Church Leadership

We hear all to often that someone has decided to leave the Evangelical Christian faith and to join the Church of Rome, or Eastern Orthodoxy, or High Anglicanism. The lure is liturgy and tradition, and since the Evangelical and Reformed churches so often have such poor worship, it is not hard to understand the pull exercised by those churches that have a heritage of formality, sobriety and beauty. This cure, however, is far worse than the disease.

Most pastors pray for a healthy and vibrant church, but many find themselves frustrated because they lack direction and feel as though they are spinning their wheels. They struggle to correct unhealthy patterns or do not have fresh vision for their ministry. John K. Jenkins can relate. The first church he attended is best described as a shack with a bell and a steeple. When he accepted his first senior pastoral role, he ministered to 35 people on a good Sunday. Today, Pastor Jenkins welcomes more than 11,000 worshipers to Sunday services, and thousands more participate virtually.

The faith God calls us to is far more than glowing positivism that shields us from life's struggles. It is one that guides us into a deepening intimacy with the God who sustains us in the broad sweep of life. Best-selling author Gary Thomas helps us sharpen our spiritual vision and fortify our commitment to Christ by examining 10 disciplines God uses to forge a fire-tested faith. A biblical view of these disciplines can safeguard us from disillusionment when - not if - difficulties surface in our lives.

Pastors’ kids are often burdened by others’ expectations, but there is a wonderful solution, both at home and in the church: grace. In this revised, refreshed version of Barnabas Piper’s best-known book, the author candidly shares his own experiences as son of pastor and best-selling author John Piper, offering a challenge to our churches and to the families at their very heart: how to care for pastors’ kids and allow them to find their own faith and identity.

This book highlights a crisis of leadership within the modern church; not an absence of leadership, but a proliferation of the wrong kind of leadership. After 31 years in full-time Christian ministry, Kevin Simington believes it is time to sound the warning bell. The modern church has departed from the collaborative leadership principles of the New Testament and has adopted a secular business model that is undermining the very essence of what it means to be God’s people. This book points the way back to being the mutually accountable body of Christ that God intends his church to be. This ...

There is a growing movement among young Christians returning to historic, creedal, and liturgical reflections of Christianity. Filled with stories illustrating the joy young adults have found in these ancient expressions of Christianity, Winfield Bevins introduces practices and principles that help the church engage our postmodern world.

Should conservative churches appoint women to the offices traditionally reserved for men? Many writers are calling for such changes; others oppose them. Are these proposals inspired by a deeper understanding of the gospel of Christ as their defenders claim? Or, are they inspired by contemporary secular philosophies as their opponents allege? Ron Highfield explores these and other questions in Four Views on Women and Church Leadership. In this book, Highfield stages a discussion in which three fictitious characters explain and defend their viewpoints and critique opposing views. The three ...

This deeply contextual biography centers on the tensions generated by the pope’s attempt to turn the Church away from power and tradition and outwards to engage humanity with God’s mercy. Through battles with corrupt bankers and worldly cardinals, in turbulent meetings and on global trips, history’s first Latin-American pope has attempted to reshape the Church to evangelize the contemporary age. At the same time, he has stirred other leaders’ deep-seated fear that the Church is capitulating to modernity.

“Jonathan Brenneman in I Am Persuaded provokes, jabs and challenges our sacred cows of church leadership. Yet, the jabs are not hurtful because they come from Scripture. This is not a reactionary book filled with leader bashing but a graceful and excellent presentation of mostly forgotten principles concerning how Jesus and the early church taught and practiced leadership. All the key and at times controversial words are discussed: rule, obey, submission, apostles, authority, and spiritual covering. Excellent exegesis on these words is provided and is foundational to the author’s ...

As churches rapidly expand, Christians risk viewing the church with an entrepreneurial mindset. Church planters can be tempted to fixate on gaining numbers and achieving financial stability as their only metrics for success. They fail to focus on lifting up Christ’s people within the church. In Planting by Pastoring, author Nathan Knight challenges our view of church planting and centers the goal of pastoral ministry on a basic biblical foundation: a church plant is in fact a church, and a planter is in fact a pastor.

