Search Results for: Church
Showing 526–600 of 674 results
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Who Runs The Church
$24.99Add to cart“Many Protestants, individually and denominationally, are divided by differences regarding the form of church government. While these differences are not necessarily as divisive as theological and doctrinal issues, they are significant to churches and church leaders and affect the way Christians do God’s work. This book in the highly acclaimed Counterpoints series offers insights and contrasts into four kinds of church government: (1) episcopalianism (hierarchical, with priests, bishops, and archbishops), (2) presbyterianism (a representative form at multiple levels-church, classis/presbytery, synod/general assembly), (3) single-elder congregationalism (pastor-led local autonomy), and (4) plural-elder congregationalism (another form of local autonomy). Each form of government is explored through (1) description, (2) historical development, (3) hermeneutical assumptions, (4) biblical and theological foundations, (5) an understanding of the nature, number, and relationship of church officers, (6) the practical implications. The contributors are Peter Toon of the Anglican Church (episcopalianism), L. Roy Taylor of the Presbyterian Church in America (presbyterianism), Paige Patterson of the Southern Baptist Convention (single-elder congregationalism), and Samuel E. Waldron of the Reformed Baptist Church (plural-elder congregationalism).” EDITOR: Cowan, Steven B.
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From The Heart Of The Church
$26.95Add to cartThe Catholic social tradition is one of thinking and acting. Within this tradition stand the social encyclicals as unique manifestations of the Church’s ethical intuition and commitment to the Gospel as lived in society. This book provides a view of the social encyclical tradition within a broader understanding of Catholic theology. In From the Heart of the Church, Judith Merkle, S.N.D., de N., examines the social teaching of the Church since Leo XIII from the perspective of its links to the Church and its life. While the social encyclicals of the popes since Leo XIII form a key expression of the social teachings of the Church in the last century, this book also explores the roots of these teachings in the life and theology of the Church today.
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Churchin Is Big Business
$27.49Add to cartChurchin’ is Big Business is a modern-day adventure about six uniquely different people from all walks of life who have one thing in common: a need for a relationship with God. This is their story…. Johnny Ray Moore: He just found out that he has been chosen to be the firstround draft pick for the NBA. Does he play ball or does he answer the call? Leeza Piddler: This single mother leaves everything behind to answer the call. Will she continue her journey or fall in love? Vivian Daisie: She runs from a broken relationship. Will her heart be broken again? Shabba Lanier: He is the center of baby momma drama. Does he find peace? Smooth Johnson: This former player finds love.Will it last? Santiago Martinez: He is described as every woman’s fantasy. Does he have what it takes to be a true friend?
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Romans : Believers Church Bible Commentary
$29.99Add to cartThis commentary on Romans is a rich gift to the contemporary church, its lay leaders, pastors, and scholars. The eighteenth volume in the Believers Church Bible Commentary Series gives new eyes for readers to see what the central message of Romans really is. Growing out of years of scholarship on Romans, professor John E. Toews presents a provocative reinterpretation of Paul’s letter.
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Body Builders : Strengthening The Church Through Physical Emotional Mental
$14.99Add to cartHow are you treating God’s temple? Gluttony and its resulting effect, obesity, are literally killing Americans.We live lives of excess, proud of the fact that we are “fat and happy.” However, when we’re struggling with gluttony, laziness and obesity, our confidence and energy are stripped, our ministry is hindered, and our lives are cut short.Things must change! In Body Builders, Leslie Nease takes you on a personal journey through her life, while weaving important, encouraging scriptures throughout the text. In this moving story you will learn how to boldly face such issues as: Gluttony and obesity Confidence Laziness Procrastination Balance Food as fuel, not friend or foe Friendships Correction Listening to God’s voice Living a life of excess Aerobics Training with weights Body Builders offers scriptural advice, honest support and creative ideas to help you claim back the body God intended for you to have. It’s time for some “Cross”Training! “…Body Builders gave me a charge! It’s amazing how Leslie pulled together physical, mental, spiritual and emotional fitness with a Biblical foundation.” – Bob Blashke, 27-year missionary to West Africa and author of Quest for Power “What a great book! Body Builders shows you how to be completely fit through the power of the CROSS.” – Linda Smith, creator of Fit Praise and Reebok Aerobic Silver Medalist
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Christian Assembly : Marks Of The Church In A Pluralistic Age
$24.00Add to cartWhat is church? What makes the church one? While these questions may seem innocuous, church has become conflicted territory, with internal factions, external pressures, and ecumenical turmoil all calling for a more positive, sturdy, more resilient notion of Christian community.
Wengert approaches the questions as a Reformation historian. He shows how the New Testament notion of ”marks” of the church was taken up by Martin Luther and developed by Phillip Melanchthon not as a descriptive tag but as a criterion for authenticity in Christian community. Lathrop, a liturgical theologian, shows concretely how those marks can stamp the worship life of a congregation as well as the evaluative work of congregations with their pastors, bishops, superintendents, and conference ministers. -
Practicing Passion : Youth And The Quest For A Passionate Church
$30.99Add to cartFocusing on the theological resonance between the Passion of Christ and adolescents’ experience of passion, the author develops a framework for youth ministry that draws on the historic practices of the Christian community as a “curriculum of passion”.
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Wounded In The Church
$12.49Add to cartThis book is about the life of a woman of God who experienced many hurting and challenging situations in the church and how God brought her through them. Not only was she able to come through her challenges, but she also was healed from the hurts she faced in the church. The author also uses her experiences to encourage those facing different situations, hurts, and problems within the church. She challenges the reader to seek for healing because, regardless of the dilemmas found among the people of God in the physical church building, there’s healing in the church because the church is found within us. Through the Word of God and prayer, Jesus will heal every ailment we encounter.
