Bishops' statement for pastors and parish leaders seeking to strengthen parish social ministry. Presents seven elements of the social mission of parishes as a framework for planning and assessing that ministry.

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

Transform Lives and Change the Course of HistoryMany countries are facing possibly the greatest crises of their entire history. What a tragedy it would be if we Christians failed to make any positive effect on the needs of the nation in which we live! Yet victory is the destiny of God’s people. Be part of His plan to transform your life, the lives of other people, and the very life of your country. Jesus Christ never encountered a situation in which He said, “I’m sorry. There is nothing to be done.” Instead, He taught that believers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The world is in desperate need of change, and we are the people who must bring about that change. Best-selling author and Bible teacher Derek Prince outlines our strategic position as Christians in the world—including both our privileges and responsibilities to impact individual lives, communities, and entire nations. He provides timely teaching on how to… Take spiritual initiative in your area of influence Identify with God’s purposes and extend His kingdom in the world Wage spiritual warfare and defeat the schemes of the devil Utilize the weapons of prayer, fasting, praise, and testimony Become a history changer for a better world We have the means to alter the course of events in our cities and nations according to God’s will—transforming lives and changing the course of history.

This volume provides all who minister to young people with an effective blueprint for building a truly meaningful ministry

Synopsis: Enormous challenges and opportunities face the Christian church in our globalized, rapidly changing world. It is becoming increasingly clear that the church and its leaders need a missional self-understanding. In this volume, Graham Hill asks: "What does it mean for the church to be truly missional?" This book outlines the thought of twelve leading thinkers, and puts their thinking into conversation with a missional understanding of the church. Most of the missional literature of the past twenty years is practical, telling us how to be a missional church, rather than why certain theological themes compel the church toward a missional self-understanding and existence. This book takes a different approach. It outlines a basic missional understanding of the church by engaging theology and Scripture. It examines some of the key theological themes that are foundational for a missional church, and does this in conversation with twelve leading thinkers. This book provides indispensable foundations for a Christ-centered, gospel-shaped, theologically informed, and systematic missional view of the church. Endorsements: "Graham Hill ranges far and wide in order to construct a viable ecumenical, but distinctly missional, ecclesiology. In so doing, he provides us with a classy, intelligent, and passionate contribution to one of the defining issues of our time." --Alan Hirsch Author of The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church "It is increasingly clear to me that Christian understandings of both the nature and the mission of the church are in considerable disarray today. Graham Hill's highly important book offers the beginnings of a profoundly important exploration of both questions, together. Salt, Light, and a City is must reading." --David P. Gushee Mercer University "Graham Hill writes from a Protestant evangelical perspective, but this is a broadly based study, drawing on insights from all the historic traditions as well as biblical understandings and on case studies that highlight the experience of those who are operating on the missional edge today. This is a significant contribution to the ongoing discussions about missiology and ecclesiology that will take the conversation forward in creative and well-informed directions." --John Drane Author of After McDonaldization: Mission, Ministry, and Christian Discipleship in an Age of Uncertainty "Salt, Light, and a City is no cloying attempt at a simplistic universal model for the missional church. Graham Hill insists we do the hard work of engaging Trinitarian theology, contemporary missiology, and broad understandings of ecclesiology to find a way forward. In brief, it is an invaluable addition to any library of research into the missional paradigm." --Michael Frost Morling College (Sydney, Australia Author Biography: Graham Hill is Professor of Leadership and Pastoral Theology at Morling College in Sydney, Australia (affiliated with the MCD University of Divinity). His ministry experiences include church planting, pastoring in a large growing congregation, and coaching pastors and planters of missional experiments.

