Becoming a Welcoming Church

Becoming a Welcoming Church

Author: Thom S. Rainer

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2018-03-01

Total Pages: 79

ISBN-13: 1462765467

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Most church members don't see their churches clearly. In almost all of Thom S. Rainer's consultations, church members perceive their church to be friendly. But as he surveyed guests, he found that the guests typically saw church members as unfriendly. The perception chasm existed because the members were indeed friendly . . . to one another. The guests felt like they crashed a private party. Bestselling author Thom Rainer (I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church) has a game plan for churches to become more hospitable. In a format that is suitable for church members to read individually or study together, Rainer guides readers toward a practical framework for making a difference for those who visit their church. Churches may use Becoming a Welcoming Church to assess and audit where they are on a spectrum between welcoming and wanting. Additionally, churches can use the companion book We Want You Here to send guests home with a compelling vision for what pastors want every guest to know when they visit.


Love Your Church

Love Your Church

Author: Tony Merida

Publisher: The Good Book Company

Published: 2021-06-01

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1784986097

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How to grow in love for your church. God calls us to be "devoted to one another in love" (Romans 12:10). What does this look like for us today? How can we be the kind of church member who makes a real difference? This engaging book by Tony Merida explores what church is, why being part of it is exciting, and why it’s worthy of our love and commitment. He sets out eight privileges and responsibilities of a church member: to belong, to welcome, to gather, to care, to serve, to honour, to witness and to send. As we see how wonderful it is to belong to God’s family and be a part of his amazing witness to both the earthly and the heavenly realms, we’ll grow in our love for and commitment to our local church. This is a great book for every churchgoer to read, whether they’re new or have been attending for some time but need re-energising with God’s vision for the local church. With a discussion guide at the end of the book, Love Your Church is also a great resource for small groups.


Making Your Church More Inviting

Making Your Church More Inviting

Author: Roy M. Oswald

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 1992-12-31

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 1566995809

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If you've read the book or viewed the course, now lead your church in study with this workbook approach to Alban's Inviting Church materials. Its fifteen sessions are designed to help clergy or lay leaders guide committees or study groups through a dynamic exploration of their congregation's IQ (invitation quotient). Discover how well you invite, welcome, and incorporate new members. As participants uncover the inviting elements of your church, they develop a personal witness style that emerges comfortably from their individual gifts.


Radical Welcome

Radical Welcome

Author: Stephanie Spellers

Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.

Published: 2006-08

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9780898695205

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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 transforming gifts, voices, and power of marginalized cultures and groups bring new life to the mainline church.


Making Sense of God

Making Sense of God

Author: Timothy Keller

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-09-20

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 0525954155

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We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.


Unwelcome

Unwelcome

Author: Jonathan Malm

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2014-10-08

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781502355966

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Walking into a church for the first time can be scary. Are you making your first-time guests feel welcome? Or are you driving them away-unintentionally-with bad signage, reserved seating, clunky communication and more? In this practical book, Jonathan Malm examines 50 ways churches make first-time visitors feel unwelcome. The transgressions range from insider lingo to awkward transitions, a cold congregation to the over-eager greeter. With all 50 church faux pas, Jonathan suggests ways to not only fix the problem, but also infuse excellence into the situation so churches can put their best foot forward with first-time guests. A few simple changes can help your church roll out the welcome mat for your guests.


The Post-Quarantine Church

The Post-Quarantine Church

Author: Thom S. Rainer

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Published: 2020-09-08

Total Pages: 127

ISBN-13: 1496452771

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A trustworthy and respected guide for pastors and church leadership in the post-quarantine world, providing hope and vision for the future of your congregation. From thousands of surveys of church leaders and in-person consultations, Thom Rainer and his Church Answers team have gathered the essential wisdom you will need to face the challenges and opportunities that the quarantine crisis creates for the local church, including: New and better ways to lead the gathered church A wide-open door for growing the digital church A moment to rethink the facilities New strategies for church growth . . . and much more! This book is, in effect, your personal church consultant, helping you plan and prepare for the future. In the midst of heartbreak, tragedy, and struggle due to Covid-19, here’s hope, wisdom, encouragement and vision. This book is valuable for those looking for local church and pastor resources to enhance church leadership, grow your church, and serve digital and online church communities in the post-quarantine world. As a former pastor and founder of Church Answers, Thom S. Rainer is intimately familiar with the ever-present demands that pastors face. He has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of the local church.


We Want You Here

We Want You Here

Author: Thom S. Rainer

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2018-03-01

Total Pages: 46

ISBN-13: 1462780903

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The message is basic but profound. We want guests to know they are welcome to the church. This book is a gift to guests to communicate that very message. Bestselling author Thom S. Rainer (I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church) has created a tool for churches to become more hospitable through a brief, welcoming book that introduces the ministry of the local church to guests. We Want You Here is a clear and instructive message to be given to church guests. Rainer facilitates the follow up conversation that every pastor would have, if they had the opportunity. By giving away the book to guests, they are encouraged, in a non-intrusive manner, to continue to reflect on the decision to visit their church. Those churches who share We Want You Here will be able to tell their guests: • We Really Want You Here • This is Not a Place for Perfect People • We Would Like to Get to Know You • This is Where Families Grow Strong • Getting to Know the One Who Made Us • Come Make a Difference with Us • Thank You for Being Here


How To Boost Your Church Attendance

How To Boost Your Church Attendance

Author: Jack Hyles

Publisher: Jack Hyles Library

Published: 2023-05-01

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13:

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In How to Boost Your Church Attendance, you’ll find an outline that helped him as he worked to reach Hammond, IN through First Baptist Church. The methods and practices in this book are proven and can help your church grow.


Outgrowing the Ingrown Church

Outgrowing the Ingrown Church

Author: C. John Miller

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 1986

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 0310284112

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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.