People Are the Mission PDF Download

Author: Danny Franks
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310538688
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
If you’re a leader in a church or business, and you want to improve your culture of hospitality, then you’ll love Danny’s new book. It’s a must-read! -Dan T. Cathy, CEO, Chick-fil-A When it comes to interacting with guests, churches typically gravitate towards one of two camps: over-the-top, shock-and-awe, let-us-entertain-you or oh-man,-some-people-just-showed-up, underwhelming experience. Each extreme has drawbacks: on one end, people become the center of the universe. On the other, hospitality is effectively ignored in deference to the "serious business" of worship. People Are the Mission proposes a healthy middle, one where guests are esteemed but the gospel is the goal. Danny Franks, Connections Pastor at Summit Church, shows churches how to take a more balanced approach - a "third way" that is both guest-friendly and gospel-centric. He shows why honoring the stranger doesn't stand in opposition to honoring the Savior. People are the mission that Christ has called us to, and if we focus on people we can better assist people to focus on the gospel.

Author: Scot McKnight
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 149644602X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
“Scot and Laura do an amazing job of teaching us what a good church looks like.” —Beth Moore What is the way forward for the church? Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches—from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. Respected author and theologian Scot McKnight and former Willow Creek member Laura Barringer wrote this book to paint a pathway forward for the church. We need a better way. The sad truth is that churches of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse. Abuses occur most frequently when Christians neglect to create a culture that resists abuse and promotes healing, safety, and spiritual growth. How do we keep these devastating events from repeating themselves? We need a map to get us from where we are today to where we ought to be as the body of Christ. That map is in a mysterious and beautiful little Hebrew word in Scripture that we translate “good,” the word tov. In this book, McKnight and Barringer explore the concept of tov—unpacking its richness and how it can help Christians and churches rise up to fulfill their true calling as imitators of Jesus.

Author: J. Mack Stiles
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433544687
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
Christians often struggle to know where to start when it comes to telling others about God, Jesus, sin, and salvation. In this short book, J. Mack Stiles challenges us to view evangelism as something we do together instead of something we do alone, helping churches cultivate a culture of evangelism that goes beyond simply creating new programs or adopting the latest method. The seventh volume in the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series, this book will help Christians joyfully embrace evangelism as a way of life as it equips them to share their faith with those who don't yet know Jesus. Part of the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series.

Author: C. John Miller
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310284112
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
This is a book for pacesetters -- church leaders who desire to help their churches break free of the things that turn them in on themselves. It is a masterly mix of biblical principle, objective analysis, and personal experience.

Author: Stephanie Spellers
Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1640654690
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
For the fifteenth anniversary of its publication, this revised edition features a new introduction from the author on the state of the church and its “radical welcome” today, along with new reflections on how it continues to reshape the church. This book is at once a theological, inspirational, and practical guide for congregations that want to move beyond diversity and inclusion to present a vision for the church of the future: one where the gifts, voices, and power of marginalized groups bring new life to the mainline church. Based on two years of work and over 200 interviews with people in congregations all around the United States—in urban, suburban, and rural settings—it asks the question: How do we face our fears and welcome transformation in order to become God’s radically welcoming people? Each chapter introduces a particular congregation and the challenges it faced, and lays out the theological underpinnings of tackling fears head-on to embrace change as a welcome part of community life. This new edition features essays from Michael B. Curry, Mark Bozzuti-Jones, Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, and Mark Richardson.

Author: David Heywood
Publisher: SCM Press
ISBN: 0334047765
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
This text is a comprehensive introduction to mission and ministry in the contemporary Church which enables students to prepare for ministry in a changing church within a changing world.

Author: Soong-Chan Rah
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 1575674971
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
The United States is currently undergoing the most rapid demographic shift in its history. By 2050, white Americans will no longer comprise a majority of the population. Instead, they'll be the largest minority group in a country made up entirely of minorities, followed by Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. Past shifts in America's demographics always reshaped the county's religious landscape. This shift will be no different. Soong-Chan Rah's book is intended to equip evangelicals for ministry and outreach in our changing nation. Borrowing from the business concept of "cultural intelligence," he explores how God's people can become more multiculturally adept. From discussions about cultural and racial histories, to reviews of case-study churches and Christian groups that are succeeding in bridging ethnic divides, Rah provides a practical and hopeful guidebook for Christians wanting to minister more effectively in diverse settings. Without guilt trips or browbeating, the book will spur individuals, churches, and parachurch ministries toward more effectively bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for people of every racial and cultural background. Its message is positive; its potential impact, transformative.