What does living for Jesus look like in the everyday stuff of life? Many Christians have unwittingly embraced the idea that “church” is a once-a-week event rather than a community of Spirit-empowered people; that “ministry” is what pastors do on Sundays rather than the 24/7 calling of all believers; and that “discipleship” is a program rather than the normal state of every follower of Jesus. Drawing on his experience as a pastor and church planter, Jeff Vanderstelt wants us to see that there’s more—much more—to the Christian life than sitting in a pew once a week. God has called his people to something bigger: a view of the Christian life that encompasses the ordinary, the extraordinary, and everything in between. Packed full of biblical teaching, compelling stories, and real-world advice, this book will remind you that Jesus is filling the world with his presence through the everyday lives of everyday people... People just like you.

This book is an attempt at a critical, constructive, and creative theological praxis of social transformation in Africa. The authors apply a multi-disciplinary approach to examining how Christianity in Africa is engaging the problems of Africa's challenging social context. This is a prophetic work that applies the symbols of "salt" and "light" as ecclesiological images for reenvisioning the path towards procuring abundant life for God's people in the African continent through the agency of African Christianity. The contributors to this volume ask these fundamental questions: What is the face of Jesus in African Christianity? What is the face and identity of the Church in Africa? How can one evaluate the relevance of the Church in Africa to African Christians who enthusiastically embrace and celebrate their Christian faith? In other words, what positive imprint is Christianity leaving on the lives and societies of African Christians? Does the Christian message have the potential of positively affecting African civilization as it once did in Europe? What is the relevance and place of African Christianity as a significant voice in shaping both the future of Africa and that of world Christianity?

As a young Christian woman, do you struggle with insecurities and feel bogged down by the pressures and expectations of society? Do you find it challenging to take care of yourself and be a faithful daughter of God? Emily Wilson Hussem used to feel the same way. In Go Bravely, the Catholic musician and speaker offers twenty bits of advice that will equip you to tackle your deepest concerns about relationships, self-esteem, and dating while strengthening your faith at the same time. "Sometimes even the smallest acts of living out faith require great bravery." In Go Bravely, Wilson Hussem offers readers warm and friendly encouragement as she shares her experiences with other young women as their youth minister as well as her own struggles with insecurity, relationships, loving and forgiving herself, and living her faith. You’ll feel right at home as she challenges you to be a light in the world while simultaneously offering you easy-to-digest advice on your most pressing questions. Fresh off figuring out who she is as a daughter of God, how to cultivate healthy friendships, how to save sex for marriage, and how to develop a prayer life, Wilson Hussem gives you advice about what she learned in the midst of becoming a young woman. Aware of the information overload that young people face today, she shares simple wisdom for bravely living your faith, such as: Always be kind to other women. Work hard at what you love. Recognize God's plan for your life. Remember that nobody is perfect. Cultivate authentic friendships. These are basic ideas, Wilson Hussem says, but taking care of yourself and loving others are easy tenets of our faith to forget. A book that can be read in short snippets or in one sitting, Go Bravely offers you the encouragement and tools you need to live out your Christian faith with purpose and zeal.

Writing in response to our current “constitutional crisis,” New York Times bestselling author and Christian activist Jim Wallis urges America to return to the tenets of Jesus once again as the means to save us from the polarizing bitterness and anger of our tribal nation. In Christ in Crisis Jim Wallis provides a path of spiritual healing and solidarity to help us heal the divide separating Americans today. Building on “Reclaiming Jesus”—the declaration he and other church leaders wrote in May 2018 to address America’s current crisis—Wallis argues that Christians have become disconnected from Jesus and need to revisit their spiritual foundations. By pointing to eight questions Jesus asked or is asked, Wallis provides a means to measure whether we are truly aligned with the moral and spiritual foundations of our Christian faith. “Christians have often remembered, re-discovered, and returned to their obedient discipleship of Jesus Christ—both personal and public—in times of trouble. It’s called coming home,” Wallis reminds us. While he addresses the dividing lines and dangers facing our nation, the religious and cultural commentator’s focus isn’t politics; it’s faith. As he has done throughout his career, Wallis offers comfort, empathy, and a practical roadmap. Christ in Crisis is a constructive field guide for all those involved in resistance and renewal initiatives in faith communities in the post-2016 political context.