Ministry Leadership

How do Christians account for the widespread presence of goodness in a fallen world? Richard Mouw, one of the most influential evangelical voices in America, presents his mature thought on the topic of common grace. Addressing a range of issues relevant to engaging common grace in the 21st century, Mouw shows how God takes delight in all things that glorify him - even those that happen beyond the boundaries of the church-and defends the doctrine of common grace from its detractors.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, paying particular attention to the downtrodden and the poor. As followers of Jesus, Christians are called to imitate his example and reach out to those who have the least. This book offers biblical guidelines and practical strategies for reaching those on the margins of our society with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The church of God, which includes all the denominations and persuasions of the faith, is in a crisis that appears to have no ready solution. The church's response to the crisis has for the most part been a general resignation and acceptance of the way things are, with course changes aimed at coping with rather than contesting the social, cultural and political changes that have occurred in the world. But it has not worked, and it will not work, for it is not what God in His Word says to do. We have become ineffective laborers in His vineyard....

Many today have given up on church. But God has not and does not give up on the church. The church is God's idea. And once we truly understand what God has in mind for his people, we can become who he wants us to be. Bishop Claude Alexander shows how the original Christians did not always understand what the church was supposed to be, but God worked in them anyway to become the community that he intended.

C'è un'ansia di cambiamento nel mondo. Papa Francesco la raccoglie nei suoi gesti e nelle sue parole, specialmente in un tempo di crisi quale quello che stiamo vivendo. È chiaro che abbiamo tutti bisogno di capire che cosa ci sta accadendo, di dare una lettura umana e spirituale di quel che viviamo. Francesco, come si comprende in questo volume, assimila la visionedi sant'Ignazio di Loyola così come emerge negli Esercizi Spirituali.

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.

Eine überfällige Auseinandersetzung mit dem hochaktuellen Thema Kirchenkritik – und gleichzeitig der Liebesbrief eines modernen Theologen, der keine Angst davor hat, unangenehme Fragen zu stellen. Denn was ist eigentlich los mit der Kirche? Warum wenden sich immer mehr Menschen von ihr ab, und das in einer Zeit, in der die Sehnsucht nach Orientierung größer denn je zu sein scheint? Wie ist es überhaupt so weit gekommen? Und was kann die Kirche tun? Julian Sengelmann geht mit kritischem Blick diesen Fragen nach und zeigt, warum es die Kirche heute so schwer hat.

Gospel-Centered Evangelism: Activating Evangelistic Leadership in Your Church is for pastoral leaders who would like their church to be the evangelistic force in the world that God desires. It is the gospel itself that offers church leadership the transformation, courage, and direction needed to empower their churches to make Christ continuously known. By experiencing the glory of God in Christ in their own lives, they will be free to do whatever it takes to turn the tide to see their church fulfill God’s mandate to make disciples of all nations.

The multi-site church movement is reshaping the way we do church. But how does it actually work? And is it right for your church? Enjoy a guided tour of multi-site churches across America and see for yourself how churches are growing and reaching their communities. This companion to The Multi-Site Church Revolution gives you on-site pictures of the new and creative ways churches are expanding their impact through multiple locations.

You joined your church because of its intensity for God. Like no other place, it’s helped you discover the meaning of obedience. If there’s one problem, it’s the confusion that sometimes comes from your own carnal thinking. But God has given you leaders who can lovingly correct a doubting, independent spirit and help you choose God’s best for your life. How can you go wrong with a church like that? Easily, because it fits the profile of many abusive churches.

L'autore, filosofo e storico anglo-americano ha esaminato la relazione tra religione e scienza, respingendo le idee di armonia e presentando la storia della scienza come "non una semplice registrazione di scoperte isolate; è una narrazione del conflitto di due potenze in competizione, la forza espansiva dell'intelletto umano da una parte, dall'altra la comprensione derivante dalla fede tradizionale e dagli interessi umani".

Longtime pastor Douglas Wilson takes a hammer to some of our very favorite graven images, and (surprise, surprise) we've set up display cases for most of them in our churches: liturgy, tradition, systematics, infant baptism, and that crafty old Baal doctrine. Alongside a critique of philosophical assumptions about human nature, dualism, and grace, Wilson stresses the unavoidable and absolute necessity of individual hearts being born again. He concludes by laying out the case for the church.

Christians love to fight, and most of the time we fight unnecessary battles. We fight over worship styles, building programs, carpet color, governance structures, use of alcohol, and a thousand other debatable matters of theology or culture. The fuel that feeds the fire are gray issues. What is a gray issue? A gray issue is an area of theology or culture that is either not addressed in the Bible, or while addressed, leaves room for legitimate differences of opinions. Come and join a new movement of biblically sound, theologically solid, and beautifully unified Gray Churches.

The Bible tells us that the congregation gathered around God's heavenly throne will be "a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language," all singing the praises of the Lamb. God's intention has always been to delight for all eternity in a redeemed community of ethnic diversity. But this diverse community shouldn't have to wait until eternity to begin! It can be a reality in our own local churches here and now. Patterned after a worship service, In Church as It Is in Heaven gives biblical warrant for such a community.

We must change our priorities in the Body of Christ. The pursuit of success, prosperity and breakthroughs should not drive us to betray one another just to achieve our goals. It is time for radical heart searching. We cannot continue to divide the body of Christ with doctrines and attitudes that are aimed at making us happy and fulfilled at the expense of everybody else.

Pastoral transitions are inevitable for every church. Unfortunately, pastoral transitions often result in a major setback for the church—and it is becoming more and more difficult for churches to bounce back. In order to mitigate such setbacks, churches across traditions are choosing Seamless Pastoral Transition with increased frequency.

Are you yearning to hear God's voice in the chaos of modern life? In "Discerning God's Voice: A Young Man's Journey," Larry Sumerville II invites you on a transformative adventure to discover how God communicates with us through Scripture, symbols, creation, and more. Imagine recognizing God's voice in every moment. Sumerville takes you by the hand, guiding you through the process of discerning divine whispers in your life. He reveals the eternal relevance and authority of Scripture, showing how the Holy Spirit uses sacred texts to provide clarity and wisdom for every situation.

We hear all to often that someone has decided to leave the Evangelical Christian faith and to join the Church of Rome, or Eastern Orthodoxy, or High Anglicanism. The lure is liturgy and tradition, and since the Evangelical and Reformed churches so often have such poor worship, it is not hard to understand the pull exercised by those churches that have a heritage of formality, sobriety and beauty. This cure, however, is far worse than the disease.

Neither "everything's fine" nor "burn it all down", Stringer offers a thoughtful appreciation of evangelicalism's history, identity, and strengths, but also lament for its blind spots, toxic brokenness, and complicity with injustice. From this complicated space, we can move forward with informed vision rather than resignation and with hope for our future together.

After a dramatic election amid a raging pandemic, racial violence, economic collapse, and historic national divisions that have threatened our democracy, Joe Biden succeeds Donald Trump as the 46th president of the United States. For Catholics, this is a momentous occasion in US public life, as he is the second Catholic to be elected to the nation’s highest office, joining John Fitzgerald Kennedy.