When No One Leads the Church delves into the intricate social dynamics influencing Black Baptist congregations, focusing particularly on the influence of "family legacy groups." By using the fictional Wayside Baptist Church as a case study, the book investigates how survival strategies, initially developed to navigate leadership changes and conflicts, become ingrained in the church's culture. These survival strategies, while once crucial for maintaining stability, often solidify into power...

How can Christians defend truth and clarity to a world that rejects both?Increasingly, Western culture embraces confusion as a virtue and decries certainty as a sin. Those who are confused about sexuality and identity are viewed as heroes. Those who are confused about morality are progressive pioneers. Those who are confused about spirituality are praised as tolerant.Conversely, those who express certainty about any of these issues are seen as bigoted, oppr...

Twenty-first-century society is diverse, and Christians must be able to understand other cultures and communicate effectively between and among them. Following up on the bestselling Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers, this new addition to the Youth, Family, and Culture series explores the much-needed skill of Cultural Intelligence (CQ), the ability to work effectively across national, ethnic, and even organizational cultures. While rooted in sound, scholarly research,

Committed Christians may respond differently to gay and lesbian Christians. How can we engage those with whom we might disagree and navigate our journey together in a way that nurtures unity, hospitality, humility, and justice?Through her extensive experience in ministering to gay and lesbian Christians, Wendy VanderWal-Gritter has come to believe we need a new paradigm for how the church engages those in the sexual minority. She encourages generous spaciousness, a hope-filled, rel...

Chances are you know someone who is gay--a coworker, family member, or friend. And chances are, as a Christian, you're not exactly sure how to relate to this person. While the church has been pretty good at "hating the sin," it hasn't really known how to "love the sinner" without fear of condoning a homosexual lifestyle.Chad Thompson, a man who has struggled with homosexual feelings, argues that "homosexuality needs to be solved through relationships." Drawing from the life and wor...

A New Kind of Apologist, edited by Sean McDowell and with contributions from more than 20 leading apologists, is the go-to resource for effectively defending the Christian faith in our changing culture. In it you'll discover:important topics often ignored by apologists, such as transgender issues, religious freedom, and the intersection of economics and apologeticsa new kind of apologetics that is relational, gracious, and holisticinterviews with ...

With the development of instantaneous global communication, it is vital to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries. This addition to the acclaimed Encountering Mission series is designed to offer contemporary intercultural communication insights to mission students and practitioners. Authored by leading missionary scholars with significant intercultural experience, the book explores the cultural values that show up in intercultural communication and examines how we can communica...

"An excellent study of evangelicalism" from the award-winning sociologist and author of Souls in Transition and Soul Searching ( Library Journal).Evangelicalism is one of the strongest religious traditions in America today; twenty million Americans identify themselves with the evangelical movement. Given the modern pluralistic world we live in, why is evangelicalism so popular?Based on a national telephone survey and more than thr...

Mainline denominations in the United States are in crisis. These institutions - created in and for modernity - are now facing a changed, postmodern culture. Hamm faces the crisis, examining its origins, and offers sound advice on how to lead to church to make the adaptive changes needed to thrive in postmodern times. A TCP Leadership Series title.

This classic critique of Christian education is revised, expanded and includes Westerhoff's overview on the state Christian education over the past forty years.According to Westerhoff, instead of guiding faith formation within the family, the church, and the school, we relegate religious education to Sunday morning classes. There, children learn the facts about religion, but how will they learn or experience faith? How can we nourish and nurture the faith of childr...

Discover Your Place in the Movement of GodAn incredible breakthrough in missions history is taking place as disciples of Jesus make more disciples of Jesus around the globe, particularly among the least-reached. But what exactly are these church planting or disciple making movements? Where are they occurring and what are their unifying features? How are they manifesting in diverse populations? And can you or your organization be instrumental in catalyzing more move...

Evaluating Current Approaches to LeadershipThis book offers a comprehensive evaluation of current approaches to leadership from a discerning Christian perspective. Combining expertise in leadership, theology, and ministry, the authors take a historical look at leadership and how it is viewed and used in today's context. The book is informed by both biblical and leadership studies scholarship and interacts with a number of popular marketplace writings on leadership....