Download or read book Authentic Church written by Vaughan Roberts and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2012-06-11 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The church today faces challenges on every front. Christians are captivated by consumerism, seduced by celebrity, distracted by technology and overwhelmed by media. Religious and secular rivals are increasingly prominent, vying for our allegiance and worship. What does authentic Christian spirituality look like in such an era? Vaughan Roberts finds direction for today's church in Paul's prophetic letter of 1 Corinthians. Ancient Corinth was a similarly confusing cultural landscape, and the Corinthian church likewise struggled to remain true to Christ in a world of many idols. Paul's vision is clear--Christians must choose certain things and not others. We must focus on the cross of Christ, not on human wisdom. Our leaders should be faithful, not flashy. And in contrast to lives of moral permissiveness, we must live lives of holiness and love. Following the way of Christ may look like foolishness to the world, but therein is the path of true wisdom. With a Bible study in each chapter, this book will help you choose the true spirituality of the gospel of Christ, and become the authentic church God intends you to be.
Download or read book Authentic Church Government written by Dr. Steven L. Highlander and published by Booktango. This book was released on 2014-04-16 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is the current model of Church government Biblically accurate, or have we settled for a centuries-old model that has no Biblical basis? Authentic Church Government examines the roles of the Apostles Prophet, Evangelist. Pastor and Teacher in the Bible, as well as looking at the roles of Bishops, Elders and Deacons.
Download or read book A New Model of the Authentic Church written by Robert Fuggi and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2018-02-08 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In American church culture, worldly benchmarks of achievement have all but blinded us to the true purpose of the body of Christ. A New Model of the Authentic Church may be one of the most significant books written on the American church in decades. It not only offers a scholarly analysis of the current state of the church, but provides practical solutions. The book offers a brilliantly well-developed model for how to make church work more effectively. If implemented, it would provide a much needed paradigm shift in how we do church in America. The books main contribution is that it provides a workable framework not only on how to birth new missionally minded churches, but how to reform existing ones back to the Authentic Church of the gospels. If its principles are taken and applied, the book could alter the landscape of the American church, which will be a breath of fresh theological air to a church that has lost its way in the new millennium. The purpose of this book is not to just challenge and change the status quo; its goal is to bring a real, lasting transformation to how we do church. The aspiration in writing this book is for it to be seen and read not just as a critical assessment of the condition of the American church, but as a practical blueprint that will provide much renewed hope and purpose to the contemporary American church, the bride of Christ.
Download or read book Searching for the True Church written by Roger N. Shuff and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roger Shuff holds that the influence of the Brethren movement on wider evangelical life in England in the twentieth century is often underrated. This book records and accounts for the fact that Brethren reached the peak of their strength at the time when evangelicalism was at its lowest ebb, immediately before World War II. However, the movement then moved into persistent decline as evangelicalism regained ground in the postwar period. Accompanying this downward trend has been a sharp accentuation of the contrast between Brethren congregations who engage constructively with the non-Brethren scene and, at the other end of the spectrum, the isolationist group commonly referred to as Exclusive Brethren. Besides being the first scholarly study of Brethrenism in England for nearly forty years, the book will find a wider audience among present and former adherents of the Brethren movement in its various guises. It also offers useful insights for Christian leaders and other professionals who find themselves with pastoral care for people upon whom their encounter with the Brethren has had a profound psychological impact.
Download or read book The Strategically Small Church written by Brandon J. O'Brien and published by Bethany House. This book was released on 2010-08 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pastor and Leadership journal editor shows how small churches are uniquely equipped for success in today's culture, offering encouragement and help to pastors and leaders.
Download or read book When the Church was a Family written by Joseph H. Hellerman and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2009 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of the early Christian church in the Mediterranean region and its emphasis on collective good over individual desire clarifies much about what is wrong with the American church today.
Download or read book The Apostles Creed written by R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2019-03-26 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I believe. These two words are among the most explosive words any human can utter. The Apostles' Creed has shaped and guided Christian faith for almost two thousand years. Shared by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox traditions, it is perhaps the most compelling statement of Christian doctrine the world has ever known. But do we know what it really means—and how it applies to us today? In The Apostles' Creed, renowned theologian and pastor R. Albert Mohler Jr. works line-by-line and phrase-by-phrase through each section of the Creed, revealing the rich truths it contains, including: the profound mystery of the Trinity the miracle of the Incarnation the world-shaking truth of the resurrection the hope of Christ's return the theological heritage contained in this ancient statement The Apostles’ Creed is an often-overlooked treasure that contains the power to shape us for vibrant and steadfast living today, equipping believers to live faithfully in a post-Christian culture.
