Download or read book Creating a Culture of Invitation in Your Church written by Michael Harvey MBA and published by Monarch Books. This book was released on 2015-07-17 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We like to think our church welcomes visitors. But how welcoming can we be, if we are not inviting? We are welcoming as long as people get themselves across the church threshold, but we fail to take our welcome outside. During the years Michael has been developing Back to Church Sunday, he has conducted an extensive study on the seemingly simple subject of 'invitation'. Over 650 times in 12 countries he has asked: 'Why don't we invite our friends to take a closer look at Christ?' The many answers form the impetus for this book. After considering why it seems so hard to invite friends to church, Michael looks at our concerns over acceptance and rejection, and suggests ideas gleaned from years of trying to establish a culture of invitation. 'When I have specifically encouraged Christians to issue an invitation, some people say yes and some no. God sent his son to invite us all into a relationship, and so to be like God is to be a person who invites!'

Download or read book Unlocking Your Church s Invite Culture written by Rich Birch and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2024-02-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wondering how to train, equip and motivate your people to invite their friends & family to your church? Are you searching for practical strategies to revitalize your church's outreach? Do you feel your church could do more to welcome and engage new members? Are you curious about navigating the challenges of building an invite culture in today's digital age? In today's rapidly changing world, many churches are at a crossroads, struggling to grow and connect with their communities. "Unlocking Your Church's Invite Culture" by Rich Birch provides a groundbreaking solution to this challenge. With decades of experience in church leadership and growth, Birch offers a comprehensive guide to transforming your church into a vibrant, inviting community that attracts and welcomes new members with open arms. Discover a Proven Path to Growth At the heart of Birch's strategy is cultivating an "invite culture," a powerful approach encouraging your congregation to reach out and bring others into the fold. Through compelling anecdotes, practical strategies, and inspiring case studies, this book equips church leaders with the tools they need to unlock the latent potential within their churches. From creating shareable weekend experiences to leveraging social media for evangelism, Birch outlines actionable steps any church can take to foster a culture of invitation and inclusivity. A Manifesto for Modern Church Leaders "Unlocking Your Church's Invite Culture" is more than just a manual for church growth; it's a manifesto for reclaiming the church's soul in the 21st century. Birch challenges readers to see beyond the status quo and reimagine what's possible when we commit ourselves to building a welcoming and engaging community. This book is a call to action for all who believe in the transformative power of the local church to change lives and shape the future. Equip Your Church for Impact Whether you're a seasoned church leader or just starting, "Unlocking Your Church's Invite Culture" provides a clear, practical roadmap for engaging your community and growing your congregation. With this book as your guide, you'll learn how to: Develop shareable and engaging content that draws people in. Plan and execute events that encourage community participation. Cultivate a volunteer culture that inspires commitment and service. Navigate the challenges of building an invite culture in a digital age. Join the Movement It's time to unlock the doors of your church and welcome the community with open arms. Join Rich Birch on this transformative journey and discover how your church can become a beacon of hope and a place of belonging for all. "Unlocking Your Church's Invite Culture" is your key to building a thriving, dynamic church that makes a lasting impact. Get your copy today and start unlocking the potential of your church!

Download or read book Making Sense of God written by Timothy Keller and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-09-20 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.

Download or read book Invitation to Retreat written by Ruth Haley Barton and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2018-09-18 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Academy of Parish Clergy Top Ten List "Come away and rest awhile." Jesus invites us to be with him, offering our full and undivided attention to him. When we choose retreat, we make a generous investment in our friendship with Christ. We are not always generous with ourselves where God is concerned. Many of us have tried to incorporate regular times of solitude and silence into the rhythm of our ordinary lives, which may mean that we give God twenty minutes here and half an hour there. And there’s no question we are better for it! But we need more. Indeed, we long for more. In these pages Transforming Center founder and seasoned spiritual director Ruth Haley Barton gently leads us into retreat as a key practice that opens us to God. Based on her own practice and her experience leading hundreds of retreats for others, she will guide you in a very personal exploration of seven specific invitations contained within the general invitation to retreat. You will discover how to say yes to God's winsome invitation to greater freedom and surrender. There has never been a time when the invitation to retreat is so radical and so relevant, so needed and so welcome. It is not a luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual life.

Download or read book How to Get Along With Your Church written by George B. Thompson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By culture, George B. Thompson Jr. means not just racial, ethnic, economic, or regional culture, but also a congregation's way of doing things--its history, customs, conventions, and procedures. In order to launch and maintain a successful ministry, pastors and other church leaders must come to grasp that unique culture of their parish. They must develop a culture capital within their congregations, meaning that they invest themselves deeply in how their church does its work and goes about its ministries. The author presses clergy to answer such questions as How well do I know what I'm getting into? and Have I been adopted yet? and even Is it time to move on? The book is ideal for pastors in solo settings, but pastors in multiple staff settings will also find the author's insights helpful.

