The Adept Church

The Adept Church
Author: Dr. F. Douglas Powe JR.
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 102
Release: 2020-04-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1501896539
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A theologically grounded, yet practical, user-friendly guide for church leaders seeking to save their churches. A methodical, logical approach for strategic development and decision-making. A clear process for showing congregations how to define their reality, and a map showing the way to move forward. Offers a clear process to help congregations understand their situation by taking an honest "look in the mirror." Helps congregations build a realistic roadmap for moving forward. Illustrates how the status quo (institutionalism) is rewarded and that seeking transformation goes against institutionalism. Outlines what it means to be an adept church, a church that can navigate between a rock and a hard place because it makes decisions based upon where it needs to go and not where it is currently. Provides practical, first step for congregations to move forward.

Not Safe for Church

Not Safe for Church
Author: Dr. F. Douglas Powe JR.
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 119
Release: 2015-01-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1630884227
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Congregations say they want to reach new and younger people, many of whom are simply turned off by church. The big idea is that congregations must be willing to embrace radical ways to connect with new generations. Re-thinking old assumptions is a starting place but more is needed. To really connect congregations have to move beyond and start doing new things that are out of their comfort zones. These authors give ten ways to help you move from just saying what you intend to actually doing it. This book provides tools to help churches re-frame the Good News in non-traditional ways and study questions for church leadership teams.

Transforming Community

Transforming Community
Author: Henry H. Knight III
Publisher: Upper Room Books
Total Pages: 83
Release: 2016-04-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0881777560
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Drawing from the strength of their previous book, Transforming Evangelism, Henry Knight and Douglas Powe show us a Wesleyan way to form missional communities and congregations. Drawing from John Wesley's own organizing abilities, this will better equip today's congregations to be more transfomational. Each chapter also has study questions.

A Handbook for Seminary Presidents

A Handbook for Seminary Presidents
Author: G. Douglass Lewis
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2006-06-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802833977
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There are now over 250 theological seminaries in the United States and Canada. Leading these diverse institutions is a difficult task that combines elements of executive management, academic prowess, master storytelling, and spiritual discipline. Apart from informal mentoring relationships, however, there has been no resource specifically designed to impart collected presidential wisdom. Douglass Lewis, Lovett Weems, and the four dozen other presidential contributors to this volume -- a project of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada -- together possess hundreds of years of combined experience in institutional leadership. They pass along sage advice on everything from boards and enrollment to facilities and institutional advancement, with special discussions of women in leadership, Canadian schools, and the challenges of university-based programs. Any person in administration at a seminary recognizes that leadership in theological education presents a unique set of challenges. "A Handbook for Seminary Presidents" aims to make this task easier and more fulfilling not only for the presidents themselves but also for deans, faculty, support staff, and all who seek to effectively prepare the next generation of Christian leaders. Contributors: Daniel Aleshire Harold W. Attridge Albert Aymer Rebekah Burch Basinger Michael Battle Maxine Beach Charles E. Bouchard C. Samuel Calian Cynthia Campbell John Canary Robert Cooley Vincent Cushing Marvin Dewey David Draper Ward Ewing Frederick J. Finks Dorcas Gordon Thomas Graves Heidi Hadsell Adolf Hansen Martha Horne James Hudnut-Beumler ByronKlaus Christa Klein Steven Land Robert Landrebe Robert F. Leavitt G. Douglass Lewis David Maldonado Kevin Mannoia David McAllister-Wilson William McKinney Laura Mendenhall Ron Mercier Donn Morgan Richard J. Mouw David Neelands Anthony Ruger Donald Senior Jean Stairs Brian Stiller Susan Thistlethwaite David L. Tiede Timothy Weber Kent M. Weeks Louis Weeks Lovett H. Weems Jr. Edward Wheeler Craig Williford Wilson Yates

Divergent Church

Divergent Church
Author: Tim Shapiro
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2017-10-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1501842609
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New faith communities are appearing across the U.S.. Many of them bear little resemblance—on the surface—to ‘church’ in its conventional form. But when we look a little deeper we see striking continuity with the most deeply rooted practices of the Christian faith in community. What are those practices? What do these unconventional, alternative faith communities look like? How are they, perhaps, indicators of a hopeful new future for the church? And what can we learn from them? Authors Kara Brinkerhoff and Tim Shapiro spent more than a year researching and exploring these questions, closely examining the life of a dozen alternative faith communities across the country. They include new monastic communities, food-oriented communities, affinity group communities, house churches, hybrid churches and others. They are creative, ingenious, innovative, clever, dynamic and transformative. But they represent human expressions of activities that have always been part of human religious congregations: hospitality, learning, storytelling, care, leadership, worship and honoring place. This fascinating book goes beyond simply analyzing current trends. It reveals how innovative Christians are engaging in time-honored practices, creating new types of communities, which will shape the church to come. Further, it shows us how we too might innovate while holding true to the essential practices of our gathered faith. This is an instructive picture of Christian community, past, present and future.

