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Essential Church?
- Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
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Publisher's summary
This important question is examined and duly answered in Essential Church?, a follow-up to Thom S. Rainer's best-selling Simple Church co-written with his son, research expert Sam Rainer.
The book is based on a study of 1,000 so-called "church dropouts" who were interviewed about why they left. Their answers are quite surprising, having less to do with "losing their religion" and more about the desire for a community that isn't made stale by simply maintaining the status quo. In turn, the Rainers offer churches four concrete solutions toward making their worship community an essential part of these young people's lives again:
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-
Story5 out of 5 stars 129
Whether you are a pastor, a volunteer, or a church member, you want your church to grow well. After all, there’s no better place to experience God than in the loving, healthy community of a church. But what does an effective church look like? Is it possible to grow and be healthy at the same time? The Blessed Church, Pastor Morris brings you practical wisdom for cultivating real growth by nurturing true and Biblical health in your spiritual community.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Blessed church
- By Peggy on 06-24-18
By: Robert Morris
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Why Men Hate Going to Church
- By: David Murrow
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 212
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 174
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 172
David Murrow's groundbreaking new book reveals why men are the world's largest unreached people group. With eye-opening research and a persuasive grasp on the facts, Murrow explains the problem and offers hope and encouragement to women, pastors, and men. Why Men Hate Going to Church does not call men back to the church - it calls the church back to men.
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4 out of 5 stars
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An honest view of church from a man's perspective
- By G on 02-05-12
By: David Murrow
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No Perfect People Allowed
- By: John Burke
- Narrated by: Tom Casaletto
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Story5 out of 5 stars 33
How do we live out the message of Jesus in today’s ever-changing culture? The church is facing its greatest challenge - and its greatest opportunity - in our postmodern, post-Christian world. God is drawing thousands of spiritually curious “imperfect people” to become his church - but how are we doing at welcoming them? No Perfect People Allowed shows you how to deconstruct the five main barriers standing between emerging generations and your church by creating the right culture.
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5 out of 5 stars
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No Perfect People Allowed
- By Robin on 04-19-09
By: John Burke
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The Next Christians
- The Good News About the End of Christian America
- By: Gabe Lyons
- Narrated by: Gabe Lyons
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 65
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
Turn on a cable news show or pick up any news magazine, and you get the impression that Christian America is on its last leg. The once dominant faith is now facing rapidly declining church attendance, waning political influence, and an abysmal public perception. More than 76% of Americans self-identify as Christians, but many today are ashamed to carry the label. While many Christians are bemoaning their faith’s decline, Gabe Lyons is optimistic that Christianity’s best days are yet to come.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Ok some good points.
- By Donna on 03-07-23
By: Gabe Lyons
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The Unsaved Christian
- Reaching Cultural Christians with the Gospel
- By: Dean Inserra
- Narrated by: Tim Lundeen
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 298
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 251
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 249
What to do when they say they’re Christian but don’t know Jesus. Whether it’s the Christmas and Easter Christians or the faithful church attenders whose hearts are cold toward the Lord, we’ve all encountered cultural Christians. They’d check the Christian box on a survey, they’re fine with church, but the truth is, they’re far from God. So how do we bring Jesus to this overlooked mission field? The Unsaved Christian equips you to confront cultural Christianity with honesty, compassion, and grace, whether you’re doing it from the pulpit or the pews.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Me. Me. Me! That was me! I thought I was a Christian...
- By Nana B on 04-23-19
By: Dean Inserra
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Quit Church
- By: Chris Sonksen
- Narrated by: Dean Gallagher
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 27
Let's face it. Church isn't working. We hear sermons about the abundant life Jesus promised, but how many of us are actually living it? How many of our churches are thriving? How many people in our congregations are experiencing God's blessings? Maybe it's time to call it quits. Quit church? Well, not exactly. Drawing from his experience coaching hundreds of churches toward true growth, Chris Sonksen calls on us to quit our casual, cultural commitment to church as we know it....
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1 out of 5 stars
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Quit Church
- By larry jenkins on 06-07-18
By: Chris Sonksen
-
Real-Life Discipleship
- Building Churches That Make Disciples
- By: Jim Putman
- Narrated by: Lance Smith
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 33
Real-Life Discipleship explains what should happen in the life of every Christian and in every small group so that the church becomes an army of believers dedicated to seeing the world saved. With the overriding goal to train disciples who know how to make more disciples, this book offers proven tools and strategies from Real Life Ministries, one of America’s fastest-growing churches. Discover what the Bible says about true and effective discipleship with these strategies and practices.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
It's fantastic!