Download or read book Making Your Church More Inviting written by Roy M. Oswald and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 1992-12-31 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you've read the book or viewed the course, now lead your church in study with this workbook approach to Alban's Inviting Church materials. Its fifteen sessions are designed to help clergy or lay leaders guide committees or study groups through a dynamic exploration of their congregation's IQ (invitation quotient). Discover how well you invite, welcome, and incorporate new members. As participants uncover the inviting elements of your church, they develop a personal witness style that emerges comfortably from their individual gifts.

Download or read book Unlocking the Growth written by Michael Harvey and published by Monarch Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book teaches the power of invitation. It may sound simple, but we are so caught up in our busy church livesthat we have missed it.

Download or read book Building a Discipling Culture written by Mike Breen and published by 3dm International. This book was released on 2014-09-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Much ink and many pages have been devoted to all of the missional issues facing the Western church today. As our culture becomes more post-Christian with each passing day, we are all realizing that what has worked in the past is no longer working, that we are far less effective for the Kingdom than we were even 10 years ago. But we would suggest it isn’t because we don’t know what the Great Commission states or the imperatives of the Gospel, or that our church services just aren’t getting it done. It’s because we are in the midst of a discipleship crisis in the Western church. The people sitting in our pews are rarely becoming like the people we read about in Scripture. They may come to a worship service, join a small group or even tithe, but their lives just don’t seem to look like Jesus’ life. The truth of the matter is that we don’t have a missional problem or leadership problem in the Western church. We have a discipleship problem. If we make disciples like Jesus made them, we’ll never have a problem finding leaders or seeing new people coming to faith. The central issue is that we have no idea how to make disciples who can do the things that Jesus did for the reasons Jesus did them. Building a Discipling Culture is the product of more than 25 years of hands-on discipleship practice in a post-Christian context that has turned into a worldwide discipling movement, dealing specifically with how to make the types of missional disciples Jesus spoke of. We all want to make disciples. Most of us are unsure how to do it. Dallas Willard put it this way: 'Every church needs to be able to answer two questions. One, do we have a plan for making disciples? Two, does our plan work?' For most of our church communities, we have a plan, but the plan isn’t working. If you find yourself in this situation, this book is for you." -- Publisher's description.

Download or read book Church of the Wild written by Victoria Loorz and published by Broadleaf Books . This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2024 Nautilus Book Awards Silver Winner in "Religion / Spirituality of Western Thought" CategoryWinner of the Living Now Book Award, Church of the Wild reminds us that once upon a time, humans lived in an intimate relationship with nature. Whether disillusioned by the dominant church or unfulfilled by traditional expressions of faith, many of us long for a deeper spirituality. Victoria Loorz certainly did. Coping with an unraveling vocation, identity, and planet, Loorz turned to the wanderings of spiritual leaders and the sanctuary of the natural world, eventually cofounding the Wild Church Network and Seminary of the Wild. With an ecospiritual lens on biblical narratives and a fresh look at a community larger than our own species, Church of the Wild uncovers the wild roots of faith and helps us deepen our commitment to a suffering earth by falling in love with it--and calling it church. Through mystical encounters with wild deer, whispers from a scrubby oak tree, wordless conversation with a cougar, and more, Loorz helps us connect to a love that literally holds the world together--a love that calls us into communion with all creatures.

Download or read book The Craft of Church Planting written by Christian Selvaratnam and published by SCM Press. This book was released on 2022-06-30 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on insights from the training practices of the English medieval craft guilds, a global survey of 500 church planters, interviews with artists and church planting trainers and the authors 30 years of ministry experience, 'The Craft of Church Planting' offers a distinctive and imaginative perspective on the methods used to train future practitioners in the art of church planting. Demonstrating how training for the next generation of church planting leaders might be informed by the historic master-apprentice model, guild learning communities, creativity and an artisan approach to ministry, this book is a vital resource to inform the methods of training for the next generation of church planters.

Download or read book MANAGING CAREER BUSINESS AND MINISTRY written by ISAIAH MACWEALTH and published by GP Publisher. This book was released on 2022-06-10 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the years, I have been greatly concerned about the complacency and indifference of many Christian workers who struggle to effectively combine their assignment with the schedule of their job, career or ministry. Some persons view their occupation or business endeavour as an escape route from doing church ministry work or as an excuse for doing it haphazardly. ‡is has led to a significant decline in the number of souls reached. Also, many lay ministers have lost focus of the assignment of soul winning and discipleship, and for many who have managed to keep their zeal alive, most do not know how to carry out a lay ministry while maintaining a strong schedule of career and business. I have therefore written this book because of the call of the spirit for lay ministers to begin to take their place in doing the work of the ministry. As a lay minister, you must have the wisdom to stretch yourself and combine your assignment in ministry with the demands of your job, career or business. ‡at is the benchmark for measuring effectiveness in lay ministry. As you read this book, it is my prayer that the Spirit will impart wisdom unto you, and birth in you fresh revelation and passion that will propel you into a greater level of effectiveness in lay ministry.

