Download or read book The Very Large Church written by Lyle E. Schaller and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most crucial changes in North American life, Lyle E. Schaller explains, has been the shift from small to large institutions. Sixty years ago one-teacher, one-room schoolhouses still abounded, and the average number of students in all American schools was one hundred. Now new construction on elementary schools is often for facilities that will accommodate more than twelve hundred students, and average school size is over six hundred. Similar changes have happened in several other branches of American life. These changes, Schaller contends, mean that the rules have changed for everyone involved in organizational life. Very large churches—megachurches—will increasingly come to embody the new rule-book for congregations. Extending their mission far beyond a single local neighborhood, they will draw large numbers of visitors, helping them move progressively from skeptics or seekers to believers to learners to disciples to apostles. The Very Large Church was written for those congregational leaders, both volunteer and paid staff, who recognize that their old rule-book is obsolete and who are eager to learn how to participate effectively in the very large church in a context that is defined by the culture, the societal context, clearly defined expectations, a theological belief system, a passion for evangelism, a high level of competence, creativity, innovation, and a new and different set of rules, rather than by local traditions, geographical boundaries, or yesterday's stereotypes. Key Features: • Focuses on issues in organization life—Schaller's strong suit • Addresses a tendency that is growing today Key Benefits: • Places the shift to large churches within the context of a cultural shift from small to large institutions • Demonstrates how and why the old rule-book for organizational structure must change • Helps church leaders understand how to make the transition to the megachurch culture while retaining Christian integrity

Download or read book The Purpose Driven Church written by Rick Warren and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2007-09-04 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The issue is church health, not church growth—if your church is healthy, growth will occur naturally. So how do we make healthy churches, driven by purpose? In order for any church to thrive, it must be built around the five New Testament purposes given to the church by Jesus Christ. In this classic of Christian church stability, pastor and bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren unpacks this proven five-part strategy that will enable your church to grow: Warmer through fellowship. Deeper through discipleship. Stronger through worship. Broader through ministry. Larger through evangelism. Every church is driven by something. Tradition, finances, programs, personalities, events, seekers, and even buildings can each be the controlling force in a church. But Warren will show you how to concentrate on building people and let God build the church. In other words, healthy, consistent growth is the result of balancing the five biblical purposes of the church. And The Purpose Driven Church will show you how to do that. “The Purpose Driven Church has brought focus and direction to more pastors and church leaders than you can count. What a gift!”—John Ortberg, bestselling author.

Download or read book Left Behind in a Megachurch World written by Ruth Tucker and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designed to encourage the smaller church with a membership of around 100, this insightful and well-researched book opposes the idea that numbers are the only way to measure a church's success, and emphasizes spiritual growth and development.

Download or read book One Size Doesn t Fit All written by Gary L. McIntosh and published by Revell. This book was released on 1999-08 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Different churches grow in different ways. This book will help you figure out your church's orientation and show the way to healthy growth.

Download or read book Sticky Church written by Larry Osborne and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2008-12-30 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why closing the back door of your church is even more important than opening the front door wider. In Sticky Church, author and pastor Larry Osborne offers a time-tested strategy for doing so: sermon-based small groups that dig deeper into the weekend message and tightly velcro members to the ministry. It's a strategy that enabled Osborne's congregation to grow from a handful of people to one of the larger churches in the nation—without any marketing or special programming. Sticky Church tells the inspiring story of North Coast Church's phenomenal growth and offers practical tips for launching your own sermon-based small group ministry. Topics include: Why stickiness is so important Why most of our discipleship models don't work very well Why small groups always make a church more honest and transparent What makes groups grow deeper and sticker over time Sticky Church is an ideal book for church leaders who want to start or retool their small group ministry—and velcro their congregation to the Bible and each other.

Download or read book Maximizing the Midsize Church written by David J. Peter and published by Kregel Ministry. This book was released on 2019-01-26 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly one in four congregations in the United States is a midsize church (150-400 worshippers per week), and the midsize church has its own distinctive culture, dynamics, and characteristics. Drawing on years of research and pastoral ministry, David J. Peter has written a comprehensive handbook for pastors and staff who direct these churches. Peter covers the most important issues leaders encounter, including: - The important role they play in advancing the kingdom of God - Common cultural characteristics - Typical problems and productive solutions - Advantages over both small and large churches, and how to capitalize on them - Practices for developing healthy programs - The responsibilities of the pastor - Guidance for hiring staff and recruiting volunteers Pastors of midsize congregations will find effective resources and encouragement for successful leadership.

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 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 Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor written by Allen Rhea Hunt and published by Beacon Publishing (OH). This book was released on 2010-05-30 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tens of thousands of American adults join the Catholic Church every year. Why? What is it that attracts them to Catholicism? In Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor, Allen Hunt unveils the treasures of Catholicism that many life-long Catholics are simply unaware of. At the same time he demonstrates the genius of Catholicism and encourages us to move beyond taking our faith for granted. With a personal touch that is profound and disarming, Hunt takes his readers on a journey that is sure to change the way we experience our faith. At a time when so many are disillusioned about where the Catholic Church is and where it is going, Allen Hunt brilliantly reminds us that personal holiness is the key to the bigger future God wants to leads us to both as individuals and together as a Church.

