Is your church facing a period of change? Are you overwhelmed with too much to do? Or are you searching for a new vision? If you are looking to take your church in a new direction, then How to Develop Your Local Church can help you decide which path to follow. Written by an experienced practitioner, it will help you to understand your congregation better: how it operates, what its members take for granted, what their priorities are and what the 'character' of the congregation is. The book then explains some of the reasons for frustration and conflict in church life, and points to positive ways forward, giving guidance on planning and decision-making. Just as no two churches are the same, there is no 'one-size-fits-all' answer to how your church might develop. Rather, it is only by drawing upon the collective wisdom of the local congregation that worthwhile change will begin to happen.

Teaching that helps people understanding how they should work together to spread the gospel and manage money in order to fulfill the Great Commission

The demand for quality leaders constantly outstrips the supply. If you’re a pastor, team leader, staff member, or board member, you’re always challenged with a leadership shortage. But what can you do about it?More than you’ve ever imagined. The Leadership Baton equips you with a solution that’s time-proven and right at hand: church-based leadership development. More and more churches are adopting it, and no wonder—the principles that made the early church such a spiritual powerhouse are just as effective today. Leadership was never a matter of institutional learning or professional expertise. Rather, starting with Jesus and his apostles, it involved seasoned leaders passing the baton to ordinary people right within the local body of believers. That same approach can help ensure your own church is never at a loss for dependable men and women to enter the leadership race with wisdom, vision and passion.Drawing on the field-tested expertise of the Center for Church Based Training, The Leadership Baton will help you get the leaders you need up and running, developing leadership qualities they can in turn hand off to other up-and-coming leaders. Part 1 casts a vision for church-based leadership training—not merely a program, but a leadership development culture based on biblical and historical foundations. Part 2 presents a whole-life approach to leadership development that is wisdom-based (through courses), relationship-based (through the church community), and personal (through mentoring). Part 3 describes a comprehensive plan for leadership development, then breaks it down to target the needs of governing boards, emerging leaders, pastoral staffs, and interns. With discussion questions at the end of each chapter, this book concludes with two appendices, including a self-inventory for church leaders to help them assess their personal strengths and weak areas that need development. Put the principles in The Leadership Baton to work with patience, and in time your church will never lack the right people at the right time to help it fulfill its kingdom mission.

True spiritual freedom--a liberating of the whole person in Christ--is an essential part of mature Christian living. Ruth Truman has discovered it for her life, and in this encouraging book, she shows readers how to acquire this freedom and wholeness for their own lives. Speaking from personal experiences of examining, discarding, and arriving at solutions, she plots a course for maturity in Christian living today. Dr. Truman includes the basics of becoming a Christian; learning to pray; reading the Scriptures; rejoicing; dealing with special attitudes and problems of singles, singles-again, and married persons; parenting; feelings; and coping with today’s society. It’s all here, the entire sequence of choices to be faced and decisions to be made as you move along into a successful liberating Christian life-style. The result is a life totally committed to Christ, knowing yourself, recognizing the possibilities in that self through Christ, and projecting your new self-image into the world around you. This honest, revealing book opens up new and endless possibilities for continuing creative Christianity.

As in other African countries, the engagement of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the development sector in Ethiopia is tremendous and manifold. FBOs are, however, still insufficiently integrated in the development discourse and often operate under the radar of international and multilateral donors. This can be to a large extent reasoned by the fact that very little empirical research has hitherto been undertaken to assess the impact of FBO activities in Ethiopia. Upon this background, this study contributes to the debate among practitioners and researchers on the actual and potential contribution of FBOs to development in Ethiopia. This is exemplified by the work of the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC) in rural areas of southern Ethiopia in the thematic fields of schooling, ecological balance and food security. Cross-sectional and case study designs form the principal approaches used in the study; both quantitative and qualitative methods were used.

"For fifty years, a parade of writers has labored to show declining churches the route to new growth. Bill McConnell, from extensive experience and wise reflection, has written one of the most interesting and useful books of the type. As this book is read by church leadership teams (not by the pastor alone), it will catalyze the turnaround of several thousand local churches, at least." -Dr. George G. Hunter III, Distinguished Professor of Evangelization, Asbury Theological Seminary "Bill McConnell is a delightful writer, and this book is as easy to read as it is substantive in its content. It is intelligent, intuitive, and informed. There is no substitute for wisdom born of experience and perseverance, and that wisdom is found here. Full of practical insights and suggestions, this book also provides a window into Bill's personal journey as a successful leader of congregational transformation." - Dr. Dick Hamm, author, coach-consultant, partner of The Columbia Partnership, and past president and general minister of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) "Although not textbooks, I wish Bill McConnell's books could be required reading for all mainline denominational churches. As a successful pastor and an advisor to many churches, McConnell writes from a wealth of experience that is immensely practical and applicable. All church leaders and pastors who wish to move their churches forward toward a healthy and exciting future should get this book." - Margo Woodworth, Retired Executive Director of Net Results, Inc. Dr. Bill McConnell is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, has served in the church for over forty years, and is a church transformation consultant and Christian leadership coach. He speaks in many venues around the nation on the subject of church transformation. He is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, Asbury Theological Seminary, and Kingsway Theological Seminary.

Churches spend a great deal of time, money and energy on their physical structure, and in growing their membership, but by far not enough in developing healthy, mature Christians. Tony Green believes that Christians who don't grow in their spiritual lives, miss out immeasurably on God's blessings, and come short of experiencing that abundant life that Jesus desires for all Christians. In this book he identifies twelve reasons Christians don't grow and provides helpful insights to stimulate Christian growth. In a clever and unique alliterated style each chapter outlines the reasons Christians don't grow and provides helpful scripture to support the reasons.. A must-read for any Christian serious about his or her walk with God! . The new Christian and the "seasoned" believer will find in Twelve Reasons Christians Don't Grow, very practical and Scriptural insights to help propel them to new levels of spiritual growth. Dr. Tony Evans, Senior Pastor, Oakcliff Bible Fellowship. . Tony Green has provided us with a very concise yet simple manual to encourage maturity and joy. Dr. Ernest Forsten, M.D., Family Physician. . This, is not another how-to-book. It concentrates on what God has done for us in Christ, and what should be our normal response. Dr. David Calhoun, Professor, Covenant Theological Seminary. Tony A. D. Green, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, and US trained psychologist, is recognized as a formidable multi-lingual speaker, conducting seminars in the Caribbean and in various parts of the world. As a sought after speaker, he travels extensively speaking on psychological, biblical and management themes. After 23 years as Director of Aruba's successful Hospitality College, and many years as a minister and church leader, he now heads up his own Green Seminars and Consulting firm and continues to be actively involved in the life of his local church.

Each person was designed by God to play a custom-made role on His team--a position perfectly suited to the individual's interests and capacities. This guide will help readers find their niches in the Church.

Is your church healthy and growing or stagnant and dying? If your church is afflicted with remnant theology, spiritual naval gazing, pastoral timidity, hyper-cooperativism, or terminal ethnikitis, changes are it's already dying on the vine. On the other hand, if your church is growing it's probably ad healthy church. "Healthy churches, like healthy people," says the author, "exhibit certain vital signs." Wagner has his own list of 7 "signs" that lead can be taken as leading to good health and gives many illustrations of churches that exhibit and/or don't exhibit those signs. - Back cover.