Church Ministry

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....

Evangelical Idolatry: How Pastors Like Me Have Failed the People of God is both a confession and a call to repentance. Reflecting on his twenty-year pastoral ministry with candor and humility, Mikels acknowledges the ways he enabled parishioners to develop destructive loyalties to cultural and political idols. As he works to reform his own worldview and embrace allegiance to Christ alone, he urges evangelical pastors and laypeople to join him in reforming their faith and living out the good news of the true gospel.

Jesús le dio un mandamiento a sus seguidores: “Síganme” Y una promesa: “Yo los equiparé para encontrar a otros para que me sigan.” Fuimos hechos para hacer discípulos. Diseñado para ser usado en relaciones de discipulado y otros escenarios enfocados, Multiplícate te equipará para llevar a cabo el ministerio de Jesús.

By the year 2040, no major city in the United States will have a majority ethnic group. Every major city will be majority-minority. This future nationwide reality has already been a present reality in several cities, including many in the urban south, for nearly a decade. In a 2011 State of the City Address, the mayor of pastor and author Mark Hearn's city said there were 57 languages spoken at the local high school. Hearn left asking himself, "How should our church respond?"

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.

A missional gap exists in the United States, and other places in which the gospel is widely accessible as well. For the US alone, 44 percent of the population qualifies as “post-Christian,” and we have the fifth largest non-Christian population in the world. In Unwavering Resolve, Dave Robinson, executive director of Cru®’s US Church Movements ministry, labels the United States as a rejected access nation—possibly the first in the history of Christianity.

Repentance is one of the core tenets of the gospel, but what does it truly mean? Understanding the principle of repentance at a deeper level is often overshadowed by the simplistic reciting of the five-step process of repentance: (1) recognition, (2) remorse, (3) confession, (4) restitution, and (5) forgiveness. But repenting is so much more than a checklist step in the process to get on the righteous path.

This book is your first resource when you need to know how God can help someone through life challenges! Scripture Resources for Counseling compiles decades of ministry leadership into an easily accessible reference that can be used by any Christian believer. More than 800 Bible texts support Nora Fozard’s experience-based wisdom for helping people through life challenges. Her godly wisdom is gathered into brief discussions of dozens of contemporary topics, then offers you prayer and conversation guides for Word-based, Spirit-led counsel of people in need.

Steven R. Mitchell, the author of “God Help Me!” and a Vietnam war veteran himself, possesses a remarkable life story that is as compelling as the novels he writes. Born and raised in a small town, Mitchell grew up with a strong sense of patriotism and a deep admiration for those who served their country. Inspired by these values, he enlisted in the military at a young age, embarking on a journey that would forever shape his life.

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".

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.

Un audiolibro explosivo para entender las claves del Vaticano, explicadas por el corresponsal de TV3 en Roma. El periodista Vicens Lozano, que ha sido enviado especial de TV3 en Roma durante décadas, recoge en este libro las claves para entender el Vaticano, un universo de poder más allá de la religión. Los interrogantes que despierta este pequeño Estado son tan numerosos como los obstáculos que tradicionalmente ha puesto a la transparencia.

Apocrypha is a Greek word that means "something hidden". The term is often used for writings of the church that are not generally accepted as authentic or inspired. It is unclear what the motivation was for writing many of these works. But often they fill in gaps of information where the Bible is silent.

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.

American Millennials - the generation born in the 1980s and 1990s - have been leaving organized religion in unprecedented numbers. For a long time, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was an exception: Nearly three-quarters of people who grew up Mormon stayed that way into adulthood. In The Next Mormons, Jana Riess demonstrates that things are starting to change.

This book is NOT a How to Build a Big Church manual. It is a call to a more spiritually healthy church and Christian life. The author performs a spiritual autopsy from head to toe on an imaginary dead church. Hundreds of Bible verses are used as a sharp scalpel exposing potential killers of the contemporary church. Creative and challenging insights will help you and your church avoid the spiritual obituaries.

For every person who has felt lonely or isolated, The Sacred Us explores a new way of living through the practice of biblical community. In a world that celebrates individuality and autonomy, too many of us struggle to form deep, meaningful relationships. Loneliness is the norm, rich friendships are rare, and the church is no exception. We long for real community but often don’t know how to get there. What will it take to develop healthy friendships?

Many scholars have come to think of the European Christian mission to the Americas as an inevitable success. But in its early period it was very much on the brink of failure. In 1576, Indigenous Mexican communities suffered a catastrophic epidemic that took almost two million lives and simultaneously left the colonial church in ruins. In the crisis and its immediate aftermath, Spanish missionaries and surviving pueblos de indios held radically different visions for the future of Christianity in the Americas.

The Church. Who really needs to be a part of it? Why should we belong to something so archaic and so narrow? The culture around us seems to ask this question relentlessly, but what is the answer? From God's original intent for His church, to the ways in which He uses us today, and the reasons why people attend and leave the church, this series emphasizes the importance of the Church and the need to revere it as divinely established.

Minister's Toolbox is a weekly podcast that infuses church leaders with encouragement, practical solutions, and insights from the trenches. Together with his wife, Patricia, Casey has served in ministry over four decades. He shares from personal experience the day to day challenges, blessings, setbacks and rewards of serving the body of Christ. Today, together with his four children and their families, Casey and Pat continue to serve local churches and train new leaders. This powerful new book will inspire you to stay faithful to the call Christ placed on your life.