Christian ministries increasingly prioritize urban areas—big cities and suburbs are considered more strategic, more influential, and more desirable places to live and work. As a ministry strategy, focusing on big places makes sense. But the gospel of Jesus is often unstrategic. Pastor Stephen Witmer, using helpful stories and practical advice, lays out an integrated theological vision for small-place ministry today.

No function of the pastor is as visible and stress inducing as preaching. But few pastors feel adequately prepared for this high-stakes responsibility when they begin their ministries. Forged by her experiences as a pastor, preaching professor and college chaplain, Mary Hulst provides practical tips for all pastors, whether ministry newcomers or seasoned professionals.

God calls Christians of every vocation to participate in his redemptive mission so that every corner and square inch of society can flourish as God intends. Amy Sherman offers a multifaceted, biblically grounded roadmap for enacting God's call to seek the shalom of our communities, showcasing historical and contemporary models of faithful and transformational cultural engagement.

As our culture begins to reckon with the limits of a digital world, it's time for the church to do the same. In our efforts to stay relevant in our digital age, have we begun to move away from transcendence? Pastor Jay Kim grapples with the ramifications of a digital church, from worship and Christian community to how we engage Scripture.

Church planting is not just about gathering new communities of people who are already Christians. Planting churches flows naturally out of making disciples. In this concise guide, pastor J. D. Payne explains the process and stages of church planting, with biblical foundations and practical steps for planting teams both domestically and internationally.

How should the local church think about justice? Adam Gustine provides a theological vision for the church's identity as a just people, where God's character and the pursuit of shalom infuses every aspect of our congregational DNA. In this renewed vision, the church becomes a prophetic alternative to the broken systems of the world and a parable of God's intentions for human flourishing and societal transformation.

Do you find yourself wondering how to get new volunteers onboard for your ministry? Youth leaders Mark DeVries and Nate Stratman have heard all the reasons why leaders fail to get and keep volunteers. That's why they have developed this 30-day on-ramp to creating a volunteer team, with all of the needed tools included and a money-back guarantee.

Do you ever feel that you are leading in uncharted territory? Pastor and consultant Tod Bolsinger draws on decades of expertise guiding churches and organizations in this expanded practical leadership resource, offering illuminating insights and practical tools to help you reimagine what effective church leadership looks like in our rapidly changing world.

Attract kids to church, the logic often goes, and you get parents in the pews. All that's left is to get the kids out of the way. Here children's ministers David Csinos and Ivy Beckwith draw on research in human development and spiritual formation to show how children become disciples and churches become centers of lifelong discipleship.

Drawing on her background in environmental engineering and her current pastoral role, Heather Zempel assesses the perils and possibilities inherent in small groups and other environments for Christian community. The book helps leaders begin to see the inherent "mess" of such gatherings as raw material for arriving at something beautiful.

Missiologist and church planter JR Woodward offers a blueprint for a church in search of a missional culture. Expanding on the biblical principles giving life to the missional movement worldwide, Woodward calls not for small tweaks to the church?s image but for a recasting of the very environment that shapes us.

Now is the time for the church to reclaim its role as a center of creativity. Among your members are artists and musicians whose gifts can enhance your worship, inform your theology and impact your community. Christian arts advocate J. Scott McElroy gives a comprehensive vision and manual for unleashing creativity in your congregation.

If you feel caught between the traditional church and the emerging church, Jim Belcher's Deep Church forges a third way. He explores and evaluates the proposals of emerging church leaders and paints a picture of what an alternate, deep church looks like--a missional church committed to both tradition and culture, valuing innovation in worship, arts and community, but also creeds and confessions.

Pastor Lamar Hardwick was thirty-six years old when he found out he was on the autism spectrum. This revelation prompted him to reconsider the church's responsibilities to the disabled community. Insisting that the good news of Jesus affirms God's image in all people, Hardwick offers practical steps and strategies to build stronger, truly inclusive communities of faith.

Is your church prepared to respond if natural disaster or human tragedy strikes your community? Jamie Aten and David Boan, codirectors of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, provide this practical guide for disaster preparedness, filled with resources for emergency planning and crisis management plus best practices for local congregations.

J. D. Payne explores the biblical, historical and missiological principles of global church planting, and suggests ways that readers can apply international church planting practices to their own contexts.

God can use your unique gifts, passions and personality to help you become a better leader. While personality inventories can help you understand your temperament, Olson's model is designed to form fruitful Christian leadership. Coupled with a free online assessment, this book helps pastors and Christian leaders harness gifts and balance weaknesses.

There's a ticking time bomb in your ministry. Is it you? With vivid pictures of both self-destructive patterns and reconstructive grace, counselor Michael MacKenzie helps pastors avert moral failures and repair shipwrecked ministries. Addressing issues like shame, burnout, sexual misconduct, and more, this resource will help you become both the pastor and the person God intends you to be.

The biblical model for church leadership is found not only in pastors but also in teams of elders who oversee, shepherd, teach, equip and guide the community into God's mission. In this practical guide, J.R. Briggs and Bob Hyatt unpack the role, character and posture of a mission-oriented elder.

The emerging generation is opting out of the church in large numbers. They're embarrassed at how the church is portrayed and dismayed at their options for participation. What's the point of the church anyway? With practical, actionable steps, Tim Soerens offers a vision of the church grounded in a grassroots movement of ordinary people living out the church in their everyday lives.

How can the church engage the world, not by judgment nor accommodation but by becoming the good news in our culture? Offering seven distinct spiritual practices, David Fitch helps you re-envision church, what you do in the name of church, and the way you lead a church. Reimagine the church as the living embodiment of Christ, reflecting God's faithful presence to a desperate world.

Will you collaborate on God's kingdom work in your community? If you're ready to see God move in all areas—business, education, media, arts, healthcare, spiritual growth, and more—this is the book for you. Leadership expert Reggie McNeal offers eight signature practices for leaders who want to partner with God and others for kingdom growth.

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.

Sharon Hoover brings her years of experience in local church missions to bear on thorny questions every church faces. Should we prioritize evangelism or works of service? Local ministries or overseas missions? And what about short-term missions trips? Hoover approaches each question with nuance, helping us plot our church's unique course as we seek to serve Christ's kingdom.

What are Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany really about? This complete church resource brings together people of all ages and stages of faith, allowing them to experience a creative and fun-filled Christian community. Three once-a-month sessions include unique Christmas activities like global action suggestions, games and competitions, prayers, Christmas food crafts, and more.

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