Innovative spiritual practices that establish the foundation for durable, missional change Many congregations recognize their need to bring about change in order to become or remain vital, both spiritually and organizationally. They have a sense of what they need, and what might keep them from changing. But they don’t know how to change. How Change Comes to Your Church draws on the practical experience, stories, and examples from two experienced church leaders. Patrick Keifert and Wesley Granberg-Michaelson have helped scores of congregations as well as larger denominational organizations identify key elements that are a necessary part of transformational change. Rather than a superficial approach with a simplistic formula, How Change Comes to Your Churchfocuses on the important work of changing church culture, with innovative spiritual practices that establish the foundation for durable, missional change.

The church is the hope of the world when it's working right...and therein lies the problem. Most aren't. This has led both Christians and non-Christians to give up on the church entirely; it has led many others to give up on all existing churches-and maybe even start new ones. But all church can and should be transitioned to a new life. A church is never beyond hope. This book will provide principles and practices that can lead to a resurrection of any church, in any setting. It will provide the inspiration and information needed to lead a church successfully through the necessary changes of tradition and culture without compromising God's timeless truth. When this happens, the church will once again be what God intended...the hope of the world.

In our communities composed of people from various cultures, countries, and backgrounds, where does the church stand? How representative is it? And how can local churches best minister and evangelize within an increasingly multicultural society? 'Cultural Change and Your Church' is an invaluable resource for understanding the transformation of our cultural landscape and, most importantly, for learning how to embrace the resulting opportunities to minister to all people. Michael Pocock and Joseph Henriques consider the Bible's examples and teaching related to diversity, introduce several churches currently modeling cross-cultural ministry, and suggest hands-on ways for church leaders to encourage change and proactive thinking.

If you are a pastor and want your church to make a much bigger spiritual impact on your community, you will need to become better informed about your community and focus on improving it, rather than using your resources to increase the size of your church. You must have the blessings of God, and that is attained by obedience to God. Your priority must be to equip elders and boomers and disciple parents and students. If you are a staff member and want to change your church to have more spiritual effectiveness on her members and her community, you should boldly proclaim the need for an obedience-driven mind-set and set the pace with your personal example. If you are a layperson and want to change your church to have more spiritual impact on you, your family, and your community, start a more disciplined lifestyle by becoming Christlike and by aggressively acting on the obedience assignments in this book. All must forsake good traditional projects and focus on the bestobedience to Christ. Your church can be more active as a spiritual influence in her culture. Work to break down barriers of separation between Christian denominations, ethnicities, and economics. Download and apply the obedience assignments in the free copy of Lets Change Your Church workbook from www.equippingstudents.com.

Vols. for 1828-1934 contain the Proceedings at large of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.