Download or read book Reclaiming Rural written by Allen T. Stanton and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-05-15 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As rural America continues to undergo massive economic and demographic shifts, rural churches are uniquely positioned to provide community leadership. Leading a rural congregation requires a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing these communities, as well as a strong theological and community-focused identity. Allen T. Stanton describes how in establishing this identity, rural leaders build a meaningful and vital ministry. Reclaiming Rural explores the myths and realities of rural places, and how those common narratives impact the leadership of rural churches. Ultimately, rural congregations must practice a contextual understanding of vitality, which understands both the strengths and challenges of leading in a rural setting. Arguing for a practice of evangelism imbued with this mission of vitality, Reclaiming Rural promotes the church as a leader in economic and community development, modeled upon a Wesleyan theology of grace. Acknowledging the many challenges facing rural churches, this book is an energetic and encouraging guide to overcoming social and economic obstacles to build a thriving congregation.

Download or read book Transforming Church in Rural America written by Shannon O'Dell and published by New Leaf Publishing Group. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "No matter what size church you are a part of, this book will challenge your traditional thinking, force you to look beyond the status quo, and enable you to grasp a bigger vision of what God has in store for your ministry and your leadership." -Ed Young, Fellowship Church "Shannon O'Dell's passion for the rural church in America is contagious" -Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch.tv Small church buildings dotting the countryside are home to ministries that often struggle with limited attendance, no money, and little expectation that change can revitalize their future. In Transforming Church in Rural America, Pastor Shannon O'Dell shares a powerful vision of relevance, possibility, and excellence for these small churches, or for any ministry that is stuck in a "rural state of mind." The book reveals: how to generate growth through transformed lives ways to create active evangelism in your community no-cost solutions for staffing challenges, enhancing the worship experience, and inspiring volunteers Focusing on vision, attitude, leadership, and innovation, you can learn the practical strategies and biblical guidance that helped to grow a church of 31 into a multi-campus church of several thousand, with a national and global outreach. Discover effective structure and ways to cast God-given vision so others can follow and make an impact. Experience the blueprint for transforming into effective, dynamic, and thriving churches no matter where the location or how small it may be. MORE INFO

Download or read book Historic Rural Churches of Georgia written by Sonny Seals and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forty-seven early houses of worship from all areas of the state. Nearly three hundred stunning color photographs capture the simple elegance of these sanctuaries and their surrounding grounds and cemeteries.

Download or read book Setting the Atmosphere for the Day of Worship written by Joseph S. Girdler and published by . This book was released on 2019-03-05 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether you're starting your first church, or know you need to re-evaluate your current ministry, the collection of checklists and step-by-step walkthroughs in Setting the Atmosphere for the Day of Worship will provide many "Aha! moments for crafting your church's ultimate worship experience.The practical insights gained from decades of study and pastoral experience, provide a holistic framework from which churches can critique their vision and practices from a wide spectrum of practical, service-related topics. The process will help you achieve greatly desired outcomes for each aspect of your worship services, and you will be empowered to act intentionally toward excellence in ministry.Setting the Atmosphere for the Day of Worship is also a practical, approachable, and direct blueprint for church planters, and will be a great help before the launch. You will also find this book will help you most effectively steward your God-given resources to reach many more people with the life-changing message of Christ.

Download or read book Rural Ministry written by Shannon Jung and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grounded in social research, Rural Ministry evaluates the diminishing establishment of the church in rural America, which is linked to the fifty-year-old crisis in rural ministry. It names the primary issues for leaders of Protestant and Catholic churches to ponder: the graying of the population; the closing of schools, hospitals, and factories; and the corporate buyout of farms during the 1980s. In addition to retelling the history of this crisis, Shannon Jung and the other contributors to this volume offer a set of Christian principles that respond to social problems in rural life. The situation is so intense that the book offers examples from around the heartland of cooperative or collaborative parishes that blend denominational and theological differences across the Protestant and Catholic spectrum. Key Benefits: Offers a vision of nationwide renewal in rural America; Advocates true ecumenical solutions to issues confronting the rural church in America; Sidebars feature examples and illustrations; Informs new rural ministers of the culture and issues about to confront them, allowing them to better handle the challenges and opportunities of the rural environment; Motivates congregations to activate ministries in new and provocative ways, insuring the spread of the gospel; Can help troubled churches survive.

