A wake-up call to evangelicals to return to the biblical mandate and model for missions before we have no unique message to proclaim. An alarming view of missions in the twenty-first century.

Many churches are involved in short-term mission trips. Most of these trips, however, are focused on economic or social development projects, coupled with "relational evangelism." Not many are focused on discipleship, or, more specifically, training indigenous pastors in the essential doctrines of the faith so that they can, in turn, disciple their church. In fact, reproducible models for in-depth theological education during short-term missions are rare. As a missionary presently ministering in a number of underdeveloped nations, Steve Curtis has witnessed the need for, and potential benefit of, such models. The reality is that there are countless pastors throughout the majority world who have had little to no formal training in Bible or doctrine. This book suggests a practical way that churches can use their short-term missions program--together with their adult discipleship program--to help meet this critical, global need.

Helping the next generation live for Christ As Christian adolescents develop into adults, they face unique questions and challenges. But this stage of life also provides unique opportunities for all who care about the spiritual flourishing of the next generation. Created in partnership with the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, Formation for Mission empowers those who interact with teenagers and young adults. Gathering wisdom from a diverse variety of veteran teachers and weaving together research--informed social, theological, and practical insights, each chapter examines essential features in the missional development, formation, and contexts of young people. Questions for reflection and discussion move the conversation forward. Each generation is commissioned to pass the faith on to the next and help them live for Christ, enter congregational life, and engage in Christian mission. With cultural awareness and sensitivity to the challenges of today, Formation for Mission offers hopeful advice to those who are invested in supporting the spiritual thriving of emerging adults.

Cross-cultural ministry is extremely challenging and must be entered into with eyes wide open. The aim of this book is to help better prepare cross-cultural workers to accomplish the task to which God has called them, to help churches become more proactive in recruiting potential candidates and providing ministry opportunities for assessment and development of their gifts, and to help mission agencies more thoroughly evaluate candidates in light of needed competencies.

So how do I know what I am supposed to do with my life? I hear from my pastor and the things I read that God calls people to be pastors and missionaries. Some people even talk about being called to be a doctor or a teacher. I think I remember my mom saying she felt called to be a mom. But what am I supposed to do with my life? Has God actually called me to be a high school science teacher? Should I be looking for something else? How will I know if and when he does call me or is that just for people going into ministry, after all? Not Called draws on church history, the evolution of Western societal norms, and biblical revelation to answer these and other related questions in an effort to determine if calling, as it is understood today, retains the meaning it was intended to carry from the beginning. In addition to a biblical and historical assessment of the evolution of the concept, Not Called raises both cultural and practical challenges to the contemporary meaning and use of the concept which all but excludes Christians from a non-Western, first-world cultural context.

Although Indonesia is generally considered to be a Muslim state, and is indeed the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, it has a sizeable Christian minority as a legacy of Dutch colonialism, with Christians often occupying relatively high social positions. This book examines the management of religion in Indonesia. It discusses how Christianity has developed in Indonesia, how the state, though Muslim in outlook and culture, is nevertheless formally secular, and how the principal Christian church, the Java Christian Church, has adapted its practices to fit local circumstances. It examines religious violence and charts the evolution of the state’s religious policies, analysing in particular the impact of the 1974 Marriage Law showing how it enabled extensive state regulation, but how in practice, rather than reinforcing religious divisions, inter-religious marriage, involving the conversion of one party, is widespread. Overall, the book shows how Indonesia is developing its own brand of secularism, neither a full-blooded Islamic state like Saudi Arabia, nor an outright secular state like Turkey.

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What brought you here, will not take you where you want to go. You have to change. Einstein.In his ebook, Claudio Belotti quotes this beautiful phrase from the famous German physicist and philosopher, which may describe the essence of this work. In the content of this ebook, however, Belotti provides an analysis of critical situations, the strategy to implement, the path to follow, and the example of great global companies that have overcome the crisis. As any other great coach loves to do, Belotti explains the concepts clearly using many examples, making this ebook easy to understand and enjoyable to read. The concepts outline a possible way out for a personal and business recovery.

The Pulitzer Prize winner's extraordinary portrait of one religious community - and what it means for us all "Lyrical, probing, and deeply reported, this is an extraordinary account ." ― Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Empire of Pain "Eliza Griswold is a dazzling reporter: ever observant, wise, sympathetic, and honest. And in this spellbinding book." ― David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon and The Wager "A sharply contemporary book, painfully honest, stubbornly hopeful." ― Archbishop Rowan Williams, author of Passions of the Soul "That rarest of books: an examination of the sacred and spiritual realm captured with humor, humanity, and style."― Susan Orlean, author of On Animals Although most evangelicals have their sights firmly set on salvation in the afterlife, one extraordinary church in Philadelphia is designed to fight for progress and dedicated to social justice in this life. Over forty years, Circle of Hope grew from one family to four congregations battling for equality among the sexes, an end to racial discrimination, and offering hope to believers of all kinds - from outcasts to addicts - in its radical mission to improve the world. Then, rocked by many of the same issues facing society at large, from MeToo to Black Lives Matter, Circle of Hope is forced to confront its own mistakes, plunging the community into existential crisis. Building on years of deep reporting, Pulitzer Prize-winner Eliza Griswold paints an intimate portrait of pastors and church members' desperate wrestling to find a way to remain together despite their dividing truths. Through generational rifts, an increasingly politicised religious landscape, a pandemic and a rise in foundation-shaking activism, Circle of Hope tells a propulsive, layered story of what we do to stay true to our beliefs. It is a soaring, searing examination of what it means for a community to love, to grow, and crucially to disagree.