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Choosing Church
$50.00Add to cartWidely known theological educator and sociologist Carol Lytch presents this well-researched study of what attracts teenagers to the church and what keeps them there. The cogent research includes interviews of a number of teenagers and their parents from mainline Protestant, evangelical, and Roman Catholic congregations. Groundbreaking and fascinating, Choosing Church ultimately serves as a highly useful description of the most effective ways that congregations and parents can foster faith in early teenagers that will help them value the church as a place to obtain identity, belonging, and growth.
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Pastors Guide To Growing A Christlike Church
$14.99Add to cartIn The pastor’s Guide To Growing A Christlike Church, you’ll discover the keys to creating a vibrant, biblical, spiritually healthy church. William Willimon, Kennon Callahan, George Hunter III, and other well-known church leaders will teach you how to:
*Develop servant leaders among the laity
*Get laity involved in serving the community
*Nurture healthy spirituality in the church
*Develop authentic Christian community and fellowship
*Plan worship services that bind church members together
*Cast a vision for the future of the church
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Building Of A Church
$15.99Add to cartTruly God is worthy of glory, honor, and praise because of who He is and for what He has done for the whole human race. The Creator of the Universe put aside His majesty and glory and came to earth to sacrifice His own life so that you might spend eternity with Him. As you read this book, you will get a glimpse of an awesome God who loves you and is waiting to give you His gift of life. His plans and thoughts toward you are great; they will change your life forever! “It is a pleasure to provide an endorsement to this compilation of God-inspired poems from Sis. Charlotte. We recognize that this is a fulfillment of a dream, borne out of hours of intimate time with our Heavenly Father. Given the timeliness of this book, we could draw a thought from the book of Esther, Chapter 4:13: ‘…for such a time as this.’ However, I think it more appropriate to focus on Esther, Chapter 5:4: ‘If it pleases the king….’ I am quite sure the King is pleased, because destiny and purpose are being fulfilled. We pray that as you read, you will be inspired, uplifted, and strengthened.” -Pastors Ken and Arzella Baker New Covenant Evangelistic Christian Center
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Your Church Can Thrive
$17.99Add to cartThe author describes the four main groups of people churches can reach with their ministries: those in the pews, those who walk in, friends and family of current members, and those who live in the neighborhood. He then provides short-term steps and long-term strategies for teaching out to these groups, drawing them into the church, and helping them grow into disciples of Jesus Christ. This book helps readers focus the development of the ministries and programs of the church on those whom the church is trying to reach.
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Empowered Church Leadership
$25.00Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Have you been guiding your church using secular marketing ideas and leadership strategies? Instead, Dodd issues a clarion call for pastors and laypersons to build their ministries on the New Testament apostolic principles of prayer, followership, partnership, servanthood, and willingness to run against the current. Learn to lead where God wants you to go.
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Ushering In Todays Churches
$12.49Add to cartUshering in Today’s Churches was written to assist usher ministries to serve God in an effective and excellent manner. The contents of this book are for any churches that desire to take their usher ministries to the next level. The book will give ushers the knowledge to serve God with a spirit of excellence and elevate God with a well-organized ministry. I offer my assistance as a workshop instructor to any church organization that has the desire to further educate its usher ministry. The workshop will equip the usher ministry with knowledge and techniques that God has blessed me with. To have a workshop at your church, please refer to the workshop information page at the end of this book.
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Persecution Of The Catholic Church In The Third Reich
$35.00Add to cartDramatic proof of the Catholic Church’s resistance to Hitler’s persecution of Catholic individuals and institutions is furnished in this volume, compiled and first published in 1941. It offers an explicit refutation of accusations that the Vatican was complicit in the crimes committed by the Nazis and remained silent against their oppression.
An anonymous German Catholic, well placed within the church hierarchy, used his position to compile documents as evidence of the National Socialist Party’s campaign to destroy Catholicism and of the official Vatican response to events and propaganda of the time.
The U.S. national Catholic journal of opinion, Commonweal, featured the book shortly after publication in 1941, saying “Here are the writings and speeches of the Pope and the German hierarchy, the official decrees and instructions of the Government, and the speeches and teachings of the [Nazi] Party. The cumulative weight of this testimony is sufficient to establish the German persecution as the worst, because it is the most efficient, of modern times.”
Writers at America magazine, the Roman Catholic journal of opinion and commentary, also recognized the importance of this volume soon after it was published: “Complete and devastating . . . The facts are authentic and incontrovertible. The documents are likewise authentic and thoroughly substantiated. . . . To anyone who thinks there is no persecution of the Catholic Church in Germany, we recommend this volume.”
Pelican has published several other books of the era that focus on the Nazi campaign to expunge all traces of religion or religious thought from politics through a thorough campaign against all religion. Hitler Came for Niemoeller (pb), by Leo Stein, is an account of Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoeller’s eight-year imprisonment and his struggle to preserve the church from the hands of a murderous juggernaut. The Voice of Destruction (pb), originally published in 1940, presents an early view of Hitler and his plans for German supremacy and was written by Hermann Rauschning, who worked closely with Hitler until he resigned from the Danzig senate in 1934
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Churches That Heal
$18.95Add to cart(When placing your order, please mention that this is a Lightining Source book.)
Why should churches heal? Does your church touch the lives of broken people and bring healing to their hurts? How does your church become that healing force that glorifies God and impacts whole communities? In a desperately hurting world full of toxic relationships, crippled values, and mutilated mortality, lives are crying out for real healing — not drug-induced solutions, not psychobabble band-aids, but authentic answers that heal the heart, soul, and mind. There is only one source for such healing power. The church that was built on the One who said to the world, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened.” The question is not can we become a church that heals shattered lives but will we. Doug Murren, in this insightful, inspiring, and instructive book, reveals why and how you can become a healing force in your neighborhood, community, and the world.