Emergence Christianity

Emergence Christianity
Author: Phyllis Tickle
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2012-09-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441239650
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Whatever else one might say about Emergence Christianity, says Phyllis Tickle, one must agree it is shifting and re-configuring itself in such a prodigious way as to defy any final assessments or absolute pronouncements. Yet the insightful and well-read Tickle offers us a dispatch from the field to keep us informed of where Emergence Christianity now stands, where it may be going, and how it is aligning itself with other parts of God's church. Through her careful study and culture-watching, Tickle invites readers to join this investigation and conversation as open-minded explorers rather than fearful opponents. As readers join Tickle down the winding stream of Emergence Christianity, they will discover fascinating insights into concerns, organizational patterns, theology, and most pressing questions. Anyone involved in an emergence church or a traditional one will find here a thorough and well-written account of where things are--and where they are going.

Models of Evangelism

Models of Evangelism
Author: Priscilla Pope-Levison
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2020-10-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493427385
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Many sincere Christians dismiss evangelism due to enduring evangelistic caricatures. This book helps readers move beyond those caricatures to consider thoughtfully and practically how they can engage in evangelism, whether it's through one-on-one conversations, social media, social justice, or the liturgy of worship services. At once biblical, theological, historical, and practical, this book by a seasoned scholar offers an engaging, well-researched, and well-organized presentation and analysis of eight models of evangelism. Covering a breadth of approaches--from personal evangelism to media evangelism and everything in between--Priscilla Pope-Levison encourages readers to take a deeper look at evangelism and discover a model that captures their attention. Each chapter introduces and assesses a model biblically, theologically, historically, and practically, allowing for easy comparison across the board. The book also includes end-of-chapter study questions to further help readers interact with each model.

The Wired Church 2.0

The Wired Church 2.0
Author: Len Wilson
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2008-08-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1426725043
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Wired Church 2.0 is the go-to guide for church staff and volunteers coordinating multimedia digital technology for worship, the classroom, and marketing. Covering everything from website design and trends in digital media to selecting and training your media team. Wilson and Moore were on the leading edge of media ministry with their 1999 volume The Wired Church: Making Media Ministry. Wired Church 2.0 is the guidebook for a new generation of technology, addressing new multimedia trends, including blogs, podcasts, streaming video, and more. Wired Church 2.0 is a comprehensive how-to book written in an easy-to-understand "dummies' guide" style. Church media coordinators will learn about the technology, costs, methods, and tricks-of-the-trade for producing high-quality web and video elements for worship, education, and marketing. Len Wilson and Jason Moore run Midnight Oil Productions, a cutting-edge media ministry agency based in Grand Prairie, Texas. They have authored several books together, including Design Matters: Creating Powerful Imagery for Worship (2006), Digital Storytellers: The Art of Communicating the Gospel in Worship (2002) and The Wired Church: Making Media Ministry (1999), all from Abingdon Press.

Many Colors

Many Colors
Author: Soong-Chan Rah
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2010-09-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1575674971
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The United States is currently undergoing the most rapid demographic shift in its history. By 2050, white Americans will no longer comprise a majority of the population. Instead, they'll be the largest minority group in a country made up entirely of minorities, followed by Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. Past shifts in America's demographics always reshaped the county's religious landscape. This shift will be no different. Soong-Chan Rah's book is intended to equip evangelicals for ministry and outreach in our changing nation. Borrowing from the business concept of "cultural intelligence," he explores how God's people can become more multiculturally adept. From discussions about cultural and racial histories, to reviews of case-study churches and Christian groups that are succeeding in bridging ethnic divides, Rah provides a practical and hopeful guidebook for Christians wanting to minister more effectively in diverse settings. Without guilt trips or browbeating, the book will spur individuals, churches, and parachurch ministries toward more effectively bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for people of every racial and cultural background. Its message is positive; its potential impact, transformative.

New Wine, New Wineskins

New Wine, New Wineskins
Author: Dr. F. Douglas Powe JR.
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2012-02-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 142675616X
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God wants to do a new thing in the African American Church. Author, Douglas Powe suggests that the African American church, while once the bedrock of the community, is no longer on the radar for many. During the Civil Rights movement African American churches initiated and even shaped transformation for an entire country, well beyond their own walls. In this post-Civil Rights era the power of many African American churches remains mired in the assumptions and practices of the past, thereby making them invisible to their surrounding communities. New Wine, New Wineskins helps African American congregations understand and benefit from the cultural shifts we are now experiencing. Many African American churches once thought they were immune to the cultural shock waves in our streets and neighborhoods. They simple argued that they have always been all about participation and being relational; yet like many churches, their numbers continue to decline. African American churches must find a way to reclaim their missional orientation, while at the same time remaining true to their historical identity and witness of speaking truth to power. The worthy goals of justice and bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ in this time, requires new practices and fresh ideas—new wine. The old framework just won’t work any more. We need new wine skins.