There is a great debate going on in the church today. It centers on one question: "What is the mission of the church?" From culturally relevant, emerging congregations to strategic methods of organization and outreach, many claim they have the answer. They say the mission must become "missional." Yet the churches of North America continue to struggle. Uncertainty is growing. "What does it really mean to be 'missional'"? Competing claims abound. "Get the message out!" "Get the message right!" Great confusion has set in, particularly in the postmodern North American church. The Gospel is getting lost. Yet, throughout the ages, the creedal confession of the Holy Christian Church has carried her through uncertainty and struggle. The Apostles' Creed has steadied and stayed the mission of the church for centuries. It centers on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit--the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. This book celebrates the historic mission of the Holy Christian Church, and it invites the North American church to do the same.

Christ's sheep need shepherding. That's where you come in. With more than 60 years of ministry between them, Harold Senkbeil and Lucas Woodford have come to understand that everything in ministry—even administration, leadership, and planning—revolves around the ancient tradition of the care of souls. Pastors are entrusted with the care of a flock by the Good Shepherd and are called to be faithful to this task. But pastoring seems to be getting more and more difficult. Based on a sound theological framework, Senkbeil and Woodford present a set of practical tools for church leadership and strategy. Calling on their vast experience, they encourage pastors to protect, guide, and feed their flock as Jesus would, bridging the eternal wisdom of the word of God with the everyday practicality of hands-on leadership.

Baptism is a foundational rite and sacrament of the church. Over the centuries, the significance of baptism for Christian life and faith has been confirmed by the church, but baptism remains a highly controversial topic. Numerous disagreements exist between denominations and faith traditions—including the various descendants of the original Methodist movement—over the doctrine and practice of baptism. Who can be baptized? Why is baptism done? What does the rite mean? New Life in the Risen Christ: A Wesleyan Theology of Baptism seeks to address confusion over baptism and offer a coherent treatment of the sacrament from a Wesleyan theological perspective. Distinguished scholars from around the world are brought together in this volume to examine the writings of John Wesley and offer scholarly reflections on topics related to the sacrament of baptism. Their work is an invitation to remember and be thankful for baptism as the sign of divine grace that initiates Christians into a new reality: life in the risen Christ.

Take Courage is a collection of essays, written by pastors and professors, about the care and cure of souls in the 21st century. As spiritual physicians, pastors are called to diagnose and treat all those suffering with the disease of sin. This noble task requires much from these undershepherds who are placed over Christ's flock. Yet the Good Shepherd himself has provided the effective tools of this healing art: the life-giving word and sacraments. Pastors, then, specialize in applying the medicine of forgiveness and bringing comfort to broken consciences. Collectively, these essays teach and expound upon this theme. This helpful book honors the 45 years of faithful service given by one such undershepherd, Harold L. Senkbeil. As a pastor, seminary professor, author, speaker, husband, father, and the executive director of DOXOLOGY, Senkbeil has consistently provided competent treatment for both laity and pastors by distributing the forgiveness won by Jesus on the cross.

Christ's sheep need shepherding. That's where you come in. With more than 60 years of ministry between them, Harold Senkbeil and Lucas Woodford have come to understand that everything in ministry--even administration, leadership, and planning--revolves around the ancient tradition of the care of souls. Pastors are entrusted with the care of a flock by the Good Shepherd and are called to be faithful to this task. But pastoring seems to be getting more and more difficult. Based on a sound theological framework, Senkbeil and Woodford present a set of practical tools for church leadership and strategy. Calling on their vast experience, they encourage pastors to protect, guide, and feed their flock as Jesus would, bridging the eternal wisdom of the word of God with the everyday practicality of hands-on leadership. Originally published as Church Leadership & Strategy, this revision includes a new chapter and litany.

Go and do. Jesus commands it, and the world needs it. Mission mobilizer Paul Borthwick shows how proclamation and demonstration of the gospel go hand in hand, bringing together the Great Commission of Matthew 28 and the Great Compassion of Matthew 25, while offering practical, holistic ways for us to live them out in every sphere of our lives.