Download or read book The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church written by Sam Rainer and published by Tyndale House Publishers. This book was released on 2023-09-05 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Opportunity Lies Right Down the Road. There’s hope for your church. Respected church expert Sam Rainer envisions an exciting new wave of revitalized neighborhood churches that are growing and thriving. In the not-so-distant past, churches tended to relocate away from their neighborhoods and build large campuses at major intersections. At the turn of the 21st century, a dramatic shift occurred: A new generation began looking to neighborhood churches to foster life-giving friendships, provide opportunities for service, and create a community dedicated to worshiping God. Sam Rainer describes this movement and answers the most common questions about this surprising new phenomenon: What are the marks of a healthy neighborhood church? What are the most common myths about the neighborhood church? What are the obstacles to church growth? What are the best strategies to reach your neighbors? The neighborhood church is primed for a comeback. The potential is huge. God wants to do incredible things. Are you ready?

Download or read book Celebration of Discipline written by Richard J. Foster and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 1988-10-05 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the twenty years since its publication, Celebration of Discipline has helped over a million seekers discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace, and a deeper understanding of God. For this special twentieth anniversary edition, Richard J. Foster has added an introduction, in which he shares the story of how this beloved and enduring spiritual guidebook came to be. Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, Celebration of Discipline explores the "classic Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith. Along the way, Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found. Dividing the Disciplines into three movements of the Spirit, Foster shows how each of these areas contribute to a balanced spiritual life. The inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study, offer avenues of personal examination and change. The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service, help prepare us to make the world a better place. The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration, bring us nearer to one another and to God. Foster provides a wealth of examples demonstrating how these Disciplines can become part of our daily activities-and how they can help us shed our superficial habits and "bring the abundance of God into our lives." He offers crucial new insights on simplicity, demonstrating how the biblical view of simplicity, properly understood and applied, brings joy and balance to our inward and outward lives and "sets us free to enjoy the provision of God as a gift that can be shared with others." The discussion of celebration, often the most neglected of the Disciplines, shows its critical importance, for it stands at the heart of the way to Christ. Celebration of Discipline will help motivate Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth.

Download or read book Invitation to Evangelism written by Timothy K. Beougher and published by Kregel Publications. This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essential guidance for a lifestyle of sharing God's good news with a lost world. What exactly does it mean to "evangelize" in a Christian sense? And how is such evangelizing supposed to be done? Longtime pastor, evangelist, and professor of evangelism Timothy K. Beougher answers these questions and more from theological, historical, and practical perspectives. Beougher demonstrates God's goodness in evangelism through relatable anecdotes, Bible teaching, and encouraging instruction. Invitation to Evangelism welcomes believers into the experience of stepping out in faith of behalf of people God loves. Most Christians know that they should be sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with nonbelievers, and most also know they aren't witnessing very well, or even at all. They need help internalizing the content of gospel proclamation and identifying the best way to go about making evangelism a natural part of their lives. Invitation to Evangelism guides readers through the essential issues of the gospel message, evangelism methods, and witnessing models so they are ready and excited to move out in faith as everyday evangelists. Beougher's biblical, theological, historical, and practical teaching revolves around following essential aspects of being an evangelist: Having compassion as the motivation for evangelism Understanding the good news of Jesus Christ Seeing lost people as persons God loves Relying on the power of the Holy Spirit Paving the way for new believers to share their faith eagerly with others

Download or read book The Ways of the Alongsider written by Bill Mowry and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2016 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ways of the Alongsider is more than a Bible study. It's a new pathway for making disciples in life2life ways!

Download or read book When Collaboration Mirrors the Trinity written by Avery Stafford and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "That they all may be one" was Jesus' first-century prayer. With mind and emotions set towards Golgotha, he poured out his heart to the Father. But what is our twenty-first-century reality? Local churches are siloed. Pastors do not know one another and rarely work together. Christians drive by church buildings on their way to Sunday worship and seldom pray for one another. Vitriolic disunity spews across social media in front of an onlooking world. Our culture sees our fractured reality and increasingly dismisses Christianity as a viable option for their lives. And it is time for believers to recognize that it is our fault. But there is hope! When Collaboration Mirrors the Trinity is a timely invitation for local churches to make the practice of unity our new normal. Avery Stafford presents a biblical model to actualize this invitation. He details four rhythms that mirror the loving community of the Triune God. Each one can help pastors, lay leaders, and faith communities deepen their resolve to bless the world through effective gospel partnerships. This work is a bold call for believers to discover an untapped resource for the gospel--the believers who attend other churches in their city.

Download or read book What Every Pastor Should Know written by Gary L. McIntosh and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pastors and church leaders are constantly faced with strategic questions. How much staff does the church need? How many workers are needed in the nursery this month? When is the right time to start a second worship service? How many people should we train for evangelism this year? How does seating and parking impact worship attendance? When church leaders have questions about planning, running, or growing their churches, they need answers fast! What Every Pastor Should Know offers pastors and leaders 101 valuable rules and "sacred" laws to help answer real-life ministry questions. From advertising to facilities to visitation, this valuable book offers the practical help that leaders need, just when they need it most. This comprehensive guide will become one of the most valuable books in a leader's library. Never again will they wonder if they based critical decisions on the right information. They'll get the answers they're looking for all in one place.