The Recovery of a Contagious Methodist Movement PDF Download

Author: Dr. George G. Hunter III
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1426748574
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 89

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Book Description
Methodism started out asa missional alternative to establishment Christianity, but is now like theestablishment Christianity it once critiqued. In this book, Dr. Hunterasks whether enough New Testament Christianity exists in any institutional formof Christianity, including The United Methodist Church, to change the world. If United Methodism isto survive, it must recover bold directions in ministry, in addition toWesley’s theological vision. If only it was so simple as to stand on Wesley’sshoulders to see our way forward. This means that laity and clergy must bebiblically informed, spiritually energized, and systematically organized. If United Methodism isto thrive, it needs to focus on mission, recalling that early Methodism was anextravagant expression of missional Christianity. Net membership decline is notfrom losing more people but from reaching fewer people than it used to. The need for the gospelof Jesus Christ is greater than ever. United Methodists must create structuresand serve God and neighbor in order to spread, as Wesley admonished, scripturalholiness throughout the land. George G. Hunter III isDistinguished Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at Asbury TheologicalSeminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of several books, including Radical Outreach and The Celtic Way of Evangelism, bothpublished by Abingdon Press.

Author: Winfield Bevins
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310093252
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Marks of a Movement calls us back to the disciple-making mandate of the church through the timeless wisdom of John Wesley and the Methodist movement. With a love for history and a passion for today’s church, Winfield helps us reimagine church multiplication in a way that focuses on making and multiplying disciples for the twenty-first century. Winfield Bevins reminds us of the vital multiplication lessons from the Wesleyan movement, one of the greatest missional movements the world has ever known. He highlights the necessity of discipleship as the starting point and the abiding strategic practice that is key to all lasting missional impact in and through movements. The Methodist movement is an example of the power of multiplying movements that utilize the strategy of discipleship. Within a generation, one in thirty people who were living in Britain had become Methodists, and the movement soon became a worldwide phenomenon. We in the Western Church need a movement of historic proportions once again. What would such a multiplication movement look like for us today? We must look to the past to gain wisdom for the future. And as we look at the pages of church history, there is no better example of a multiplication movement in the West than the Methodist movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Marks of a Movement highlights the lessons and key insights that enable us to learn from the past and reapply this timeless, biblical wisdom for today.

Author: Philip R. Meadows
Publisher: Upper Room Books
ISBN: 0881778907
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
Drawing on the roots of early Methodists, Philip Meadows urges readers to use the act of "remembering their baptism" to connect themselves to their own discipleship and mission. This will result in the daily shaping of their Christian lives by personal and corporate spiritual discipline, which is itself decidedly baptismal in character. When church communities of every size remember their baptism, they hold one another accountable for the life of disciplined discipleship and everyday witness. A great resource for small group study and clergy.

Author: Wm. Andrew Schwartz
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498208444
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
The times they are a-changin'. As such, our theology needs to adapt--to be responsive to the changing landscape. The idea for Embracing the Past--Forging the Future: A New Generation of Wesleyan Theology came from our assessment that Wesleyan theology has yet to fully adapt to this changing landscape, and that the future of Wesleyan theology requires the bringing together of old and new voices. The difficult task of balancing between continuity and change--keeping up with the developments of our culture and staying true to the roots of our tradition--requires the dual focus of looking forward and backward simultaneously. In this volume, we have brought together contributions by young Wesleyan scholars (graduate students and junior faculty) as a way of illustrating and articulating a new generation of Wesleyan theology. These younger voices demonstrate the desire to push Wesleyan theology in new directions. Additionally, we have included contributions from senior scholars who have been doing important work and who have already made significant contributions to Wesleyan theology. This is not simply the "old guard" but the voices of scholars who continue to make a profound impact on Wesleyan theology.

Author: Roger Ross
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1630885738
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Book Description
Ever felt stuck in ways of doing church that produce less and less fruit each year? John Wesley sure did—until he stumbled on to seven ways to connect with non-churched people that ignited a revival. Discover how those seven methods of early Methodism, recast for the 21st century, can bring fresh faith to pre-Christian people and unleash a new wave of the Spirit in our day. Discussion guides in each chapter facilitate interaction for leadership teams and small groups, and offer practice for successful implementation. I was inspired! This is a terrific read that my leadership team will be reading together. --Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor, The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection … helpful to pastors and laity alike! --Scott Jones, Bishop, Great Plains Conference (UMC) … Roger shares the spiritual core that leads and sustains vital, life changing ministry. -Mike Slaughter, Senior Pastor Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church …A beautifully written book… --Bill Easum, Author, Consultant, and Founder, 21st Century Strategies, Inc. … seven practices worthy of conversation, contemplation and promulgation. --Jonathan D. Keaton, Bishop, Illinois Great Rivers Conference (UMC) …helpful to Christians across the denominational landscape. Study it in groups - It will deepen your faith and help you move far beyond church walls. --Martha Grace Reese, Author of Unbinding the Gospel …Roger invites us to see, love and relate to the neighbors all around us with a new heart and new eyes. --Gregory Vaughn Palmer, Bishop, West Ohio Conference (UMC) … Roger shares how pastors and church leaders can shape the culture of their church to reach people. --Jim Griffith, Griffith Coaching

