Spiritual Church

Among the top 10 trends that are changing American life, Time magazine recently listed a rising dissatisfaction with organized religion. Though many people today like Jesus, they are growing tired of traditional religious institutions. For many years, Dan Kimball would have agreed, until an encounter with a small group of Jesus followers started him on a journey that challenged him to rethink everything he had ever assumed about the church.

Blending firsthand accounts of tragedy with opportunity for raw self-examination and reflection, Vleisides delves into the realm of spirituality and belief amid loss and despair. For the "spiritual but not religious", who want to pursue God outside the walls of organized religion, Used to Go to Church is an invitation to rethink faith and open up to a life centered on grace, mercy, and love.

While evangelicalism dukes it out about who can be church leaders, the rest of the 98 percent of us need to be well-equipped to see where we fit in God's household and why that matters. The Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: Audio Lectures will help improve the culture of our churches and disciple men and women to read, understand, and apply Scripture together within them. Until both men and women grow in their understanding of their relationship to Scripture, there will continue to be tension between the sexes in the church.

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.

Do you ever feel like the world has gone crazy? Do you ever struggle with how God is working in your life? Do you ever wonder if he is even working in your life? Looking to chart a course in this uncertain world? In this book, missionary, minister, adjunct professor, and small business owner Mark Edge will help you accomplish four results.

Church on Fire by Fred Hartley is a study that takes churches on a thirty-one-day journey toward the manifest presence of Christ in the life of the Body. Each week includes five chapters, which require reflection, study, and prayer as well a section for pastors and discussion questions for small groups.

Peter made all the classical, Christian mistakes. He spoke before thinking, lacked faith, and even denied the Lord Jesus Christ. But Peter had a moldable, open heart, and the Lord knew it. All the mistakes Peter made helped him understand what other Christians face, and his writings both warn and encourage readers today. Too many of today’s religious entities and Christian individuals are functioning on spiritual autopilot, rarely pausing to pray in earnest and seek the Lord’s will for their lives.

Michael McGarry explores the foundation of youth ministry in the Old and New Testaments and brings that together with Church history in a compelling way. This contemplative and well-researched book provides a careful critique of youth ministry along with practical guidance for those serving in ministry.

The evangelical church is home to many who claim to follow Christ but who show little evidence of a truly transformed life. Todd Wilson's Real Christian: Bearing the Marks of Authentic Faith biblically defines what it means to be a true Christian, calling listeners to look at their own lives and diagnose where they aren't living authentically for God.With a prophetic voice, Wilson looks at how we deceive ourselves into thinking we are really living for God through believing the right things or doing lots of spiritual activities.

"Show me your ways, o Lord; teach me your paths" (Psalm 25:4 NKJV). Have you noticed most things that remain significant today are remnants from the "old" ways? Ancient Paths has been designed to draw you back to the unique routes of those who have followed God and began to chase the narrow way. These age-old examples are the less traveled routes that you will begin to tread and where transformation will occur. Michelle Gehrt shares supernatural insights into what life is like when we are walking out our destinies that God has purposed for us.

There are circumstances where you find yourself wondering; who can I turn to? Where can I go? You have been through hell and back in this world. You didn't think there was anything that could help you hold onto your sanity. You realize that the only person that can save you and keep you is God. You decide to give your life to Christ and the first step usually taken is to find a church home. You find a place where you can worship, get fed spiritually, and learn the vital teachings of the Bible.

This book captures the story of a widespread movement of churches that are expanding their ministries to include multiple formats, venues, and locations, using dozens of in-the-trenches examples, identifying the primary reasons churches succeed as well as how they overcome common snags on the route to "one church, many congregations".

Christmas is one of the most joyful times of year, and it can also be one of the most stressful. It comes laden with expectations and, for many, overshadowed by difficult memories and emotions. If every other day of the year has us running in different directions, driven by the bleeping demands of our phones and devices, Christmas makes us run faster still.

Many people today, especially among emerging generations, don't resonate with the church and organized Christianity. Some are leaving the church and others were never part of the church in the first place. Yet often they are still spiritually open and fascinated with Jesus. This is a ministry resource book exploring six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church and Christianity.

After 30 years as a committed Christian, Pastor Bo Williams realized there were still theological knots to untie for him to gain greater levels of spiritual freedom. He shares his personal journey to understanding more deeply what Christ accomplished at the cross and how that impacts who we are as new creations. With vulnerability, Bo unpacks questions like, “Are we sinners saved by grace or saints who sometimes sin?” and, “Why do believers still struggle with sin?”

When we share our prophetic gift it means that we unite with others it is as if we form a string of lights connected in unity to one power source. We become a beautiful demonstration of colorful light. Yet, it is more because this string of lights spans across the bridge to understanding the voice of God. In essence, we each receive the message God has for us, share it with others and join in reflecting His character.

Church Unusual: Curious Memoirs of a Religious Mother is a heartfelt call to question archaic traditions and seek a spiritual home that nurtures your relationship with Jesus rather than stifling it. It’s not just about finding a church, but a spiritual family that encourages questions, focuses Jesus, and fosters a fulfilling relationship with Him.

Ever feel lost in translation? With the NET Old Testament, you don’t need to be. Modern listeners can find it challenging to connect with the ancient words and cultural contexts of the biblical writers. The NET Old Testament offers a completely new solution: pairing a listenable, everyday English translation with the largest set of translators’ notes ever created for a Bible. It is an indispensable resource for every Bible listener.

In You of Little Faith, Pastor Ryan Thomas isn't afraid to talk about the most taboo subject in the church - money. Drawing from a multitude of biblical passages and contemporary examples, he will convince you that giving aggressively and extravagantly, beyond what you ever thought reasonable or possible, will unlock God's blessing in your life and community and strengthen your faith in a way that nothing else can.

Christianity is the faith of the poor. As Christians, we worship the Lord Jesus Christ, who “though he was rich, yet for your sake became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). How do we discern the best responses to poverty? How should we as ministers, church leaders, and businesspeople engage in our communities? Sometimes it seems that we in the modern American church stand on opposite sides of an impassible gulf as we talk about poverty and justice.