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Church And State
$29.00Add to cartIn an age marked by controversy over public support of religious schools, federal encouragement of religious providers of social services, and sexuality education, the whole arena of church-state relations appears in flux.
In this volume, seven experts probe the meaning of religion in public life for Christians when the “Protestant establishment” has given way to pervasive religious pluralism and a growing secularism. Working specifically out of Lutheran traditions, the authors probe the deeper legal, moral, and religious questions at issue in the current debate. They not only rethink classical sources about law and gospel and two-kingdoms theory but also resurrect neglected resources for Christian civil resistance. They then look to contemporary developments and show how functional interaction of church and state is compatible with their strong institutional separation.
Finally, three chapters probe the most hotly contested First Amendment questions: religious liberty, education, and land use. Contributors include: Mary Jane Haemig, Gary M. Simpson, John R. Stumme, Susan Kosche Vallem, Mary C. Stenshoel, Marie Failinger, and Robert W. Tuttle.
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What The Church Has Hidden From Us
$15.49Add to cartYou may have wondered why in the New Testament Yeshua (Jesus) and the apostles observed the Sabbath, Passover, and other Leviticus Chapter 23 festivals. Yet, you learned in church that Sunday replaced the Sabbath and Easter replaced Passover, and the other festivals are “Jewish things.” You may have also been taught that the Old Testament is indeed old and obsolete; it no longer has relevance to the modern-day Christian. The objective of this book is to carefully examine secular and biblical history to determine if these typical Christian beliefs reflect biblical truth. We analyze the combined impact of the “early church fathers” and the mystery religion, Mithraism, on biblical Christianity. We then examine the Old Testament, the Leviticus 23 festivals, and the New Testament. Are typical Christian beliefs accurate-or have some important things been added or rejected? Because Israel is central to this entire focus, the part she plays in this story also is carefully analyzed. Indeed, she is a vital piece of the puzzle, and the truth about her central role may surprise you.
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Love Letters To The Church
$13.49Add to cartLove Letters to the Church is a clarion cry from a loving God to the body of Christ, to KNOW HIM, not just know about Him. He longs to draw us with cords of love into the intimate closeness that can come only from knowing His heart. A person could spend his whole life in church doing all the things he feels a Christian should do and never really come to know the God of his salvation. Yes, we can repeat the sinner’s prayer, but “getting saved” and becoming a believer is not just about getting fire insurance to keep us out of hell. True Christianity is all about a personal relationship with the living God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. As you feel God’s heartstrings drawing you to a closer and more passionate walk, may you also hear Him calling you to be part of His end-time army, and ultimately, His victorious church. You will be telling the Good News of Jesus, healing the sick, setting the captives free, and preparing a people for Christ’s return. The time is too short; we must be ready. Occupy! Occupy! Occupy!
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Catechism Of The Catholic Church 2nd Edition (Expanded)
$17.00Add to cartFour centuries in the making, a monumental undertaking and a magnificent achievement, the first definitive Catholic Catechism since the Council of Trent in 1566 details the doctrine, dogma, and the basic tenets of the Church.
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Revelation : Believers Church Bible Commentary
$34.99Add to cartThe message of Revelation speaks to Christians for all times, and historically has especially encouraged persecuted groups. Today Christians in many parts of the world are also at opposition to the worldview of the time. Revelation gives strength to those who are oppressed, and John R. Yeatts’ new commentary attends to themes of martyrdom, suffering, service in the world, hope, the triumph of Christ, and the role of the church in bearing witness to the triumphant Christ.
The commentary includes clear biblical commentary, relationships between various portions of scripture, and applications drawn from the Anabaptist tradition and the larger Christian community.
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21 Positive Principles For A Powerful 21st Century Church
$15.49Add to cartThe author, Dr. Dennis Davis, builds the thesis of this book on the premise that there are irrefutable, undeniable laws, both moral and physical, that govern the universe. He contends that these God-establiched laws cannot be broken. They can be denied, but not broken, as the law will always remain intact. He also contends that God has established “laws” that guide the growth, success, and future of the Church, and that when one operates within the framework of these laws (principles), there will be a natural consequence of both numerical and spiritual growth.
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Preparing The 21st Century Church
$20.99Add to cartPhenomenal power! Explosive growth! Genuine community! Can the church in America, twenty-one centuries later, really experience what we read about in the Book of Acts? Les Brickman shows you why the answer is a resounding, “Yes … if.” Whether a church planter just beginning, a seasoned pastor, or a church leader, you will be challenged to the core, both by the questions and the answers you hold in your hands. Are you willing to spend the necessary time to prepare a wineskin able to release your vision from God? Are you prepared to pay the price so you can embrace His destiny for your ministry and church? Journey with Dr. Brickman and come to understand what values, lifestyle, and activities will have to change for you to experience what they experienced, and beyond. “How to” books on church growth and cell ministry too often miss the critical preparation so vital to releasing God’s life through the Church. Informative and theological, yet practical and prophetic, Preparing the 21st Century Church will cause you to reconsider the whole way you “do church,” even “cell church.”
