Church Development

Dr. James Papandrea introduces you to all the major theologians, philosophers, and martyrs of the early Christian church and explains the theological principles that guided the Church from the New Testament era through the apologists, and, ultimately, to the development of the major doctrines. He uniquely situates the teachings of the early Church Fathers against the social and cultural context of the Roman Empire and its relationship to the Church.

Authors Eric Geiger (author of the best-selling Simple Church and Creature of the Word) and Kevin Peck argue that churches that consistently produce leaders have strong convictions to develop leaders, healthy cultures for leadership development, and helpful constructs to systematically and intentionally build leaders. All three are essential for leaders to be formed through the ministry of a local church.

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.