Church Help

The last time I spoke was eight years ago when my best friend tried to kill me. I never dreamed my silence would break with a scream. Being sent to Chapel Crest after my new stepfather deemed me a heathen seemed like a blessing compared to staying with him and my mom. I was a mute demon in his eyes, and when the rod didn’t beat the evil out of me, he prayed Chapel Crest could. I envisioned the religious academy would become my sanctuary. I was wrong. So very wrong. Chapel Crest was an asylum moonlighting as a religious school.

Over the last 30 years, many influential church leaders and church planters in America have adopted various models for reaching unchurched people. An “attractional” model will seek to attract people to a local church. Younger leaders may advocate a more “missional” approach, in which believers live and work among unchurched people and intentionally seek to serve like Christ. While each of these approaches have merit, something is still missing, something even more fundamental to the mission of the church: discipleship.

Learn the values of small group and house church dynamics with lots of field-tested practical insights. Today, the church is waking up to the simple and successful house-to-house strategy practiced by the New Testament church 2000 years ago. House to House documents how God led a small group of young believers in Pennsylvania to become an international house-to-house movement. Dove International transitioned from a small group-based mega church into a family of small group-based churches and house churches networking together throughout six continents of the world.

Most churches have a volunteer problem. That problem is holding back their ministry and their church. The trouble is, it's not one problem. It's a collection of issues that all have a negative impact on volunteerism in your church.

Churches are losing both members and vitality as increasing numbers of young people disengage. Based on groundbreaking research with over 250 of the nation's leading congregations, Growing Young provides a strategy any church can use to involve and retain teenagers and young adults. It profiles innovative churches that are engaging 15- to 29-year-olds and as a result are growing - spiritually, emotionally, missionally, and numerically.

In his four decades of urban ministry, Robert D. Lupton has experienced firsthand how our good intentions can have unintended, dire consequences. We fly off on mission trips to poverty-stricken villages, hearts full of pity and suitcases bulging with giveaways - trips that one Nicaraguan leader describes as effective only in "turning my people into beggars." In Toxic Charity, Lupton urges individuals, churches, and organizations to step away from these spontaneous, often destructive acts of compassion and toward thoughtful paths to community development.

The American church is at a critical crossroads. Our witness has been compromised, our numbers are down, and our reputation has been sullied, due largely to our own faults and fears. The church's ethnocentrism, consumerism, and syncretism have blurred the lines between discipleship and partisanship. Pastor Eric Costanzo, missiologist Daniel Yang, and nonprofit leader Matthew Soerens find that for the church to return to health, we must decenter ourselves from our American idols and recenter on the undeniable, inalienable core reality of the global, transcultural kingdom of God.

HELPS: Having Enough Loving People Serving Churches need the ministry of helps. The time has come for church members to begin doing the work of the ministry, and let the pastors return to doing what the have been called to do–be a spokesmen for Jesus. Finally, a book filled with useful information for: • Ushers • Greeters • Nursery Workers • Counselors • All Areas of Your Churches Ministry The Ministry of Helps Handbook by Buddy Bell is a unique combination of teaching, seminar guidelines and answers to often-asked questions. This useful and complete book provides pastors, and ...

Toxic Charity provides proven new models for charitable groups who want to help - not sabotage - those whom they desire to serve. Lupton, the founder of FCS Urban Ministries (Focused Community Strategies) in Atlanta, the voice of the Urban Perspectives newsletter, and the author of Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life, has been at the forefront of urban ministry activism for 40 years. His groundbreaking Toxic Charity shows us how to start serving needy and impoverished members of our communities in a way that will lead to lasting, real-world change.

The Book of Acts, as recorded in the Bible, records the events surrounding the birth of the Church and its growth in the first century. This book is written in a format which speaks to the events of Acts and how it relates to us today. This is not a commentary but does have some commentary type writing in it. The purpose of this book is to encourage readers to look at this book of New Testament history and understand how it applies to our Christian lives in the 21st Century. The reader can learn how the Church was started and its purpose in this world. It moves chapter by chapter through ...

