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How can we embody the values of love, grace, and justice? As faith communities, how can our collective embodiment of these values shine even brighter? The answers to these questions must always unfold right here, right now, exactly where God has planted us. Neighborhood Churchacts as a resource to inspire churches to become a vibrant and engaging community partner with the families and neighborhoods living around them. The need for transformation is acute. Congregational decline continues across all mainline denominations. The abandonment of the church by the millennial generation is ubiquitous; no denomination is escaping it. This is, in part, a consequence of disconnection from our communities. Van Tatenhove and Mueller believe that, parish by parish, we can reverse this trend. They dare to have an audacious hope for local congregations not only as signs of Gods kingdom but as life-giving institutions that anchor their neighborhoods. Drawing on their combined sixty years of parish experience, wisdom from Asset-Based Community Development, and compelling case stories, Van Tatenhove and Mueller do more than just call us to incarnational ministry. They give practical, essential tools that lead to communal conversion, develop the DNA of listening, spur fruitful partnerships, promote integrated space, and sustain long-term visions. They believe these tools will spark true revival and unleash the power of incarnational ministry.
The purpose of this book is to provide a theologically sound yet easy-to-use resource, based on the image of God, that can help congregations engage relationally in their neighborhoods. Rather than using the neighborhood as a resource to help make congregations successful, The Neighborhood Church contends that God places congregations in neighborhoods to help make neighborhoods successful in accordance with God's vision. This book is intended as a resource for pastors and other church leaders who pour significant amounts of energy into their congregations but feel frustrated with the results. The problem isn't with church leaders' energy or commitment. On the contrary, it's a lack of awareness as to how that energy and commitment can be channeled within God's call, mission, and movement. This book is a crucial resource for congregations having difficulty navigating the treacherous waters of what it means to be successful according to God's vision.
Opportunity Lies Right Down the Road. There’s hope for your church. Respected church expert Sam Rainer envisions an exciting new wave of revitalized neighborhood churches that are growing and thriving. In the not-so-distant past, churches tended to relocate away from their neighborhoods and build large campuses at major intersections. At the turn of the 21st century, a dramatic shift occurred: A new generation began looking to neighborhood churches to foster life-giving friendships, provide opportunities for service, and create a community dedicated to worshiping God. Sam Rainer describes this movement and answers the most common questions about this surprising new phenomenon: What are the marks of a healthy neighborhood church? What are the most common myths about the neighborhood church? What are the obstacles to church growth? What are the best strategies to reach your neighbors? The neighborhood church is primed for a comeback. The potential is huge. God wants to do incredible things. Are you ready?
Headlines rage with big stories about big churches. But tucked away in neighborhoods throughout North America is a profound work of hope quietly unfolding as the gospel takes root in the context of a place. The future of the church is local, connected to the struggles of the people and even to the land itself.
Long considered the lifeblood of black urban neighborhoods, churches are thought to be dedicated to serving their surrounding communities. But Omar McRoberts's work in Four Corners, a tough Boston neighborhood containing twenty-nine congregations, reveals a very different picture.
Community within the church today is hemorrhaging. Attention spans are dwindling, noise levels are increasing, and we can't seem to find time for real relationships. The answer to such social fragmentation can be found in small groups, and yet the majority of small groups—at least in the traditional sense—are often not the intentional, transformational community we really want and need. Somehow we need to get our groups off life support and into authentic community. Pastor Brad House helps us to re-imagine what gospel-centered community looks like and shares from his experience leading and reproducing healthy small groups. With wisdom and candor, House challenges us to think carefully about our own groups and to take steps toward cultivating communities that are able to glorify Jesus, bless one another, and participate in the mission of God.
If your church relocated, would your neighbors notice? Would there be an outcry for you to stay? Whether you are a church planter, pastor, community activist, missionary, college ministry leader, or simply a Christ-follower looking to impact your community, this resource is for you. Neighborhood Mapping by Dr. John Fuder is an engaging, practical tool available to assist workers in the field to better understand the communities they are involved with. It awakens the neighborhood explorer with effective methodology for "exegeting" their neighborhood, offering surveys and samples to lead them in that process. Dr. Fuder calls believers to shift the focus from inside the church building to those who live in the community. He offers here an easy-to-use resource for those who care about ministry to “the least of these.”
In today's fast-food world, Christianity can seem outdated or archaic. The temptation becomes to pick up the pace and play the game. But Chris Smith and John Pattison invites us to leave franchise faith behind and enter the kingdom of God, where people know each other well and love one another as Christ loves the church.
Of the many world religions, only one claims that its founder returned from the grave. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very cornerstone of Christianity. But a dead man coming back to life? In our sophisticated age, when myth has given way to science, who can take such a claim seriously? Some argue that Jesus never died on the cross. Conflicting accounts make the empty tomb seem suspect.sHow credible is the evidence for the resurrection? Focusing his award-winning skills as a legal journalist on history's most compelling enigma, Lee Strobel retraces the startling findings that led him from atheism to belief. Drawing on expert testimony first shared in his blockbuster book The Case for Christ, Strobel examines: The Medical Evidence -- Was Jesus' death a sham and his resurrection a hoax? The Evidence of the Missing Body -- Was Jesus' body really absent from his tomb? The Evidence of Appearances -- Was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross? Written in a hard-hitting journalistic style, The Case for Easter probes the core issues of the resurrection. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead: superstitious myth or life-changing reality? The evidence is in. The verdict is up to you. Book jacket.