Showing results for "Digital Cultures" in Church & Church Leadership

Small Groups That Succeed. Small groups are the key to impacting lives in your church. But a healthy small-group environment—one that fosters meaningful, lasting connections—doesn’t just happen. So pull up a chair. Let’s talk about how to make it happen. Bill Willits and bestselling author Andy Stanley share their successful approach, which has resulted in nearly eight thousand adults becoming involved in small groups at North Point Community Church in Atlanta. Simply put, the five principles clearly described here have passed the test.

Church leaders who focus on programs, strategy, and curriculum can easily miss what ties them all together: culture. Cultivating culture is the difference between churches who flourish and those who flounder at disciple-making. Leaders must cultivate a healthy disciple-making culture. But how? Brandon Guindon's book Disciple-Making Culture provides a how-to guide for cultivating a healthy disciple-making culture throughout your church.

We all need help navigating the politics of ministry. In The Politics of Ministry, Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald Guthrie combine their long ministry experience with sociological research on the topic. Filled with real-life stories taken from a variety of ministry settings, this book sets out wise principles and practices that help us see more clearly the political dynamics at play in our churches and parachurch ministries.

The Culture of Honor is a book of reformation. It is intended to disrupt our current model of authority. Jesus put it like this in Matthew 20:25-26: "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. Those with power must learn to empower those around them or we will never build Heaven on the Earth."

The Bible tells us that the congregation gathered around God's heavenly throne will be "a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language," all singing the praises of the Lamb. God's intention has always been to delight for all eternity in a redeemed community of ethnic diversity. But this diverse community shouldn't have to wait until eternity to begin! It can be a reality in our own local churches here and now. Patterned after a worship service, In Church as It Is in Heaven gives biblical warrant for such a community.

We all know people in our world are struggling ―eating disorders, addictions, depression, sexual issues, marital problems―the list goes on and on. Can the church help or is that an outdated concept that no longer fits modern problems? In The Church as a Culture of Care, biblical counselor Dale Johnson explains that the church is still the primary place where those who struggle can receive lasting hope and healing.

With increasing interest from donors and board members to see faith-based, missional organizations reflect the diversity of God's kingdom, these organizations desire to have women in positions of leadership. However, this proves difficult when the organizational culture is one that silences and even penalizes the unique giftings that women bring to the table.

Largely due to overwork and the stresses of modern life, men in work and ministry are increasingly run down, anxious, and depressed. But is this level of physical and spiritual weariness inevitable? Just as a car needs to be regularly refueled, retuned, and repaired in order to keep running, a balanced life can be sustained only when a man takes proper steps to stay on track.

The market is flooded with books, conferences, and workshops on how to be a better leader. In most companies, leaders are noticed and applauded while followers are often viewed as weak and passive. However, Scripture tells us a different story; although leadership is valued and respected, being obedient followers of Christ is at the very heart of faith. In The Call to Follow, Richard Langer and Joanne J. Jung teach listeners that "followership" is essential to both organizational and spiritual flourishing.

As a pastor in Silicon Valley, Jay Kim has experienced the digital church in all its splendor. In Analog Church, he grapples with the ramifications of a digital church, from our worship and experience of Christian community to the way we engage Scripture and sacrament. Could it be that in our efforts to stay relevant in our digital age, we've begun to give away the very thing that our age most desperately needs: transcendence? Could it be that the best way to reach new generations is in fact found in a more timeless path?

Oggi per la Chiesa la situazione è molto difficile. Si tratta di una delle tante crisi che il cristianesimo ha vissuto o di un definitivo declino? È un interrogativo che inquieta anche chi guarda al cristianesimo dall’esterno. Ma crisi non vuol dire necessariamente fine. Può essere un’opportunità per aprirsi al futuro, sapendo che il grande rischio è accontentarsi di sopravvivere, rimpiangendo un passato migliore. La soluzione è vivere nella crisi. La Chiesa oggi è chiamata a una condizione di lotta, questa volta non contro nemici esterni ma contro l’indifferenza e il discredito.

If a person has extra time, nothing to do, and finds themself looking for ways to fill their empty days...this audiobook is definitely not for them. No Is a Beautiful Word is designed and crafted for people whose plate is full, whose margin is thin, and whose life feels overloaded. They are...

As millennials and Generation Z (1980-2012) begin taking leadership roles in our churches, communities, and organizations, they face unique challenges. Like Daniel, who found himself in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, a place foreign to his leaders and mentors in Jerusalem, young leaders today find themselves leading in an environment very different than that experienced by their parents and teachers. Lessons from Daniel’s life provide valuable insight for godly leaders of all ages as we navigate the leadership challenges of our day and prepare those who will lead in the future.

A revival environment creates increasing levels of joy, freedom, and peace. These qualities will only remain to the degree that we can protect our relationships with one another. The practice of honor is often a lost art in our modern culture. The Lord is restoring the value and practice of honor in His house. Our churches and homes will only be as strong as they are free. Restoring a culture of honor to our communities and nation will come as the Church embraces this call.

At the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus commissioned his followers to embrace a way of life making disciples. He extends that mission to us―a way of life rooted in relationship, focused on mutual growth, intentionality, and transformation as we follow Jesus together. Sadly, the activities and events that dominate many churches too often become an end in themselves and actually distract from discipleship. The Great Commission drifts out of focus of the whole church and becomes outsourced to a spiritual elite.