A New Model of the Authentic Church

A New Model of the Authentic Church

Author: Robert Fuggi

Publisher: WestBow Press

Published: 2018-02-08

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 1973610957

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In American church culture, worldly benchmarks of achievement have all but blinded us to the true purpose of the body of Christ. A New Model of the Authentic Church may be one of the most significant books written on the American church in decades. It not only offers a scholarly analysis of the current state of the church, but provides practical solutions. The book offers a brilliantly well-developed model for how to make church work more effectively. If implemented, it would provide a much needed paradigm shift in how we do church in America. The books main contribution is that it provides a workable framework not only on how to birth new missionally minded churches, but how to reform existing ones back to the Authentic Church of the gospels. If its principles are taken and applied, the book could alter the landscape of the American church, which will be a breath of fresh theological air to a church that has lost its way in the new millennium. The purpose of this book is not to just challenge and change the status quo; its goal is to bring a real, lasting transformation to how we do church. The aspiration in writing this book is for it to be seen and read not just as a critical assessment of the condition of the American church, but as a practical blueprint that will provide much renewed hope and purpose to the contemporary American church, the bride of Christ.


Authentic Church

Authentic Church

Author: Vaughan Roberts

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2012-06-11

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 0830863850

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Vaughan Roberts finds direction for today's church in Paul's prophetic letter of 1 Corinthians. Ancient Corinth was a similarly confusing cultural landscape to our own, but in Paul's vision Roberts finds a path of wisdom that will help you choose the true spirituality of the gospel of Christ and become the authentic church God intends for you to be. Each chapter includes a Bible study.


When the Church was a Family

When the Church was a Family

Author: Joseph H. Hellerman

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0805447792

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A study of the early Christian church in the Mediterranean region and its emphasis on collective good over individual desire clarifies much about what is wrong with the American church today.


Small Group Vital Signs

Small Group Vital Signs

Author: Michael C. Mack

Publisher: Touch Outreach Ministries

Published: 2012-03-01

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 9780982535257

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Is your small group healthy? Is it thriving, surviving, or declining? Is your group missional or in maintenance mode? Do you want answers to these questions? How about a viable plan of action for the future of you group? This book contains a revealing small group health evaluation and principles that will help you determine and increase your group's level of health in seven vital areas: - Christ-centered Community - Overflowing Leadership - Shared Leadership - Proactive Leadership - Authentic Community - Ministry to Others - Discipling Environment In SMALL GROUP VITAL SIGNS, you'll gain a new appreciation for the way Mike Mack explains why each of the areas above are critical to your group's health. His helpful stories, biblical principles, and practical ideas for health and vitality will help you and your group grow in each area. If you've wondered why some small groups thrive and their leaders seem so energized and happy, you'll discover it in this revealing book-and learn how to become this kind of leader!


Models of the Church

Models of the Church

Author: Avery Dulles

Publisher: Image

Published: 2002-05-14

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0385505450

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There is today a dramatic reexamination of structure, authority, dogma -- indeed, every aspect of the life of the Church is held up to scrutiny. Welcoming this as a sign of vitality, Avery Dulles has carefully studied the writings of contemporary Protestant and Catholic ecclesiologists and sifted out six major approaches, or "models," through which the Church's character can be understood: as Institution, Mystical Communion, Sacrament, Herald, Servant, and, in a recent addition to the book, as Community of Disciples. A balanced theology, he concludes, must incorporate the major affirmations of each. "The method of models or types," observes Cardinal Dulles, "can have great value in helping people to get beyond the limitations of their own particular outlook and to enter into fruitful conversation with others... Such conversation is obviously essential if ecumenism is to get beyond its present impasses." This new edition includes a new Appendix and Preface by the author.