- By Ali on 04-25-24
By: Jim Putman
-
4 Chair Discipling
- What Jesus Calls Us to Do
- By: Dann Spader
- Narrated by: Tim Lundeen
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
Dann Spader is a disciple-maker who has spent his adult life exploring what it means to take someone from being a seeker to making disciples themselves. Over 750,000 people in 80 countries have been trained to make disciples through organizations he has led. Through studying the life of Christ and his disciple-making methods, Dann developed 4 Chair Discipling, a simple picture for others to follow. Jesus’ last words on earth had a few very specific instructions: Go, make disciples, baptize, and teach.
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1 out of 5 stars
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I stopped reading..,
- By Linda on 08-04-23
By: Dann Spader
-
Forming Intentional Disciples
- The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus
- By: Sherry A. Weddell
- Narrated by: Nan McNamara
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 77
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 70
Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion; how to open a conversation about faith and belief; how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the great story of Jesus; how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship; and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Valuable resource, required reading
- By Andrew Havens on 01-03-19
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The Post-Quarantine Church
- Six Urgent Challenges and Opportunities That Will Determine the Future of Your Congregation
- By: Thom S. Rainer
- Narrated by: Michael Beck
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 87
A trustworthy and respected guide for pastors and church leadership in the post-quarantine world, providing hope and vision for the future of your congregation.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
A revisiting of previous books
- By wall32 on 01-31-21
By: Thom S. Rainer
-
Interrupted
- When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity
- By: Jen Hatmaker
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gallagher
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 317
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 265
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 262
Are you one of the millions who crave a new direction in the church, fed up with religious games, empty promises, and cultural Christianity? You are not alone. You are not crazy. Maybe Jesus is ready to interrupt your life. Snatching Jen Hatmaker from the grip of her consumer life, God began asking her questions like, "What is really the point of My Church? What have I really asked of you?" Transparent and imperfect, Jen will engage and inspire you to go beyond comfortable and answer for yourself the question she faced.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
If you're ready to be interrupted too...
- By Tamara Shope on 10-08-15
By: Jen Hatmaker
-
Overrated
- Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World?
- By: Eugene Cho
- Narrated by: Eugene Cho
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Many people today talk about justice, but are they living justly? They want to change the world, but are they being changed themselves? Eugene Cho has a confession: "I like to talk about changing the world but I don't really like to do what it takes." If this is true of the man who founded the One Day's Wages global antipoverty movement, then what must it take to act on one's ideals? Cho does not doubt the sincerity of those who want to change the world.
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4 out of 5 stars
-
OK memoir but the message was regurgitated from other sources
- By Laura M. on 03-28-16
By: Eugene Cho
-
The Invested Life
- Making Disciples of All Nations One Person at a Time
- By: Joel C. Rosenberg, Dr. T. E. Koshy
- Narrated by: Joel C. Rosenberg, Lynn Rosenberg
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Every follower of Jesus Christ should be able to answer two simple questions: Who is investing in me?Whom am I investing in? God desires to pour an abundance of spiritual and emotional capital into your life - directly and through older and wiser believers. And he wants to use you to pour spiritual and emotional capital into the lives of others. Along the way, you’ll be changed. Others will change. God calls this process of spiritual investing "making disciples". It’s the heart of the Great Commission.
By: Joel C. Rosenberg, and others
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4 out of 5 stars
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great read for church leaders
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At more than 78 million strong, the Millennials - those born between 1980 and 2000 - have surpassed the Boomers as the larger and more influential generation in America. Now, as its members begin to reach adulthood, where the traits of a generation really take shape, best-selling research author Thom Rainer (Simple Church) and his son Jess (a Millennial born in 1985) present the first major investigative work on Millennials from a Christian worldview perspective.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Justin
- 03-12-09
An Essential Book For Essential Churches
This book was very good...challenged my view on several things, and overall was a great book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Clarence K
- 10-09-18
Most thorough, practical and incisive book on reinventing your ministry
These authors are clearly very experienced yet they seem to have a fresh perspective on the realities affecting church today. I like how they acknowledge that even best practices may not apply uniformly to every congregation or community. Some of the research findings cited here about the departure of youth from church is really interesting. I recommend this book to ministers who need a reset in their declining ministries or even those who want their healthy congregations to be more robust.
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1 person found this helpful