Small Church

Small Church Essentials is for leaders of smaller congregations. It encourages them to steward their role well, debunking myths about small churches while offering principles for leading a dynamic, healthy small church. Based on the popular six-hour lecture that Karl Vaters delivers to church leaders across the country, Small Church Essentials will affirm small church leaders and show them how to identify what they do well and how to do it even better.

Church Revitalization guides current and future leaders through the often-complex process of bringing a church to a place of vibrancy. This book demonstrates how the overarching goal of seeing people come to faith in Christ and develop into Christlikeness can—and must—inform the most foundational to the most fleeting aspects of revitalizing a struggling church.

House church advocates want pastors to know exactly why they left the institutional church. They have legitimate disagreements with the way the local church is functioning today, and their issues have been largely ignored by pastors and those who are in leadership. Their evacuation out of the institutional church and into house churches may be the wrong move for some of the right reasons. There are serious issues to deal with, and pastors, it’s time to wake up and lead the church into the new wine skin.

“An excellent small group study.” – Rev. Travis Knoll In a time of upheaval in the largest denomination of the Methodist movement, this classic explanation and defense of Methodist Christianity by its founder is required reading. Pastor David Wentz has updated Wesley’s 18th-century language, deleted references to no-longer-relevant theological disputes, and added an introduction that sets the work in context. The result is a clear, easy to read text that is enjoyable and understandable for modern readers of all levels of theological interest and expertise. This short book is ideal ...

Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want - practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups - and what they need - substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.

Get swept away into a world of love, danger, and second chances! Tender romance, humor, family, faith, mysteries, and suspense combine in a set sure to keep you reading and give you hours of reading satisfaction. Each story is a clean romance with a heartwarming and uplifting happy ending! Over 4,000 reviews for the solo books in the collection combined, with half of the books having over 1,000 reviews each! Book 1: Seaside Cowboy’s Second Chance A woman with broken dreams and promises. A cowboy with a broken--by her--heart. A stray dog with a possibly broken paw. And everyone with a ...

Flexible, Budget-Friendly Holiday Plays with a Gospel Message Three Christmas Plays and One Easter Play perfect for the small to medium sized congregation. Each only requires about fifteen performers with options to plug in more. The plays incorporate humor, drama, and the Christmas programs are set to include music if desired. Churches love these plays because: 1. Simple Staging- You likely have all the props you already need 2. Adaptable if you have between 10-20 people ready to be involved 3. Optional Musical Cues in the Christmas programs where you can easily work in your own music 4. ...

How to Start a Church -- EVEN if you have never been to Bible school or seminary. Don't know how to plant a healthy church? Want a step-by-step plan that's CHRIST-CENTERED? Need a strategy for church planting that will work anywhere in the world? Ever wish you could start a church that changes lives? Starting churches has quickly become THE way to reach lost people today. The problem? Copying church planting models doesn't produce the same results. The secret is to plant a church deeply in love with Jesus and committed to obeying His commands. In this guide, "Simple Church Planting," you'll...

Three bays. Eighteen books. Endless stories of faith and love. Step into Everlee’s Bay Romance Mega Box Set—a captivating collection that combines the complete Chalet on Barco Bay, Queensboro Bay, and Vineyard at East Bay series. Each story is set against the stunning backdrops of Michigan’s most picturesque bays, blending faith, romance, and community into one unforgettable reading experience. • At Barco Bay, a coastal volunteer community proves that serving others leads to healing, friendship, and love. • At Queensboro Bay, a family struggles to restore a crumbling inn into a ...

Love, family, and faith meet on the shores of Northern Michigan. The Lake House Romance Series follows the Hayworth family as they face the future of their cherished generational retreat. After the loss of their beloved grandparents, the family must decide whether to hold on to the treasured lake house—or let go of a place that has shaped their memories and traditions. Amidst breathtaking lakefront sunsets and a backdrop of mystery, the Hayworths rediscover that love truly “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Each book in this four-part ...

