John Rowell sets out a program that will enable affluent churches in the West to give generously across cultures without fear of promoting dependent, hierarchical relationships.
This newly revised classic workbook features updated resources to help readers better understand the needs and growth of missions today. It also includes revised questions and suggestions for further reading for deeper reflection and understanding. Through God’s Eyes is an invaluable resource for those seeking to investigate God’s passion for His world. This study guide is designed to bring us into the Word personally, help us discover inductively what God is saying, and gain a better sense of His direction for our lives. Through God’s Eyes can function as a personal Bible study, or as part of an introduction to missions or a biblical theology of missions course for a small group, Sunday school, college or seminary class.
"This author reminds me of Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest, in that he quickly moves past the symptoms to deal with root causes. For the crowded executive, and the time-conscious personality, TGIF touches us in the realm of the spiritual without verbosity or circumlocution." ---Bob Mumford Yes, we all know that God is first everyday, or at least He should be first. But can I be real for just a moment? Sometimes it is hard to keep Him first in my day. It is a struggle to see Him in the circumstances of my job. I need help to bring the reality if my Lord into my place of work. Os Hillman has the uncanny ability to write to the readers circumstance, and exactly to their needs. He helps them to see from God's view. Strengthening and encouraging to both see God and invite Him into the everyday trials and struggles of work. So take this book to work, put it on your desk or table. Every day, just before you tackle the mountains before you, pause long enough to remind yourself, Today, God Is First.
Pastor and Leadership journal editor shows how small churches are uniquely equipped for success in today's culture, offering encouragement and help to pastors and leaders.
Do you lead a small church? Big churches get all the love. Articles, books, conferences—they mostly feature leaders of large congregations. Yet big churches are a small part of the ecclesial landscape. In fact, more than 90 percent of churches have fewer than 200 people. That means small churches play a big part in what God is doing. Small Church Essentials is for leaders of these smaller congregations. It encourages them to steward their role well, debunking myths about small churches while offering principles for leading a dynamic, healthy small church. Based on the popular six-hour lecture that Karl Vaters delivers to church leaders across the country, Small Church Essentials will affirm small church leaders and show them how to identify what they do well, and how to do it even better. Readers will: Be assured that leading a small congregation does not make them ministry failures Come away inspired to lead with passion, regardless the size of their church Have field-tested principles for leading a church in their context Possess new metrics for biblically measuring vitality in small churches Have a toolkit of resources to use in their everyday ministry Karl Vaters has been a small church pastor for 30 years, is the author of The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches, and the Small Thinking that Divides Us (2013), and travels extensively to churches and conferences to speak about leading a small church well. If you are pastoring a small church, this book will be a breath of fresh air. It will affirm your calling while giving you fresh tools to help you lead. It will help you: Stop believing lies about small churches Lead your church to fulfill the role only small churches can Understand your congregation’s strengths and weaknesses Turn around a dying or unhealthy church Identify good trends and bad in church and culture
Small groups are a great way to promote the spiritual formation of church attendees. But leading them well can be hard work, especially if you don't have a plan. This practical resource helps pastors and small group point people develop and implement a 12- to 18-month strategic plan for their ministries in order to keep it healthy and growing. Developed at Saddleback Church, this completely customizable plan works for any church size and any denomination. Readers answer 22 questions that help them understand their vision, the purpose of their ministry, and how to connect members, grow numerically and spiritually, measure progress, develop leaders, create opportunities to serve, and much more. By the time they're done, readers will have developed their own personalized planner for the next year to 18 months so that they can feel prepared, confident, and purposeful about their small group ministry.