Having retired after a teaching career of more than thirty years, having taught across multiple grade levels and various content areas, The Collapse of the Church: Reversing the Challenges That Threaten the Gospel Message is the product of an enriching ministry experience in the local church, having served as a teacher, deacon, and pianist for both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking congregations. It is a research-based study with a pragmatic and practical perspective on the current needs and issues of the believers of the twenty-first century. The gospel message is clear, and the members of the body of Christ have a responsibility to "encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thess. 5:11 NIV). The message of our Lord Jesus Christ is as real today as it was centuries ago: "I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest" (John 4:35 NIV), and this includes believers in the local churches. Many believers in the local congregations need the support of other members of the body of Christ, an attitude and practice that has been neglected and abandoned for superficial religious activities. Observe and listen to their silent cries as revealed in The Collapse of the Church: Reversing the Challenges That Threaten the Gospel Message. Jesus knew the importance of reaching out to those who were in distress, debilitated, and desolate: "Now he had to go through Samaria" (John 4:4 NIV). In Samaria, he met the Samaritan woman, and through her, her village and her town received the good news about the Messiah: "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony" (John 4:39 NIV). His own disciples were blind to her need; they were subject to the day's misconceptions and misinterpretations and biases. Many believers in the local congregations are experiencing similar hurts. Paul said, "Carry each other's burdens," and, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Gal. 6:2, 10 NIV). The Collapse of the Church: Reversing the Challenges That Threaten the Gospel Message is an invitation to attend to the needs of individuals who have been abandoned, forgotten, and rejected by addressing their spiritual, social, emotional, psychological, and financial needs. Solomon said, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act" (Prov. 3:27-28 NIV).

This is a book for pacesetters -- church leaders who desire to help their churches break free of the things that turn them in on themselves. It is a masterly mix of biblical principle, objective analysis, and personal experience.

Our culture is changing at a dizzying rate. But the church seems to be left behind, caught in subcultural backwaters that have little or no impact on mainstream society. Based on the quantitative research of his group, Percept, Regele analyzes the forces in our culture and discusses how the church can fulfill its mission in the face of them.

Every local church should be engaged with global missions, even if most individuals in the church aren't called to go overseas. But what does this engagement actually look like? How can local churches train, send, and support missionaries well? Unpacking principles from the Bible and applying them in the context of real life in a local church, this new book in the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series is filled with practical steps and advice for supporting missionaries, forming international partnerships, sending short-term teams, and engaging with the nations here at home. This book casts a vision for the local church as the engine of world missions—for the joy of all people and the glory of God.

Through this eight-week small group Bible study, Gospel in Life, Timothy Keller explores with participants how gospel can change hearts, communities, and how we live in the world. This pack includes one softcover 230-page Participant Guide and one DVD.

“A perceptive and practical book about why our calendars so rarely reflect our priorities and what we can do to regain control.”—ADAM GRANT “Carey’s book will help you reorganize your life. And then you can share a copy with someone you care about.”—SETH GODIN You deserve to stop living at an unsustainable pace. An influential podcaster and thought leader shows you how. Overwhelmed. Overcommitted. Overworked. That’s the false script an inordinate number of people adopt to be successful. Does this sound familiar: ● Slammed is normal. ● Distractions are everywhere. ● Life gets reduced to going through the motions. Tired of living that way? At Your Best gives you the strategies you need to win at work and at home by living in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. Influential podcast host and thought leader Carey Nieuwhof understands the challenges of constant pressure. After a season of burnout almost took him out, he discovered how to get time, energy, and priorities working in his favor. This approach freed up more than one thousand productive hours a year for him and can do the same for you. At Your Best will help you ● replace chronic exhaustion with deep productivity ● break the pattern of overpromising and never accomplishing enough ● clarify what matters most by restructuring your day ● master the art of saying no, without losing friends or influence ● discover why vacations and sabbaticals don’t really solve your problems ● develop a personalized plan to recapture each day so you can break free from the trap of endless to-dos Start thriving at work and at home as you discover how to be at your best.

A study of the early Christian church in the Mediterranean region and its emphasis on collective good over individual desire clarifies much about what is wrong with the American church today.

A compelling overview of the Orthodox world, covering the main regional traditions of Orthodox Christianity and the ways in which they have become global.

The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to World Christianity presents a collection of essays that explore a range of topics relating to the rise, spread, and influence of Christianity throughout the world. Features contributions from renowned scholars of history and religion from around the world Addresses the origins and global expansion of Christianity over the course of two millennia Covers a wide range of themes relating to Christianity, including women, worship, sacraments, music, visual arts, architecture, and many more Explores the development of Christian traditions over the past two centuries across several continents and the rise in secularization