An estimated 4,000 churches are planted every year. An estimated 3,700 churches close every year. It's not easy starting or sustaining a vital Christian witness of any kind. It's even harder when there's no structure to support the good work you're doing. Guardrails offers structure to your good impulse to follow the great commission to go and make disciples right where you are.Guardrails provides six principles that allow for sustainable growth in a church's miss...

Do you get tired sitting in a pew? Have you ever fantasized about traveling to the other side of the world, telling people about the good news of Jesus Christ? Wake up and look around: The world is right here, waiting for the Good News to make itself known.For too long we've outsourced God's work in the world to missionaries "out there" at the ends of the earth. In reality, God wants us to love our neighbor right next door. He wants us to pray for the welfare of our zip code, to wi...

Believe it or not, everyone's a genius at something. We just need to uncover and release it for the sake of the world.Every member of your church comes with a unique set of God-given skills and talents. As a church leader, you have the weighty task of uncovering and validating them. Your challenge is to help your members identify and unleash their gifts to bring glory to God. But in our selfie-focused society, this task can feel overwhelming.God do...

"Netflix and chill," "broccoli," and LGBTTQQIAAP+. If you don't know what these words and phrases really mean to your teen, you are not alone. The verbal terrain of today's youth can be difficult to navigate, and sometimes requires a guide--a culture translator to help parents of teens decipher the codes and unlock the doors to an ongoing conversation about faith and life.David Eaton and Jeremiah Callihanprovide just that in Engaging Your Teen's World, teaching you ...

"Netflix and chill," "broccoli," and LGBTTQQIAAP+. If you don't know what these words and phrases really mean to your teen, you are not alone. The verbal terrain of today's youth can be difficult to navigate, and sometimes requires a guide--a culture translator to help parents of teens decipher the codes and unlock the doors to an ongoing conversation about faith and life.David Eaton and Jeremiah Callihanprovide just that in Engaging Your Teen's World, teaching you how to ma...

Dangerous churches are willing to put everything on the line for the one thing that matters most: reaching lost people.Through probing questions and amazing stories of God's grace, John Bishop confronts church leaders to embrace what matters most to the heart of God, whatever the cost.Most churches naturally gravitate to what is safe and familiar. Church leaders who take risks are bound to fail, and fear drives us to continue in our comfortable, but ineffec...

Discover a Proven Approach to Raising Your Church’s Evangelistic TemperatureEvangelism. It’s one of the highest values in the church. So why do so few churches put real effort into it? Maybe it’s because we don’t understand the evangelistic potential of the church well enough to get excited about it. Becoming a Contagious Church will change that.Revised and updated, this streamlined edition dispels outdated preconceptions and reveals evangelism as it really can be. What’s more, it walks yo...

Be known as a person of relevant faith . . .escape the fog of daily distractions . . .live a more intentional, integrated lifePlenty of books talk about living a deeper life. This one shows you how--how to truly discover the answers to life's core questions and live them out in your thoughts, words, and actions.An acclaimed teacher on spiritual renewal, Daniel Henderson shares the principles and practices that are vital to a transform...

Brandon O'Brien helps pastors and church leaders understand that a smaller church is sometimes better than a big one. He demonstrates the strengths of small congregations, including that today's church "shoppers" want services that are local, personal, and intimate. Also, small churches provide space to nurture close relationships across age and lifestyle barriers, and they facilitate a higher level of commitment from laypeople. And small church budgets are often more effective because of ...

Men today have important decisions to make about family, career, and ministry. Sometimes the choices can seem overwhelming, and men end up making decisions by default...by doing what comes naturally rather than by carefully thought-out principles. In The 10 Best Decisions a Man Can Make, popular author and speaker Bill Farrel gives men the hands-on decision-making tools they need to make the kinds of choices they won't regret. Farrel encourages men to discover the joy of finding their plac...

Tell Faith-Filled Fish TalesFishing stories. We’ve all heard them. “It was this big.” “You should have seen the one that got away.” People love to tell stories of their fishing adventures. When it comes to faith, however, most people clam up. Why is it we can’t talk about what God has done in our lives as naturally as we can spin fishing tales?In this six-session companion study guide to the Go Fish DVD, Andy Stanley explores the motivation behind ...

Every church has a unique culture that serves as the soil where its ministry occurs. A church’s culture is the somewhat nebulous and complex blend of norms, beliefs, attitudes, traditions, and practices that define the congregation. The culture establishes the environment that often predetermines the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of God’s Word within that body of believers. It influences a congregation’s potential impact more than techniques, programs, orpragmatic changes.