Download or read book The Authentic Report of the Discussion which Took Place at the Dublin Institution Between the Rev Thomas Maguire and the Rev Richard T P Pope written by Thomas Maguire and published by . This book was released on 1853 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Dear Church written by Sarah Raymond Cunningham and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2006 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through this series of letters from a former emergent church staffer to the global church she's not always sure she wants to be a part of, this volume invites every person to engage their own disappointments and journey through disillusionment and back again.
Download or read book A New And Right Spirit written by Rick Barger and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2005-03-01 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a postmodern culture shaped by consumerism, it’s little wonder that there is confusion about what the church is supposed to be in the 21st century. In A New and Right Spirit, Rick Barger argues passionately for congregations to reexamine what it means to be an "authentic church" in a culture where authenticity is hard to come by. He demonstrates the pitfalls of technical solutions to congregational problems and shows the way to making adaptive change. Recognizing the spiritual needs of a success-oriented society, he exhorts leaders to turn away from the story of our culture and to return to the story of the church that is grounded in Christ and the resurrection.
Download or read book The Connecting Church 2 0 written by Randy Frazee and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2013-03-12 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The development of meaningful relationships, where every member carries a significant sense of belonging, is central to what it means to be the church. So why do many Christians feel disappointed and disillusioned with their efforts to experience authentic community? Despite the best efforts of pastors, small group leaders, and faithful lay persons, church too often is a place of loneliness rather than connection. In this revised and updated version of his best-selling book, Randy Frazee shows us how church can be so much...better. More intimate and alive. The answer may seem radical today, but it was a central component of life in the early church. First-century Christians knew what it meant to live in vital community with one another, relating with a depth and commitment that made "the body of Christ" a perfect metaphor for the church. What would it take to reclaim that kind of love, joy, support, and dynamic spiritual growth? Read this book and find out.
Download or read book Organic Church written by Neil Cole and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2007-06-15 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Churches have tried all kinds of ways to attract new and younger members - revised vision statements, hipper worship, contemporary music, livelier sermons, bigger and better auditoriums. But there are still so many people who aren't being reached, who don't want to come to church. And the truth is that attendance at church on Sundays does not necessarily transform lives; God's presence in our hearts is what changes us. Leaders and laypeople everywhere are realizing that they need new and more powerful ways to help them spread God's Word. According to international church starter and pastor Neil Cole, if we want to connect with young people and those who are not coming to church, we must go where people congregate. Cole shows readers how to plant the seeds of the Kingdom of God in the places where life happens and where culture is formed - restaurants, bars, coffeehouses, parks, locker rooms,and neighborhoods. Organic Church offers a hands-on guide for demystifying this new model of church and shows the practical aspects of implementing it.
Download or read book Counseling Asian Indian Immigrant Families written by Varughese Jacob and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-11-01 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides insight into the unique challenges facing Indian and South Asian immigrants in the West—particularly in the United States. It explores the “baggage” they carry; their expectations versus the realities of negotiating a new cultural, social, religious, and economic milieu; nostalgia and idealization of the past; and the hybridity of existence. Within this context, the author discusses factors which often contribute to intergenerational family conflict among this population. Jacob asserts that this conflict is largely a product of differences in cultural values and identity, acculturation stress, and the experience of marginality. After analyzing and interpreting empirical data collected from two hundred families, he proposes the “Praxis-Reflection-Action” (PRA) Model: a five-stage therapeutic model and the first pastoral psychotherapeutic model developed for the Asian Indians living in the West.
Download or read book Finding Organic Church written by Frank Viola and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2009-09-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of Reimagining Church comes an essential guide that provides practical, effective tools for finding vibrant Christian communities. Driven by a passion for the body of Christ, Frank Viola has written some of today's most authoritative and celebrated works on the growing home, organic, and missional church movements. Now Viola shares practical keys to a healthy and successful church plant. Viola contends that many congregations today are struggling to survive, not because of bad planning, but poor planting. He presents an essential guide for starting and nourishing organic churches in any culture. Drawing from both Scripture and a wealth of experience, Viola offers real-world tools, insights, and practical suggestions so churches won't just grow, but thrive.