Author: Christian Selvaratnam
Publisher: SCM Press
ISBN: 0334061830
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
Drawing on insights from the training practices of the English medieval craft guilds, a global survey of 500 church planters, interviews with artists and church planting trainers and the authors 30 years of ministry experience, 'The Craft of Church Planting' offers a distinctive and imaginative perspective on the methods used to train future practitioners in the art of church planting. Demonstrating how training for the next generation of church planting leaders might be informed by the historic master-apprentice model, guild learning communities, creativity and an artisan approach to ministry, this book is a vital resource to inform the methods of training for the next generation of church planters.

Author: Rosario Picardo
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1630878502
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 89

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Book Description
Ministry Makeover examines the decline within the church, especially the United Methodist Church (UMC), and some causes for this decline. It calls for a reforming of United Methodist structure and polity by drawing more attention to the value of the bi-vocational model of ministry and a re-visitation of the Wesleyan/United Brethren view and historical perspective. This book establishes a solid theological foundation upon which to build this shift and it goes a step beyond typical ecclesiology (the study of the church) to identify Trinitarian theology as the basis for the practice of the church. In turn, this text reveals bi-vocational ministry and support of new congregations as not only a viable option, but also arguably the model towards which the church is heading. These insights will transform the church and lead to more effective church ministry with respect to resources, structure, and reach in a post-Christendom world context. Picardo uses Embrace Church (Lexington, KY) as a case study, and incorporates his experiences into this text in order to show how these implications have played out in a true bi-vocational, church-plant context.

Author: Dr. George G. Hunter III
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1501835505
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Book Description
Churches and denominations often appear to settle for a primary objective that is less than what the apostles recommended. If we are honest, most church leaders acknowledge that our institutional sense of purpose is inconsistent, at best. In some places the purpose of the church is quite narrowly defined, and in others the definition is so broad that it seems meaningless. People wonder, “Is this all there is to the church?” It’s a good question, and George Hunter, a longtime keen observer of the church, demonstrates the answer. Hunter’s richly descriptive explanation of the “missional church” will convince leaders and students to recover a clear and consistent sense of purpose. As we are the stewards of “the faith once delivered to the saints,” so we are the heirs of the mission once entrusted to the apostles and their movements. The church’s mission, locally and globally, is or should be its main business. The “real church” is an “ecclesia”—God’s “called out” people whom the Lord shapes into an “apostolate”—and “sends out” to be publicly present in the world—but not of it. This mission is a serving, witnessing, inviting outreach to all people.

Author: Byoung Ok Koo
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1532680848
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Multicultural churches help us understand God's will for us to become one in this multicultural world and experience a heavenly gathering in advance. This book, based on case studies of four multicultural churches, provides insights and knowledge regarding minority-dominant multicultural churches in the United States. Many multicultural churches in America are mainly concerned about racial reconciliation between the white and the black. On the other hand, resources concerning minority-dominant multicultural churches are scant. With the special attention on Korean immigrant churches, this book contributes to the body of knowledge regarding minority-dominant multicultural churches. Specifically, this book provides a model transition process, called the Windmill T-process, to facilitate the movement of monocultural/monoethnic churches in taking steps towards acquiring the characteristics of multicultural churches. In addition, this book touches on the issue of evangelism in the multicultural church. Although there is limited insight, the book describes what factors first draw different racial/ethnic people to a church and what factors cause them to stay there. All in all, this book will guide you to a deeper understanding on multicultural churches and its practices for all nations beyond ethnic/racial identities.

Author: Dr. George G. Hunter III
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1426771304
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
Many of the most effective churches consist of some sort of combination of “traditional” and “contemporary.” However, they are not simply “blended.” In fact, much of what they do is beyond mere categorization of “traditional” and “contemporary.” Instead, they are “missional” and “strategic” in their approach. Using sports metaphor, author George Hunter lays the groundwork for a new line of thinking, a new identity, in order to incite a quiet revolution.