Youth ministry is an essential part of most evangelical churches. And yet, there is a surprising lack of resources written specifically for youth workers focused on viewing all aspects of youth ministry through a gospel-focused lens. Featuring contributions from a host of experienced youth workers from a wide variety of churches, this how-to manual offers guidance related to every facet of youth ministry, from planning short-term mission trips to working with parents. Theologically rooted ...

Over the past fifteen years, small groups have become a vital way to build community in large churches. Nowhere has this been more apparent than at Saddleback Church. Now Steve Gladen, pastor of small groups at Saddleback, shares the secrets of that ministry's incredible success in creating small groups with purpose.This practical book walks church leaders through the questions they need to answer to develop their own intentional small group strategy. Built around the most commonly...

The burgeoning missional church movement is a sign that believers are increasingly feeling the call to impact their communities, which is a good thing. But, says Alan J. Roxburgh, these conversations still prioritize church success over mission--how can being missional grow my church? But to focus on such questions misses the point.In Missional, Roxburgh calls Christians to reenter their neighborhoods and communities to discover what the Spirit is doing there--to start wit...

Can you captivate an audience with your story?Many of us would love to hold the attention of a crowd, a classroom, or just a group of our friends by telling them a great story. We have felt the pressure of a public presentation or the disappointment of telling a story that others ignore. We are ready to be heard, ready to captivate.In The Art of Storytelling, John Walsh takes us through the steps to presenting a compelling story—outlining the strat...

Without careful attention, faith-based organizations drift from their founding mission. It's that simple. It will happen.Why do so many organizations wander from their mission, while others remain Mission True? Can drift be prevented?In Mission Drift, HOPE International executives Peter Greer and Chris Horst share the results of their research into Mission True and Mission Untrue organizations and show you how to:● determine whether your or...

In the aftermath of the waves of discipleship programs that have swept over the church in the last 30 years, clergy, and laypersons alike are more confused than ever about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. What should a disciple of Jesus look and act like today? What is the relationship between discipleship and salvation, between discipleship and sanctification, between discipleship and ministry? How were disciples of Jesus different from other disciples in the ancient world?...

A personal and practical guide to help pastors find Jesus as their mentor.For decades, Paul has been the model for today’s pastors. But Pastor John Frye says we must instead look to Jesus as our model. "While we may lift Christ up as Savior, as we bow down to him as Lord, as we marvel at his offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, as we walk with him as Friend, we seem to ignore him as the supreme Senior Pastor." Sharing thought-provoking, biblical insights and personal experiences, Frye cal...

Do you long to find freedom from fear? God never assumes that we will live without fear, but there are forms of fear such as anxiety that can ultimately lead to panic attacks, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other things that God does not desire for us. Learn how fear relates to perceived threats to security, significance, and love' and how perception directly affects the degree of fear you experience.June Hunt answers tough questions on fear, like:How can ...

Over the past ten years, the North American mission field has experienced dramatic changes, which in turn have required congregations, middle judicatories, and denominations to adapt. Among these adaptations is an expectation for clear goals and quantified progress towards those goals. Church leaders who have never needed to measure their goals and progress with metrics may find this change daunting. The use of metrics-denominational and middle judicatory dashboards, and the tracking of co...

Eyes will open. Wings will spread. And the Kingdom will be advanced. We are in a new hour, a new season. It is one where the Lord is inviting His people to have a greater impact and influence than ever before. It is birthed from embracing Him in His fullness. And as we do, we become more fully equipped to do all that He reveals to us. For years, the prophetic and apostolic gifts have been thought of as independent – separate giftings for separate offices. But all of God has been given to a...

A call for pastors to return to their biblical calling as shepherds. Escape from Church, Inc. calls pastor-leaders away from the business executive model of doing church and back to the model of a caring shepherd who tends his sheep. Wagner offers a practical and biblically sound view of how pastors can become all God intended them to be and guides them into new vision, new values, and a new way of pastoring that begins not with doing, but with seeing and being.

Break through the barriers that bar you and your church from achieving a new level of leadership and ministry. This book introduces a three-level perspective for developing ministry leaders within the local church that builds on Christ's own ministry model and draws upon contemporary leadership experts for expanded instruction. Encouraging and empowering lay leaders provides the room to expand vision and effect ministry Open this book and find the confidence to break through to an extraordi...