A trustworthy and respected guide for pastors and church leadership in the post-quarantine world, providing hope and vision for the future of your congregation.

In today's world, we are surrounded by many distractions and tribulations, which are trying to steer us away from God's path. These distractions and hardships are there as a test of our faith, and it's only natural to start asking questions. Why am I being tested? Is this what God wants from me? How can I find my purpose in all of this?

Join the millions who have learned how to take control of their lives by setting healthy boundaries with their spouses, children, friends, parents, co-workers, and even themselves—in order to live life to the fullest. In Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend share the lessons they've learned in their years of practicing psychology and studying the patterns and practices that support clear biblical boundaries. You'll learn the ins and outs of setting the boundaries that will transform your daily life.

Angela Parker wasn’t just trained to be a biblical scholar; she was trained to be a White male biblical scholar. She is neither White nor male. Dr. Parker’s experience of being taught to forsake her embodied identity in order to contort herself into the stifling construct of Whiteness is common among American Christians, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. This book calls the power structure behind this experience what it is: White supremacist authoritarianism.

Black Hands, White House documents and appraises the role enslaved women and men played in building the US, both its physical and its fiscal infrastructure. The book highlights the material commodities produced by enslaved communities during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. These commodities enriched European and US economies; contributed to the material and monetary wealth of the nation's founding fathers, other early European immigrants, and their descendants; and bolstered the wealth of present-day companies founded during the American slave era.

Today’s right-wing Evangelical Christianity stands as the very antithesis of the message of Jesus Christ. In his new book, Christians Against Christianity, best-selling author and religious scholar Obery M. Hendricks Jr. challenges right-wing evangelicals on the terrain of their own religious claims, exposing the falsehoods, contradictions, and misuses of the Bible that are embedded in their rabid homophobia, their poorly veiled racism and demonizing of immigrants and Muslims, and their ungodly alliance with big business against the interests of American workers.

In this landmark work of emerging African American womanist theology, Delores Williams finds in the biblical figure of Hagar-mother of Ishmael, cast into the desert by Abraham and Sarah, but protected by God - a prototype for the struggle of African-American women. African slave, homeless exile, surrogate mother, Hagar's story provides an image of survival and defiance appropriate to black women today.

Every worship leader is really a pastor. In The Worship Pastor, Zac Hicks gives worship leaders a practical and biblical introduction to this essential pastoral role. Filled with engaging, illustrative stories, it is organized to address questions of theory and practice, striving to balance conversational accessibility with informed instruction.

For some people “Pentecostal” is a new word. Although it has become much more common in recent years, its roots go back to an ancient Jewish feast and, more recently, to the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the earliest Christian believers. Because this initial outpouring of the Spirit took place on the Day of Pentecost, those who experience a similar infilling of the Spirit are known as Pentecostals. They look to the book of Acts as a guide for how to live out their Christian faith.

The Activated Disciple teaches you how to imitate God, so you can become an instrument for him to transform the world. If you yearn for a life that moves beyond believing and practicing and if you yearn to become an activated disciple, then this audiobook is for you. The foundation of discipleship is imitation. An activated disciple learns to walk in the ways of the Lord. Discipleship requires such a close relationship with God that every area of your life is transformed.

Globally recognized best-selling author and senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, Bill Johnson is a revivalist at heart. In his time at Bethel, the church community has experienced what can only be called a perpetual, continuous outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In this landmark book, Pastor Bill teaches from his experience as the shepherd of this movement, imparting his own passion for revival along with practical wisdom for sustaining a move of God on both a personal and corporate level.

The Western church finds itself in the midst of a seismic cultural shift, as secular paradigms threaten to remove any spiritual explanation for life, and Christianity is often viewed with skepticism and cynicism. Rather than perceiving these ongoing challenges as irritants to expel, it’s time to see them as opportunities to embrace, so that we might effectively serve the world around us and form a more robust and Christlike church.

Jim Cymbala—New York Times best-selling author and long-time pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle—has been watching the pressing need for back-to-the-basics spiritual leadership among Christians, and he's seen so many churches come to defeat because so many leaders forget this one truth: Your church is not your church. It's Christ's church. In order for his church to flourish, we have to minister his way.

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian faith—but many followers of Jesus still struggle to make prayer part of their daily lives. Why is it that so many Christians find it difficult to develop a vibrant and exciting prayer life? Pastor Chris Hodges has spent years studying the prayers of the Bible and the models of prayer that the scriptures provide for Christians. Now, he shares the teachings and methods he's used to successfully help hundreds of thousands of people understand how to spend time in conversation with God—and enjoy every minute.

The Reformers viewed the gospel as not merely one thing among many in the life of a church but rather the means by which the church exists. When the gospel is rightly declared and applied to God’s people, the church becomes "a creature of the Word". She understands, embraces, and lives out the reality of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection in more than her doctrinal statement. The gospel impacts all the church is and does.

