In the last decade, a giant cultural wave has swept the North American church into a brand new world—a pluralistic, complicated, high-tech/low-touch world. Faced with the challenge of engaging a jaded culture, a fresh expression of church has emerged alongside the traditional church. This short book gives an overview of the Fresh Expressions movement and its innovative approach to reaching those who would perhaps never come to our church buildings.

In From the Steeple to the Street, Travis Collins addresses the cultural realities behind the Fresh Expressions movement, as well as the movement’s theological underpinnings. A missionary movement that began in England has come to North America. Long established congregations are finding ways to engage people not likely ever to walk through their doors, and fresh expressions of church are engaging people who are “without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12, NIV). Missional l...

16th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the YearIs your church wrestling with LGBT questions from membership to marriage? Travis Collins has been there. A pastor who has walked congregations through the complex issues surrounding gay Christians, he knows firsthand the confusion and hurt that often follow. He has also seen churches have these conversations with grace and understanding.In this practical resource, readers will gain insight into rele...

In this provocative book, author, consultant, and church leadership developer Reggie McNeal debunks these and other old assumptions and provides an overall strategy to help church leaders move forward in an entirely different and much more effective way. In The Present Future, McNeal identifies the six most important realities that church leaders must address including: recapturing the spirit of Christianity and replacing "church growth" with a wider vision of kingdom growth; deve...

From an international church starter and pastor, a resource guide for anyone organizing a congregation as part of the organic church movement.Neil Cole's best-selling book Organic Church described the fastest growing segment of contemporary Christianity—the so-called organic church. Now in this next-step book, he answers questions about how to deal with theological and organizational issues that come up. He talks about issues such has what to do with finan...

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 ...

According to many studies, the average church-attending young person is more likely to not stay, than to remain. Before They Say Goodbye is a proactive project to help parents, leaders, and pastors prepare their youth do deal with many of the challenges of faith which are causing this trend. David Sawler discusses many of the reasons why so many have said they are leaving or have left. However, this book is not intended to just state obvious problems. Instead this is a book of stories, advice...

The development of meaningful relationships, where every member carries a significant sense of belonging, is central to what it means to be the church. So why do many Christians feel disappointed and disillusioned with their efforts to experience authentic community? Despite the best efforts of pastors, small group leaders, and faithful lay persons, church too often is a place of loneliness rather than connection. In this revised and updated version of his best-selling book, Randy Frazee s...

You've heard the stats by now: the Millennial generation is leaving the church.Walking away in disillusionment and frustration, they are looking for new communities to welcome them. As they seek to follow Jesus, they are leaving the churches they grew up in to find a new way.In an attempt to exemplify the story of Millennials and seek answers for the future, Paul Nyquist, President of Moody Bible Institute, has teamed up with his son, Carson Nyquist, to share an honest and ...

Proven Methods for Churches to Attract and Engage Young PeopleOne question faces every church leader looking to the future: How do we attract younger generations? Many things have been tried, but in this book, church consultant David Stark shares practical methods that have been proven to work in a variety of congregations.Stark helps leaders identify and use their church's strengths to engage millennials, even those with negative views of Christianity. Bas...

Inclusion, says the author, is a discipline of consciously extending the boundaries of our communities to embrace and affirm people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. In this resource for ministers and church leaders, Law provides models, theories, and strategies that are both practical and theologically sound for moving faith communities toward greater inclusion.

"A wonderful tool that I recommend to every church that is serious about being purpose-driven." -Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven ChurchNow available in trade paper, Becoming a Healthy Church illustrates the ten most important characteristics of church health. Based on extensive surveys, this helpful volume is designed to encourage the creation of a healthy climate for your church and its ministry.