Tentmaking is a growing reality in Western society that necessitates more reflection and relevant response from pastoral and mission leaders. The need to consider bivocational or multivocational ministries is catalyzed by established congregations wrestling with decline in attendance, by new immigrant communities looking for sustainable ways to minister, and by misunderstanding or lack of information on the nature of this ministry approach. This need is also triggered by the urgency to add...

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.There are few dreams more spiritually intoxicating than the dream of being used by God to start a new community of Christ that skillfully brings the restorative gospel to a lost and broken city. Something which feels like a spiritual landslide that starts with lostness and ends in an avalanche of new congregations multiplying and transforming community after community into which they unmistakably seep.Authors Jeff...

Tim, I just finished reading your book. I teared up 3 times and laughed twice. You have done an amazing job! I was thinking to myself how you and Karen are handling all of the changes with such grace. The two of you are such an amazing team and have developed such strong communication skills- you two could probably host a course for other married couples. Another poignant moment for me was on the page where you wrote We also informed our family that we had the disease that did not have a c...

IVP Readers' Choice AwardMissio Alliance Essential Reading ListPublic gatherings are vital for movement, but too often in our approach to planting churches, we haven't paid enough attention to the difficult grassrootswork of movement: discipleship, community formation, and mission. This book will help you start missional-incarnational communities in a way that reflects the viral movement of the early New Testament church.JR Woodward (author of Cr...

You can be a great leader. Here's how.Your job title, education, and training won't make you a great leader—only God can do that. But The Making of a Leader can help you see where you are in the process and what steps you should take next. After examining the lives of hundreds of historical, biblical, and contemporary leaders, Dr. J. Robert Clinton gained perspective on how leaders develop over a lifetime. By studying the six distinct stages he identifies,...

This fresh perspective on the church explores its essential nature as a community of people governed by the Word and led and taught by the Spirit.

Starting Right: Thinking Theologically About Youth Ministry is the first academic textbook that introduces youth ministry students (whether undergraduate or graduate level) to a marriage of solid research, real life, and accessible design. Whereas most college-level texts may reflect a thorough (though impenetrable) mastery of the field, they tend to expect readers to plow through unnecessarily thick prose and bland design because “it’s good for them.” Youth Specialties doesn’t agree. In t...

What makes a leader a Christian leader? Too many churches and parachurch groups operate under secular leadership principles and strategies without considering what Scripture teaches. In this accessible and comprehensive book, leadership expert Aubrey Malphurs articulates a working definition of Christian leadership based on the Bible and his own extensive research.Malphurs begins by defining a uniquely Christian leader from the inside out, from godly character and commitment to pure...

What does it take to have fruitful ministry over the long haul?The stresses of pastoring are well known and can be a match for even the best-prepared, most experienced in ministry--multiple tasks, long hours, taxing responsibilities and, yes, some challenging personalities. Too often the results can be burnout, being run out or just feeling worn out.To find out how pastors can thrive as well as survive, the authors undertook a five-year in-depth research project among worki...

With nearly fifty years combined global church-planting experience, Craig Ott and Gene Wilson are well qualified to write a comprehensive, up-to-date guide for cross-cultural church planting. Combining substantive biblical principles and missiological understanding with practical insights, this book walks readers through the various models and development phases of church planting. Advocating methods that lead to church multiplication, the authors emphasize the role of the missionary churc...

In this motivational and highly practical book, Timothy Keller shows how caring for those in need is the duty of every believer – as fundamental to Christian living as evangelism, discipleship and worship. But he doesn’t stop there. He sets out an array of tried-and-tested measures that will encourage and equip Christians of all persuasions to become more committed and more effective in carrying out this vital ministry.ContentsPrologue: The One Who Showed MercyPART ...

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...