In Gospel-Driven Ministry, Jared Wilson looks at the qualifications for the pastorate, addressing the notion of a call to ministry and how to identify the marks of maturity and affirm a call. In addition, he unpacks the eight core practices of pastoral ministry and offers guidance to prepare pastors for long-term, healthy ministry.

Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion; how to open a conversation about faith and belief; how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the great story of Jesus; how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship; and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

In Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, best-selling author Pete Scazzero combines three decades of wisdom with hard lessons from his own ministry journey. He lays out what is required for church leaders to multiply deeply changed people who are growing in relationship with God, themselves, and others. Scazzero begins with four beneath-the-surface, systemic gaps that undermine serious discipleship. He provides a clear vision for a church culture that deeply changes lives and then practically unpacks the seven biblical marks of emotionally healthy discipleship.

Whether you are a pastor, a volunteer, or a church member, you want your church to grow well. After all, there’s no better place to experience God than in the loving, healthy community of a church. But what does an effective church look like? Is it possible to grow and be healthy at the same time? The Blessed Church, Pastor Morris brings you practical wisdom for cultivating real growth by nurturing true and Biblical health in your spiritual community.

Prayer is as necessary to the Christian as breathing is to the human body - but it often doesn't come quite as naturally. In fact, prayer in the church often gets subtly pushed to the side in favor of pragmatic practices that promise tangible results. This book focuses on the necessity of regular prayer as a central practice in the local church - awakening us to the need and blessing of corporate prayer by examining what Jesus taught about prayer, how the first Christians approached prayer, and how to prioritize prayer in our congregations.

Discipling your family can feel like an intimidating task, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming or complicated. With a simple plan in place, discipleship is something every parent can do. Pastors Matt Chandler and Adam Griffin have made it their mission to help you develop a sustainable rhythm of gospel-centered discipleship focused in three key areas: time, moments, and milestones, as you raise your children in the love and fear of the Lord.

In this vital, eye-opening book, best-selling author Ed Silvoso digs into Scripture, unearthing Jesus' true design for his church - his Ekklesia. He shows how the early church was a radical, countercultural force of people who transformed the hostile, pagan places in which they lived. Here Dr. Silvoso shows how we, in the midst of the social, economic, political, and moral chaos in our world today, can once again become the revolutionary, transformational, life-giving Ekklesia Jesus called us to be.

Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in our lives? How can we know him more deeply, and is it possible to tap in to his power? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be aware of his promptings and speaking into our lives? Dr. Scot McKnight answers these questions and more in this comprehensive examination of what the Bible says about this divinely important but often confusing member of the Trinity.

What to do when they say they’re Christian but don’t know Jesus. Whether it’s the Christmas and Easter Christians or the faithful church attenders whose hearts are cold toward the Lord, we’ve all encountered cultural Christians. They’d check the Christian box on a survey, they’re fine with church, but the truth is, they’re far from God. So how do we bring Jesus to this overlooked mission field? The Unsaved Christian equips you to confront cultural Christianity with honesty, compassion, and grace, whether you’re doing it from the pulpit or the pews.

Revolutionize your approach to business! As a Christian businessperson, you live in a corporate pressure cooker. Yet you want your life to affect more than your company's bottom line. You want to hear what God says about leading your family. You want to use your business skills to strengthen your church. You want to explore how the Holy Spirit's presence in your life can affect how you work, manage, and lead within your company.

In the mid-1980s, Dr. Shariat together with his wife, prayed, “Lord, use us to save Iran!” His passion for Muslims stems, in part, because of the murder of his brother, Hamraz, who was arrested in Iran at the age of 16 on a minor political charge. After two years in jail, he was executed by firing squad. God showed Hormoz the best way to respond to this tragedy was to dedicate his life to bring one million Muslims to salvation in Christ. Join Dr. Shariat on a journey out of bondage to Islam to freedom in Christ.

When a myriad of tense conversations about ideological differences in the Church left him feeling spiritually empty, Niequist determined God must have a different vision for worship and community. In his search, Aaron discovered that there was historical Christian precedent for enacting faith in a different way, an ancient and now future way of believing. He calls this third way "practice-based faith". This book is about loving one's faith tradition and, at the same time, following the call to something deeper and richer.

Every follower of Jesus Christ should be able to answer two simple questions: Who is investing in me?Whom am I investing in? God desires to pour an abundance of spiritual and emotional capital into your life - directly and through older and wiser believers. And he wants to use you to pour spiritual and emotional capital into the lives of others. Along the way, you’ll be changed. Others will change. God calls this process of spiritual investing "making disciples". It’s the heart of the Great Commission.

When God calls you and me to know him and experience him, he wants more than a fan club. He wants an intimate relationship.

In Strong Through the Storm, pastor and best-selling author Jim Cymbala speaks to every Christian who is concerned about the challenges the church is facing in America today. Using powerful stories of people who have been transformed by Christ, Cymbala offers hope, helping Christians to understand that a life surrendered to Christ will not be easily defeated, even in the midst of growing hostility toward Christians. No matter how much spiritual darkness encompasses the world, the light of the gospel cannot be suppressed.