Download or read book Real Good Church written by Molly Phinney Baskette and published by The Pilgrim Press. This book was released on 2014-06-16 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This is a practical manual of everything our church did," says author Molly Phinney Baskette, "to reverse our death spiral and become the healthy, stable, spirited and robust community it is today—evident in the large percentage of children and young adults in our church, and a sixfold increase in pledged giving in the last decade." "Real Good Church" is a testament to Baskette's and First Church Somerville UCC's success, and a gift of hope for all churches that find themselves struggling to keep their doors open. What makes "Real Good Church" unique in the field of church growth books? It's practical. It actually tells churches what they can do—and how to do it. It offers beginning and intermediary steps for growth and renewal. Churches, no matter what situation they're in, will be able to jump in and get to work. It has a sense of humor. Baskette's easygoing, often self-deprecating writing style and approachable strategies will empower the reader and their church to revitalize itself. (If her church could do it, we can, too!)

Download or read book The Other Half of Church written by Jim Wilder and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Could brain science be the key to spiritual formation? Why does true Christian transformation seem fleeting? And why does church often feel lonely, Christian community shallow, and leaders untrustworthy? For many Christians, the delight of encountering Christ eventually dwindles—and disappointment sets in. Is lasting joy possible? These are some of the questions Michel Hendricks has considered both in his experience as a spiritual formation pastor and in his lifetime as a Christian. He began to find answers when he met Jim Wilder—a neurotheologian. Using brain science, Wilder identified that there are two halves of the church: the rational half and the relational half. And when Christians only embrace the rational half, churches become unhealthy places where transformation doesn’t last and narcissistic leaders flourish. In The Other Half of Church, join Michel and Jim's journey as they couple brain science with the Bible to identify how to overcome spiritual stagnation by living a full-brained faith. You'll also learn the four ingredients necessary to develop and maintain a vibrant transformational community where spiritual formation occurs, relationships flourish, and the toxic spread of narcissism is eradicated.

Download or read book 44 Ways to Increase Church Attendance written by Lyle E. Schaller and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2010-08-01 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you still suffering over the sight of empty pews? Have your efforts been more than exhaustive in expanding your congregation? Have you maximized your brainstorming potential for bringing in new members? If you have reached what appears to be your limit, then no longer fret, 44 Ways To Increase Church Attendance can open the doors of both your church and mind. With proven techniques for building a body for Christ, church leaders can increase their membership and then free themselves to focus on other important missions for God. Schaller's suggestions will energize leaders and put their churches on the road of abundance.

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 245 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 Latino Catholicism written by Timothy Matovina and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-26 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the growing population of Hispanic-Americans worshipping in the Catholic Church in the United States.

Download or read book Micropolitan Church written by Jerry Harris and published by CrossBooks Publishing. This book was released on 2011-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does your small-town church have a big-time vision for growth and evangelism? Don't be discouraged by the big bucks, big talent, and big facilities of megachurches in America's cosmopolitan areas. In Micropolitan Church: Doing Mega-ministry in America's Small Towns, author Jerry Harris presents proven strategies for outwardly focused, small-town (populations below fifty thousand) church communities to grow exponentially and make differences in thousands of lives. "I love my work at Leadership Network (www.leadnet.org) because of the opportunities I have to meet 100X leaders like Jerry Harris. Guys like Jerry are always thinking about what's next and putting it into practice right now. Micropolitan Church is all about how his church, The Crossing, has introduced what's next' concepts like multi-site to the small towns of America. Read his book and learn how to think micropolitan and make it work in your community." Greg Ligon Innovator, Pastor, and writer. Greg is the co-author or Multi-site Church Revolution and Multi-site Road Trip "In Micropolitan Church, Jerry Harris will strip away the misconceptions and excuses to true discipleship in our communities. His methods will challenge your view of the church, putting it on the attack outside the conventional walls moving people from converts to disciples. Use his team's ideas to implement change in your church without blowing it up. This message could change the direction of the church in America!"

Download or read book Making A Good Church Great written by Steve Sjogren and published by Gospel Light Publications. This book was released on 2010-02-25 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bestselling author Steve Sjogren untangles the complex jumble commonly known as greatness in today’s mega church, mega everything world. As a successful pastor, he launched the servant evangelism movement, but along the way he discovered that significance was not where or what he thought it would be. Now, in a very practical book, he focuses on genuine greatness. Is it the size of the sanctuary? The number of new believers baptized each year? The youth attendance? The quantity of best selling books the pastor has written? The list of television shows, radio shows or podcasts the pastors appears on? Or is it something more? What is the buzz on good churches that become great in God’s eyes? Sjogren argues that greatness is not a point at which you arrive; rather, it is an ongoing process of worshipping, serving and living in God’s presence. It not a slick program; rather, it is a family, a hospital, an army and a school. When God is a present, His people are empowered. When God empowers His people, a good church becomes great.

Download or read book When God Builds a Church written by Bob Russell and published by Howard Books. This book was released on 2000-06-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can the church truly be the "city on a hill that cannot be hidden" that Jesus talked about in the Sermon on the Mount? Can it grow large enough to attract throngs of seekers and yet be loving enough to care for each individual that comes? Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast Christian Church -- one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America -- says that it most certainly can. But it can only be done when we are submissive to God's will and allow Him to build that church. In the pages of this far-sighted, uncompromising book, Bob Russell and his son Rusty share the ten principles upon which this remarkable church was founded. Throughout the book, you will see God's mighty power at work in a church that began in 1962 with only 50 members and has now grown to over 14,000 and has become a bustling "city on a hill" whose beaming faith powerfully impacts its community and the world. This book shares not only the story of one of the most amazing churches in America but also the story of what your church can become as you follow these ten time-tested principles and allow God to build your church.