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Apostles : Spiritual Fathers To The Church
$13.49Add to cartDr. Michael Pangio presents a fresh look at the ministry of the apostle as a spiritual father. In this book you will discover biblical principles that are essential to releasing and receiving the blessing of God upon your life and ministry. As you examine the truths revealed in this book, you will learn about: Building God’s way Apostles: spiritual fathers to the body of Christ Biblical parenting principles, and the release of “the blessing” David and Solomon, the pattern for spiritual fathers and sons The lasting influence of the apostle Faithful to the house You may reach Dr. Pangio for ministry and leadership training by contacting him at: Phone: (724) 962-2232 E-mail: mikepangio@worldnet.att.net Or you may write to: Dr. Michael Pangio 6993 RonJoy Place Boardman, Ohio 44512 U.S.A
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Growing Together : Spiritual Exercises For Church Committees (Revised)
$9.99Add to cartGrowing Together offers church committees a way to grow spiritually as individuals and together as a group. Each of the fifty exercises in this book includes an opening prayer, a personal sharing exercise, a Bible reading and discussion questions, and a closing prayer. The exercises are grouped according to the needs of church committees: First meetings, Discovering Gifts and Setting Goals, Discerning What God Asks of Us, Receiving God’s Guidance as We Work, Growing Closer to Each Other, Facing Challenges Together, Working Through Conflict, and Celebrating Accomplishmnents and Closure.
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Tenets Of The Doctrine Of The Spirit Filled Church Vol 1
$13.99Add to cartI rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure (Psalm 119:162 NKJV). How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33). These Scriptures declare the awesome greatness of God; and to some born-again believers, they issue a challenge to search the scriptures (Acts 17:11), to Study to show thyself approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15), and to live and move and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28). It is a God-ordained desire and call for all people to find as much as they can about God and His perfect will for mankind.
With this divine emphasis on a born-again believer’s life, the Holy Spirit issued the call; and by His grace, the next few volumes titled Tenets of the Doctrine of the Spirit-filled Church are a continuation of the first book, Doctrine of the Spirit-filled Church.
Each tenet in these volumes is examined in greater detail and gives deeper insight into the spiritual meaning and its application. The examination also compares the original Apostolic Church of the first century to the current Spirit-filled church; and in so doing, references to the earliest writings from the ancient records help clarify the original church’s structure, as well as the doctrinal and theological understandings of that time, and how that structure has progressed until this day.
The one overriding constant in all these examinations and explanations is the fact that they are biblically based. If there is no Scripture to support the tenet’s explanation, then it is supposition, assumption, and speculation and thus unworthy of discussion. The plumb line (Amos 7:7 NKJV) is always the Word. The basis of every tenet is always the Holy Writ. The implementation of every tenet is always according to the Bible.
The church is traveling at lightning speed towards the soon return of Jesus Christ. The onslaught and evil outpouring of the diabolical, immoral, and total blasphemy against the Holy God has never been more vicious than it is today. The blatant evil and acceptance of anti-God living which is thrown into everyone’s face today, coupled with many nations’ corrupt laws legalizing people’s actions that are contrary to God’s holy instructions, have brought and will continue to bring many to a disastrous end.
While believers do not get distraught by the world’s actions (God said in His word it would happen.), they must keep their eyes steadfastly fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of [their] faith (Hebrews 12:2). To do this, be
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Serving By Safeguarding Your Church
$18.99Add to cartChurch ought to be the safest place on earth. Here’s how to fulfill that goal in practical ways, from developing a security structure and team, to assessing interior and exterior building security, training ushers and greeters to be sensitive to security, forming an emergency reaction team, establishing financial accountability, and much more.
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Lets Have Church Party Game
$29.95Add to cart“The New LET S HAVE CHURCH!!! Party Game is back! Loaded with even more HILARIOUS game action than before! It includes hundreds of new Trivia and Bible or Church Folk phrases that are only the beginning of what this new game Godly boasts. Get ready, get ready, get ready for an all new Performance Round, where you don t just Say It , but you gotta say it with Feeling ! And with the new dancing Shouting Music Timer AppTM, this game is truly for your four and MANY more!”
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Help Our Church Is Growing
$14.00Add to cartIt’s the secret, unspeakable dream shared by every minister. After years of diligent work in an average-sized church, you glance up one Sunday and notice a new family. The next month you notice another. Soon it seems like somebody new arrives almost every week. Suddenly you are the leader of a living, breathing, growing church!
Like any roller coaster ride, this one begins with a long, slow ascent. Attendance climbs. Giving climbs. Expectations climb. Of course a few problems crop up along the way, because, as with every other roller coaster, this one has a long and often scary downside. Even as your church continues to climb in every measurable statistic, you, the spiritual leader, may well find yourself in a virtual free-fall as you struggle over how to manage the impact this change will have on your congregation.
What can you, as a minister in a growing church, do to survive the pitfalls that lie just around the corner? What do you do when the old ways no longer work?
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Staff Talk : 52 Devotions For Church Staffs
$16.95Add to cartDo you ever find yourself searching for an appropriate prayer or devotion to open a staff meeting with? If so, this book is a comprehensive resource you’ll return to again and again. A year’s worth of brief meditations, all uniquely suited for building a sense of community and trust among your personnel, are in this extraordinary volume. Wil Jackson draws on his extensive personal experience to share practical, effective insights in imaginative and engaging language. A wide variety of themes and topics are covered, including sections on building a covenant relationship, employing good management principles, and equipping laity for ministry within the body of believers. There’s even material especially appropriate for retreat settings.
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12 Dynamic Shifts For Transforming Your Church
$18.99Add to cartThat today’s mainline churches are in crisis is apparent; a solution is less obvious. In this constructive new book E. Stanley Ott points a way ahead, describing twelve shifts in philosophy and practice that can help congregations build need-responsive, disciple-growing churches full of life and vigor.
Arguing that the weakness of the church today is a loss of personal spirituality and congregational vitality, Ott challenges local churches to discover how to adjust the style of their ministries to attract new people while encouraging current members. Ott examines the characteristics of “traditional” churches, extols the features of new, “transformational” churches, and lays out proposals to help established congregations make the transition.
Well balanced by an honest assessment of the church’s present and a positive vision for its future, this book is must reading for pastors, church leaders, and members of every congregation.
