Why? Tight budgets, small staffs, and a lack of know-how are just a few reasons suggested by church consultants Aubrey Malphurs and William Mancini in this groundbreaking book. Building Leaders provides real-life examples of ways churches can unleash their true ministry potential by training staff members and laypeople to lead. With step-by-step instructions that can be applied to any church or parachurch ministry, Building Leaders shows readers how to: - empower, not just train, leaders - overcome obstacles to developing leaders- identify emerging leaders - use biblical models for training leaders- form a leadership training program to fit any size or budget Packed with surveys, discussion questions, and a leadership development guide, Building Leaders will encourage leaders to "duplicate themselves" in order to see their ministry grow. It is a perfect resource for ministry students, church leaders, and pastors.

    In the candid and lucid style that has made McKnight's The Jesus Creed so appealing to thousands of pastors, lay leaders, and everyday people who are searching for a more authentic faith, he encourages all Christians to recognize the simple, yet potentially transforming truth of the gospel message: God seeks to restore us to wholeness not only to make us better individuals, but to form a community of Jesus, a society in which humans strive to be in union with God and in communion with others.

    Clif Christopher's nearly forty years in ministry as a pastor and President of Horizons Stewardship Company, he has witnessed the financial stewardship practices of thousands of churches. A few have exceptional records in acquiring and managing the necessary funds for mission and ministry, but the vast majority struggle every year to get by.In this important new work made even more relevant by our economic times, Christopher contrasts the traits of the most productive congregations with those who perennially fail to secure the funds to perform transformational ministry. Some churches practice the necessary financial habits that form the foundation of successful ministry, and others waste valuable resources and undermine ministry opportunities.Through Christopher's insight born out of years of experience and consultation, readers can assess the financial condition of their own churches.

    Experienced megachurch pastor and award-winning author offers church-smart advice to help newer pastors avoid 25 potential pitfalls to successful ministry.

    This book features the table of contents linked to every chapter. The book was designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle, PDA, Smartphone, and other electronic readers. It is formatted to display on all electronic devices including the Kindle, Smartphones and other Mobile Devices with a small display. ****************** More e-Books from MobileReference - Best Books. Best Price. Best Search and Navigation (TM) All fiction books are only $0.99. All collections are only $5.99Designed for optimal navigation on Kindle and other electronic devices Search for any title: enter mobi (shortened MobileReference) and a keyword; for example: mobi ShakespeareTo view all books, click on the MobileReference link next to a book title Literary Classics: Over 10,000 complete works by Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Dickens, Tolstoy, and other authors. All books feature hyperlinked table of contents, footnotes, and author biography. Books are also available as collections, organized by an author. Collections simplify book access through categorical, alphabetical, and chronological indexes. They offer lower price, convenience of one-time download, and reduce clutter of titles in your digital library. Religion: The Illustrated King James Bible, American Standard Bible, World English Bible (Modern Translation), Mormon Church's Sacred Texts Philosophy: Rousseau, Spinoza, Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Engels Travel Guides and Phrasebooks for All Major Cities: New York, Paris, London, Rome, Venice, Prague, Beijing, Greece Medical Study Guides: Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Abbreviations and Terminology, Human Nervous System, Biochemistry College Study Guides: FREE Weight and Measures, Physics, Math, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Statistics, Languages, Philosophy, Psychology, Mythology History: Art History, American Presidents, U.S. History, Encyclopedias of Roman Empire, Ancient Egypt Health: Acupressure Guide, First Aid Guide, Art of Love, Cookbook, Cocktails, Astrology Reference: The World's Biggest Mobile Encyclopedia; CIA World Factbook, Illustrated Encyclopedias of Birds, Mammals

    The pastor of a dying church doesn't need to be told it is dying; he needs to find the way forward--and he needs hope.Author and pastor Andrew Davis offers readers the lessons he's learned in his own journey of leading church transformation, including- keeping Christ's ownership of the church central- being humble- choosing your battles wisely- empowering godly men to join in leadership- making prayer a priority- focusing on the Word- and moreChurch decline is not inevitable. Revitalize gives pastors the spiritual support they long for and the practical advice they need to turn their churches around and position them for greater health in the future.

    Little did he know that he would meet a man who would compel him, by the example of his life, back into the world of people, for Jesus' sake."The Walk" is Michael Card's story of his relationship with Bill Lane, who forever changed his outlook on life. The book is both a journal and a study of the real meaning of discipleship. Card says, "Bill's walk was a parable of his life. Through him, or because of him, it would become the parable of my life as well."

    Now it has developed into a proof of concept that Youths can build a STRONG CHURCH.GenerationS is a mindset-shifting, heart-changing book that shows you how to raise up generations of young people in your church to build His kingdom.After over 20 years, this youth church, operated by youths, for youths to reach youths, still has an average age of 22.Bonus #1: Contributors and 'Inside Stories'Read 1,000+ word contributions from 13 other contributing writers that provide an 'inside look' and 360º view of HOGC.Director of Global Relations, a Westerner's perspective on an Asian church Board member in his 60s, on what older people do in a youth churchChief of Staff, on what goes on inside the Senior Pastors' OfficeHead of Global Partnerships, on what co-senior pastoring looks likeBonus #2: Comes with Digital CompanionGo beyond the chapters! Access 100+ bonus content and interactive materials when you scan QR codes from within the book.

