Church Help

In his four decades of urban ministry, Robert D. Lupton has experienced firsthand how our good intentions can have unintended, dire consequences. We fly off on mission trips to poverty-stricken villages, hearts full of pity and suitcases bulging with giveaways - trips that one Nicaraguan leader describes as effective only in "turning my people into beggars." In Toxic Charity, Lupton urges individuals, churches, and organizations to step away from these spontaneous, often destructive acts of compassion and toward thoughtful paths to community development.

Most churches have a volunteer problem. That problem is holding back their ministry and their church. The trouble is, it's not one problem. It's a collection of issues that all have a negative impact on volunteerism in your church.

Churches are losing both members and vitality as increasing numbers of young people disengage. Based on groundbreaking research with over 250 of the nation's leading congregations, Growing Young provides a strategy any church can use to involve and retain teenagers and young adults. It profiles innovative churches that are engaging 15- to 29-year-olds and as a result are growing - spiritually, emotionally, missionally, and numerically.

Toxic Charity provides proven new models for charitable groups who want to help - not sabotage - those whom they desire to serve. Lupton, the founder of FCS Urban Ministries (Focused Community Strategies) in Atlanta, the voice of the Urban Perspectives newsletter, and the author of Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life, has been at the forefront of urban ministry activism for 40 years. His groundbreaking Toxic Charity shows us how to start serving needy and impoverished members of our communities in a way that will lead to lasting, real-world change.

Over the last 30 years, many influential church leaders and church planters in America have adopted various models for reaching unchurched people. An “attractional” model will seek to attract people to a local church. Younger leaders may advocate a more “missional” approach, in which believers live and work among unchurched people and intentionally seek to serve like Christ. While each of these approaches have merit, something is still missing, something even more fundamental to the mission of the church: discipleship.

You've probably noticed.... Churches aren't growing. Young adults are walking away. Volunteers are hard to recruit. Leaders are burning out. And the culture is changing faster than ever before. There's no doubt the church is in a moment in history for which few church leaders are prepared. You can look for answers, but the right response depends on having the right conversation. In Lasting Impact, Carey Nieuwhof leads you and your team through seven conversations that will help your church grow and have a lasting impact.

The American church is at a critical crossroads. Our witness has been compromised, our numbers are down, and our reputation has been sullied, due largely to our own faults and fears. The church's ethnocentrism, consumerism, and syncretism have blurred the lines between discipleship and partisanship. Pastor Eric Costanzo, missiologist Daniel Yang, and nonprofit leader Matthew Soerens find that for the church to return to health, we must decenter ourselves from our American idols and recenter on the undeniable, inalienable core reality of the global, transcultural kingdom of God.

Although he holds a doctorate in depression, author Greg L. Russ chose to create this audiobook from a patient's point of view. Having suffered five clinical bouts, Russ offers a graphic look inside the dark abyss while chronicling the insights he learned when his depression intersected God's mercy. The audiobook extends an invitation to families, friends, churches, and their pastors to become part of the comforting process.

Fr. David Smith offers four compelling reasons for going to church regardless of how we feel. He then explores six reasons people sometimes feel bored in church, five ways to think about your priest, four ways you can participate more fully in services, three kinds of waiting, two kinds of prayer, and the one thing truly needful in our relationship with God. This book will help you see church as the best place you could possibly be—and the place you most want to be.

There's a cure for everything hidden in nature, and it's up to us to discover the benefits of nature's cures and ancient healing techniques. One of the most effective ancient techniques for eliminating stress and tension, relieving pain in the neck, back, and shoulders, relieving uncomfortable symptoms caused by a number of illnesses and diseases, and aiding in weight loss is reflexology.

Minister's Toolbox is a weekly podcast that infuses church leaders with encouragement, practical solutions, and insights from the trenches. Together with his wife, Patricia, Casey has served in ministry over four decades. He shares from personal experience the day to day challenges, blessings, setbacks and rewards of serving the body of Christ. Today, together with his four children and their families, Casey and Pat continue to serve local churches and train new leaders. This powerful new book will inspire you to stay faithful to the call Christ placed on your life.

Learn the values of small group and house church dynamics with lots of field-tested practical insights. Today, the church is waking up to the simple and successful house-to-house strategy practiced by the New Testament church 2000 years ago. House to House documents how God led a small group of young believers in Pennsylvania to become an international house-to-house movement. Dove International transitioned from a small group-based mega church into a family of small group-based churches and house churches networking together throughout six continents of the world.

The world’s racial wounds seem as deep and as ugly as ever. Is there really any hope? The answer is yes, absolutely. In As It Is in Heaven, Ken Claytor explores this question, debunks myths and stereotypes about race and the issue of racism in the modern church, and encourages believers to get involved in enacting change right where they are. Can we change the entire world? No. But we can begin to change our world by holding conversations, listening, studying Scripture, and humbly admitting where we’ve been wrong.

We've entitled this audiobook You Can Coach because we believe that coaching is more about passing on what you've lived and holding others accountable in the process. Coaching doesn't require a higher degree, special talent, unique personality, or a particular spiritual gift. We believe, in fact, that God wants coaching to become a movement. We long to see the day in which every pastor has a coach and in turn is coaching someone else. In this audiobook, you'll hear three coaches who have successfully coached pastors for many years.

An excellent resource for both individuals and arts ministry teams, the book includes slice-of-church-life scenarios, group discussion questions, and personal action steps.

Yes I Can! is for anyone who ever said, “I wish I could be like that person.” Deep down we know that we all have the potential to be “that person”, but achieving it seems impossible in practice. Well it’s not impossible; you have the power to dramatically change your life. You can become more confident and motivated and find greater focus and direction in your life. You can become a better leader or manager and fill yourself with positive energy.

It's no secret that men and women burn out in ministry every single day. While the current statistics regarding ministry burnout are alarming, there is hope. Using his own experiences as a minister, Pastor Phil shares four key insights that will help you stay sane while serving in the local church. He offers practical advice and specific instructions on topics such as managing your time, your family, and your finances. Pastor Phil also presents some thought-provoking questions and challenges his listeners to take the next step.