Church in the Inventive Age
Church in the Inventive Age

Author: Doug Pagitt

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2014-08-19

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1630880787

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Many books seek to predict the future of Christianity, but few help us grasp the opportunities of the current situation and equip us to navigate the present. Doug Pagitt, author, radio host, and pioneering leader, does just that, offering fresh, optimistic insights and practical suggestions. According to Pagitt, the last two centuries can be divided into four epochs: Idyllic, Industrial, Informational and now-Inventive. The Inventive Age - our currently reality - presents distinct opportunities for how faith communities think, what they value, and the tools they use. Pagitt offers leaders in Christian communities (and beyond) essential frameworks for participation in the Inventive Age.

Evangelism in the Inventive Age
Evangelism in the Inventive Age

Author: Doug Pagitt

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2014-08-19

Total Pages: 123

ISBN-13: 1630880825

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We live in changing times of significant cultural change. In the Inventive Age (the cultural turning following the Agrarian, Industrial, and Information ages) how people think has changed. This has created a new context for Evangelism. Previous methods not only do not work, they are often counterproductive. Evangelism in the Inventive Age is not a "next-level" resource for those who are already comfortable and confident evangelists, but is a book for the rest of us. For most Christians the issue of converting other people or sharing their faith is a troubled endeavor. Very few are in a comfortable place of natural invitation, faithful integration, and hopefulness in sharing faith. This book will create a new perspective on evangelism for the ordinary person who has extraordinary questions. Evangelism in the Inventive Age is for those who have deep questions about the validity of evangelism and for whom evangelism does not come naturally.

Preaching in the Inventive Age
Preaching in the Inventive Age

Author: Doug Pagitt

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2014-08-19

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 1630880809

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What kind of communities are we forming? What story are we telling? How can we tell it more effectively? Pagitt takes on these questions and investigates the goals and roles of preaching in the Inventive Age. From the book: “I find myself wanting to live with the people of my community, where I can preach … but not allow that to become an act of speech making. Instead, I want it to be a living interaction of the story of God and the story of our community being connected by our truth telling, our vulnerability, and our open minds, ears, and eyes – all brought together by the active work of the Spirit of God….”

Community in the Inventive Age
Community in the Inventive Age

Author: Doug Pagitt

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2014-08-19

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1630880841

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The Inventive Age (the cultural turning following the Agrarian, Industrial, and Information ages) provides opportunities for reshaping all institutions and communities. Doug Pagitt brings to life ten Inventive Age characteristics as they are experienced through the community of Solomon's Porch - a holistic missional Christian community in Minneapolis. These ten characteristics of Inventive Age culture will serve as a guide for those creating new faith communities and making changes in existing ones.

The Rebirth of the Church
The Rebirth of the Church

Author: Eddie Gibbs

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2013-07-15

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 1441241353

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Churches across the Western world have become increasingly fragmented and marginalized, often struggling to survive. Here Eddie Gibbs, a bestselling author and veteran church and culture expert, addresses the challenges of re-imagining the church in a post-Christian world. He gleans critical biblical insights from the early church's experience to help contemporary leaders and churches minister more effectively. Gibbs compares and contrasts the social and cultural context of the twenty-first century with the first century, exploring what can be learned about the birthing of churches in the book of Acts and in Paul's letters. He identifies the issues Paul faced in order to sustain a movement growing exponentially and considers what lessons might be learned in addressing current challenges in the church. The book examines vital issues not only for the survival of the church but also for its revitalization and rebirth, and provides direction for local churches on becoming agents of mission.