    But whose kingdom are we building? God's? Or our own? A plethora of programs for outreach, discipleship, and spiritual disciplines are available at any bookstore and on countless websites. Yet what we need most is a renewed understanding of and commitment to the Great Commission. We assume that we already know the nature of this commission and the appropriate methods of carrying it out. But Michael Horton contends that it too often becomes our mission instead of God's. At a time when churches are zealously engaged in writing up mission statements and strategic plans, he argues that we must ask ourselves anew whether we are ambassadors, following the script we've been given, or building our own kingdoms with our own blueprint. Pastors, church leaders, and readers of Horton's "Christless Christianity" and "The Gospel-Driven Life" will value this frank and hopeful exploration of the Great Commission as a call to understanding and good practice.

    In recent years, Christian ministries have increasingly prioritized urban areas. Big cities and suburbs are considered more strategic, more influential, and more desirable places to live and work. After all, they're the centers for culture, arts, and education. More and more people are leaving small places and moving to big ones. As a ministry strategy, focusing on big places makes sense. But the gospel of Jesus is often unstrategic. In this book, pastor Stephen Witmer lays out an integrated theological vision for small-place ministry. Filled with helpful information about small places and with stories and practical advice from his own ministry, Witmer's book offers a compelling, comprehensive vision for small-place ministry today. Jesus loves small places, and when we care deeply about them and invest in them over time, our ministry becomes a unique picture of the gospel--one that the world badly needs to see.

     We live like slaves to our fast-paced, suffocating schedules.  We spend our energy and time in triviality, relegating God to the background.  He seems distant to us, and we resist the idea that God wants to give, say, and show us more; we dismiss it as rumor.  But Jesus calls us to a better way.  Another dream- an unimagined future.  Close the gap between what you hear about and what you see.Rumors is filled with the same forward-thinking spirit that defines its authors, Jon Tyson and Darren Whitehead. ?Louie Giglio, pastor, Passion City ChurchBoth challenging and encouraging, Rumors of God will reintroduce you to a God worth talking about. ?Gabe Lyons, author, The Next Christians, founder, Q, coauthor, UnChristianThis book invites us to find the rumors of God all around us.  Read it, but be ready to be changed. ?Scot McKnight, author, One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow and Jesus Creed for StudentsFor those who are jaded by the church, or have become cynical about the power of the Gospel in our time, Rumors of God is a great antidote. ?Alan Hirsch, author, dreamer, activist (www.theforgottenways.org)Foreword by Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., and chairman of the board for the Willow Creek Association. The irony: two upstart Aussies from tiny towns half a world away wind up leading high impact churches in two of the most significant cities in North America.  Only God.Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson are deep thinking Christ followers with a bias for action in the world.  A rare combination these days.  They are both leaders and communicators, visionaries and "get stuff done for God" guys.  Extremely rare.I have had the privilege of working closely with Darren at Willow Creek Community Church for over 7 years.  He is thoughtful, relationally intelligent and one of the hardest working young leaders I know.In Rumors of God, Darren and Jon have some how succeeded in slipping 3D glasses over our eyes.  The results are that passages from scripture come alive in ways that will impact readers for a long time. I salute the efforts of these young mates and pray that readers will be as stretched in their minds and hearts as I have been.

    Church leaders, conference speakers, and authors are weighing the merits of the attractional church movement of the past few decades, and where they find it lacking, prescribing changes in the way we need to approach our cultures with the Gospel. There has been a consensus shift among many churches, networks, and denominations to become more focused on mission. The result is a renewed interest in reaching the lost in our cities and around the world. The Church, in many places in the Western world, is in fact returning to a biblical missional focus. Yet there is something still to be addressed in the process: thehow. For centuries, God has called missionaries to cross cultures with the Gospel, and along the way, they have developed the necessary skill-sets for a cultural translation of the Good News. These skills need to be shared with the rest of the Church in order to help them as well be effective missionaries.Tradecraft for the Church on Missiondoes exactly that. This book, in essence, pulls back the curtain on tools once accessible only to full-time Christian workers moving overseas, and offers them to anyone anywhere who desires to live missionally."

    It’s as if they are trying to navigate with mere fragments of a map?different parts of the good news?and so they fail to see the whole picture. Daniel Montgomery, lead pastor of the fast-growing Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, and Mike Cosper, founder of Sojourn Music, argue that we need to put the collective fragments together, recovering the whole gospel for the whole church, and taking it into the whole world.

    If you're a pastor, counselor or lay leader, this resource will make you more comfortable, confident and competent in your role as encourager. In turn, this will help you free people from their emotional pain and spiritual conflicts, as you guide them to a more complete understanding of who they are in Christ.

    That’s what this book helps you do in a profound, strategic, and life-changing way. Author C. J. Mahaney exposes our human tendency to look at the Savior’s death (and at everything else!) through our own subjective feelings and impressions, rather than from the standpoint of objective truth. By nature we always begin with ourselves rather than with God. But by following the God-first "Divine Order" in how we think—and by asking "What do I believe?" instead of "How do I feel?"—we’re freed up to embrace the right truth in the right way. The right feelings quickly follow, and they’re reliable because they’re anchored in truth.The Secret to Sustaining Joy Do you desire more passion for Christ? Then learn to see His death not from our point of view, but from God’s. Author C. J. Mahaney puts you at our Savior’s side—and into His soul—during the most emotionally wrenching moments of His final hours. As you better understand the true nature of His struggle, you’ll grasp more than ever the staggering significance of why Jesus died…and fully experience His sacrifice as a personal act of love for you. Allow the deepest truths of Calvary to stir your passion for Christ our mediator into a flame that burns your whole life long. Story Behind the BookThere’s nothing more overpowering than to climb Calvary ’s hill in childlike attentiveness and wonder, with all our distractions and wrong assumptions cleared away. This book was written that we might be gripped by gratitude and enflamed in passion for the Savior, Christ our Mediator, who suffered the Father’s righteous wrath for us.From the Hardcover edition.