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Starting A Non Profit At Your Church
$26.00Add to cartA large and growing number of congregations are setting up church-based nonprofit organizations in order to operate community development or educational programs. Once formed, the nonprofit structure allows for new opportunities for accessing additional funding and drawing new collaborative partners and volunteers into the ministry. Joy Skjegstad outlines the step-by-step procedures for setting up a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization connected to a congregation using simple, easy-to-understand terminology and plenty of examples from churches that have already taken on this task.
In addition to accessible and specific information on the legal aspects of a church-based nonprofit, topics include:
Why set up a nonprofit?
Advantages and disadvantages to setting up a nonprofit
Assessing readiness for the challenge
Defining the nonprofit’s mission and niche
Accountability and control
Establishing a board structure and defining board roles
Maintaining a positive relationship with the congregation
Personnel issues
Developing a fundraising plan
Ongoing evaluation
Whether a congregation is setting up new program or has an established nonprofit that needs to be restructured or redefined, congregations will find helpful guidance in this practical, experience-based book. Foreword by Mary Nelson, President, Bethel New Life, Inc., Chicago. -
Difficult But Indispensable Church
$19.00Add to cartWhy is it so difficult to be church today? Of course, Christian community is marked by ennobling worship, mutual care, and joyful celebration. But just as often it is marred by staid routine, insularity, and disagreement over leadership, budgets, ethical stances, or even the shape of congregational prayer itself. Alienation, blame, and power struggles ensue. Is church worth it? In this volume of fresh thinking about life in Christian community, twenty-one theologians from Wartburg Seminary strongly attest to Christ-centered community, offering new views of church as the indispensable site of radical Christian commitment and an essential healer for a hurting world. Reflective churchgoers will find here a virtual theological guide to church renewal. In part 1 the authors show how church can model an alternative vision of community, helping people achieve well-being and health, even as their differences are affirmed. Part 2 gets to the heart of Christian practice through creative discussions of belief, fellowship, encounters with Scripture, preaching, and moral deliberation. Part 3 finds the church in motion in new ways of understanding discipleship and mission near and far. Part 4 shows how a Christ-inspired openness can reveal new perspectives on tough issues of public policy, race and class, and ordination of gays and lesbians. Modeling what they espouse, the authors find unanimity in affirming the strengths of diversity, the unsuspected key to church renewal. Contributors include: James L. Bailey, Karen L. Bloomquist, Norma Cook Everist, Roger W. Fjeld, Ann L. Fritschel, Paul Hill, Peter L. Kjeseth, L. Shannon Jung, Duane H. Larson, Elizabeth A. Leeper, David J. Lull, Craig L. Nessan, James R. Nieman, Daniel L. Olson, Winston Persaud, Duane A. Priebe, Ralph W. Quere, David A. Ramse, Gwen B. Sayler, Thomas H. Schattauer, and H. S. Wilson.
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Church : Community For The Kingdom
$30.00Add to cart1. Jesus And The Church
2. The Church In The Teaching Of Vatican II
3. The Meaning Of “Church” In The Teaching Of Vatican II
4. The Church In The Context Of The Kingdom
5. Emergence Of A World Church
6. The Use Of Models In Ecclesiology
7. Two Models For The Future Church
8. Mission Of The Church
222 PagesAdditional Info
Draws on the best contemporary and classical understandings of the Kingdom of God as the key to the church’s self-understanding and mission. Integrating missiology and ecclesiology in a vision of a church in mission made up of all the world’s people, Fuellenbach explores the church’s life as worshiping community, as communion, as Body of Christ working to make the world reflect Kingdom values. -
Pocket History Of The Church
$14.00Add to cartThe story of Christianity is a fascinating tale. Here we find drama, vision and expansion along with failure, setbacks and tragedy. Yet during the past two thousand years the power of Jesus is felt throughout the interplay of human actors and the forces of world events.
How can you grasp the story played out on such a gigantic stage? This book is an ideal place to start. D. Jeffrey Bingham has skillfully selected the key people and episodes to tell a grand and humbling story. From Roman persecution to the early creeds, from the monastic movement to the Reformation, from the rise of liberalism to missionary expansion, he chronicles the ups and downs of a people and a faith.
This pocket history has been crafted for students, pastors and other busy people who want an informed, clear and concise presentation that feeds the mind and moves the heart. It is an account that nurtures the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love. For Bingham aims not only to uncover the treasures of the church’s past but also to show how history aids your own spiritual journey today.
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Word And Power Church
$18.99Add to cartYou don’t have to head overseas to find a war. In the church, the rhetorical cross-fire between evangelical and “spirit-filled” Christians over the past hundred years has been withering. “No scriptural foundations,” is the charge evangelicals have leveled at the charismatics. “No spiritual power,” the latter have countered. The boundaries are clear. The positions are taken — and guarded. Either you’re a Word person or a Power person. Today, though, such black-and-white, either-or thinking is giving way to the liberty and promise of a Word and Power church. Pastor Doug Banister shows why we cannot afford to settle for less. It’s time to bury our differences — which are largely artificial — and discover the incredible potential that arises when evangelicals combine their strengths with Pentecostals and charismatics. Taking a long, careful, and honest look at the Scriptures, at church history, and at the state of the church and the world today, Pastor Banister reveals why Pentecostalism and evangelicalism need each other. Each tradition possesses strengths that are essential to a balanced, life-changing faith. The Word and Power Church shows how these “two mighty rivers” add to, rather than subtract from, each other. At the cusp of a new millennium, they are in fact merging into one river. Word and Power churches may experiences turbulence where the waters meet, but they teem with life, hope, faith, and power to reach a desperate world with the Gospel. Filled with personal anecdotes, this fascinating, thought-provoking, and candid book supplies the why-tos and how-tos of a Word-and-Power approach. What you won’t find is preferential treatment of one view over another. What you will find are thoughtful biblical insights that will challenge you and inspire you. And you’ll discover practical guidance for charting your own course — whether as an individual or as a church — toward a faith that embraces the truth of the Word and the power of the Spirit. As a solidly evangelical seminary graduate and pastor, Banister admits to having disdained charismatics. That is, until meticulous study of God’s Word convinced him that miraculous gifts of tongues, healing, and prophecy are indeed valid for today. As he details his journey beyond categories, Banister explores the reasons for the age-old rift between the two camps and the ways in which healing is taking place in new Word and Power churches all over America. When evangelicals and charismatics bring togeth
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We Are The Church
$12.95Add to cartWe Are The Church offers 52 easy-to-use children’s object lessons for the entire church year. These lessons are based on New Revised Standard Version Second Lesson texts, mostly from Romans.