Author: Jason Young
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493414100
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Book Description
The key to growth as a church, youth ministry, or a business is getting first-time guests to come back. And as any good manager of a hotel, a store, a restaurant, or an attraction knows, the key to getting guests to come back is not actually the rooms or the product or the food itself; it's how guests feel when they're there. It's about hospitality. No matter how much effort and time we spend on excellence--stirring worship time, inspiring sermons, a good coffee blend in the foyer--what our guests really want when they come to our churches is to feel welcome, comfortable, and understood. Written by a church consultant and a hospitality expert, The Come Back Effect shows church, ministry, and even business leaders the secret to helping a first-time guest return again and again. Through an engaging, story-driven approach, they explain how service and hospitality are two different things, show how Jesus practiced hospitality, and invite leaders to develop and implement changes that lead to repeat visits and, eventually, to sustained growth.

Author: Osoba O. Otaigbe
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1524629898
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 125

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Book Description
Revd Osoba Otaigbe has written a comprehensive guide for helping the church more effectively relate and serve across cultural borders. Whether youre welcoming a community of refugees, travelling on a short-term mission experience, befriending an expat family, or simply interacting with an increasingly diverse society, this guide will help you love your neighbour. The book is packed full of insights about cultural intelligence and brings them to life for Christians. The case studies and discussion questions are particularly useful for making the theoretical ideas immensely practical. As both a cultural intelligence researcher and a Christian, it gives me great joy to commend Revd Osoba and his work to you. David Livermore, PhD., author of Leading with Cultural Intelligence and President of Cultural Intelligence Centre USA Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry is a timely contribution to our understanding of the way varied global and local cultures can be nurtured to offer a rich and meaningful engagement in our lives and in work. It draws on a wide range of scriptural and practical examples that makes it an easy to read and understand study guide for various audiences. The guidance on how to develop cross-cultural competence, in particular, makes the book a must-read, one that promises to equip the reader with the much required understanding, appropriate responses, and management of diverse cross-cultural engagements in both missions and ministries. Dr Maureen Ayikoru, Senior Lecturer, Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom In our rapidly changing society it is really important that we all develop greater cultural intelligence. If we are to become the vibrant Kingdom community of all nations that the Bible envisages we need much greater understanding and appreciation of those who are different from ourselves. This book, and the assessment and workshops that go alongside it, will be particularly helpful for leaders, churches and groups who want to grow in this area. Relating the concepts of cultural intelligence to passages of Scripture, it will certainly encourage some great discussion, learning and reflection for discipleship and mission. Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry is a worthwhile work with important things to say and to give perceptive and practical guidance Prof David Dunn-Wilson, Honorary Research Fellow, Cliff College, United Kingdom Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry book has done a marvelous job of integrating scriptural basis and reference points in the exploration of the cultural intelligence factors as they relate to ministry and mission. This being interspersed with practical and real world scenarios and examples is very helpful. The reflection/study guide questions are also well written and will provide for deeper learning, discussion and application. There is a considerable amount of information and detail to work through and I would suggest that people work through the book at a steady pace so that they can fully digest that immense learning and insights that this book will give. Adrian Kistan, Principal Consultant, Intercultural Solutions, Australia More than ever, cultural intelligence is a much-needed competence to grow, develop and nurture. Current fears and conflicts on the global and in local contexts, and not the least in churches, underscore this. Through this timely volume, Osoba O. Otaigbe brings his expertise as a cultural intelligence researcher, and years of experience working in cross-cultural and diverse contexts to offer an invaluable resource for churches. Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry draws on a variety of scholarly sources, biblical texts, and practical examples to provide readers with helpful insights and questions for reflection on developing cultural awareness, intelligence and competence. A welcome resource for ministerial/missional formation and both denominational and local church leadership! Michael N. Jagessar (Revd Dr) Global and Intercultural Ministries, United Reformed Church (UK)

Author: Tony Morgan
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0718094476
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Acclaimed church leader, blogger, founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan unpacks the lifecycle of a typical church, identifies characteristics of each phase, and provides practical next steps a church can take to move towards sustained health. Think about your church for a moment. Is it growing? Is it diminishing? Is it somewhere in between? Acclaimed church leader, blogger, and founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan has identified the seven stages of a church's lifecycle that range from the hopeful and optimistic days of launch, to the stagnating last stages of life support. Regardless of the stage in which you find your church, it carries with it the world's greatest mission—to "go and make disciples of all the nations . . ." With eternity at stake the Church should be doing most everything within its power to see lives changed forever. The Church should strive for the pinnacle of the lifecycle, where they are continually making new disciples and experiencing what Morgan refers to as "sustained health." In The Unstuck Church, Morgan unpacks each phase of the church lifecycle, and offers specific and strategic next steps the church leader can take to find it's way to sustained health . . . and finally become unstuck. The Unstuck Church is a call for honest an assessment of where your church sits on the lifecycle, and a challenge to move beyond it.