Church Development

Sometimes it can seem as if friends are more work and pain than they're worth, with friendship challenges that we have to endure and struggle through. Life gets in the way of our well-intentioned efforts to connect. Conflicts and differences over serious issues divide us and make us think that we could never be close to a person ever again. How can we build real relationships that are life giving and pass the test of time? Bryan Loritts mines one of the Bible's least-known books for insights into how friendships can flourish even in the midst of sin and brokenness.

Life crises can throw you into a tail-spin - a lost job, a failed relationship, a struggling business, a financial mess. Where do you start? How do you pull it together? How do you begin again? Tom Holladay experienced a catastrophe first-hand when a sudden flood in California destroyed his home, his church, and the homes of many church members. Tom and his congregation had to rebuild, and they used the principles in the book of Nehemiah to get back on their feet.

Most of us want to change something about ourselves - our stress levels, weight, relationships, or our performance at work. Change is hard and emotional, but it’s not as tough as you think. In this life-changing book, Gabija takes us on an eye-opening journey through the extraordinary human brain, explaining the science behind what makes us tick. With practical tools and simple tips, Gabija shows how you can make change happen.

On a scale of one to terrific tantalizing twosome, how would you rate your marriage? In this fast-paced, practical, and often humorous audiobook, Brian and Connie Thomson share 10 vital keys to marital success that they have learned from more than 40 years of marriage, ministry, and counseling.

In the years following the senseless and tragic shooting on the campus of New Life Church in Northern Colorado Springs, Colorado, senior pastor Brady Boyd has received countless questions from the faith-filled and faithless alike. As the nation watched the suffering congregation reel from the gunman's rampage and, later, steady their stance once more, the one question on everyone's mind was, "How has new life weathered such a horrible storm so well"?

When the people of Israel, those who had witnessed the most abundant and inexplicable acts of God, grew tired of waiting for Moses to come off the mountain, they made a calf of gold. It was easier for them to make a new god than to continue serving a God that didn’t conform to their schedule and expectations. Just like the Israelites in the desert, we are all fundamentally longing for God… but who and what are we actually reaching for and serving? Disobedient God addresses the things we do when we feel ignored, inconvenienced and frustrated by God

Some people believe that porn can be helpful in a relationship. However, the majority of research claims there are very few cases where pornography has actually been helpful in a marriage. This is because porn is not designed to help you feel content with your marriage partner. Instead, it is designed to make you feel dissatisfied. This is exactly why something as simple as watching porn almost always turns into a negative consequence.

Author and advocate Mary DeMuth urges the church she loves to rise up and face the evil of sexual abuse and harassment with candor and empathy. Based on research and survivors' stories, along with fierce fidelity to Scripture, DeMuth unpacks the church's response to sexual violence and provides a healthy framework for the church to become a haven of healing instead of an institution of judgment.

Many men don't have a good role model for how to love their wives. From the crucible of real-life experience and study of God's Word, Larry McCall delivers a powerful message that there is a model of perfect husband-wife love. This helpful volume explores aspects and implications of using Christ as our model in marriage.

An inside snapshot view of the innovative Seattle church called Mars Hill and its Acts 29 network. This audiobook provides - with a touch of sarcasm and humor - both principles and practices shared from the people actually doing missional church ministry with people often untouched by todays traditional and contemporary churches.

In a time when so many suffer from isolation and it feels like developing authentic relationships and true belonging is harder than ever, Chris and Julie Bennett invite you into their story to discover why we were meant for togetherness and why it's worth facing any amount of hardship to keep our faith, families, and communities at the center of who we are.

The #MeToo movement has revealed sexual abuse and assault in every sphere of society, including the church. But victims are routinely ignored by fellow Christians who deny their accounts and fail to bring accountability to the perpetrators. All too often, churches have been complicit in protecting abusers, reinforcing patriarchal power dynamics, and creating cultures of secrecy, shame, and silence.

This book is about the various places and ways that uncertainty shows up for parents who, having left or altered the faith they once knew, now must decide what to give their kids. It’s about church attendance, Bible memorization, school choices, and sex talks. It’s about forging new paths in racial justice and creation care while the intractable voices in your head call you a pagan Marxist for doing so.

A Weed in the Church: How a culture of age segregation is harming the next generation, fragmenting the family, and dividing the church. While almost everyone involved in youth ministry agrees there is a crisis, not everyone agrees on its severity nor has the same diagnosis. A Weed in the Church suggests that this well-recognized crisis has a specific cause, which will surprise many. Brown argues that while scripture defines and wholeheartedly encourages youth discipleship, the premises of modern youth ministry are at odds with biblical teaching and must be reformed.

We all long for the perfect marriage. Implicit trust, unspoken understanding, deep talks, fits of laughter, passionate intimacy, shared commonalities, and spontaneous adventures are just some of the joys of marriage. It begins with learning about who you both are in Christ, about His specific and complete love for you individually, and putting in action the particular scriptures designed to keep you and your spouse on track to the marriage of your dreams.

In the 1980s, Erika Bornman’s family join, and ultimately move to, KwaSizabantu, a Christian mission based in KwaZulu-Natal, which is touted as a nirvana, founded on egalitarian values. But something sinister lurks beneath ‘the place where people are helped’. Life at KwaSizabantu is hard. Christianity is used to justify harsh punishments, and congregants are forced to repent for their sins. Threats of physical violence ensure adherence to stringent rules. Parents are pitted against children. Friendships are discouraged.

Prepare to embark on a remarkable journey. As my story unfolds, it was 2015–I was sitting at my computer, planning my gospel doctrine class. I stood up to get something, and I instantly transcended into a spiritual encounter, an overwhelming deep-seated sensation of instant knowledge that went down to my cells. When I opened my eyes from this Experience, I saw the world differently. I walked slowly into my bedroom and took my garments off. I’ve never gone back to the Mormon Church or any church, since.

The author avers that evangelization is the ripple process of making converts, initiating them into the body of Christ, and transforming them into committed disciples of Jesus. He also explains that a nexus exists between evangelization and Christian development in which the latter has its root in the former and integrally stems from it. The ultimate essence and gamut of evangelization is the continuous, healthy growth of its human organ, which is the church. This book is a good read for church workers, leaders, missionaries, seminarians, and young converts.

While people used to conceal the fact that they were gay or lesbian to protect themselves from stigma and discrimination, it is now commonplace for people to "come out" and encourage others to do so as well. Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are systematically examines how coming out has moved beyond gay and lesbian rights groups and how different groups wrestle with the politics of coming out in their efforts to resist stigma and enact social change. It shows how different experiences and disparate risks of disclosure shape these groups' collective strategies.

In this practical and inspiring book, Willow Creek Executive vice president and teaching pastor Nancy Beach speaks to women with God-given gifts of leading and teaching. Sharing from her thirty-year journey in a local church, Nancy offers guidance on such issues as: character development, earning respect, finding your voice, managing work and personal life, and forming an intentional support network.