Each lesson offers clear directions:
Set in italic type, you’ll know when to “let the children answer, or give directions.”
Easy-to-find objects: A pile of play money, for example, for lesson number 18. This tells about being ransomed from futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold. (1 Peter 1:17-21)The table of contents lists the scripture passages used with each lesson title. All objects are easy to relate to with children and are fun to Use. For example, you may need a cowboy hat, toy building blocks, a microphone, a mask and a stuffed animal.
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Time For Church 1000 Piece (Puzzle)
$18.95Add to cartThis 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle is a beautifully crafted work of art featuring beautiful flowers and birds, designed by Lori Schory.
Made from recycled cardboard, this puzzle is not only environmentally friendly but also durable and long-lasting. The design is printed with soy-based, full-color inks, making the colors vibrant and smooth, and while the individual die-cut of each puzzle may vary, the pieces are guaranteed to interlock smoothly as you put them together. The finished size of the puzzle is 20 x 24 inches, making it the perfect size for display or for hours of puzzle-solving fun. With its stunning design and eco-friendly materials, this puzzle is sure to delight both puzzle enthusiasts and art lovers alike. -
If Only That Horse Were A Member Of My Church
$12.95Add to cartEnter this provocative collection of inspirational and often amusing anecdotes, one-liners, poems, and parables, and share in the “Inspirations of Artichokes” and “The Strength of a Child,” learn to recognize “A Living Thief” and a “Burma Buddhist,” and experience the self-realization of “The Gossiping Preacher.”
These 201 gentle lessons in faith, love, and Christian living will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone.
The volume includes a handy topical index, and is perfect for pastors and laypersons who need a humorous or poignant anecdote, an illustration for a sermon or speech, a short message for a bulletin or newsletter — or a ray of sunshine on a rainy day.
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Inside The Small Church
$30.00Add to cartEven as so-called megachurches capture the attention of many church watchers, small congregations continue to dominate America’s religious landscape in both rural and urban settings. Although sometimes obscured by their larger siblings, these small churches play a prominent role and hold a unique place in both local and national cultures. How can leaders help to keep these often at-risk churches alive and to meet their potential for ministry?
Small-church expert Tony Pappas has gathered a cornucopia of essays into an indispensable book for anyone interested in the rich life of these small but significant congregations. Drawing on classic and updated articles by a variety of writers from his own small-church newsletter The Five Stones; from Alban journals Action Information and Congregations; and adding new pieces developed especially for this volume, Pappas provides timeless ideas on learning to value, pastor, develop, and lead the small church.
In addition to time-honored articles by the editor, other contributors to this volume include Sherry and Douglas Alan Walrath, Gary Farley, Lawrence W. Farris, Loren Mead, Caroline Westerhoff, Steven Burt, Carl Dudley, David Ray, James Lowery, and a host of others known for their work-and love-for the small church. Readers of Inside the Small Church will come away with a renewed love and appreciation for these vital congregations as well as with new skills for ministry.
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Womans Place : Leadership In The Church
$17.99Add to cart“Women have achieved relative parity with men in virtually every area of society–except the church,” writes C.S. Cowles, challenging the long-held practice and belief that a Christian woman’s place is in the pew but not in the pulpit, lectern, boardroom, or other places of leadership. Through a careful study of key biblical texts, Cowles refutes what he terms the church’s “institutional discrimination against women” and calls for it to open leadership positions to “whomever the Holy Spirit should call and whomever evidences gifts for public ministry, without regard to race, social class, or gender.” “It is time for the church to discover the richness, beauty, and spiritual power that can be released only through the full expression of women’s unique gifts and special sensitivities.”
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Earth Habitat : Eco Injustice And The Churchs Response
$21.00Add to cartThis single volume gathers theologians from around the world to address three pressing questions: How can Christianity and Christian churches rethink themselves and their roles in light of the endangered earth? What “earth-honoring” elements does justice- oriented Christianity have to contribute to the common good? And how can communities and churches respond creatively and constructively on a local level to these vast global forces? This volume captures the chief themes and presentations from the October 1998 conference on social justice, ecology, and church entitled “Ecumenical Earth” and held at Union Theological Seminary. Among the 18 contributors to this trailblazing conference are Rasmussen and Hessel, James Cone, Kusumita Pedersen, Brigitte Kahl, Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi, Steven Rockefeller, Havid Hallman, Ernst Conradie, Peggy Shepard, and Troy Messenger.
