Starting a Seeker Sensitive Service

Starting a Seeker Sensitive Service
Author: Ed Dobson
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 164
Release: 1993
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780310384816

This is a book about radical change. It is the story of how a traditional church launched a non-traditional service in order to open its doors to unchurched people. This book has grown out of five years of ministry to hurting people who are either skeptics, agnostics, or doubters of the Christian faith. It has been shaped by people who do not give much of a rip about God or the Bible, but they are at least willing to listen. It is a book about what I have learned from these fellow travelers in the adventure of life.

Willow Creek Seeker Services

Willow Creek Seeker Services
Author: Gregory A. Pritchard
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 501
Release: 1995-12-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441215239

This comprehensive study of the worship service style that is influencing thousands of churches and their leaders worldwide addresses controversies and draws lessons for the church today.

Prayers and Promises When Facing a Life-Threatening Illness

Prayers and Promises When Facing a Life-Threatening Illness
Author: Ed Dobson
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2007
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310274273

Thirty short, yet powerful, morning and evening reflections offer encouragement, hope, and inspiration to people dealing with a life-threatening illness, and to their family members and caretakers. Here are honest insights and personal stories from a pastor who continues his own journey with ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease).

The Purpose Driven Church

The Purpose Driven Church
Author: Rick Warren
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2007-09-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310294088

The issue is church health, not church growth—if your church is healthy, growth will occur naturally. So how do we make healthy churches, driven by purpose? In order for any church to thrive, it must be built around the five New Testament purposes given to the church by Jesus Christ. In this classic of Christian church stability, pastor and bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren unpacks this proven five-part strategy that will enable your church to grow: Warmer through fellowship. Deeper through discipleship. Stronger through worship. Broader through ministry. Larger through evangelism. Every church is driven by something. Tradition, finances, programs, personalities, events, seekers, and even buildings can each be the controlling force in a church. But Warren will show you how to concentrate on building people and let God build the church. In other words, healthy, consistent growth is the result of balancing the five biblical purposes of the church. And The Purpose Driven Church will show you how to do that. “The Purpose Driven Church has brought focus and direction to more pastors and church leaders than you can count. What a gift!”—John Ortberg, bestselling author.

Renovation of the Church

Renovation of the Church
Author: Kent Carlson
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2013-11-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830868585

Copastors Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken tell the decade-long story of how God took their thriving, consumer-oriented church and transformed it into a modest congregation of unformed believers committed to the growth of the spirit--even when it meant a decline in numbers.

Bridges of God

Bridges of God
Author: Donald McGavran
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2005-07-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1597522503

Dr. McGavran wrote 'Bridges of God' Òin the hope that it will shed light on the process of how peoples become Christian, and help direct the attention of those who love the Lord to the highways of the Spirit along which His redemptive Church can advance.Ó

The Prodigal Church

The Prodigal Church
Author: Jared C. Wilson
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2015-04-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433544644

Pastors want to reach the lost with the good news of Jesus. However, we've too often assumed this requires loud music, flashy lights, and skinny jeans. In this gentle manifesto, Jared Wilson—a pastor who knows what it's like to serve in a large attractional church—challenges pastors to reconsider their priorities when it comes to how they "do church" and reach people in their communities. Writing with the grace and kindness of a trusted friend, Wilson encourages pastors to reexamine the Bible's teaching, not simply return to a traditional model for tradition's sake. He then sets forth an alternative to both the attractional and the traditional models: an explicitly biblical approach that is gospel focused, grace based, and fruit oriented.

Seeker Churches

Seeker Churches
Author: Kimon Howland Sargeant
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2000
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780813527871

America's religious landscape is in flux. New churches are springing up and many older churches are redefining themselves to survive. At the forefront of this denominational free-for-all are evangelical "seeker" churches. These churches target "seekers"-individuals of any faith or denominational background who seek spiritual fulfillment but are not currently affiliated with any specific church. By focusing on this largely untapped group, seeker churches have become one of the fastest-growing religious movements in the country. In his study, Kimon Sargeant provides a sociological context for the rise of these churches by exploring the rituals, messages, strategies, and denominational functions of this emerging form of American evangelical Protestantism. Featuring live bands, professional lighting and sound systems, and multi-media presentations, seeker churches are attracting many people who have "dropped out" of organized religion. To broaden their appeal, they offer attenders advice on everyday issues ranging from relationships to finance. Sargeant focuses on the success of the Willow Creek Association, the seeker church association started by the Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. With over 5,000 member churches, the seven-year old association has already outdistanced 90 percent of American denominations and is the leader of the seeker church movement. Through eyewitness accounts and careful research, Sargeant reveals the "seeker" movement to be a "reformation" of American Protestantism.

Conversion in the New Testament

Conversion in the New Testament
Author: Richard Peace
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 420
Release: 1999
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780802842350

A landmark work in the study of conversion. With the tools of scholarship and as a seasoned practitioner, Richard Peace explores the New Testament understanding of the turning points of conversion -- from the night of our captivities to the light of Christ, into the church and out to the neighbor in need. Our contemporary efforts in evangelism have much to learn from this full-orbed view of conversion. - Gabriel Fackre, on back cover.

The Emerging Church

The Emerging Church
Author: Dan Kimball
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2009-08-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310861780

Includes·Samples and photos of emerging church worship gatherings ·Recommended resources for the emerging churchThe seeker-sensitive movement revolutionized the way we did church and introduced countless baby boomers to Jesus. Yet trends show that today’s post-Christian generations are not responding like the generations before them. As we enter a new cultural era, what do worship services look like that are connecting with the hearts of emerging generations? How do preaching, leadership, evangelism, spiritual formation, and, most of all, how we even think of “church” need to change?The Emerging Church goes beyond just theory and gets into very practical ways of assisting you in your local church circumstances. There is no one right way, no model for us all to emulate. But there is something better. Dan Kimball calls it “Vintage Christianity”: a refreshing return to an unapologetically sacred, raw, historical, and Jesus-focused missional ministry. Vintage Christianity connects with emerging post-seeker generations who are very open spiritually but are not interested in church. For pastors, leaders, and every concerned Christian, Kimball offers a riveting and easy-to-grasp exploration of today’s changing culture and gives insight into the new kind of churches that are emerging in its midst. Included is running commentary by Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, Howard Hendricks, and others.