A challenging and encouraging manual for day-to-day life in ministry written specifically for couples who want to do more than survive the process of church planting and leadership—who want to actually thrive and grow in faith together as a family.Though we may feel like we can't show it, every aspect of planting a church is personal. Church planters and those in ministry leadership roles give so much to starting and growing healthy, thriving churches that when som...

Planting and leading churches is a difficult calling. It can put strain on your mental and physical health, on your relationships with others, and even your relationship with God. Sifted offers practical guidance and hope for anyone going through a tough time in ministry or pastoral work.Founding pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii Wayne Cordeiro speaks the truth in love, offering wisdom and insight to walk alongside leaders as they...

From the Upper Room of Pentecost to Azusa Street in Los Angeles, God has used prayer movements throughout history to change the world. Over fifteen years ago, a group of students gathered for a prayer vigil in Chichester, England—and the prayers they started haven’t stopped. Out of that first meeting came 24-7 Prayer: an international movement of prayer, mission, and justice that has reached Chinese underground churches, Indian slums, Papua New Guinea jungles, ancient English cathedrals, a...

From the bestselling author of Reimagining Church comes an essential guide that provides practical, effective tools for finding vibrant Christian communities.Driven by a passion for the body of Christ, Frank Viola has written some of today's most authoritative and celebrated works on the growing home, organic, and missional church movements. Now Viola shares practical keys to a healthy and successful church plant.Viola contends that many congregations today are str...

What makes a healthy church? Specifically, what defines a successful church in heavily populated, richly diverse areas? This book will:Explore what it means to be a church for the city God has called you to engage.Help you learn from past success stories as well as past mistakes in urban ministry.Guide you in developing a philosophy of ministry that can lead to restoration and renewal in your city.According to the United Sta...

John Wesley's model of the church. The book offers a guideline for Christians to work out their theology in day-to-day life. This analysis of Wesley's strategy for renewing the church offers inspiration to those working to bring about that renewal.

To Transform a City is a timely, compelling book that helps readers understand how to think about cities, their own city, and the broad strategies needed for kingdom impact. The book begins with an overview of the importance of cities in the new day in which we live. The authors address the process of transformation along with examples of where and how communities have been transformed throughout history. After writing a persuasive chapter on kingdom thinking the authors unfold the meaning...

Among followers of Jesus, great is often the enemy of good.The drive to be great—to be a success by the standards of the world—often crowds out the qualities of goodness, virtue, and faithfulness that should define the central focus of Christian leadership. In the culture of today’s church, successful leadership is often judged by what works, while persistent faithfulness takes a back seat. If a ministry doesn’t produce results, it is dropped. If people don’t respond, we m...

Do you lead a small church?Big churches get all the love. Articles, books, conferences—they mostly feature leaders of large congregations. Yet big churches are a small part of the ecclesial landscape. In fact, more than 90 percent of churches have fewer than 200 people. That means small churches play a big part in what God is doing.Small Church Essentials is for leaders of these smaller congregations. It encourages them to steward...

Every church has a next step for spiritual growth.Is your congregation engaged in an on-fire relationship with Jesus and His work in the world? For ten years, REVEAL research has been the gold standard for measuring spiritual vitality based on its unprecedented database of 500,000 congregants attending 1,800 diverse churches across America. Now in Rise, REVEAL researchers offer new comprehensive data—and encouragement from churches in the trenches—to help c...

Some churches grow rapidly, only to hit a ceiling. Other churches have experienced declining or static attendance--many of them for decades. Frustrated pastors and church leaders want growth methods that work, but without adding to pastoral fatigue.How to Break Growth Barriers argues that growth comes when effective leadership and lay-empowerment skills work hand in hand. This requires a shift of focus from the shepherd as the primary caregiver to shepherd as developer and...

What happens on the stage isn't the only thing that changes how your church worships. It's what happens behind the scenes that changes everything. Ministry is hard work and it doesn't happen on it's own. Your worship ministry needs a leader driving and inspiring change and this book will give you the foundation you need to start affecting positive change. If you begin to follow these principles, while adapting them to your context, you will lay a foundation for life transformation. These m...