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Equipping Church Guidebook
$29.99Add to cartThis is a hands-on ministry resource manual to help churches develop leaders and systems for lay mobilization. The approach is open-ended so that a variety of types and sizes of churches can use it. Charts and worksheets are included. The material has been tested through several years of use in churches that have received the privately distributed notebook format. Now updated and extensively revised, this volume serves as a practical companion to The Equipping Church. That book provides the philosophy and challenging vision for lay mobilization. This book provides the practical tools for implementation. Part 1 covers planning for lay mobilization. Part 2 covers building a lay ministry program. The markets include church staff members along with denominational leaders. It also is designed for use by lay leaders in churches who want hands-on help to mobilize the laity for ministry.
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Deacons : Servant Models In The Church Updated Edition (Reprinted)
$14.99Add to cartFrom the days of the early church, deacons have been chosen to fulfill an essential ministry. Updating his classic resource, Webb explores the many facets of the pastoral assistant’s life and role, including marriage, family life, conduct, priorities, and more. Helpful as you equip lay leaders for their divinely appointed place in God’s church.
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Uncovering Your Churchs Hidden Spirit
$23.00Add to cartParishioners today look to their congregations to feed their spiritual hunger. But many members and clergy are not sure how the words “congregation” and “spirituality” fit together. Author Celia Hahn interviewed 30 lay people and clergy from five Episcopal congregations to discover their stories of congregational spirituality and to help them identify the congregation’s gifts for spiritual development. Hahn becomes a spiritual companion and resource for the searching congregation, guiding the church as it begins to discover its gifts. How is God at work in our congregation? How do members empowered by the transforming Spirit minister in their workplaces, neighborhoods, and families? How do members move into a deeper relationship with one another and with God? Foreword by Tilden Edwards, executive director of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Direction.
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Mark : Believers Church Bible Commentary
$29.99Add to cart20 Chapters
Additional Info
Mark’s Gospel Speaks plainly, yet sometimes in riddles, of God as revealed in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of God. Mark presents God’s reign, its present hiddenness and future glory, and its surprising way of coming. Mark tells of discipleship, its costs, rewards, failures, and renewel. Mark is also about Jesus and his followers crossing barriers to pass Gods grace on to those formerly excluded. Mark’s resurrection message is open-ended. Readers supply their own ending, not just in words, but by following the resurrected Lord. -
Whosoever Church
$36.00Add to cartInterviews with 20 black scholars and religious leaders who speak out (from various theological perspectives) against institutional prejudice toward lesbian / gay people. The interviews are conducted in a conversational format in language that will be accessible and interesting to lay readers.
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Fragmentation Of The Church And Its Unity In Peacemaking A Print On Demand
$28.99Add to cart241 Pages
Additional Info
The gospel places peacemaking at the center of the identity of the Christian church. Over the centuries, however, churches have divided over the specific place of this peacemaking imperative in their lives and teachings. This volume offers deep, ecumenical discussion of the relationship of the church to its peacemaking mission from the standpoints of history and the contemporary context. Contributors representing ten major faith traditions address this crucial topic from the perspective of their own churches and explore pathways that could lead to the reconciliation of existing differences. -
Church Unity And The Papal Office A Print On Demand Title
$23.99Add to cartChurch Unity and the Papal Office provides the first theological and ecumenical response to Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Ut Unum Sint (“That All May Be One”). Scholars representing Anglican, Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, and Evangelical churches offer fresh perspectives on this pivotal document calling for a “patient and fraternal dialogue” concerning the ministry of the papal office in the service of church unity.
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4 Views Of Youth Ministry And The Church
$24.99Add to cartThis book delineates four distinct philosophical/ecclesiological views of how youth ministry relates to the church at large. The dialogical and sometimes feisty format gives readers a taste of what’s profound and what’s flawed in these four typologies: inclusive (Malan Nel), preparatory (Wes Black), missional (Chap Clark), and strategic (Mark Senter). Each view has theological assumptions and pragmatic implications regarding the church’s mission to youth which are examined in Youth Specialties’ unique style that marries solid academic research with tone and design that is as compelling to in-the-field, practicing youth workers as undergraduate and graduate students. In short, here’s a meaty theological dish for the malnourished academic literature in the discipline of youth ministry
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Letters To The Seven Churches Of Asia In Their Local Setting A Print On Dem
$35.99Add to cartThis modern classic by Colin Hemer explores the seven letters in the book of Revelation against the historical background of the churches to which they were addressed. Based on literary, epigraphical, and archaeological sources and informed by Hemer’s firsthand knowledge of the biblical sites, this superb study presents in the clearest way possible a picture of the New Testament world in the later part of the first century and its significance for broader questions of church history.
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Making The Church Work (Revised)
$12.00Add to cartIn the first edition of Making the Church Work, Hammett wrote that the church is not only in need of change, but also in need of a conversion. Now his conviction is stronger than ever. In this second edition, he addresses the issues of changing values–values about what leaders and their congregations are doing as a church and the effectiveness of their techniques. Hammett is convinced that until church leaders change their values, healthy, relevant, and effective churches are not likely to appear.
Unique features of this book include:* Overview of trends and issues impacting the church’s ineffectiveness
* Opportunities for individual readers and small groups, and congregations to reflect on their journey in light of these trends and issues
Practical guidance for addressing some problems and for equipping the church for more effective ministry in the 21st century
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Leading And Managing A Growing Church
$22.99Add to cartNot all pastors are natural-born managers—but they can learn! In this practical volume, Hunter gathers insights from the best leadership and management experts, then shows pastors how to apply proven-effective principles to the service of the church. Learn to be a dynamic supervisor, a skilled steward of church resources, and more!