Finding Organic Church

Finding Organic Church

Author: Frank Viola

Publisher: David C Cook

Published: 2009-09-15

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0781403529

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From the bestselling author of Reimagining Church comes an essential guide that provides practical, effective tools for finding vibrant Christian communities. Driven by a passion for the body of Christ, Frank Viola has written some of today's most authoritative and celebrated works on the growing home, organic, and missional church movements. Now Viola shares practical keys to a healthy and successful church plant. Viola contends that many congregations today are struggling to survive, not because of bad planning, but poor planting. He presents an essential guide for starting and nourishing organic churches in any culture. Drawing from both Scripture and a wealth of experience, Viola offers real-world tools, insights, and practical suggestions so churches won't just grow, but thrive.


Faithful Witness in a Fractured World

Faithful Witness in a Fractured World

Author: Dr. Nicole L. Johnson

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2019-09-11

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13: 1532653166

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Christians have always looked to models within the Christian faith to guide their lives. At a time when the church is more identifiable by ugly partisan politics--what we call "crappy Christianity"--than by compassionate neighbor love, this book highlights the lives and work of seven individuals who are pursuing their Christian calling in humility and profound love for and service to others, this book highlights the lives and work of seven individuals who are pursuing their Christian calling in humility and profound love for and service to others. Their commitments have led to vocations in working with homeless women, employing refugees, lobbying on Capitol Hill for environmental protection, healing trauma in urban communities, peacemaking in Israel-Palestine, advocating for immigrants, and walking alongside people in addiction recovery. Their individual and collective witness offer compelling examples of authentic Christian life, which is marked in part by active, embodied faith in pursuit of the common good; a broad and inclusive love for all people; rightly ordered political identities and loyalties; and a commitment to work toward holistic redemption of both people and the systems that constitute our life together. In contrast to much of contemporary American Christianity, these models of faith demonstrate that Christians should focus much more on what we are for rather than what we are against.


Where Goodness Still Grows

Where Goodness Still Grows

Author: Amy Peterson

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2020-01-21

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 0785225730

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Declining church attendance. A growing feeling of betrayal. For Christians who have begun to feel set adrift and disillusioned by their churches, Where Goodness Still Grows grounds us in a new view of virtue deeply rooted in a return to Jesus Christ’s life and ministry. The evangelical church in America has reached a crossroads. Social media and recent political events have exposed the fault lines that exist within our country and our spiritual communities. Millennials are leaving the church, citing hypocrisy, partisanship, and unkindness as reasons they can’t stay. In this book Amy Peterson explores the corruption and blind spots of the evangelical church and the departure of so many from the faith - but she refuses to give up hope, believing that rescue is on the way. Where Goodness Still Grows: Dissects the moral code of American evangelicalism Reimagines virtue as a tool, not a weapon Explores the Biblical meaning of specific virtues like kindness, purity, and modesty Provides comfort, hope, and a path towards spiritual restoration Amy writes as someone intimately familiar with, fond of, and deeply critical of the world of conservative evangelicalism. She writes as a woman and a mother, as someone invested in the future of humanity, and as someone who just needs to know how to teach her kids what it means to be good. Amy finds that if we listen harder and farther, we will find the places where goodness still grows. Praise for Where Goodness Still Grows: “In this poignant, honest book, Amy Peterson confronts her disappointment with the evangelical leaders who handed her The Book of Virtues then happily ignored them for the sake of political power. But instead of just walking away, Peterson rewrites the script, giving us an alternative book of virtues needed in this moment. And it’s no mistake that it ends with hope.” — James K. A. Smith, author of You Are What You Love


Starting a House Church

Starting a House Church

Author: Larry Kreider

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2007-04-05

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 1441268421

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There's a new way of doing church and it's taking North America by storm! Here a recognized authority on the house church movement and a popular speaker and pastor share their expertise in starting and maintaining a healthy house church. Together they look at current and future trends in the house church movement and provide best practice models for planting and leading house churches. Also, they explore how house churches are not always the same as simple cell-groups or small groups, especially in the areas of leadership and money. Readers will discover all the information they need to begin a house church in their community.


One New People

One New People

Author: Manuel Ortiz

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 1996-08-19

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 9780830818822

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Manuel Ortiz urges us not just to put aside our differences but to celebrate and embrace them--to use them in a way that draws us closer to each other and closer to God.