Download or read book Not Trying Too Hard written by Bob Sitze and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2001-12-01 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Christian church in America is doing its best to be relevant. Its leaders are trying harder, working longer hours, offering more programs, and trying to solve more problems. Not coincidentally, more clergy than ever before are burning out or "browning out," losing their edge, becoming lethargic. How do we move beyond this sense of despair and hopelessness? What does it mean to restore the soul of the church? How can it become more relevant unto itself and to people like those with whom I talk in the workplace-those who eagerly seek meaning? In Not Trying Too Hard, Bob Sitze has taken the bold first step on this journey of restoring the soul of the church.

Download or read book Radical Small Groups written by David Slamp and published by Made For Success Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-25 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FINALLY, a book that takes you beyond programs and spells out exactly how to put spiritual growth on steroids in your church. Here is an exciting way to think synergistically and dramatically accelerate authentic life change. There has never been a book more urgent to read than this one in our impersonal society and spiritually impoverished world. Radical Small Groups is a cutting edge resource to bring vitality to your group and transformation to your church! The foundational concept here is that small groups should be an intrigal part of a dynamic approach to ministry, not an isolated program. The result? A powerful synergism between Sunday school, worship, Bible studies, and small groups all producing true life change! Bring true vitality to your group or church with the biblical principles taught here. No other book will give you such a comprehensive and practical vision of the Great Commission to, "make disciples". If you read only one book this year to add purpose to your life, and life in your church, this is the one! Whether you are starting a group, beginning a small group ministry, or want to take existing groups to a new level, this revolutionary book is a must read! In this book you will be challenged to: Develop dynamic and healthy small group Gain a new vision to accelerate community in your church See how to develop a vital transformational mall group ministry Think outside the box for radical life change! "If you want to travel fast, go alone. If you want to travel far, go together." ~African Proverb

Download or read book A Church for the 21st Century written by Leith Anderson and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 1992-07-01 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Dying for Change, a book on how to bring change to a local church to meet the challenges of a changing society.

Download or read book Where Are We Now written by Bill Beckham and published by CCS Publishing. This book was released on with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New movements in the Kingdom of God are either promoted by men or are an organism created by the Spirit of Christ. Man has formed many structures created to defend doctrines, organization formats, etc. Some of these are church-based and some are simply castles standing among the Para church groups, built by men who seek personal significance by forming a structure often named after themselves. Bill Beckham has painstakingly evaluated current movements existing around the world today. The reader will be encouraged to evaluate his or her commitment to the various models presented. Those who seek to manipulate “groups for growth” will find in Bill’s chapters a new paradigm, one as old as the book of Acts, presently being restored for the Last Days witness.

Download or read book Planting Missional Churches written by Ed Stetzer and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2006-05-01 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Planting Missional Churches is an instruction book for planting biblically faithful and culturally relevant churches. It addresses the “how-to” and “why” issues of church planting by providing practical guidance through all the phases of a church plant while taking a missional look at existing and emerging cultures.

Download or read book How to Break Growth Barriers written by Carl F. George and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2017-04-04 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some churches grow rapidly, only to hit a ceiling. Other churches have experienced declining or static attendance--many of them for decades. Frustrated pastors and church leaders want growth methods that work, but without adding to pastoral fatigue. How to Break Growth Barriers argues that growth comes when effective leadership and lay-empowerment skills work hand in hand. This requires a shift of focus from the shepherd as the primary caregiver to shepherd as developer and coach of many caregivers. The authors show pastors how to communicate a vision for the future and then how to lead the congregation into the paradigms necessary for potentially limitless growth. The strategies found in this book are not only tried and true, and taken from a biblical perspective of a "harvest" vision. They're also newly updated to reflect our changing culture, including helpful charts and checklists for self-evaluation.

