In our world today there is no shortage of books and manuals that tell a person how a church should be planted. In most cases the books and manuals will highlight and specialize in one aspect or one methodology of church planting. The book, by its very title, Church Planting: This Is Not a Manual, sets itself apart from all the rest. Although certainly not a manual, it is filled with insights, real-life stories, and lessons learned through experience that will assist any church planter as ...

The Predictability Factor is a unique book addressing the predictability of future success of new churches and existing churches attempting to turn from decline to growth. Predictability is something sought in virtually every field. For example, in weather forecasting, the ability to understand what components in the atmosphere produce predictable results can save many lives. In the field of church starting and church revitalization, the ability to identify the key components necessary to ...

This handy reference displays a variety of handsome bungalows built in the early 1920s from Maine to California. Included are illustrations of charming bungalows for a small family, a farm bungalow with a novel siding treatment, a stucco bungalow design, a chalet in Los Angeles, and other models. 43 double-page spreads of halftones and line illustrations.

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 Becoming a Contagious Church will change that.Revised and updated, this streamlined edition dispels outdated preconceptions and reveals evangelism as it really can be.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...

Over the past fifteen years, small groups have become a vital way to build community in large churches. Nowhere has this been more apparent than at Saddleback Church. Now Steve Gladen, pastor of small groups at Saddleback, shares the secrets of that ministry's incredible success in creating small groups with purpose.This practical book walks church leaders through the questions they need to answer to develop their own intentional small group strategy. Built around the most commonly...

First published in 1999, Advanced Strategic Planning explains why planning is so important to carrying out the church's mission. Now in its third edition, this classic resource offers•a nine-step strategic thinking and acting model•useful ideas for developing a ministry strategy•diagrams to help illustrate concepts•a new section on spiritual formationThe methods in this book are proven to work, having already helped many churches articulate the...

Planting Missional Churches is an instruction book for planting biblically faithful and culturally relevant churches. It addresses the “how-to” and “why” issues of church planting by providing practical guidance through all the phases of a church plant while taking a missional look at existing and emerging cultures.

How are we doing? The church, that is. And how are we doing it? Congregations have long measured success by "bodies, budget, and buildings"--a certain record of attendance, the offering plate, and square footage. But the scorecard can't stop there. When it does, the deeper emphasis on accountability, discipleship, and spiritual maturity is lost. Ignoring those details, we see fewer lives transformed, Christian influence wane, and churches thin out--a situation that is all too familiar acro...

All churches like to think that theirs is the friendliest in town. But do visitors see it that way? Church consultant Gary McIntosh invites readers to take a look at their church through the eyes of visitors and potential visitors. His starting point, grounded in an understanding of God as a "welcomer," is that churches should see those who enter their doors as not merely visitors, but as guests, and themselves as gracious hosts. This practical book offers sound advice on assessing and imp...

Building a vibrant, God-honoring women's ministry is an enormous challenge. There are so many issues to consider and points of view to incorporate. Moody Press offers Leading Women to the Heart of God, a comprehensive compilation of articles by leading Christian women addressing key areas of women's ministry. The topics range from 'Your Own Intimate Life with God,' to 'Building Your Confidence to Lead and Teach,' to 'Developing Leaders within Your Ministry.' Anyone involved in women's mini...

Over 90 percent of all Christian churches in the United States have fewer than 200 members. While they vary in shape, size, ethnicity, and denomination, they have one thing in common: the desire to grow. So why is it that some churches fail to grow for years, while other congregations in the same community increase exponentially?The problem, says church marketing authority Richard Reising, is that most churches should not be doing promotion. Instead, they should focus on the prepar...

Fueled by a desire to reach people for Christ, a revolution is underway. Churches are growing beyond the limitations of a single service in one building. Expanding the traditional model, they are embracing the concept of one church with more than one site: multiple congregations sharing a common vision, budget, leadership, and board. Drawing from the examples of churches nationwide, The Multi-Site Church Revolution shows what healthy multi-site churches look like and what motivates congreg...