A proverb is a short statement expressing a principle of truth for practical, godly living. In Hebrew, the word means “comparison” or “to be like.” Ultimately, Proverbs contains many thought-provoking lessons that transcend time and culture. A verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence. So, in titling this book, The Verbs, I intend to explain the timeless wisdom principles taught in Proverbs. Each chapter and verse should call you to action as you heed the truth in the 915 “verbs” in this wise poetic book.

We are going to get to know these 12 men that followed Jesus, who eventually built the Church, who turned the world upside down and died for their faith. Who were these 12? What was so special about these that Jesus would choose them? What kind of character, qualities, or talents did these have to be able to walk the earth with the Son of God for over three years?

Hope for the City unites two academic and ministry interests and practices – transformational leadership and urban ministry. One of the clarion calls is for leadership development and training for laity and clergy serving in urban settings. Hope for the City provides a framework that addresses this call. My prayer is that this volume will serve as a resource for urban leaders who are seeking to develop transformational leaders and vital churches and organizations.

After the release of their groundbreaking book, A Church Called Tov, which recorded the stories of abuse and toxic church cultures at some of the most prominent churches in the United States, New Testament scholar and blogger for Christianity Today Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer heard from a flood of people who had experienced similar instances of abuse. In Pivot, Scot and Laura help churches to implement practices, establish priorities, and cultivate the Kingdom Gospel-centered qualities that form goodness cultures.

Much can be (and has been) written and said about Church Growth, and the Church Assimilation processes. My intention, in this book, is not to overwhelm you with the details of either of these two topics, but, rather, to give you a basic, workable, strategy that you will be able to build upon and customize to your own church, and culture. Church Growth is certainly important; especially to the heart of God. Nevertheless, if most of the people coming in your “front door” are very soon afterwards exiting through your “back door”, there will be very little, if any, church growth (more ...

Complete Sabbath Sermons for pastors: Comprehensive Weekly Bible-Based Themes, Sermon Outlines, and Worship Plans for Pastors, Preachers and Church Leaders Are you looking for a comprehensive, easy-to-use resource to plan impactful and meaningful Sabbath services? "Complete Sabbath Sermons for pastors" provides 64 carefully crafted Bible-based themes, sermon outlines, and worship plans designed to inspire congregations, simplify preparation, and help pastors and church leaders deliver powerful, scripture-centered messages. Why This Book Is Essential for Your Ministry: ✔ Bible-Based Weekly...

In an audiobook eagerly awaited by her growing retinue of fans, she brings listeners inside the world's oldest Christian faith, illuminating Eastern Orthodoxy in a manner similar to Kathleen Norris's exploration of Benedictine spirituality. An ex-hippie and former social radical, the author often writes humorously about her unusual road from Woodstock to the altar of an Orthodox church, where she is the pastor's wife.

The United States is recognized as the most religiously diverse country in the world, and yet its laws and customs, which many have come to see as normal features of American life, actually keep the constitutional ideal of “religious freedom for all” from becoming a reality. Christian beliefs, norms, and practices infuse our society; they are embedded in our institutions, creating the structures and expectations that define the idea of “Americanness.”

Christians face relentless attacks from an ungodly culture, a formidable adversary, and our own fallen natures. Yet we cannot afford to surrender to these very real enemies. Just as survivalists use 10 specific strategies to overcome threatening situations, Courageous explains 10 biblical strategies for surviving - and thriving - in a world that is hostile to our faith. As A. W. Tozer said, "A scared world needs a fearless church." Courageous is a clarion call for Christians to boldly live out their faith.

What do we call each other? It’s a deceptively simple question, because how we refer to one another is how we understand our relationships. Not recognizing the power of our words makes it harder for us to trust and serve one another―to love one another. In More than Christians, Norman Hubbard explores how the early church used common words in uncommon ways to make sense of their relationships with God and with one another. His research and contextualization of the cultural background to the New Testament is as practical for today as it is urgent.