Download or read book Essential Church written by Thom S. Rainer and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do so many young adults (18 to 22) leave the church, and what will it take to bring them back? This important question is examined and duly answered in Essential Church?, a follow-up to Thom S. Rainer’s best-selling Simple Church cowritten this time with his son, research expert Sam Rainer. The book is based on a study of one-thousand so-called "church dropouts" who were interviewed about why they left. Their answers are quite surprising, having less to do with "losing their religion" and more about the desire for a community that isn’t made stale by simply maintaining the status quo. In turn, the Rainers offer churches four concrete solutions toward making their worship community an essential part these young people’s lives again: Simplify - develop a clear structure and process for making disciples. Deepen - provide strong biblical teaching and preaching. Expect - let members know the need for commitment to the congregation. Multiply - emphasize evangelism, outward focus, and starting new churches.
Download or read book Christian Theology Volume Two written by Thomas N. Finger and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-03-09 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is one of the first systematic theologies written from a believer’s church—chiefly an Anabaptist-Mennonite—perspective. Dr. Finger develops his themes throughout the volume in careful dialogue with Reformed, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and other historic approaches. The eschatological approach taken by Finger does not represent a fixation on future events. Rather, it represents a method of inquiry based on the early Christian conviction that the ‘last things’ had already occurred through Jesus, even though their effects were not yet fully realized. Chief among these were the resurrection of the dead, the outpouring of the Spirit, the coming of God’s kingdom, and the defeat of the powers of evil. After outlining this vantage point, Volume I considered eschatology, revelation, and the work of Christ in its light. Volume II begins with anthropology. Jesus’ human work provides the norm for authentic human being. Justification comes next and is considered as the eschatological revelation and actualization of God’s righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. After treating the dynamics of personal sanctification, Dr. Finger explores the context within which it is pursued: the church. His ecclesiology begins with mission, including its approach to non-Christian religions and the sociopolitical realm. Volume II ends where most systematic theologies begin: with God, including the humanity and deity of Jesus Christ. “Thomas N. Finger has undertaken an important task that is rarely attempted: the production of a constructive systematic theology informed by judicious dialogue with current biblical scholarship. Finger's methodological decision to adopt an ‘eschatological approach’ enables him to work formally as well as materially from within a perspective shaped by the NT writers; his innovative organization of the loci of Christian doctrine—with its emphasis on the church as a community of believers living out the tensions between Christ's resurrection and Parousia—is a direct result of taking the NT seriously. “Particularly noteworthy is his exposition of the doctrine of justification in the light of recent paradigm shifts in Pauline studies. Finger's book is a productive and edifying work for all who care about the ongoing conversation between Scripture and systematics.” —Richard Hays, Duke Divinity School “Thomas N. Finger has chosen an approach to the systematic presentation of Christian Theology which I also have taken since the publication of my Theology of Hope in 1964. He begins with the goal: with eschatology. With that goal in mind, a new light is cast on every single doctrine of Christian theology—the light of redemption—and the work of the theologian becomes a labor of hope. This is a “theology of the way.” With the kingdom of God kept steadily in view, it becomes an invitation to walk the way of Jesus. “Tom Finger’s theological prospectus makes a brilliant contribution to ecumenical theological dialogue from the Anabaptist tradition. He offers an eschatologically oriented theology for which I can only congratulate him.” —Jürgen Moltmann, Professor of Theology, University of Tübingen “This volume is not only a contribution to the contemporary discussions in systematic theology. It is also an important ecumenical breakthrough. The Anabaptist tradition stands as an important dialogue partner in the quest for a common ground in the Christian faith. Finger approaches the biblical faith from an eschatological viewpoint that is faithful to the Anabaptist tradition, but in dialogue with Roman Catholic, classical Protestant, and contemporary scholars in both of these traditions. He has begun a substantive conversation that will be important into the twenty-first century.” —Jeffrey Gros, Former Director of the Commission on Faith & Order, National Council of Christian Churches, USA
Download or read book Rebuild My Church written by Alan Schreck and published by Servant Publications. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can we--as St. Francis and so many of the saints have done--hear and obey God's call to 'Rebuild My Church'? --From chapter seven Authentic renewal of the Church isn't an issue for the hierarchy alone. Church renewal depends on every Catholic, including you--your personal growth in holiness, your readiness to use the gifts God has given you, your willingness to learn how to discern and support authentic renewal. In straightforward, engaging language, Dr. Schreck examines the meaning and nature of renewal, the challenges and pitfalls that can divert it, historical examples of renewal, the impact of repentance and prayer, the influence of saints and other notable figures, the role of those in ecclesial office, renewal in the twenty-first century, and more. Informative and inspiring, Rebuild My Church underscores the critical importance of renewal throughout history and equips us to participate in God's plan for the Church in these challenging times.
