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.

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 with All Ages
Preaching with All Ages

Author: Ally Barrett

Publisher: Canterbury Press

Published: 2019-08-30

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13: 1786221713

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The all-age talk is a task guaranteed to give preachers sleepless nights! Very few people feel they have a gift for it, and most lack confidence. This reflective and practical guide addresses these concerns, and aims to build a sure theological understanding, develop skills and grow confidence. Twelve chapters explore different kinds of engagement - with the senses, with one another, with oneself, with scripture, with liturgy, with the church, with God, with challenging situations, and more – to enable preachers make real connections with their listeners, whatever the age. Each chapter is followed by a practical case study illustrating key principles and providing down-to-earth, tried and tested wisdom for all kinds of contexts and occasions.

A Gospel for All Ages
A Gospel for All Ages

Author: David M. Csinos

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2022-05-03

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1506473954

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A Gospel for All Ages lives at the intersection of two conversations--preaching and intergenerational ministry. By integrating these two topics, an entirely new conversation emerges, one that draws from both, that interrogates both, and that births something new in the process, creating fresh possibilities for a sleepy church. The fields of preaching and intergenerational ministry rarely cross paths because they are championed by two different sorts of ministerial leaders. On the one hand, preaching and homiletics has largely been a field for teaching pastors, senior ministers, and other pastoral practitioners who are tasked with the important work of proclaiming the gospel to congregations of adults every week. On the other hand, the cheerleaders of intergenerational ministry have tended to be ministry leaders who find their primary vocation within the formation of adolescents and children. Increasing numbers of Christian educators and leaders who work in children's and youth ministry are lifting high the banner of intergenerational ministry. Wherever your tent is planted in one camp or the other, this book is for you. If God has called you to the work of preaching, you find within these pages wise words and best practices for improving and expanding your homiletical practice in light of the eight-year-olds and eighty-year-olds who share a pew on Sunday mornings. If your vocation is Christian education or intergenerational ministry, these chapters will spur you toward that final frontier of all-age worship as you consider how your vocation can include the preaching of the gospel to young and old alike. Six creative ministry professionals join author David M. Csinos in providing intergenerational best-practice resources. Each chapter includes discussion questions and exercises for future practice.

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.

All Ages Becoming
All Ages Becoming

Author: Valerie M Grissom

Publisher: ACU Press

Published: 2023-10-24

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1684268656

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We are in this together—all ages practicing, all ages becoming God’s people. Often, intergenerational initiatives are seen as the next new church trend, or another programming tool for church growth and revitalization. Ultimately, though, intergenerational practice is at the core of what it means for us to be the body of Christ. God intends for all ages to participate in faith formation together; we are formed in our practice of intergenerationallity as we participate in the formation of becoming God’s people. All Ages Becoming brings theologians, practitioners, and ministry leaders, representing diverse denominations, generations, cultures, and geographical locations, together to help us explore this adventure of intergenerational Christian practice. As you consider intergenerational practice in your own faith community, each chapter provides “Theology in Practice” sections with questions designed to help your community reflect, discuss, discover, experiment, reinvent, redesign, and continue in your community of practice.

The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2017
The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2017

Author: Scott Hoezee

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2016-04-05

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1501815156

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The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2017 includes: The Primary Theme Fleshed out with brief, pithy nuggets of thought, idea jump-starters, or questions designed to spur the preacher’s imagination. Secondary or Parallel Themes Two or three themes or streams of thought that are related to but separate from the primary theme offered. Worship Helps Including Gathering Prayer, Collect, Pastoral Prayer, Congregational Prayer, Responsive Reading, and a Closing Prayer or Benediction. Topical Essays These 700 word essays cover a variety of current and critical topics for the preacher—contributed by leading homileticians. Full Sermons The full text from six to twelve sermons will be included. These sermons will highlight best practices, unique approaches, and fresh voices. Sermon Series Ideas This section will briefly outline and describe ideas for unique sermon series based on lectionary readings. "As a weekly preacher, I often find that preparing for preaching and crafting sermons are spiritual disciplines for me. It is a time in which I try to quiet all of the other 'to do' lists that occupy much of my ministry. This resource from Abingdon Press will now be a partner in those conversations, almost like a new personal devotional guide. I am grateful for additional voices who can help me make space for God’s Living Word." - Shannon J Kershner, Pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL "The Abingdon Preaching Annual is a valuable resource for today’s preacher seeking to offer sermons with theological depth and thematic clarity. It seeks to activate the preacher’s own reflection and imagination in the challenging task of weekly preaching." - Alyce M. McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship Director, The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence

Under the Oak Tree
Under the Oak Tree

Author: Ronald J. Allen

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2013-11-06

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1620321920

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"Two trends in the early twenty-first-century intersect to give this volume immediate relevance: 1) The emerging postmodern ethos in North America is calling into question many things we have taken for granted, including the purposes of the church; and 2) our time is increasingly fractious as groups with distinct worldviews become polarized and often antagonistic. Eleven noted contributors join a growing current that sees conversation as an image to refresh our thinking about the nature and purpose of the church, and as a process in which individuals and communities with different perspectives come together for real understanding. Under the Oak Tree employs the image of Sarah and Abraham greeting three visitors under the Oaks of Mamre as an image for the church as a community of conversation, a community that opens itself to the otherness of the Bible, voices in history and tradition, others in the contemporary social and ecological worlds. Furthermore, the book shows how conversation can lead the church to action. The book takes a practical approach by exploring how conversation can shape key parts of the church's life. Topics include preaching, worship, formation, evangelism, pastoral care, mission and ecumenism, social witness, and the relationship of Christianity to other religions. Foundational chapters consider God as conversational, the church as community of conversation, and the minister as conversation leader. "

Preaching After God
Preaching After God

Author: Phil Snider

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2012-08-01

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1610974980

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Preaching After God is written for progressive preachers trying to find ways to effectively communicate with those who increasingly identify as "the nones," i.e. those who aren't sure what to make of God and/or Christianity, including those who believe in God some of the time, or none of the time, or all of the time, which Snider tends to think includes all of us some of the time and some of us all of the time. By drawing on the insights of several prominent postmodern theologians and philosophers, Snider provides possibilities for preaching that highly resonate with postmodern listeners who are often suspect of religion. Six lectionary-based sermons are included as examples. www.philsnider.net