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.

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.

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 ...

“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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 find happily-ever-afters, chances are the...

For fourteen-year-old Leah Payne, life in her beloved coastal Carolina town is worlds away from the harsh realities of the day. Loyal to her lumberjack father, she knows only of the familiarity of her small community, the magic of the natural world, and the creative intuition that prompts her to march to the beat of her own drum. But when an accident takes her father's life, leaving her an orphan, Leah finds herself cast into a family of strangers whose welcoming façade hides a terrible secret.

When carolers attack, you know retirement isn't going as planned. Mabel Frost thought her biggest Christmas challenge would be untangling lights and surviving her grandchildren's sugar-fueled chaos. Then the charming new choir director started asking very personal questions about everyone's bank accounts. Harold Wimbley, the church's meticulous treasurer, thinks something's fishy about all those "enhanced worship experiences" that cost a fortune. But when Harold turns up dead in the sanctuary, his "natural causes" death feels anything but natural to Mabel. Armed with her leaf blower, a ...

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 ...

They say the truth will set you free… but what if the truth ruins your life? Ellie Ryan is seventeen and determined to move to Nashville to pursue her dreams of making it as a songwriter, but an unexpected pregnancy shatters her plans and sets her on a course she never imagined. Shawn Klein has it all. The beautiful girlfriend. The scholarship to play football at Vanderbilt after he graduates high school. At eighteen, he leads worship at his father’s prosperous megachurch. His life is perfect. So why isn’t he happy? Everything changes when Shawn’s parents bring Ellie into their home...

From the founder and lead pastor of The Church of Eleven22, this national bestseller explores what happens when the incomparable power of God’s grace meets our deepest needs. Grace is one of the most important concepts in Christianity, and it’s also one of the most misunderstood, misapplied...

His attractive neighbor is tugging at his heart-strings. A wealthy widow is pursuing him with hot casseroles. And his red-haired Cousin Meg has moved into the rectory, uninvited.

Maisie Cooper hasn't seen her brother in years. So it's a surprise when he gets in touch out of the blue. But when she returns to the village they grew up in, she discovers that he's dead. And not just dead - murdered. As Maisie investigates, she starts to uncover a sinister mystery at the heart of the perfect little village. Why is everyone so reluctant to answer her questions? Is the murder connected to the recent Cathedral robbery? What was her brother going to tell her? And when another death rocks the community, can Maisie solve the case before the killer strikes again?

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.

No one ever taught like Jesus. When we learn from Him we truly are learning from the Master Teacher. Josh Hunt is uniquely qualified to help us teach like Jesus because these are the practices he has personally used for years! Anyone who wants to become a better teacher must have this book! Allan Taylor Author, Sunday School in HD I have had the pleasure of hearing Josh teach this material in person and I can assure you that it always has an impact on the audience. It is both entertaining and informative. It will challenge you to communicate more effectively. It is biblically based and ...

A desperate jilted man. His summer rent-a-girlfriend. Their own beach town. Single thirty-something Sebastian Langston hires his sister’s best friend to be his fake girlfriend for the summer in order to win back his ex-fiancée whom he lost to a billionaire. The desperate jilted man… Restaurateur Sebastian Langston cannot believe that his ex-fiancée, Talia, would leave him again. They’ve broken up so many times that he is sure she’ll return to him…until he sees her with a billionaire. Now he has to fight to get her back. Sebastian cooks up an idea in which he hires a beautiful ...

With the first disappearance, the townspeople begin to mistrust outsiders. When the second girl goes missing, neighbors and childhood friends start to eye each other warily. And with the third disappearance, the sleepy little town awakens to a full-blown nightmare. The Church of Dead Girls displays Stephen Dobyns' remarkable gifts for exploring human nature, probing the ruinous effects of suspicion.