City Church

Many pastors struggle to translate their theological beliefs into fruitful ministry in the places they are called to reach. It’s not enough to simply know what to believe (theology), or on the other hand, how to do ministry (methodology) - they need something in between. They need help thinking about ministry in a culture that no longer believes Christianity is a force for good, let alone the source of ultimate revealed truth in the person of Christ.

John Wimber (1934–1997) has been called one of the most important and controversial figures in North American evangelicalism in the twentieth century and the fountainhead of the Third Wave movement. This sensitive and compelling biography of his life and ministry ultimately tells the story of a man with humble—and, some might say, surprising—beginnings, who was called and moved by God to eventually impact the hearts of millions. The first book-length biographical treatment of his life, John Wimber: His Life and Ministry takes you from the day of his birth—also the day his father ...

Compared to the Puritans, Mormons have rarely gotten their due, often treated as fringe cultists or marginalized polygamists unworthy of serious examination. In Kingdom of Nauvoo, Benjamin E. Park excavates the brief, tragic life of a lost Mormon city, demonstrating that the Mormons are essential to understanding American history writ large. Using newly accessible sources, Park re-creates the Mormons' 1839 flight from Missouri to Illinois.

It's not enough to plant individual churches in isolation from each other. The spiritual need and opportunity of our cities is too big for any one church to meet alone. Pastors Neil Powell and John James contend that to truly transform a city, the gospel compels us to create localized, collaborative church planting movements. They share lessons learned and principles discovered from their experiences leading a successful citywide movement. The more willing we are to collaborate across denominations and networks, the more effectively we will reach our communities for Jesus.

It’s time to break free from our Sunday-centric, formulaic versions of church and instead architect fresh kingdom ecosystems as an ancient yet new frontier for sustainable mission. The temptation for many church leaders is to take what’s worked elsewhere and use it as a paint-by-number. Yet Jesus showed us a different way. Every word he spoke and everything he did utterly broke the molds, rules, and laws that people had created to confine God and his kingdom.

Understand the paradigmatic shift that is happening in city ministry around the world - the shift from internal church concern to external community focus - and learn how to live out and lead others in this missional approach.

“Don’t you ever want to run away from Christmas?” Mildred Budge’s answer to Dixie was immediate and truthful. “Yes, yes, yes,” Mildred said with conviction. She couldn’t stop saying yes, though the very idea that a good church lady would want to run away from the occasion during the year that marked the birth of Jesus-- the reason for the season for a tried and true church lady of the South-- was almost beyond explanation. “Then, let’s go. Let’s go to Fountain City and find Mr. Fixit and eat sublime pies,” her friend Dixie urged. The two needed Mr. Fixit because of a ...

The City of God is the usual English translation of the most influential work written in the fifth century. Augustine, bishop of Hippo, wrote it between 413 and 426. Augustine argued that Christianity was not the cause of the empire’s collapse. He turned the gaze from the city of Rome to the City of God, in the spiritual life of true believers.

Abbie Finch loves her job. Unfortunately, her boss doesn’t love her. When she finds herself unexpectedly unemployed, Abbie realises that she’s let all her friendships fall by the wayside and has no one to turn to. Lost and lonely, Abbie decides to leave her comfort zone and join the neighbourhood café’s community table.

Developing the Puritans' understanding of religious freedom, Jesse Johnson shows how Christ's followers have reasoned through this tension in past centuries, and he identifies biblical principles for navigating government restrictions in the future. Johnson reminds his listeners that God made government with a purpose, and that purpose makes the world livable for believers. So sit back, and let Johnson take you on a tour of what the Bible teaches about government, and why we should be more like Daniel, by recognizing the limits on our obedience to earthly authorities.

In Loving the City, bestselling author and pastor Timothy Keller looks at the biblical foundations for contextualizing the gospel as we communicate to the culture in a way that is both respectful and challenging. He articulates the key characteristics of a city vision, showing how the city develops as a theme throughout Scripture, from its anti-God origins, to its strategic importance for mission, to its culmination and redemption in glory.

Our goal as Christians is never simply to build our own tribe. Instead, we seek the peace and prosperity of the city or community in which we live through a gospel movement led by the Holy Spirit, a movement united by the gospel of Jesus Christ, a common mission to reach and serve others, and a commitment to be gracious and generous to those who disagree with you. In Serving a Movement, best-selling author and pastor Timothy Keller looks at the nature of the church’s mission and its relationship to the work of individual Christians in the world.

If you're a woman, chances are you know the cycle: You start the day already exhausted and end it defeated, all the while telling yourself things will get better if you can just power through this week. But then the weeks turn into months, and you start to believe you'll never be able to stop, slow down, or catch your breath. You wouldn't even know how if you tried. And yet God has made you for a life of abundance, not a life of exhaustion. It's time to quit the unsustainable pace and receive God's gift of realistic rest.

Travel, travel, travel... Something that almost all of us like to do since, in general, it is synonymous with vacations, free time and adventures. In these stories the author takes our hand and guides us to very different places on the globe. We will walk through paradisiacal islands, we will enter a restaurant in the North Pole to taste whales, we will go to see jaguars in the Amazon rainforest, or we will sit with her to have a few pints in an Irish pub. And while we go to all those places we will listen to beautiful legends and learn a lot of typical dishes, since the book is also full ...

The last pope narrative regained importance with the historical abdication of Pope Benedict XVI in February, 2013. His resignation led to the surprising election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as the first Jesuit pope in history. It’s very unusual to have two popes living in the Vatican at the same time. What’s more, Pope Francis fits the profile of one whom many have prophesied to be the last, and who will oversee the final transformation and destruction of the Catholic Church. This book details the history of various prophecies, some of which were hidden away in the Vatican for hundreds ...

He’s big city, she’s small town. He’s a fast-paced businessman, she’s a slowed-down artist. He loves the night life, she loves the quiet life. He’s wealthy, she... well, isn’t. Can such opposites make love work? Successful Austin CEO Isaiah Williams rarely gives himself the luxury of time off. He thrives on the buzz of making deals and signing multi-million dollar contracts. But spending the holidays in a small Oregon town with his former business partner will let him finalize the purchase of his friend’s share of their business. Plus, even better, he'll get to spend more time...

Cities, Gates and Elders answers the question of why Jesus told Peter, “...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The disciples of Jesus understood that the gates were gateways in which the elders of the city would sit and judge. The decisions made at these gates had authoritative power over regions. Jesus was saying that the decisions made in hell would not prevail against the decisions made on earth by His people! Cities, Gates and Elders examines the deeper meaning of the Scriptures in light of the culture in which ...

Each Christmas retired chemistry teacher Edwina Bopp makes her newest invention of miracle fudge as a fundraiser for missions in her small Southern town Fountain City. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the good lady cooks through the night and then gives the candy away to the fudge-hungry group of people who know this year's newest recipe is coming and line up in front of her store before she ever opens the door of her Main Street candy shop. People receive their portion of this year's fudge and place donations for missions in her jar on the counter, expecting miracles. Some miracles have...

Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who claims to live in her apartment. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing. In its place is a bloodstained knife. Her hands are covered in scribbled messages, like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE. Two years ago, Liv was thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers.

Don't get mad, get even is advice Jamie Silver takes to heart when she discovers her boyfriend is sleeping with her best friend. What she doesn't bank on is her hateful professor placing her on academic probation and it's all her ex's fault. When his rival, Ryan Sommers, offers her a way to get back into her professor's good books as well as get back at her ex, what's a girl to do? Revenge is a dish best served hot.