Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century is still virtually the only available text on church planting in North America and beyond.In this third edition, readers will find material on the importance of healthy, biblical change in our churches, updated appendixes, insight on our postmodern ministry context, and strategies for reaching new population demographics such as Generations X and Y.Pastors, ministry leaders, and church planters will find the information and advice found in this book invaluable as they carry out their ministries.

    

    Pearce Carey's compelling pages convey the very atmosphere of that extraordinary period of missionary advance. This life of Carey is structured around a series of remarkable events, always unplanned and unexpected, which opened the way to undreamed of achievements. Carey and his colleagues overcame mountainous obstacles to become the most productive church planters and Bible translators of all time. No other work compares with this moving treatment.

    Real-Life Discipleship explains what should happen in the life of every Christian and in every small group so that the church becomes an army of believers dedicated to seeing the world saved.With the overriding goal to train disciples who know how to make more disciples, this book offers proven tools and strategies from Real Life Ministries, one of America’s fastest-growing churches.Discover what the Bible says about true and effective discipleship with these strategies and practices.

    In that sense we are all dying daily—dying is how Christians live. We die to ourselves, our wills, our comforts, and our reputations for the glory of Jesus. The wonder of applying this biblical principle to everyday life is that it brings life and joy in the process. This daily devotional celebrates a lifestyle based on the example of Jesus, who showed us how to live dead—not with dread but with great gladness.Written in a deeply personal style that provides a fresh perspective on the disciplines of the Christian life, each one of the 365 devotions is based on a suggested Bible reading. This devotional will put you on the path to a life of deeper faith and stronger dedication to Christ.

    Although some of the book is dated, its conviction that the church's meaning lies in its fulfillment of the sufferings of Christ and that every part of its history is intelligible in terms of the Passion remains perceptive and challenging.Examining Scripture, doctrine, and history, Ramsey paints an intricate portrait of the church as an example of Christ's death and resurrection. He explores Eastern Orthodox doctrine; explains the purposes and preconditions of the Reformation; and calls for a renewal of liturgical worship and reconciliation within the communion of the saints.Originally published in 1936 while he was serving as sub-warden of Lincoln Theological College, this was Ramsey's first book. After more than seventy years, its wisdom concerning the relationship between Catholic and Evangelical, and the underlying complementarities and tensions which characterize the Anglican tradition, remains theologically sound and biblically astute.

    "The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God." —Rick Warren.You were created to become like Christ. This is one of the five God-ordained purposes for your life that Warren describes in his bestselling book The Purpose Driven Life. And this is why studying the Bible is so important.The Bible's truths have the power to shape you, transform you, align you with the character and ways of Jesus Christ as you encounter him in the gospels and throughout all of Scripture. Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods is an easy-to-understand guide through twelve effective reading methods that allow Scripture to do just that.Simple step-by-step instructions guide you through the how-tos of the following methods:DevotionalChapter SummaryCharacter QualityThematicBiographicalTopicalWord StudyBook BackgroundBook SurveyChapter AnalysisBook SynthesisVerse AnalysisThe organization of this book allows you to explore each method or jump around to find the ones best suited to your reading and learning style as well as your spiritual growth.Thousands of individuals, small groups, churches, and seminary classes have used this practical manual to unlock the wonderful truths of Scripture. You can too. Written by America's pastor, Rick Warren, Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods will help you develop a customized approach to studying, understanding, and applying the Bible.

    Be the HOPE. Be the CHANGE this world needs!Sessions include: The CALLBe the LOVEBe the HOPEBe the CHANGEThe CHALLENGEDesigned for use with the Undaunted Video Study (sold separately).

    But the greatest advantage is this: You will know that you are doing more than providing exciting activities -- you are changing lives for eternity.A New Strategy for Youth MinistryAndy Stanley and Stuart Hall, both respected and effective leaders in the Christian Community, have developed a ground-breaking, dynamic plan for youth ministry of the coming decades. The Seven Checkpoints for Youth Leaders and the companion The Seven Checkpoints Student Journal presents a plan for a student's entire career in a youth group.The challenges facing our youth grow every year. Quick fixes and short-term programs will not provide the life-strengthening results needed for the teens of today. This revolutionary approach promises and delivers what is needed in the world of youth ministries around the country today.So what are you waiting for? You have a life to build. Open up this book and get the seven.

    We just know he did. In this new Advent study, Matt Rawle explores the faith themes in the Christmas classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! including, how did the Grinch’s heart grow three sizes come Christmas morning? How did Christmas save the Grinch? Could it be that the very thing we think we hate is the one thing that changes our lives? This Advent and Christmas season, look at a familiar classic through the lens of faith and see how Christ speaks to us through our culture.

    In his personal, intimate, engaging, humorous style, Altrogge takes us on a journey through God's word, bringing us into close contact with the God of sharp edges and brilliant light. Altrogge introduces afresh to the untamable God of the Bible.

    Those roots are lodged in the Universal Church's and local church's Christ-imaging roles as a prophetic witness, a priestly witness, and a kingly witness. The authors, both PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) ordained pastors and long-time campus ministers, Brian Habig and Les Newsom, assert that when the Church, and local churches, again major on its primary roles, health will be restored and a shine will go froth that is impossible to ignore. Nothing is more important to Christ than his Bride, pure and spotless! This book is devoted to that end.The Authors:Brian Habig, Vanderbilt University. A graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity) and Mississippi State University, Brian Habig has served as an ordained minister of the PCA and a campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship for six year. He is a regular conference speaker in addition to this primary pastoral role as campus minister at Vanderbilt University. Habig is currently completing a Master of Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.Les Newsom, University of Mississippi. A native of Memphis, Les Newsom received his Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary. He has served as an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America for seven years. The first five years were spent as the campus minister for RUF at The University of Memphis. He now serves at The University of Mississippi. A regular conference speaker, Les has taught philosophy of ministry classes at Reformed Theological Seminary."The Enduring Community succinctly shows that Christians with a church-optional mindset are as vulerable as a chorister without a choir."Marvin OlaskyEditor, World magazineSenior Fellow, Acton Institute

    

    It's time to enter a whole new level of extreme faith...it's time to become a circle maker!Through the story of Honi the Circle Maker—a man bold enough to draw a circle in the sand and not budge from it until God answered his prayer for his people—bestselling author and pastor Mark Batterson will help you see that who you become is determined by how you pray. Throughout this guide, Batterson:Clearly and practically lays out what prayer looks like and how it shapes and changes us.Shows you the powerful results and modern-day miracles that come from a courageous prayer life.Helps you, your group, and your entire church begin to identify dreams and future miracles to draw prayer circles around.This Participant Guide provides individual and group activities, between session personal studies, and additional background material that will enhance the experience of the video on The Circle Maker DVD (sold separately).Sessions include:1. Becoming a Circle Maker 2. Little People, Big Risks, and Huge Circles 3. Praying Hard and Praying Through 4. Praying is Like PlantingDesigned for use with The Circle Maker Video Study (sold separately).

    But sometimes Jesus spoke words that followers then and now have found difficult. He instructs disciples to hate members of their own families (Luke 14:26), to act as if they were slaves (Matthew 20:27), and to sell their belongings and give to the poor (Luke 18:22). He restricts his mission (Matthew 10:6); he speaks of damnation (Matthew 8:12); he calls Jews the devil's children (John 8:44).In The Difficult Words of Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine shows how these difficult teachings would have sounded to the people who first heard them, how have they been understood over time, and how we might interpret them in the context of the Gospel of love and reconciliation.Additional components for a six-week study include a DVD featuring Dr. Levine and a comprehensive Leader Guide.