The church monster--according to Bixby--is the personification of a wide variety of problems which have arisen in local churches as a result of the heightened levels of conflict and anxiety with which they are dealing. His goal is to help pastors--as well as laity--to challenge the church monster by dealing with conflict and working through issues that are causing stagnation, early dismissal of pastors, and other discord that detracts from the mission and vision of the church. Bixby invites churches as well as shows them how to be open to the genuine and exciting possibilities that emerge from two core principles: downsizing and centralizing church government and developing a radical commitment to congregational decision making. This means fewer meetings, more ministry and less conflict, more community. He also offers fresh new ways for churches to function so that mission and ministry can once again become priorities, and people can begin to feel their time and energy are being used for something other than adding fuel to the fire of conflict within the congregation.

Navigating the Nonsense will change the way your church approaches conflict and communication. It will unlock the untapped potential that exists in your church. It is a book for clergy and lay leaders. It is for churches tired of getting a new pastor every four years. It is for pastors who are afraid conflict may derail the effectiveness of their ministry. It is for pastors who are afraid conflict with a small group of people may lead to an early departure from their pastorate. It is for church leaders who want to find ways to protect their pastors from disgruntled members. It is for leadership teams and boards that feel their ministries are frozen in place or in a permanent state of decline. It is for those who believe the church cannot focus on ministry if it is bound up by so much conflict. It is for anyone who is tired of feeling frustrated and wants their church to become more centrally focused on Jesus and his way of doing things.

A recent string of popular-level books written by the New Atheists have leveled the accusation that the God of the Old Testament is nothing but a bully, a murderer, and a cosmic child abuser. This viewpoint is even making inroads into the church. How are Christians to respond to such accusations? And how are we to reconcile the seemingly disconnected natures of God portrayed in the two testaments? In this timely and readable book, apologist Paul Copan takes on some of the most vexing accusations of our time, including: God is arrogant and jealous God punishes people too harshly God is guilty of ethnic cleansing God oppresses women God endorses slavery Christianity causes violence and more Copan not only answers God's critics, he also shows how to read both the Old and New Testaments faithfully, seeing an unchanging, righteous, and loving God in both.

Doug Bixby knows that many of us have had enough of the liberal vs. conservative battles in the church. In The Honest to God Church, Bixby demonstrates how these extremes have distracted us from our true calling as conduits for God's grace--both individually and as congregations. Many churches see themselves as "okay," while everyone outside the church is "not okay." These churches embrace an ethic of perfection rather than love. Often they are very judgmental and rigid; little room exists for grace after a person is converted. Legalism, rather than love, becomes the primary defining characteristic; people pretend to be perfect even though they are not. In reaction to this approach, many churches have replaced judgmentalism with an ethic of tolerance. But tolerating someone is not the same thing as loving them. Tolerance demands only that we give people space. Love is deeper and more significant and demands that we enter into their space. Besides, if on our own we are okay, then why do we need God and one another? Bixby recommends we embrace the teaching of Martin Luther that we all are saints and sinners simultaneously. Churches that do this raise disciples who readily admit their sin and brokenness and see God's grace as the only means for straightening out their lives. Bixby encourages all congregations to live this way--authentically and transparently--so that we do not have to pretend that we are okay when we are not. Bixby challenges us to respond to Jesus's call to come as we are, not as we think we ought to be.

A free verse biography of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, featuring over 300 pages of black-and-white watercolor illustrations.

Like Eugene Peterson's other books on pastoring, Under the Unpredictable Plant is full of stimulating insights, candid observations, and biblically grounded prescriptions. Yet this book emanates with a special poignancy out of Peterson's own crisis experience as a pastor. Peterson tells about the "abyss," the "gaping crevasse," the "chasm" that he experienced, early in his ministry, between his Christian faith and his pastoral vocation. He was astonished and dismayed to find that his personal spirituality, his piety, was inadequate for his vocation -- and he argues that the same is true of pastors in general. In the book of Jonah -- a parable with a prayer at its center -- Peterson finds a subversive, captivating story that can help pastors recover their "vocational holiness." Using the Jonah story as a narrative structure, Peterson probes the spiritual dimensions of the pastoral calling and seeks to reclaim the ground taken over by those who are trying to enlist pastors in religious careers.

From pornographic videos of rape and incest to sexual predators around every corner; from online challenges teaching children how to commit suicide to resources teaching them how to conjure up demons; from social media trends praising abortion to completely redefining what it means to be human; these are the monsters in the closet which children and teenagers are being exposed to. America is facing a drastic moral decline, and we are only seeing the beginning of the avalanche. Narratives which directly attack God’s word are being fed to young people. These monsters are very real and may be much closer than you think. Learn about the harmful indoctrination and lies being spread through the internet, social media, and even the classroom, and how you can combat them.

God has called all of us to lead healthy, growing, spiritual churches. For this very reason, Paul Nixon refused to lead a dying church. Paul invites you to join his commitment in refusing, ever again, to lead a dying church. This commitment entails six choices: choosing life over death; choosing community over isolation; choosing fun over drudgery; choosing bold over mild; choosing frontier over fortress; and choosing now rather than later.

More than just a wonderful story, this book equips laypeople with the insights to relate to and support their pastor while providing pastors with a solid understanding for how to address the various expectations of church members. (Ministry & Pastoral Resources)