Ministry Leadership

Is your church a rowboat church or a sailboat church? Rowboat churches depend largely on human effort. When church budgets shrink and membership declines, rowboat churches frantically row harder against a current. Sailboat churches, on the other hand, take up the oars, hoist sails, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them. Arguing that churches should be "sailboats," Joan S. Gray encourages listeners to shift concern from the many daily, practical concerns of their local church to fresh ideas that can be found using the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In Steering Through Chaos, Pastor Scott Wilson helps church leaders plan for healthy changes by making strategic choices that please God and grow your ministry. Since challenges tend to multiply during times of transition, Wilson shares wise insight on building new facilities, changing staff structure, adding services, becoming a multisite ministry, and more. During the struggles of transition, doubts inevitably arise. At those moments, leaders need assurance that they have a real and authentic vision from God. Wilson encourages you to follow the call and to lead with confidence and courage.

When I was called to pastor my first church, I was certain of only one thing—I was in over my head! This small church had nearly closed its doors. They were running about 35 on a Sunday, were steeped in tradition, and I was bi-vocational. I had a dream of revitalizing our church to become a healthy, evangelistically effective church that was fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission but wasn’t sure how to do it. The D.R.E.A.M. Church shares the strategies that our church and thousands of others have used to experience healthy, long-term growth.

Like many who will pick up this book, I am a believer in Jesus Christ. I grew up and currently participate in the American Church scene. I have been to churches in shopping plazas, historic towns, major metropolitan areas, suburbs, cultural hubs, bilingual demographics, and much more. While each has its virtues, singing with their own cadence and tempo, it is always the same tune.

In today's fast-paced world, Christian women often find themselves torn between the demands of leadership roles and the values they hold dear. This book unlocks the synergies between faith and leadership, empowering you to excel in every aspect of your life—from business and ministry to personal growth and family life.

Every leader wants to finish well, but sometimes the challenges and discouragements in life become too much to handle. Overwhelmed, we settle for less than God's best. Whether you are just beginning your ministry journey or you are a seasoned veteran who is feeling tired, ineffective, or ready to quit...maybe it's time for a Leadership Awakening! Your life can be marked by God's goodness all the way to the finish line. Don't allow yourself to become a casualty on the battlefield of Christian leadership.

From personal experiences in his ministry through comedy, Brad Stine has chosen 11 concepts to consider as a Christian. Are they really true, or do we just believe them to be credible - even though there's no biblical support for them? More importantly, how does the belief in their veracity affect non-believers if we're wrong? Brad has carefully considered these ideas, as well as lived many of them.

This time, Mirosław Wlekły meets rebellious Catholics. He travelled the world from Argentina to Birma, from Brazil to Liban, from the Dominican Republic to England. The fruit of his travels is “Ruckus!”, which can be heard as a story about an attempt to return to the roots of Christianity, or like a report about the state of the world and fortitude, which raises the question - will we ever be ready for a ruckus in the Polish Church?

On the outside, many of today’s businesspeople appear strong and in charge. On the inside, however, many struggle with five obstacles that deter them from the success God intended: pain, financial slavery, lack of confidence, busyness/distractions, and fear. God Is My Success shows that your adversity holds the key to your destiny and to the accomplishment God planned for you. God doesn’t promise a life free of adversity. He does, however, promise to be with you in your adversity. As you partner with God to overcome your obstacles, you’ll discover that ultimately, God Himself is your success.

Der Wahl des neuen Papstes ist eine Revolution, eine Umwälzung von gewaltiger Bedeutung, im Vatikan vorausgegangen, die ihren Schatten auf alle folgenden Ereignisse geworfen hat. Was hat Benedikt XVI. tatsächlich zum Rücktritt, zum ersten Rücktritt eines Papstes seit über 700 Jahren, bewogen?

In Deep Church, Belcher brings the best insights of all sides to forge a third way between emerging and traditional. In a fair and evenhanded way, Belcher explores the proposals of such emerging church leaders as Tony Jones, Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt. He offers measured appreciation and affirmation as well as balanced critique.

You can be young, passionate about Jesus Christ, surrounded by diversity, engaged in a postmodern world, and reared in evangelicalism and not be an emergent Christian. In fact I want to argue that it would be better if you weren't. The Emergent Church is a strong voice in today's Christian community. And they're talking about good things: caring for the poor, peace for all men, loving Jesus. They're doing church a new way, not content to fit the mold. Again, all good. But there's more to the movement than that.

Outreach to those who struggle with same-sex attraction is severely lacking in most churches. As a result, most Christians learn more about homosexuality from movies, the internet, television, and so-called diversity training than they learn in their own congregations. Many people who struggle with same-sex attraction are torn by the debate while yearning to hear the redemptive truth of the Bible and be touched by the unyielding love of Christ. Author Bill Campbell believes that Christians can have a significant positive influence on how the larger culture frames the issue of same-sex attraction. He combines twenty years of study with current surveys and research by national leaders of ministries to homosexuals.

Many of us spend our entire leadership life lost in performance and striving for success. In effect, we work to earn what God wants to give us for free - grace. Like many of you, Jan Greenwood's journey has included pain and failures, but it has also included healing and triumphs. By God's grace, she discovered some life-transforming leadership principles that help her lead and mentor effectively. If you grasp these 10 secrets, you can take your limited experience, resources, or influence and find greater wholeness, health, and leadership success.

¿No es suficiente con que un cristiano siga la transmisión en vivo de un servicio de la iglesia? ¿Todavía vale la pena unirse a una congregación local? ¿En realidad es tan importante reunirse todas las semanas? ¿Por qué debería ir a la iglesia (de nuevo)? Collin Hansen y Jonathan Leeman abordan estas preguntas. Quieren ayudarte a redescubrir por qué la iglesia es tan importante. La iglesia es más que una transmisión en vivo; es una comunidad que, como pueblo de Dios, aprende a ser el cuerpo de Cristo. Necesitas a otros (y otros necesitan de ti) para ser cristiano.

Is the way we do church making disciples of our people and helping them fulfil their God-given purpose? There can be no apathy, restlessness, or boredom in such a church! In his warm and candid style, Howard Webb shows how the scriptural model of church as a mission-centered family embracing its place is the way to both grow our people and grow the Kingdom. Here is a vision of church that has the power to transform us and our world.

Liquid Church tells the fascinating story of a New Jersey church that began "on accident" and grew into one of America's 100 fastest-growing churches, with over 5,000 in weekly attendance and more than 2,400 baptisms to date. Their secret? They harnessed the power of six powerful ministry currents sweeping across North America including: special needs, creative communication, ministry mergers, compassionate cause, radical generosity, and leadership development.

Imagine the chance to sit down with 30 of the world's best-known and best-respected leaders as they share their secrets to success. That's Master Leaders - the most valuable leadership book of the decade.

Moments after our pastor exited the building that afternoon in 2008, most of the congregation sat in shock. A tiny but powerful minority wore victorious smiles at the minister's ousting. The lady to my left wept. Her pleading question kept me awake all night. "Why did our pastor have to leave?" Polls reveal startling statistics regarding pastoral ministry: 91 percent of ministers know three to four others who've been forced out of pastoral positions.

The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church for the Community is designed for church leaders who want to transform their churches to become less internally focused and more oriented to the world around them. The book includes clear guidelines on the changes congregations must adopt to become truly outwardly focused. This book is not about getting all churches to have an annual day of community service as a tactic, but changing the core of who they are and how they see themselves as a part of their community.