A lever helps us move an object that otherwise we could never budge. Seven Levers: Missional Strategies for Conferencesexplores conferences in operational terms, highlighting focal pointsfor change. What works in conferences, what doesn’t, and why?Author Robert Schnase showsus how to identify and change practices that are no longer conducive toour mission and demonstrates concrete ways to foster a more relevant andeffective connectionalis...

The last forty years have seen transitions in mainline churches that feel, for many, like a journey into the wilderness. Yet God is calling us in this moment, not to grieve over the changes we have experienced but to hear the call to a new mission, and a new faithfulness.In Journey in the Wilderness, Gil Rendle draws on decades as a pastor and church consultant to point a way into a hopeful future. The key to embracing the wilderness is to learn new skills in leading chang...

Churches say No in a thousand ways to new ideas, ministry initiatives, and creative people. Churches struggle with committees that are no longer conducive to their mission while pastors and laity have become conditioned to view anythingnew with suspicion and resistance. Churches operate with a pervasive culture of No.Just Say Yes! Unleashing People for Ministry is written for people whose passion has been simmering for years, who yearn to be told Yes! It’s for those...

How do I cultivate a life that is purposeful, deep, and fruitful? What are the commitments, critical risks, and personal practices that open me to God's grace? How can I discover the spiritual life and the difference God intends for me to make in the world?Radical Hospitality. Passionate Worship. Intentional Faith Development. Risk-Taking Mission and Service. Extravagant Generosity.Five Practices of Fruitful Living provides an honest, practical, and winsome guide t...

Lead youth to live radically, passionately, intentionally, extravagantly—taking risks to become fruitful disciples of Jesus.These ten ready-to-use sessions teach the fundamentals of Christian living. Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission, and Extravagant Generosity--these five practices, designed to shape both heart and mind, will help youth grow in their discipleship as they transform the world.Features:2 ready-t...

Help implant the heart of giving within a congregation.The daily readings by Bishop Schnase, opens the Scriptures to show the joy and grace of giving. Designed to provide daily Bible readings for four weeks, it leads the reader to explore such questions as “Why do we give,” “Who benefits most from our giving,” and “Where does true contentment come from?” By reading and following this guide to the spiritual discipline of stewardship, church members will experience t...

Our lives are filled to capacity with routines, habits, conversations, surprises, and disappointments. With all that's going on in life, it's easy to miss those quiet moments of grace which come more often than we realize. But they are there.In The Balancing Act, a collection of thirty short and insightful devotional readings originally written for his blog at www.fivepractices.org, Bishop Robert Schnase invites readers to take a...

Over the past ten years, thousands of church leaders have successfully transformed congregations with the principles from the original Five Practices: Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission and Service, and Extravagant Generosity. However, much has changed in the world and the Church. Leaders have discovered new ways to implement the Five Practices in settings that were not imagined when the original book was released. This revised and u...

In Just Say Yes! Robert Schnase shows church leaders how to unleash people for fruitful ministry. He teaches leaders to spot their own nay-saying, and gives specific instructions for reversing the culture of ‘No’ that has become so prevalent in many churches. Step by step, Schnase shows readers—pastors, other church leaders, and congregants—how to make significant change in their attitude and actions, to become a permission-giving church.This set of resources is the next s...

In Just Say Yes! Robert Schnase shows church leaders how to unleashpeople for fruitful ministry. He teaches leaders to spot their ownnay-saying, and gives specific instructions for reversing the culture of‘No’ that has become so prevalent in many churches. Step by step,Schnase shows readers—pastors, other church leaders, and congregants—howto make significant change in their attitude and actions, to become apermission-giving church.This set...

In Just Say Yes! Robert Schnase shows church leaders how to unleash people for fruitful ministry. He teaches leaders to spot their own nay-saying, and gives specific instructions for reversing the culture of ‘No’ that has become so prevalent in many churches. Step by step, Schnase shows readers—pastors, other church leaders, and congregants—how to make significant change in their attitude and actions, to become a permission-giving church.This set of resources is the next step in th...

Explore together how congregations can change to become more fruitful for the purposes of Christ. Remember the Future: Praying for the Church and Change prepares leaders of congregations and conferences for courageous new conversations with readings that draw us toward renewed vision, cultivate hope and keep us attentive to the mission of Christ. Read together as leadership teams, boards and covenant groups to understand more clearly the “why” of congregational ministry and the in...