Philip Yancey, whose explorations of faith have made him a guide for millions, feels no need to defend the church. Yancey acknowledges that many spiritual seekers find few answers and little solace in the institutional church. How did Yancey manage to survive spiritually despite early encounters with a racist, legalistic church that he now views as almost cultic? In this, his most soul-searching book yet, he probes that very question.

Every generation of Christian leaders for the past 2000 years has had to face landmines that are potential killers, even on the best of days. Some are universal and some cultural, but all are dangerous. We shouldn’t be shocked; after all, when we read through Scripture, we see that only 30% of leaders actually finish well.

In this brief yet penetrating book, Dr. James Papandrea reveals what the early Church Fathers actually taught and believed about the Holy Scriptures as well as how they read, understood, and interpreted the Word of God. He explains the process by which the books of the Bible were selected and demonstrates the harmoniousness and complementarity of the Gospels. With Dr. Papandrea’s guidance, you will see how Scripture attests to the truth of the sacraments, Catholic doctrines, and the hierarchy of the Church founded by Christ.

Feeling alone or "different" in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is often very difficult and painful, but the scriptures can teach you how to feel more connected, confident, and comfortable in the Church. Learn about Nephi, Lehi, Abish, Sariah, and more as you read about belonging to Christ and His Church. Some of the themes include: -How to study the scriptures in a way that meets your needs for belonging -Recognizing the talents and gifts God has given you -The strengths and challenges associated with not "fitting in" with your ward -How to resolve conflict with other ...

Clean Up on Aisle 7 is a straight-talking, hope-filled guide for pastors and ministry leaders who are navigating the messy realities of church life. Written by seasoned pastors Rev. Michael Page and Rev. David Ralph, this book draws from decades of experience shepherding churches of all sizes — and from their shared passion through Shepherds Hope Ministries to encourage pastors who are in the trenches today. With humor, grace, and practical wisdom, Michael and Dave pull back the curtain on the kinds of conflicts, tensions, and leadership challenges that many pastors never learned about in...

YOU ARE MADE TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE, YOU JUST NEED TO GET THE HANG OF IT Picture this: You’re in the middle of making a really big decision and you just can’t figure out what to do. You feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and you’re ready to give up. Then something inside you whispers, in a split second you see the flash of an image, and suddenly there is clarity. You now know what to do. You don’t always need to wait for someone to give you a word, because God wants to tell you Himself. Hearing from God isn’t shrouded in mystery or something that is only for ...

For the abortion-wounded… If you are an abortion-wounded woman or man, you will find your story in the pages of this book. You will read the words you’ve always wanted to express but never had the courage or the community to express them in. Your faith will be built up to receive the Jesus who doesn’t condemn you, but rather wants to rescue you from the thoughts and feelings that torment you. There is hope for authentic Christian community. For our abortion-wounded brothers – your heart matters ... your losses matter. Come, lock arms with us and find your healing and your voice. For...

A sacred pause in an age of spiritual fatigue and global unrest, inspired by the election of Pope Leo XIV Blending Catholic tradition, research-informed reflection, and spiritual psychology, this book explores how embodied, trauma-aware, and intellectually grounded faith can serve as a path toward healing. Through story, theology, and deeply human insight, it invites readers to rediscover the sacred in the midst of stress, confusion, and spiritual longing. Inspired by the compassionate leadership and quiet strength of Pope Leo XIV, this work provides a lens through which personal healing ...

The Treasures of Psalm 119: Exploring God’s Word as a Family by John O’Malley Unlock the treasures of God’s Word with The Treasures of Psalm 119, a powerful family devotional designed to help children, tweens, and teens fall in love with Scripture. This unique devotional explores the richness of Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, focusing on the 20 most-used words that reveal the heart of God’s commandments, statutes, and promises. Perfect for Christian parents, homeschool families, and Sunday School teachers, this book offers age-appropriate Bible lessons, practical ...

Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church Can Help offers a practical approach to engaging the Bible and mental health principles to find God’s healing for wounds of the heart. The approach has been field-tested since 2001 with leaders from Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and independent churches. This is the core e-book of the Bible-based trauma healing ministry of the Trauma Healing Institute. It is to be used by adult participants in a healing group or training session, led by certified trauma healing facilitators who are using the accompanying Facilitator Guide for Healing Groups. ...