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Twisted Scriptures : Breaking Free From Churches That Abuse
$19.99Add to cart17 Chapters
Additional Info
This book is designed for those who are in “churches that abuse,” to enable them to see what is going on in their lives and thus to free themselves from such situations. It is a very practical book, which outlines, in specific terms, the tactics that cult-type manipulators use to get people into their control. Each of the seventeen chapters ends with a checklist of statements that the reader can check to see if the things that are happening in his or her religious group point to an unhealthy situation. Nearly every week the author receives phone calls or letters from people, thanking her for writing the book and for helping to straighten out their thinking so that they did not get caught up into a cult-type group. This is a practical, down-to-earth book geared to help people escape from the clutches of churches that abuse and manipulate. -
Peter : Apostle For The Whole Church
$29.00Add to cart)”Not since Oscar Cullman has there been a study of this range and stature dealing historically and analytically with the ‘chief’ of the apostles. Documentation is meticulous and extensive, the bibliography superb. A major contribution to both NT studies and to ecumenical theology. Indispensable,”—Choice.
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Church Planting
$19.99Add to cart1. Church Planting: Listening To The Critics
2. Church Planting: A Theological Framework
3. Church Planting: A New Testament Practice
4. Church Planting: A Historical Perspective
5. Church Planting And The Task Of The Church
6. Church Planting And The Shape Of The Church
7. Church Planting And The Ethos Of The Church
8. Church Planting And The Structures Of The Church
9. Church Planting And The Leadership Of The Church
10. Church Planting: Models And Methods288 Pages
Additional Info
Describing his church planting ministry, the apostle Paul writes,“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. . .For we are God’s fellow-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Mixing his metaphors, Paul speaks of the church in Corinth as both a field and a building. Church planters are co-workers with God, planting seeds from which churches grow and larying foundations on which they are built. God is the life source of these churches. Jesus Christ is their foundation. Other workers, like Apollos, water the seed which has been planted and build on the foundations which have been laid. The role of the church planter is to ensure that good seed has been sown and firm foundations laid.
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Continuing Conversion Of The Church
$29.99Add to cartAsserting that Western society is now “a very different, very difficult mission field,” Guder charts the church’s historical shift away from evangelism, examines cultural barriers to evangelical ministry, and presents a missional theology for contemporary believers. His practical insights are sure to spark lively discussion among those who take the Great Commission seriously.
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Loyal Opposition : Struggling With The Church On Homosexuality
$22.99Add to cartNo issue more polarizes American Protestants today than the church’s stance on homosexuality. In recent years, a number of denominations have engaged in prolonged and divisive debates on the subject, and it appears that these debates will continue to occupy their attention. The contributors to this volume call for the formation of a “loyal opposition” that is serious in its commitment to the difficult process of reconciliation and forgiveness. Faithfulness to the gospel, they remind readers, requires nothing less than that Christians will be committed to the full inclusion of all persons in the body of Christ-not least of all those who disagree theologically and ethically.
The book offers readers a multifaceted argument that the gospel requires a commitment to the full inclusion of all persons in the body of Christ. It focuses on how members of mainline denominations can respond to official denominational positions with which they disagree. Readers are offered an alternative response besides staying in the denomination and remaining silent or leaving the denomination because one disagrees with its official position on this issue.
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Episcopal Dictionary Of The Church
$54.95Add to cart“If you can’t find your rochet from your chimere, a tunicle from a maniple, or just love a good linguistic ramble, this is the place for you. If you are mildly mixed up on anamnesis, anaphora, and angelus, or you’d prefer a discussion of Sexagesima Sunday to some of the current topics, you will find solace here. It’s a wonderful resource.” –Patricia Nakamura, The Living Church
Updated with a new cover, this is an indispensable resource for your home or parish office. With more than 3,000 clearly written entries, this book will be a handy, quick, general reference for Episcopalians, both lay and ordained. It includes material specific to the Episcopal Church and its history and polity, liturgy and theology, as well as subjects relevant to the whole church. Entries range from Aaronic Benediction to Zwingli.
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Sewing Church Linens
$19.95Add to cartThe classic book on sewing linens for the church is back in a revised edition. This complete explains the materials and equipment needed, a variety of hemming options, special instructions on the small linens such as purificators and palls, working with fair linens, white work embroidery, and caring for church linens. New to this edition are directions for rolled hems, chalice veils, more specific directions and an improved worksheet for planning shrinkage, special advice specifically for beginners, an updated “Source and Resource” section, and new patterns.
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Pilgrim People : Learning Through The Church Year
$17.95Add to cartAs a people whose faith is formed and nourished by the Bible’s stories of creation and fall, salvation and redemption, Christians hunger to order their lives by the church’s story and their own. Our journey to God leads us through the cycle of the church year?from Advent and Christmas to Easter and the season called “ordinary time”?as we tell and retell God’s story and make it the story we live by. In A Pilgrim People John Westerhoff looks at the gospel texts season by season and relates their teachings not only to Christian life and ministry but to the life cycle of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
In teaching the lessons of the church year, Westerhoff starts not with Advent but with Holy Week and Easter, which marks the birth of Christian faith and its vision of a dream come true. Commenting briefly on each of the gospel readings for each Sunday, he moves from Eastertide through Ascension and Pentecost, the season after Pentecost, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Lent, offering useful themes for preaching and education. The final chapter incorporates a radical proposal for Christian education to reform the church’s organization, worship, education, and outreach.
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Chaplaincy Ministry And The Mission Of The Church
$35.99Add to cartIn Chaplaincy Ministry and the Mission of the Church, Victoria Slater explores the significance of chaplaincy for the mission and ministry of the contemporary Church. She discusses the reasons for the recent growth in new chaplaincy roles in the contemporary cultural and church context and provides a theological rationale for chaplaincy along with practical suggestions for the development and support of chaplaincy practice. The book provides conceptual clarity about what chaplaincy actually is and will move beyond the common polarisation of chaplaincy and Church to position chaplaincy as a distinctive form of ministry with its own identity and integrity that, together with other forms of ministry, makes a significant contribution to the mission of the Church.