Download or read book Building a Life Changing Small Group Ministry written by Bill Donahue and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2012-04-03 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like nothing else, small groups have the power to change lives. They are the ideal route to discipleship—a place where the rubber of biblical truth meets the road of human relationships. However, church leaders often feel at a loss when it comes to assessing the strengths and weaknesses of group life in a church, and they struggle with understanding and solving the root causes of problems. Group Life resources provide, in ebook format, the practical tools and training resources needed to develop life-changing small group leaders, coaches to shepherd group leaders, and ultimately, a thriving church-wide small group ministry. These resources include the updated and revised versions of the best-selling Leading Life-Changing Small Groups and Coaching Life-Changing Small Group Leaders, the new Building a Life-Changing Small Group Ministry and the supplemental Group Life Training DVD. Appropriate for individual or group study, the books function as manuals and workbooks that teach and allow readers to process and record information as they learn. Downloadable web-based vision clips and supplemental videos in the DVD help readers explore and discuss topics further. Group Life Resources conveniently integrate with the ReGroupTM curriculum, giving trainers the option to use them together. Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson’s Building a Life-Changing Small Group Ministry presents a broad introduction for pastors and point leaders to use as they navigate through the process of establish-ing and developing independent groups or a church-wide ministry of small groups.

Download or read book The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry written by Bill Donahue and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2009-08-30 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Assessment and solution for seven commonobstacles to building small groups.It’s one thing to start a small group ministry. It’s another tokeep the groups in your church healthy and headed in thesame direction. Whatever your church’s approach maybe—whether it is a church with groups or of groups—sooner or later, as a leader, you’ll need to do sometroubleshooting. That’s when the expert, to-the-pointguidance in this book will prove its worth.The beauty of this book lies in its unique diagnosticprocess. It allows you to assess, diagnose, and correctseven common “deadly sins” that can drain the life fromyour church’s small group ministry.In The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, whatwould take you years to learn through trial and error isdistilled into some of the most useful information you canfind. Drawing on the knowledge they’ve gleaned fromworking inside Willow Creek Community Church, fromconsulting with hundreds of churches, and fromconducting conferences and seminars worldwide, smallgroup experts Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson furnishyou with proven, real-life solutions to the toughestproblems in your small group ministry. This is not theory—it is hands-on material you can read and apply today.

Download or read book Technology Management and the Evangelical Church written by John Weaver and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-04-02 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the technological innovations and management practices of evangelical Christian religions. Beginning from the late 19th century, the author examines the evangelical church's increasing appropriation of business practices from the secular world as solutions to organizational problems. He notes especially the importance of the church growth movement and the formation of church networks. Particular attention is paid to the history of evangelical uses of computer technology, including connections the Christian Right has made within Silicon Valley. Most significantly, this book offers one of the first academic explorations of the use of cybernetics, systems theory and complexity theory by evangelical leaders and management theorists.

Download or read book The Everychurch Guide to Growth written by Elmer L. Towns and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 1998-08-01 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A growing church is a living church, but much of the attention in church growth today is focused on making big churches bigger. This encouraging new book shows members of small and medium-sized congregations how to revive and expand their ministries as well. Churches of every size tend to plateau in attendance and never break free of their self-imposed limitations or 'growth barriers'. This book gives detailed, practical instructions for breaking through those barriers to new levels of impact and service in the community. The EveryChurch Guide to Growth rallies church leaders and members to develop plans for strength and solid growth in the future.

Download or read book Astoundingly Joyful Amazingly Simple written by Timothy D. White and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2012-08-30 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The meta church is a group of culturally varied congregations combined together as one family with one dream that can only be fulfilled by our differences combined together as a fulfillment of the priestly prayer of Jesus Christ. If youre looking for the hard science of what it takes to build a thriving church, look no further than Dr. Whites Astoundingly Joyful, Amazingly Simple. Biblically sound and culturally relevant, Dr. Whites strategy reveals the secrets every church leader longs for. More importantly, he has put them into practice at his amazing church, Washington Cathedral. If youre in church leadership, you dont want to miss out on this transforming message. Dr. Les Parrott, Author of Love Talk Like the TV commercial where theyre building an airplane while flying it, Dr. Tim White reworks todays institutional church while reading the Book of Acts. Readers feel both his passion and his struggle, but we also see the joy and simplicity of the model represented by Washington Cathedral. Their meta approach involves Tiny Little Churches that undergird everything they do, nonprofit foundations that minister to the community, and diverse cultural congregations that share the singular dream of building the greatest care network the world has ever seen. If you want practical ways for your church to move closer to the ideals found in the Book of Acts, this book is for you. Dr. Warren Bird, Research Director for Leadership Network, and co-author of Better Together: Making Healthy Church Mergers Work Whites book is born out of a 25-year education in the school of hard knocks in founding and leading Washington Cathedral into one of the most profoundly incarnational churches in North America. Jim Palmer, author of Divine Nobodies, Wide Open Spaces, & Being Jesus in Nashville