Download or read book The Unstuck Church written by Tony Morgan and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2017-05-16 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Acclaimed church leader, blogger, founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan unpacks the lifecycle of a typical church, identifies characteristics of each phase, and provides practical next steps a church can take to move towards sustained health. Think about your church for a moment. Is it growing? Is it diminishing? Is it somewhere in between? Acclaimed church leader, blogger, and founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan has identified the seven stages of a church's lifecycle that range from the hopeful and optimistic days of launch, to the stagnating last stages of life support. Regardless of the stage in which you find your church, it carries with it the world's greatest mission—to "go and make disciples of all the nations . . ." With eternity at stake the Church should be doing most everything within its power to see lives changed forever. The Church should strive for the pinnacle of the lifecycle, where they are continually making new disciples and experiencing what Morgan refers to as "sustained health." In The Unstuck Church, Morgan unpacks each phase of the church lifecycle, and offers specific and strategic next steps the church leader can take to find it's way to sustained health . . . and finally become unstuck. The Unstuck Church is a call for honest an assessment of where your church sits on the lifecycle, and a challenge to move beyond it.

Download or read book Rediscover Church written by Collin Hansen and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2021-07-28 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A Christian without a church is a Christian in trouble." Since a global pandemic abruptly closed places of worship, many Christians have skipped church life, even neglecting virtual services. But this was a trend even before COVID-19. Polarizing issues, including political and racial strife, convinced some people to pull away from the church and one another. Now it's time to recommit to gathering as brothers and sisters in Christ. In Rediscover Church, Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman discuss why church is essential for believers and God's mission. Through biblical references and personal stories, they show readers God's true intention for corporate gathering: to spiritually strengthen members as individuals and the body of Christ. In an age of church-shopping and livestreamed services, rediscover why the future of the church relies on believers gathering regularly as the family of God. Published in partnership with the Gospel Coalition and 9Marks.

Download or read book Liturgy of the Ordinary written by Tish Harrison Warren and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Framed around one ordinary day, this book explores daily life through the lens of liturgy, small practices, and habits that form us. Each chapter looks at something author Tish Harrison Warren does in a day—making the bed, brushing her teeth, losing her keys—and relates it to spiritual practice as well as to our Sunday worship.

Download or read book Mission shaped and Rural written by Sally Gaze and published by Church House Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using a mix of theological reflection, sociological analysis, case studies and personal experience, this book explores ways forward for mission in a rural context in both traditional and fresh expressions of church. It offers insights into issues facing rural England and explores the nature of mission with reference to the rural situation.

Download or read book Rural Problems of Today written by Ernest R. Groves and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-11-21 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This valuable work aims to explain the rural problems of America during the early 20th century. The writer brilliantly approaches rural social life from a psychological angle. Content includes: The Rural Worker and the Country Home The Family in Our Country Life The Rural Worker and the Country Schools The Country Church and the Rural Worker Mental Hygiene in Rural Districts The Social Value of Rural Experience Rural vs. Urban Environment The Mind of the Farmer Psychic Causes of Rural Migration Rural Socializing Agencies The World-War and Rural Life

Download or read book Church in Hard Places written by Mez McConnell and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2016-01-14 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, paying particular attention to the downtrodden and the poor. As followers of Jesus, Christians are called to imitate his example and reach out to those who have the least. This book offers biblical guidelines and practical strategies for reaching those on the margins of our society with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The authors—both pastors with years of experience ministering among the poor—set forth helpful “dos” and “don’ts” related to serving in the midst of less-affluent communities. Emphasizing the priority of the gospel as well as the importance of addressing issues of social justice, this volume will help pastors and other church leaders mobilize their people to plant churches and make an impact in “hard places”—in their own communities and around the world.