The Storied Church
The Storied Church

Author: Matthew Gorkos

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2021-09-07

Total Pages: 167

ISBN-13: 1506470106

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Matthew Gorkos begins The Storied Church with this compelling statement: "I believe in the church--in the power of faithful people serving a good and gracious God--and I believe in the power of a good story. Moreover, I believe, as this book will argue, that church and story--harnessed together--could be an even more powerful force for goodness in our world." Neuroscientists, anthropologists, archeologists, and psychologists all agree. Story is how our brains and our communities make sense of things. Storytelling helps us cope with change and loss. Storytelling helps us transmit lessons and life-skills to the next generation. As human beings, it seems we can't do without story. This book--indeed, this whole idea of story-centered church renewal--was born of a suspicion that the restorative, transformative, life-giving function that stories have for us as individuals may serve communities of faithful people as well. If stories help us survive as human creatures, why can't they help churches survive? The problem that story-centered renewal seeks to remedy has only become more prevalent and urgent in the age of Covid-19. Our churches need hope now more than ever. Writing from a pastor's perspective, Gorkos hopes to encourage and empower other pastors and lay leaders with both the hope and the tools they need to effect revitalizing change in their faith communities. Each chapter includes questions for reflection to help readers listen to and tell the stories that will lead to renewal and transformation.

The Agile Church
The Agile Church

Author: Dwight Zscheile

Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.

Published: 2014-10

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 0819229776

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In today's dynamic cultural environment, churches have to be more than faithful--they have to be agile. That means embracing processes of trial, failure, and adaptation as they form Christian community with new neighbors. And that means a whole new way of being church. Taking one page from the Bible and another from Silicon Valley, priest and scholar Dwight Zscheile brings theological insights together with cutting-edge thinking on organizational innovation to help churches flourish in a time of profound uncertainty and spiritual opportunity. Picking up where his recent bestseller, People of the Way left off, Zscheile answers urgent and practical questions around how churches become agile and adaptive to meet cultural change. Cutting-edge leadership theory, approaches, and techniques for churches Skillfully addresses both academic and church audiences Study guide included

We Were Spiritual Refugees
We Were Spiritual Refugees

Author: Katie Hays

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2020-02-18

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 1467458406

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Church reimagined for a new day Katie Hays, planter-pastor of Galileo Church, shares the story of departing from the traditional church for the frontier of the spiritual-but-not-religious and building community with Jesus-loving (or at least Jesus-curious) outsiders. Now well-established, Galileo Church “seeks and shelters spiritual refugees” in the suburbs of Fort Worth, Texas—especially young adults, LGBTQ+ people, and all the people who love them. Told in funny, poignant, and short vignettes, Galileo's story is not one of how to be cool for Christ. Like its founder, Galileo is deeply uncool and deeply devout, and always straining ahead to see what God will do next. Hays says curiosity is her greatest virtue, and she recounts how her curiosity led her to share the good news with people who are half her age and intensely skeptical. If you are all-in with Jesus but have trust issues with church, We Were Spiritual Refugees will give you hope for finding a community-of-belonging to call home.

Theologies of the 21st Century
Theologies of the 21st Century

Author: David L. Smith

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2014-10-02

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 1630875058

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What theologies are popular and formative of Christian thinking in the present day? How should they be assessed by those Christians who want to be "in the world" without being "of the world"? Theologies of the 21st Century begins with an overview of the historical roots from which current theological thinking has developed, and then moves on to a detailed evaluation of the chief doctrinal and practical emphases, taking an evangelical biblical perspective that seeks to be at once both critical and irenic.

The Theology of Dallas Willard
The Theology of Dallas Willard

Author: Gary Black Jr.

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2013-08-06

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1621898202

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Evangelical Christianity in the United States is currently in a dramatic state of change. Yet amidst this sometimes tumultuous religious environment a rather unique blend of both ancient and contemporary Christian theology has found its way into the hearts and minds of emerging generations of Christians. The Theology of Dallas Willard both describes and conveys the essence of this increasingly popular and perhaps mediating view of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Blending both a prophetic critique with pastoral encouragement, Willard's unique understanding of the reality present within a life lived as a disciple of Jesus in the kingdom of God is attracting both new and traditional Christians to reconsider their faith.