Download or read book 2000 Years of Small Groups written by Joel Comiskey and published by CCS Publishing. This book was released on 2015-10-03 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how God has used small groups throughout church history, specifically focusing on the early church to the present time. God not only established the early church as a house to house movement, but he also has used small groups throughout church history. This book chronicles the small group or cell movement from Jesus all the way to the modern day cell explosion. Themes include: -Small Groups In Biblical History -Small Groups In Early Christian History -Small Groups and Monasticism -Small Groups During the Pre-Reformation Period -Luther and Small Groups -Martin Bucer and Small Groups -The Anabaptist Movement -Puritan Conventicles -Pietism -The Moravians -The Methodists -Modern House Churches -Small Groups in North America -The Modern Day Cell Church This book will both critique the strengths and weaknesses of these historical movements and apply principles to today's church. You will grow in appreciation and understanding of key small group principles from those pioneers who have paved the way. You will also learn to value those movers and shakers who faced far greater odds to implement small groups than the difficulties confronted today. Many have struggled with the same things you're wrestling with now. And just like they found solutions in the face of persecution and trial, God will help you to persevere, find solutions, and ultimately bear abundant fruit for his kingdom and glory.

Download or read book Faithquakes written by Leonard Sweet and published by . This book was released on 1995-03 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Showing how future trends will have both a positive and a negative impact on the church and its ministry, Leonard Sweet provides unconventional, disturbing glimpses into the future that must be grasped by church leaders. Sweet tells us why "the church is the last hope for saving our families, our cities, our businesses, and the earth." Issues addressed include: how to pursue a more effective, "go and tell" evangelism that reaches the "cocooning" culture; how to rekindle Christian imagination through sensuality, virtual reality, and energized prayer, music, or spiritual experience; what the church should do to enhance families and develop spiritual leadership among women and elders in the congregation; and, how the church can celebrate open house for all of God's people.

Download or read book Leading Life Changing Small Groups written by Bill Donahue and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The best-selling small group guidebook—over 100,000 sold. NOW UPDATED. Like nothing else, small groups have the power to change lives. They’re the ideal route to discipleship—a place where the rubber of biblical truth meets the road of human relationships. For six years Bill Donahue provided training and resources for small group leaders so that Willow Creek could build a church of small groups. Now he is committed to creating tools that will help church leaders pursue the same goal—to provide a place in community for everyone in their congregation. In Leading Life-Changing Small Groups, Donahue and his team share in depth the practical insights that have made Willow Creek’s small group ministry so effective. The Comprehensive, Ready-Reference Guide for Small Group Leaders The unique, ready-reference format of this book gives small group leaders, pastors, church leaders, educators, and counselors a commanding grasp of: ·Group formation and values ·Leadership requirements and responsibilities ·The philosophy and structure of small groups ·Meeting preparation and participation ·Discipleship within the group ·Leadership training . . . and much more From an individual group to an entire small group ministry, Leading Life-Changing Small Groups gives you the comprehensive guidance you need to cultivate life-changing small groups . . . and growing, fruitful followers of Christ.

Download or read book Evaluating the Church Growth Movement written by Zondervan, and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2010-06-01 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What exactly is the Church Growth movement? This timely volume in the Counterpoints series addresses the history of the movement that has become such an enormous shaping force on the Western church today, and it explores--in a roundtable forum of leading voices--five main perspectives on the classic Church Growth movement: Effective Evangelism View - presented by Elmer Towns Gospel in Our Culture View - presented by Craig Van Gelder Centrist View - presented by Charles Van Engen Reformist View - presented by Gailyn Van Rheenan Renewal View - presented by Howard Snyder Each view is first presented by its proponent, then critiqued by the co-contributors. The interactive and fair-minded format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions. Evaluating the Church Growth Movement concludes with reflections by three seasoned pastors who have grappled with the practical implications of Church Growth. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

Download or read book Urban Ministry written by Harvie M. Conn and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2010-01-26 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book Harvie M. Conn and Manuel Ortiz address the vital work of the urban church as they trace the history of the city around the world, examine the biblical basis for urban mission, unpack the multifaceted identity of the city and discuss particular issues and needs of urban leadership.

Download or read book Building a Church of Small Groups written by Bill Donahue and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2005-09-29 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides pastors and church leaders with the vision, values, and initial steps necessary to begin building a church where small groups are integrated throughout the entire ministry.