial Freedom for all God s Children" shows you how to do God's math, which is based on spiritual principles found in Scripture. God's math results in:

. Debt-Free Living

. Focus & Planning

. A Disciplined Lifestyle

. Easy Simplicity

. Surrender & Trust

. Creating versus Consuming

. Stewardship Versus Ownership

. Generosity

""""Earn all you can, save all you can, "

"and give all you can."" "" John Wesley"

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"I have observed how the grip of materialism can strangle a person and an organization. The only cure is understanding and applying God s principles of stewardship and generosity. It s all there in the Bible. Money DOES Matter. Learn from Mike, one of the best teachers of our time, how to get in sync with God s game plan." "Bob Buford, Founding Chairman, Leadership Network
" Contents The Focus of Heart DEVOTION
Chapter 1 A Faith-filled Focus
Chapter 2 Devoted to Our Rightful Owner
Chapter 3 Surrender, Trust, and Freedom
The Commitment to DEBT-FREE Living
Chapter 4 Stewardship 101
Chapter 5 Steps to Debt-free Living
The Practice of a DISCIPLINED Lifestyle
Chapter 6 Creators vs. Consumers
Chapter 7 Lifestyles of the Disciplined and Generous
The Power of Ultimate Sacrifice a call to action

Target audience: any person or family that needs to be more disciplined with financial resources.

Michael Slaughter is senior pastor of Ginghamsburg, a thriving town and country church where over 4,000 persons worship each week. This congregation (which is influencing many others) are devoted to helping the orphans of civil war in the Sudan by giving 50 percent of their Christmas spending (over $500,000) to the orphaned children of Darfur. Mike challenges all of us to remember: "Christmas is not your birthday It is Jesus' birthday" He is author of "Spirtual Entrepreneurs," "Out on the Edge," "Momentum for Life, " and "Real Followers," all best sellers published by Abingdon Press. He resides in Tipp City, Ohio.Michael Slaughter is senior pastor of Ginghamsburg, a thriving town and country church where over 4,000 persons worship each week. He is author of Spirtual Entrepreneurs, Out on the Edge, and Real Followers, all best sellers published by Abingdon Press. He resides in Tipp City, Ohio.
Kim Miller is Creative Director at Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church, near Dayton, Ohio. Kim is editor of "Handbook for Multisensory Worship," volumes 1 and 2, and is author of "Designing Worship Teams."
When used with "Money Matters: Financial Freedom for All God's Churches," this book offers a complete and inexpensive stewardship kit to prepare a congregation for generosity."

Many Christians, disillusioned with lives of spiritual mediocrity that have been dampened by today s rampant materialism and cafeteria spirituality, are asking the same question: Where is the substance that can move our church beyond ho-hum Christianity? Today s public fascination with angels, New Age spirituality, and the paranormal is likewise spurring Christ s followers to look for greater and deeper life transformation through their faith. Real Followers: Beyond Virtual Christianity shows how an ordinary church can be transformed into a radical community a fellowship of everyday people who began looking for meaning and searching for authenticity. Michael Slaughter describes a movement that is hooked in various generations, from buster to boomer to builder. This resource also includes discussion questions. Key Features: Readers examine culturally relevant concepts to ask the age-old question: Will you give up your right to yourself, take up the cross, and radically follows Jesus? Readers are presented with a workable example of how to grow their church, with examples from Ginghamsburg Church Contains case studies of real people who have begun a migration in the wrong direction Includes discussion questions Small groups will learn what it really means to find their destiny as Christ s followers be inspired to take doable steps toward becoming authentic Christ followers"

Spiritual Entrepreneurs tells the story of an innovative pastor and leadership team who intentionally led their church to take spiritual risks. By using six principles, renewal can come to any church. These six principles are focus on: (1) Jesus Christ, (2) the Bible, (3) new forms of worship, (4) a commitment to membership, (5) equipping lay people for ministry, and (6) spiritual leadership. Slaughter belives that church leaders are inspired to work tirelessly when they hear or learn of good-news stories. He also believes that covenants, Christianity training, and an innovative small-group structure are vital in producing high-commitment members.