検索キーワード： 教会・教会リーダーシップ

Many are perplexed by the significant shifts in our world today. Things are changing in politics, economics, and the very fabric of our society. Will the church lag behind, battered by the winds of change, or be the true pioneer God has called her to be? The Christian Church needs a reformation as far reaching as 500 years ago. Do we see the need for revival and are we willing to pay the price of leaving behind the familiar to prepare new wineskins for new wine?

The primary mission of the church is to glorify God by blessing all peoples of the world through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Great Commission’s task of global disciple-making is the most ambitious project ever undertaken. Given the scale and complexity of global missions, it’s no wonder that misconceptions abound, even among invested, godly people.

Pastoral ministry is hard. These days—with pandemics and cultural crises and distrust of the church higher than ever—it may be especially hard. There is a reason an increasing number of pastors are depressed, burned out, leaving the ministry, or—worst of all—imploding their lives through moral failures. Mike Minter planted a church in 1975, and after a long and faithful career in pastoral ministry, he is burdened to see so many struggling pastors. This book is born from both his experience and his concern.

Do you ever feel worthless? Or question your value to God or his church? Those thoughts of worthlessness don't line up with God's word. Because God loves you more than you can imagine and wants to accomplish great things through you. God gives each of his children spiritual gifts to help grow his kingdom, and the church can't reach its full potential without you.

In FIRES, Fortune 500 veteran Daniel Purdy takes listeners on a step-by-step journey to personal transformation, professional growth, and multifaceted success through harnessing life's fires. The FIRES system leverages the best planning processes from Purdy's corporate background and the latest thinking around holistic health and meaningful success. It's a self-coaching system that balances practical concerns with personal values, incisive strategy with insight and soul.

Ministry comes with many weighty responsibilities. Ministry leaders are called to teach, serve, and lead. But in leading those under their care, there comes a moment when they recognize the future leaders under their leadership. With this recognition comes an all too familiar question: What comes next? In Calling Out the Called, Scott Pace and Shane Pruitt answer this question by giving direction, encouragement, and a charge for ministry leaders to recognize the future leaders in their midst and do what needs to be done for the future of ministry: the calling out of the called.

This attempt at writing a history of a community that has evolved from an English-Speaking Church Group (ESCG) through to St Joseph Parish (SJP) aims at putting the facts straight, and as early as possible, while some of the original and primary actors are still present. In this way, it is easier to avoid confusion and distortion of facts or even the introduction of fallacies. This book can thus serve as reference on matters of this topic in this Parish and in newly created Parishes.

All these questions are answered in this comprehensive special report that promotes spreading the gospel and honoring the creative people who help to make all church ministries possible. Pass this report on to songwriters, musicians, worship pastors, and church leadership so they are informed about current copyright laws and the practices of paying for the use of intellectual property.

What does a scrappy church look like? Let's take a look together.

In 48 Laws of Spiritual Power, bestselling author Frank Viola lays out the unchanging principles of tapping into God's power and releasing it to serve others. These laws are based on over thirty years of ministry experience—trench-tested in Frank's life and the lives of others who have spent decades in ministry. Though these laws may seem counterintuitive and uncommon, they will equip you to look for God's power in your ministry.

The future is now. Philip Jenkins has chronicled how the next Christendom has shifted away from the Western church toward the global South and East. Likewise, changing demographics mean that North American society will accelerate its diversity in terms of race, ethnicity and culture. But evangelicalism has long been held captive by its predominantly white cultural identity and history. In this book professor and pastor Soong-Chan Rah calls the North American church to escape its captivity to Western cultural trappings and to embrace a new evangelicalism that is diverse and multiethnic.

What image forms in your mind when you think of productivity? An assembly line? Spreadsheets? Business suits or workplace uniforms? In the ancient world, productivity didn't conjure images like these. Instead, it referred to crop yield and fruit bearing. This agrarian imagery helps us understand productivity through a biblical lens. Jesus taught, By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit (John 15:8). Who doesn’t want to have a truly productive life—to bear much fruit?

Researchers have uncovered the following three trends: First, distrust of institutions, including the church, is at an all-time high. Second, young people raised in the church are leaving at alarming rates and not returning. Third, loneliness and social isolation are at pandemic levels. What’s the connection? It appears that an entire generation is starving for the very thing the church is called to provide but has chosen to look for it elsewhere. Why is this happening?

In this, his premiere work, Cornel West challenges African Americans to consider the incorporation of Marxism into their theological perspectives, thereby adopting the mindset that it is class more so than race that renders one powerless in America. His work reflects political and cultural perspectives borne out of his own formative life experiences. Decades later, his arguments continue to capture the theological imagination of many and influence the critical engagement of generations of scholars.

Through an in-depth discussion of these seven wounds, Rosemarie Downer, without reservation, highlights the deficiencies and incompetence that for decades have slowed down and, in many ways, impeded the progress of the Church. She uncovers some sleeping giants in the Church but is careful to give some sound advice that are grounded in the word.

Throughout history, Christians have pictured the relationships between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through analogies. Such illustrations—some from the West but also from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other places—come laden with theological ramifications that the church has rejected (heresies) or embraced (doctrines). In Three in One, William David Spencer shares a lifetime of insights from teaching within the global church, bringing fresh images and analogies of the Trinity to deepen our theological vocabulary.

Do you pray for your pastors? Do you encourage them? Do you have realistic expectations for them? The office of pastor is simultaneously a rewarding and draining position. Pastors today have immense pressure on their shoulders and they need the support of their congregations. Peter Orr has written Fight for Your Pastor as an exhortation for church members to stand behind their pastors through the difficulties of ministry. Orr specifies ways in which congregations can be intentional in caring for church leaders, including prayer, encouragement, generosity, and forgiveness.

Pastor Joel Rissinger has served in vocational ministry for over 30 years in some very diverse settings. During that time, he has served as an associate pastor, senior pastor, church planter, church planting director, executive pastor, chaplain, and as a field shepherd for Standing Stone Ministry. In Things Your Pastor Would Love to Say...But Can't!, Pastor Joel shares an intimate look at some of the challenges faced by pastors, missionaries, ministry leaders, and their families. His goal is to inspire empathy toward these leaders from Christians everywhere.

Most parents faced with the pain of a child coming out have very little knowledge of how to navigate it. As a result, they are likely to experience many years of struggle and frustration and could make mistakes that could cause life-altering harm to their child.

Jesus' empowering leadership completely transformed the disciples from everyday men and women into revivalists who turned the world upside down. Today's revival needs the same kind of supernatural leadership! Whatever role you find yourself in, the fact is that you are called to be a leader to the people around you, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Equipping the Saints, Paul and Susan Kummer share from their decades of experience as pastors and mentors, leading a culture that builds the Kingdom of God with signs, wonders, and miracles.