Robert Hoffman has served as a stewardship consultant for forty years. He has worked with congregations that assume that stewardship ministry is primarily concerned with raising funds for the church. At some point during their work together, he would try to explain to the church leaders he was working with that stewardship is concerned about our relationship with our creator, not funding the church. At which point they would typically look at him as if he was crazy. How could so much of th...

Discover the essence of transformative leadership by studying how Jesus led.Gene Wilkes, a popular conference speaker and adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University, describes how Jesus led. He identifies seven practical principles for today's leaders, to assist them with everything from humbling their hearts to building a team for Christ.Christian leaders will gain a biblical understanding of how to:Rely on God's power when taking risks

Randy Pope has created a blueprint for pastors and church planters with The Intentional Church. Such an organization must model a dynamic spirit of worship and servanthood that will cause it to become a magnet for people needing help. Part of the blueprint involves having a God-honoring purpose, a faith-oriented commitment, a well-defined mission, biblically-based job descriptions, and more. A relevant resource for pastors and lay persons.

In this provocative book, author, consultant, and church leadership developer Reggie McNeal debunks these and other old assumptions and provides an overall strategy to help church leaders move forward in an entirely different and much more effective way. In The Present Future, McNeal identifies the six most important realities that church leaders must address including: recapturing the spirit of Christianity and replacing "church growth" with a wider vision of kingdom growth; deve...

How can pastors become resilient in a rapidly changing world? Is it possible to love well and lead faithfully? In the wake of crises that have exposed and accelerated massive cultural shifts, we see more clearly the seismic shifts of post-Christendom, the surging storms of a new paganism and pluralism, and the scattered debris of the cultural aftermath.Drawing on new research from the Barna Group, Scripture, and church history, pastor, theologian, and researcher Glenn Packiam addre...

In a time of division and discord, Christians have come to be seen not as bearers of good news and love but of judgement and intolerance. How did we get here? And what can we do about it?In this Bible study guide (DVD/video steaming sold separately), Philip Yancey—bestselling author of What’s So Amazing About Grace?—suggests practical ways in which we can live as salt and light within a society that is radically changing.In Vanishing Grace...

When Jesus commissioned his followers, he was not just inaugurating the historical church, he was founding a missionary movement.Originally released by Missional Press and now revised and expanded to include a multi-session discussion guide, SteveAddison's Movements That Change the World draws from biblical, historical and contemporary case studies to isolate the essential elements of a dynamic missionary movement. The church fulfills its mission today to the extent that it honors...

“Most people today view marriage as a means of looking for love, happiness, and fulfillment. Make no mistake about it, those things are important. Those things are critical. They are just not the most critical.”—Tony EvansMarriage Matters paints a picture of what it means to have a happy marriage—as God defines happiness. By examining the nature of the covenant and the purpose of marriage, Tony Evans gives...

According to many studies, the average church-attending young person is more likely to not stay, than to remain. Before They Say Goodbye is a proactive project to help parents, leaders, and pastors prepare their youth do deal with many of the challenges of faith which are causing this trend. David Sawler discusses many of the reasons why so many have said they are leaving or have left. However, this book is not intended to just state obvious problems. Instead this is a book of stories, advice...

Proven Methods for Churches to Attract and Engage Young PeopleOne question faces every church leader looking to the future: How do we attract younger generations? Many things have been tried, but in this book, church consultant David Stark shares practical methods that have been proven to work in a variety of congregations.Stark helps leaders identify and use their church's strengths to engage millennials, even those with negative views of Christianity. Bas...

In his First Letter to the Corinthians Paul cites “administrators” as one of God’s gifts to the Christian community (1 Cor 12:28). But many who serve in administrative service today have difficulty seeing how their everyday work is an expression of discipleship. This book, written by an experienced administrator and noted biblical scholar, shows how the various functions of institutional administration are deeply rooted in the Scriptures and are a genuine expression of our call to disciple...

In Rethinking Church, veteran church leader, theologian, and professor Ron Highfield tells the story of how he came to the conclusions that most institutions we call "churches" are really parachurch organizations, much of the "church work" we do focuses on making something happen on Sunday mornings, and much of the money we give goes to pay staff to keep the parachurch functions running. Highfield writes for older believers who feel burned out and disillusioned by years of institutional ma...