Church Ministry

Celebrity—defined as social power without proximity—has led to abuses of power, the cultivation of persona, and a fixation on profits. In light of the fall of famous Christian leaders in recent years, the time has come for the church to reexamine its relationship to celebrity. Award-winning journalist Katelyn Beaty explores the ways fame has reshaped the American church, explains how and why celebrity is woven into the fabric of the evangelical movement, and identifies many ways fame has gone awry in recent years.

Christian organizations have come to be known mostly for what we're against. And all too often, that includes being against each other. But amid growing distrust of religious institutions, Christ-centered nonprofits have a unique opportunity to link arms and collectively pursue a calling higher than any one organization's agenda. Rooting for Rivals reveals how your ministry can multiply its impact by cooperating rather than competing with others, modeling Christlike love and generosity in the process.

Shattering the idea that Christianity is a journey free from storms and hardships, Into the Gray explores the connection between broken humanity and God's plan of reconciliation, and takes on issues regarding the church, ministry, and serving the poor that Christians often negate to keep the gospel of Christ from "wrecking" their lives.

The Church Who Hears God's Voice provides church leaders and Christian thinkers with the theological framework and pastoral strategies needed to build churches where everyone can hear the Spirit’s voice for themselves. After experiencing the transforming power of hearing God’s voice in her own life, Rev Dr Tania Harris set out to unlock the questions Christians have debated for centuries: How does God speak? How do you know it’s God? and What difference does it make to the church?

In her timely book, author, Floydise Paquette, effectively confronts the age-old issue that has been plaguing the church and creating division, drama, strife and contention. With wisdom, grace and revelatory insight, the issue of jealousy, in its manifold manifestations, is being exposed to be overthrown.

This one of a kind resource provides pastors, church leaders, and non-professional counselors with everything they need to establish a program for lay counseling. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated in light of fresh research and outlines a practical training resource that...

Administration is an essential component of every church. Pastors, ministers, and church leaders will benefit from this practical guide to understanding and managing administrative details such as church finances, policies, and staff.

Becoming Brave offers a distinctly Christian framework for addressing systemic injustice. It challenges Christians to be everyday activists who become brave enough to break the silence and work with others to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality.

Fast cars. Fast and furious. Fast forward. Fast...church? The church is often idealized (or demonized) as the last bastion of a bygone era, dragging our feet as we're pulled into new moralities and new spiritualities. We guard our doctrine and our piety with great vigilance. But we often fail to notice how quickly we're capitulating, in the structures and practices of our churches, to a culture of unreflective speed, dehumanizing efficiency, and disintegrating isolationism.

Most leaders start out with passion, a sense of calling, and a focus on building ministry skills. Such things might get some results, but they are not enough to sustain a healthy ministry - or a healthy life. Beyond the vocational capacities every church planter needs, there's a range of capabilities more difficult to measure but even more essential: What veteran church planter Tim Morey calls spiritual competencies. Morey provides here a practical guide to spiritual formation geared to the unique needs of church planters.

As rural America continues to undergo massive economic and demographic shifts, rural churches are uniquely positioned to provide community leadership. Leading a rural congregation requires a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing these communities, as well as a strong theological and community-focused identity. Allen T. Stanton describes how in establishing this identity, rural leaders build a meaningful and vital ministry. Reclaiming Rural explores the myths and realities of rural places, and how those common narratives impact the leadership of rural churches.

From the New York Times-bestselling author of Stony the Road and one of our most important voices on the African-American experience, a powerful new history of the Black church in America as the Black community's abiding rock and its fortress. The companion book to the upcoming PBS series. For...

Is successful leadership measured simply by the outcomes a leader achieves, or is there another—more essential—yardstick for measuring success? In Redefining Leadership, author, pastor, and college president Joe Stowell shows us that the best leaders are driven by Christ-formed character...

After the release of their groundbreaking book, A Church Called Tov, which recorded the stories of abuse and toxic church cultures at some of the most prominent churches in the United States, New Testament scholar and blogger for Christianity Today Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer heard from a flood of people who had experienced similar instances of abuse. In Pivot, Scot and Laura help churches to implement practices, establish priorities, and cultivate the Kingdom Gospel-centered qualities that form goodness cultures.

It is easy to assume that if we understand the gospel and preach it faithfully, our ministry will necessarily be shaped by it—but this is not true. Many churches claim to be gospel-centered but do not have a ministry that is shaped by, centered on, and empowered through the gospel. The...

If you long to reach kids and see their lives changed by God, this updated, comprehensive guide shows you how. Purpose Driven Youth Ministry will do for youth ministry what Rick Warren's Gold Medallion award–winning The Purpose Driven Church is doing for pastoral ministry. It's an...

From the historic Council of Nicaea in 325 to the transformative Second Vatican Council in the 20th century, this book offers a deep, clear, and accessible journey through the key moments that shaped the faith, theology, and structure of the Church. Isaac Volpe presents the conflicts, dogmatic definitions, reforms, and tensions that have marked the path of Christianity for over 1,600 years with rigor and passion. Ideal for believers, historians, theologians, and readers interested in understanding how the Church faced each doctrinal, political, and pastoral challenge throughout the centuries.

The modern church is in need of a revival. But as author Paul Washer contends, "We cannot simply do what is right in our own eyes and then expect the Holy Spirit to come down and bless our labors." Truth be told, the devil has little need to oppose the church's prayer for revival unless God's people are seeking to live lives and order congregations according to God's word. This book examines 10 areas where churches have neglected clear biblical direction and need to prayerfully seek reformation.

Discipleship occurs when someone answers the call to learn from Jesus how to live his or her life as though Jesus were living it. The end result is that the disciple becomes the kind of person who naturally does what Jesus did. How the church understands salvation and the gospel is the key to...

The case studies in Lead on Mission show how business owners, leaders, and boards take steps to advance a higher purpose beyond their tenure. In doing so, they increase a company's likelihood of sustaining a high-performing culture with an eternal ROI. While there is no single way to do this, the book offers practical approaches, insights, and case studies from Faith Forward leaders, investors, business owners, and industry experts.