First-century Christians knew what it meant to live in vital community with one another, relating with a depth and commitment that made "the body of Christ" a perfect metaphor for the church. What would it take to reclaim that kind of love, joy, support, and dynamic spiritual growth? Listen to this book and find out.

When a church lady falls in love, she falls hard. Sometimes she lands on her knees. Miss Budge does as she moves quietly and powerfully through her daily life in Old Cloverdale, where F. Scott Fitzgerald once courted Zelda, and two miles away Nat King Cole was born. Fitzgerald wrote about love. Nat Cole sang about love, and Mildred Budge knows those words. She can sing along with Nat and has. But Miss Budge lives love too—is always in love. The world wants a certain kind of love. Miss Budge offers a different kind—one that is so rare, so foreign as to be misunderstood…. But make no ...

When Zara Hunter’s left with a goofy dog, the husky brings more mischief than Zara’s organized life can handle. Zara Hunter runs her life like a well-oiled machine. With work, helping the worship team every week, and spending time with friends, she has no room for pets, men, or shenanigans. When her grandfather passes away, he leaves his dog, Blizzard, to Zara. Not only is the dog quirky, but Blizzard brings more chaos than Zara’s tranquil life allows. Gerard Hancock’s world came tumbling down years ago when he hit rock bottom due to drinking and drugs. His older brother takes him ...

I absolutely love the way that you can make fun of yourself and laugh at things that would mortify me. Fall in love with heartwarming, faith-filled romance in this inspirational Christian box set based on Romans 12:10-12 (NIV). Set against the vibrant backdrop of the annual arts festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this clean and uplifting collection celebrates second chances, creative calling, and the surprising ways God brings people together. Each of these novellas brings a new couple into focus—artists, teachers, food truck owners, and former executives—each one searching for healing...

Jesus is real. He is with you. He is for you. He is your pastor. And he wants to be the pastor of your church. These statements might seem obvious, but what if we all took them seriously? Aaron Gerrard did just that in his journey to plant a church in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. In a new book, Quit Pastoring Your Church, he tells the story of a small church making Jesus their pastor. Gerrard candidly shares his journey to start a new kind of church by allowing Jesus to be the guide, and it radically impacted the story of this new congregation.

REVISED EDITION! NOW CONTAINS MARRY ME! Four sweet and clean Christian romances to warm your heart this holiday season! Snuggle up with these faith-filled stories of hope and love, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. Visit London for a series of Christmas dates, experience New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh, fall in love after a marriage of convenience in a beach town, and discover home and healing in small-town Oregon, all within the pages of these complete and standalone romances. If you love Hallmark movies, Love Inspired Books, and deeply emotional stories of overcoming heartache to ...

There’s more to salvation than punching your ticket for heaven. John Wesley taught that full salvation means becoming completely holy in heart and life. This focus on personal holiness was one of the defining characteristics of the Wesleyan revival. The many Methodist and Wesleyan denominations, the Pentecostal and holiness movements, and the Salvation Army all trace their lineage back to these teachings. Wesley’s followers believed what he taught fiercely, lived it out faithfully, and witnessed to it boldly, to the point that they were often violently persecuted. Today, millions of ...

It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's 60 years old.

Jan Karon's millions of fans can't wait to spend time with her heartwarming and hilarious characters, who have a way of becoming family. In fact, fans and booksellers across the country kept Out to Canaan and At Home in Mitford on The New York Times best-seller list for months. In A New Song, Mitford's longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters.

Jonas McAnn is a weary pastor without a congregation, trapped in a dead-end insurance job. Granby Presbyterian is a weary congregation without a pastor, overwhelmed by the prospect of finding someone who actually wants to be a pastor - not a manager, coach, or CEO. When Granby's pastoral search committee and Jonas connect through handwritten letters passed back and forth, something sparks between them.