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The missional church conversation continues to make a vital contribution to thinking about congregations and their contexts, addressing the essential question What does it really mean to be church? This book offers substantial, clarifying insights into that ongoing dialogue. Contributors: Mark Lau Branson James Tzu-Kao Chai Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier Terri Martinson Elton Scott Frederickson Joon Ho Lee Gary M. Simpson Craig Van Gelder
These challenging times demand that Christian churches and their leaders faithfully and effectively address diverse global situations with Gospel-rooted compassion and justice. These essays argue that public theology provides the trinitarian theological framework which fuels wise and compassionate public participation in God's mission within the world today. Public church leaders from the Global South and Global North join their voices to explore the global implications of public theology within unique situational particularities. Their essays are principally based on the public theology and theological commitments of Gary M. Simpson, Lutheran pastor and systematic theologian. Simpson's publ...
January 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the Fresh Expressions movement which spread internationally and denominationally from its origins in the Church of England. Graham Cray was its first National Leader. Countless new forms of church have emerged through Fresh Expressions, the Church Army, New Wine, and various pioneer network. On Mission with Jesus offers a theological understanding of the missional nature of the church, which will undergird and inform local practice and assist ministerial and pioneer training. Its central argument is that the Church’s inherited understanding of itself imprisons the imagination of local congregations and in ten chapters, Graham Cray seeks to establish a new self-understanding for local congregations: 1. Updating Default Settings 2. Sharing in the Mission of God 3. Making Disciples 4. Following the Spirit 5. Shaping the Church 6. Anticipating the Future 7. Joining the family Business 8. Being a Pilgrim People 9. Recognising Jesus in the Church 10. Becoming a Jesus on Mission-Shaped Church
Two ministry experts map the variety of missional church visions over the past decade, opening up new horizons for extending the conversation biblically and theologically.
This fifth Missional Church Series volume seeks to bring historical clarity, biblical and theological substance, and practical guidance to church planting. The nine contributors -- many of them experienced church-planting pastors -- offer diverse yet cohesive perspectives on the Spirit's missional church planting in our time. Section One presents three essays which address missional church planting as a theological practice, with particular attention given to the activity of the Holy Spirit within the context of God's Trinitarian life. Section Two grounds church planting initiatives in the generative soil of story. The two essays in this section narrate how specific congregations provide gli...
The teachings of Christian leadership have been dominated by a focus on the influence of a leader on its followers. Samuel Deressa’s new book, Leadership Formation in the African Context, highlights how an African concept of community and holistic approach to ministry provides a biblically sound approach to understanding leadership formation and practice in this new age. This book links the issue of missional leadership with the life of the congregation. It provides theological and practical insights into how we can understand leadership formation in contexts where churches are engaged in the Missio Dei as a community of believers.
Since it first appeared in print in 1959, John Doberstein's Minister's Prayer Book has been a devotional classic among Lutheran pastors. Written by a pastor for other pastors, Doberstein's work recognizes the need for the pastor to drink from a well of rich resources to sustain the spiritual vitality needed to serve faithfully in parish ministry. The fact that this manual of devotion is still available more than fifty years later is a testament to the timelessness of the collection Doberstein gathered, as well as to his own pastoral acumen. Other than a minor revision made in 1986 by Philip Pfatteicher to update the propers, there has been no attempt to bring fresh material to Doberstein's work, no attempt to update it for a new generation. Until now. This revised edition recognizes the increasingly diverse face of clergy. New resources--prayers and readings written by women, people of color, and Christians from around the world--give the collection a broader appeal. The beauty of the Minister's Prayer Book is its intentional re-centering of the pastor's calling on word and sacrament, on pastoral care, and on being fully present and engaged in the lives of God's people.
Teaching preaching, like preaching itself, is a noble endeavor. After nearly four decades of teaching, Richard Lischer has sent legions of preachers across the world to preach gospel. This volume pays tribute to his faith-filled life of preaching and teaching. The contributors, some of whom were taught by Lischer, have received many laurels themselves, so readers will find in these pages wisdom for preaching from many quarters. Some authors include sermons with helpful commentary about the preaching exercise; some offer essays to illuminate the task of sermon writing; all acknowledge the influence of Richard Lischer on their preaching and teaching endeavors.
Building on the work and legacy of Darrell L. Guder, Converting Witness: The Future of Christian Mission in the New Millennium, explores key questions and new possibilities in missiology in light of the world Christian context. The conversation around missional theology and the missional church has examined the gap between theology and mission with the intent of fostering renewal within North American Christianity. But this can only fully occur in relation to the reality of world Christianities and the framing significance of global cultural diversity. Many of the classic categories and methods—such as church planting, catholicity, and even the term “world Christianity” itself—are in need of fresh examination and thoughtful analysis. The contributors to this volume address a range of important missiological topics, including globalization, interfaith dialogue, integral mission, intercultural hermeneutics, and church practices.
Be like me! While many parents and leaders are understandably hesitant to utter such words, they are vitally needed today in a world where positive role models are often few and far between. Yet in these Cycle A epistle texts, the Apostle Paul is not bashful about challenging Christians to follow his example and live distinctively different lives -- lives that reflect the image of the risen Christ. Gary Carver shares that vision, and these outstanding messages lay out for readers the belief that we can grow every day to be more like Jesus. Gary Carver preaches at a way station on an ancient pilgrim road, offering comfort and hope to the weary traveler.... In these compelling sermons, Gary pr...