Download or read book The Congregationalist written by and published by . This book was released on 1920 with total page 1764 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Replanting Rural Churches God s Plan and Call for the Middle of Nowhere written by Kyle Bueermann and published by The Replant. This book was released on 2019-08-09 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: God has plans for Nowhere, USA. You might be surprised to learn that God has great plans for Nowhere, USA; population you, your family, a few people, and scores of cattle. As you surrender to Him, remain faithful to proclaim His Word, and maintain earnest prayer on your church's behalf, you can play a pivotal role in advancing the Kingdom. Maybe you have just been called to a town like that, maybe you are still wondering where you will serve, or maybe, just maybe you want to step out of your comfort zone and into the long-forgotten communities of rural America. If that's you, this book is for you.

Download or read book Rural Life and Rural Church written by Leslie J. Francis and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-10-20 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays brought together here present a broad assessment of the serious issues facing rural life and the rural church today. The authors are drawn from the Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and Pentecostal Churches. The essays explore a wide range of biblical, theological, sociological, and historical concerns and topics. Throughout, the book is informed by a spirit of listening - to church-goers, clergy, church leaders, and local communities. Rural Life and Rural Church provides an invaluable resource for clergy and lay Christians involved in rural ministry, initial and continuing ministerial education, and Christian men and women living in the countryside.

Download or read book Simple Church written by Thom S. Rainer and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2011-06 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in paperback, this multi-awarded national best seller shares a clear message from case studies of 400 North American congregations: church is done best when it's kept simple.

Download or read book Imagining the Small Church written by Steve Willis and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2012-11-06 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagining the Small Church: Celebrating a Simpler Path bears witness to what God is doing in small churches. Steve Willis tells stories from the small churches he has pastored in rural, town, and urban settings and dares to imagine that their way of being has something to teach all churches in this time of change in the American Christian Church. Willis tells us in the introduction, 'This book boasts no ten or fifteen steps to a successful small church. Instead, I hope to encourage you to give up on steps altogether and even to give up on success, at least how success is usually measured. I also hope to help the reader imagine the small church differently; to see with new eyes the joys and pleasures of living small and sustainably.' The joys and sorrows Willis helps us see through the compelling stories of faith in the small church puts flesh and bones on the possibilities that lie ahead for congregations in the future as well as the here and now. From the foreword by Tony Pappas: 'In Imagining the Small Church, pastor, writer, and lover of small things Steve Willis takes us on a narrative and imaginative journey. Some readers will have a sense that what Willis is describing simply names what they have already known in their hearts about their small churches. For them the journey will cover some familiar ground, explore some territory from a fresh angle, but deposit them nearly home again, hopefully with just a bit more awareness and appreciation. For others, though, Willis will take them on a long journey to a far and foreign place. They probably won't bother to finish reading it, and they will miss his invitation to find pastoring a small church extremely rewarding and meaningful. They will find this a strange book weird, off-center, and impractical; unlivable in the twenty-first century and undesirable in any event. This is because Willis is taking on the ethos, the values of our age, and claiming that it needn't be so. We can live on a different basis. We can live on the basis of gospel values.' There will be a variety of paths as the Church seeks new ways of being in this time. Willis knows this. In Imagining the Small Church he presents us with one that embraces a life of faith on the periphery and challenges church leaders to do the same.

Download or read book Rural Mission written by Will Basham and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-20 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rural Mission is written to help Christians see the specific nuance of carrying out the Great Commission in a rural setting. This book provides some practical tips about the beautiful simplicity of rural ministry. Doing simple ministry to reach simple folks in your rural setting will help you reach the lost in your town as well as start new discipleship ministries. The advice is deeply practical and applicable for pastors, church planters, and any Christian who is serious about reaching folks in a small town or rural setting.Religious undertones and the warm hospitality of many rural places make them easy places for ministry, primed for the gospel. We just need to get to work at this rural mission. And it can't just be preachers. It needs to be all of us.Rural places lend themselves to isolated cultures and each of those cultures need biblically rooted missional strategies. Every unique subculture presents a variation of ministry strategy, but at the root of every missional strategy should lie biblical principles, centered on an unchanging gospel.The roots and remnants of religion that still remain in many rural places create some of the most wonderful opportunities for ministry. But these opportunities are quickly disappearing. Today's generation must be won to Christ before religious traditionalism and false Christian identity take many to hell.