Experts on congregational life tell us that ministry in the next century will depend more on called, trained, and committed lay leadership than it has since the days of the early church. But how will congregations recruit these lay leaders? How will they develop new models for training and equipping them for all the ministries of the church? What will the role of clergy be in adopting this new partnership that Leonard Sweet calls "ancient-future ministry"? Equipping the Saints seeks to help congregational leaders answer these and other questions related to mobilizing lay ministry in the years ahead. The chapters include: "Shall We Abolish the Clergy or the Laity?" by Michael Christensen; "Team Building Through Spiritual Gifts" by Brian Bauknight; "The Loss and Recovery of the Biblical Basis for Ministry" by Russell Moy; "Out of the Pew, Into the World" by Jessica Moffat; "The Seeker Service in the Mainline Church" by Eric Park; "Circuit Riding in the 21st Century" by Rob Duncan; and, "Life Together: Reclaiming the Ministry of Small Groups" by Christine Anderson. Key Features: - Responds to emerging trends that promise to be determinative of the shape of ministry in the next century - Addresses an important practical need in congregations - Offers help in formulating new models for congregational ministry Key Benefits: - Readers will understand the important emerging need for called, trained, and committed laypersons to engage in ministry - Readers will learn how to recruit and train lay leaders - Readers will identify a new model of clergy/lay ministry partnership

Father's Love Letter by Barry Adams is a series of paraphrased Scriptures that take on the form of a love letter from God and will impact your heart, soul and spirit. Experience the love you have been looking for all your life. This gift book contains beautiful full-color photographs and fifty-seven powerful devotional thoughts. A prayer that will help you put into words your response to God follows each devotional thought.

Every church has far more work than any one person can do. Even a team of professionals is not enough. The New Testament solution was for every member to be a minister. Though the priesthood of all believers was a key idea in the Reformation, it is little practised today. Following secular models, churches usually organize around the clergy, who are paid by the laity to do the ministry. Paul Stevens argues that, according to Scripture, the primary task of a Christian leader is not to do the work but to equip the saints to do it. Exploring new options for pastors, tentmakers and laypeople, this book provides structures and strategies to best equip all the saints for ministry.

Celebrate a Traditional Christian Passover Seder with this Illustrated Pamphlet and Guide! Why do so many Christians study and even observe the Jewish feast of Passover? Dive into the incredible parallels between the Passover celebration and Christ’s love for us with this easy-to-understand pamphlet! The Passover is the Old Testament feast that celebrates and remembers God’s liberation of Israel from Egypt. It also foreshadows Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. In just 14 pages, you will learn the history of this special day and the symbolism in the Passover that points to Jesus Christ. Christ in the Passover also includes a Christian Passover Seder script that can be used by Christians year-round. This pamphlet:Shows the parallels between the Passover in the Old Testament and the work of Jesus Christ as the perfect Passover lamb in the New Testament. This is a good way of explaining the Jewish roots of Christianity.Includes a Christian Passover Seder script, with everything you will need, including the recipes. Our staff held a seder and it was very meaningful. It takes only 30 minutes and is good for all ages. Children have fun participating finding the hidden matzah bread that symbolizes Jesus. The Seder can be used at home, in a small group, a Bible study, or a class.Gives insights into the symbolism in the Lord’s Supper and the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples.Christ in the Passover is an excellent Bible study topic at any time, but especially near Easter. The Christian Passover Seder script is a touching worship experience for Sunday school classes and lessons on Moses and the Exodus. This pamphlet even includes the Passover Seder recipes. This [Passover] is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the LORD. This is a law for all time. — Exodus 12:14, The Holy Bible This Christ in the Passover Pamphlet is Packed with Fascinating Facts Christians celebrate the Passover as a holiday that commemorates God’s miraculous rescue of Israel from Egyptian captivity. The Lord instituted the Passover feast nearly 3,500 years ago to remind his people of how much he loved them. The Passover is meaningful to Christians today because it is packed with symbolism that points to Jesus Christ. The messianic symbolism in the Passover is a powerful message of salvation in Christ. Christ in the Passover gives hundreds of facts at a glance, including:The Passover story from the Bible - celebrating the Exodus from EgyptThe parallels between the Passover in the Old Testament and the work of Jesus Christ as the perfect Passover lamb in the New Testament. This is a good way of explaining the Jewish roots of Christianity.The symbolism of the perfect lambThe similarities between Passover and the Lord’s SupperA Christian Passover Seder script, with everything you will need, including the recipes. Our staff held a seder and it was very meaningful to everyone. It takes only 30 minutes and is good for all ages. Children have fun finding the hidden matzah bread that symbolizes Jesus. The Christian Seder can be used at home, in a small group, a classroom or a Bible study.Christ in the Passover shows six ways that the Passover in the Old Testament points to Jesus, who was called the “Lamb of God.” Why is the Passover story important for Christians today? At some point, you will face hard times, tough problems, and unfair circumstances. It’s good to know that when times are tough, God loves you and watches out for you. Passover is a reminder of God’s control over earthly events and ultimate victory over sin and death. Christ in the Passover will increase your faith in God as you learn that Jesus was sent to earth to become the Passover Lamb for all humanity.

Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. 9Marks Church Questions is a new series that seeks to provide ordinary Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions Christians have about church life. Each volume offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment. This booklet teaches new Christians the why and how of 7 steps they should take once they believe in Jesus, turning to the Bible for the blueprint for how to thrive as a follower of Jesus.

Theologies of justification are too numerous to count. In this book, Gordon Smith synthesizes a lifetime of writing on calling, conversion, discernment and spiritual formation in a comprehensive and compelling theology of sanctification. Smith presents holiness in its christological, sapiential, vocational, social and emotional dimensions.

There are many complexities associated with ministering to another person. Where does a helper begin? What’s important to notice? Is there an overall ministry strategy that’s beneficial? Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners by author and counselor Michael R. Emlet outlines a model of one-another ministry based on how God sees and loves his people. Emlet helps readers use Scripture to find foundational categories for understanding and approaching one another, which serve as guideposts for wise care. Filled with everyday illustrations as well as counseling examples, Emlet demonstrates what it looks like to approach fellow believers simultaneously as saints, sufferers, and sinners. As part of CCEF's Helping the Helper series, this guide for ministry provides an overall framework for wisely helping any person, balancing all three aspects of our experience as Christians.

The latest volume in Gabriel Fackre's "Christian Story" finds the dedicated ecumenist attempting to examine the connections, or lack thereof, between worldwide ecumenical progress and the character of local churches as he observes them in twenty-first-century America. Drawing from his own fifty-year experience in the church as pastor, teacher, and parishioner, Fackre breaks open the myth of the church experience and exposes the reality of modern worship on a local level. "The Church" is rich in insight and fertile in its range of suggestions, most of them aimed at pastors and aspiring pastors -- the men and women who will carry the teachings of the church, its "kerygma," into the next generation and the ones that follow.