A collection of essays by Southern Baptist leaders on the biblical, theological, and practical matters relating to their convention's Great Commission Resurgence initiative.

Mr. Hatfield with all of his years of experience in marriage, parenting, family, missions and in the Church pulls no punches in calling Christ's Bride to return to His Truth (God's revealed Law-Word) regarding discipleship (men and women of faith and grace) in Manhood and Womanhood, outrageously successful spousal relations, parenting with training in romance, sexual satisfaction, love and marriage! He is calling all believers, especially men, to confession and repentance and to receive, understand and apply these Truths in the Power of the Holy Spirit as the only acceptable response in which God will revive and reform the Family and the Church in the 21st Century! Not for the weak-kneed, weak-minded or humanistically influenced, this is for Christ's Bride as we prepare for and anticipate His return! These applications of God's revealed Law-Word and His uncommon common sense in the lives of America's postmodern Christian culture and especially the promise of duplicating of these successes for love and marriage in our children, is exciting and challenging to the point of precedent setting magnitudes. The reader will experience riveting and exciting challenges to the status quo of our present day Christian culture. "Based on interviews with more than 1000 adults nationwide, the survey discovered that less than one out of every five adults believes that children under the age of 13 are being "superbly" or "pretty well" prepared for life emotionally, physically, spiritually, intellectually or physically. Fewer than one out of every twenty adults believes that America's youngsters are receiving above average preparation in all five of those areas of life." Americans Agree: "Kids Are Not Being Prepared for Life," The Barna Group-October 26, 2004 The couples, who discover the answers to the moral morass of our postmodern Christian culture, are those who know that the future of their children is in jeopardy and that we are in a war for the control of that future! Sadly, the statistics of broken homes, divorces, adultery, domestic violence, drugs and promiscuity - to mention only some of the ills of our culture - are almost equally divided between "Christian" families and non-Christian families. This is unacceptable as a comparison and must change. Consequently, fathers and mothers of faith and grace are those - who are and or who will experience - God's promise of victory over these fruits of our fallen nature and live a marriage experience that captures the best of God's gifts of love, sex and romance in marriage. Daddy's Little Girl and Mommy's Little Boy brings us clear evidence of just how America's Christian couples can have this victory in their marriage and how to duplicate this success in their sons and daughters.

Social justice and mission are hot topics today: there's a wonderful resurgence of motivated Christians passionate about spreading the gospel and caring for the needs of others. But in our zeal to get sharing and serving, many are unclear on gospel and mission. Yes, we are called to spend ourselves for the sake of others, but what is the church's unique priority as it engages the world? DeYoung and Gilbert write to help Christians "articulate and live out their views on the mission of the church in ways that are theologically faithful, exegetically careful, and personally sustainable." Looking at the Bible's teaching on evangelism, social justice, and shalom, they explore the what, why, and how of the church's mission. From defining "mission", to examining key passages on social justice and their application, to setting our efforts in the context of God's rule, DeYoung and Gilbert bring a wise, studied perspective to the missional conversation. Readers in all spheres of ministry will grow in their understanding of the mission of the church and gain a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus' call to preach the Word and make disciples.

“Scot and Laura do an amazing job of teaching us what a good church looks like.” —Beth Moore What is the way forward for the church? Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches—from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. Respected author and theologian Scot McKnight and former Willow Creek member Laura Barringer wrote this book to paint a pathway forward for the church. We need a better way. The sad truth is that churches of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse. Abuses occur most frequently when Christians neglect to create a culture that resists abuse and promotes healing, safety, and spiritual growth. How do we keep these devastating events from repeating themselves? We need a map to get us from where we are today to where we ought to be as the body of Christ. That map is in a mysterious and beautiful little Hebrew word in Scripture that we translate “good,” the word tov. In this book, McKnight and Barringer explore the concept of tov—unpacking its richness and how it can help Christians and churches rise up to fulfill their true calling as imitators of Jesus.