With our witness compromised, numbers down, and reputation sullied, the American church is at a critical crossroads. In order for the church to return to health, we must decenter ourselves from our American idols and be guided by global Christians and the poor, who offer hope from the margins, and the ancient church, refocusing on the kingdom, image, Word, and mission of God.
When personal and global events threw Mike Mantel into a dark night of the soul, he embarked on a journey around the world to rediscover God's holistic gospel driven by compassion, justice, and mercy. Embark on your own adventure and open your eyes to the ways God is already at work at home, among neighbors, and to the ends of the earth.
Racial and ethnic hostility is one of the most pervasive problems the church faces. What should our response be in a work torn apart by prejudice, hatred, and fear? In this book, Brenda Salter McNeil and Rick Richardson provide a model of racial reconciliation, social justice, and spiritual healing that creates both individual and communal transformation.
In a world that is more culturally diverse than ever, pastors and lay leaders need skills and competencies to serve in multicultural contexts. This rich blend of astute analysis and practical guidance offers a praxis of paying attention, study, and discernment that leads to genuine reconciliation and shared life empowered by the gospel.
For pastors and leaders, the possibility of living in balanced rhythms of work and rest feels elusive. Ruth Haley Barton offers hard-won wisdom regarding rhythms of Sabbath, grounds us in God's intentions in giving us the gift of sabbath, and provides practical steps for embedding Sabbath rhythms into our churches and organizations.
Neighborhoods are moving. While offering opportunities for some, gentrification can be a vastly different experience for long-time residents and neighborhood churches. As a pastor who led his church through its own moved neighborhood in Portland, Mark Strong gives insight to churches that need to heal from the wounds of gentrification and revamp their mission amidst an uncertain future.
Modern missional movements have often viewed the historic Christian traditions as too insular, focused on worship and the interior life of the church rather than evangelism and good works. Winfield Bevins argues that liturgy and sacramental life are in fact deeply missional and offer a holistic framework for everyday discipleship and mission.
Drawing on traditional theological understandings of mentor-mentee relationships, a distinguished group of contributors explores the practice of mentoring in Christian higher education. With special attention to generational dynamics, this book offers valuable insights and practical recommendations for faculty, administrators, and policy makers.
Drawing on traditional theological understandings of mentor-mentee relationships, a distinguished group of contributors explores the practice of mentoring in Christian higher education. With special attention to generational dynamics, this book offers valuable insights and practical recommendations for faculty, administrators, and policy makers.
If God calls women to lead, what holds them back? Using social science research and interviews, Susan Harris Howell examines how gendered messages inside and outside the church pull men toward leadership and women away from it. As opportunities for women continue to expand, Howell provides compelling guidance for how we can remove obstacles that keep women from fully using their gifts.