Fight for Your Pastor


Book Description

Practical Ways to Support and Care for Your Pastor Do you pray for your pastors? Do you encourage them? Do you have realistic expectations for them? The office of pastor is simultaneously a rewarding and draining position. Pastors today have immense pressure on their shoulders and they need the support of their congregations. Peter Orr has written Fight for Your Pastor as an exhortation for church members to stand behind their pastors through the difficulties of ministry. Orr specifies ways in which congregations can be intentional in caring for church leaders, including prayer, encouragement, generosity, and forgiveness. Featuring stories from current pastors about their struggles, this book is perfect for thoughtful church members eager to understand the weight of their pastors' positions and support leaders in their important ministry. For Thoughtful Christians: Specifically those wanting to know more about their pastors and how to care for them Current: Features insight from pastors about their personal experiences in ministry Applicable: Gives practical examples of how to love and care for pastors, including specific prayers for church leaders and the best ways to encourage them




Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome


Book Description

Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view. This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome"-the misguided belief that success in ministry means increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seduced by the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But the authors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers but in several key areas: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts will encourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and lead them to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christian ministry. This book was originally published by Tyndale in 1987 and includes a new preface.




The Equipper's Guide to Every-Member Ministry


Book Description

Stevens shows how churches today can be faithful to the New Testament model of every-member ministry. Specifically he focuses on how the laity can teach and learn the Bible, conduct small groups, pastor the sick and hurting, lead worship, evangelize neighborhoods and more. (Evangelism)




The Call of a Lifetime


Book Description

Is God calling you or someone you know to the ministry? How can you find out for sure? This practical book helps young adults understand what ordained ministry is and discern whether they are called to such ministry. Follow Keith Drury on a guided tour through the ministry, where you'll learn: - what ministers actually do; - how to know if you are called to the ministry; - what kinds of jobs are available to ministers; and - how ministry affects dating, marriage, and family life. This is an updated edition and includes an expanded FAQ section with questions students have asked about the call to ministry.




Ministering to Problem People in Your Church


Book Description

Do you face well-intentioned dragons? Every church has them--sincere, well-meaning Christians who leave ulcers, strained relationships, and hard feelings in their wake. They don't intend to be hostile; they don't consciously plot destruction or breed discontent. But they often do undermine the ministry of the church and make pastors question their calling. Ministering to Problem People in Your Church will guide you in dealing with these challenging people. Based on real-life accounts of battle-scarred veterans, this book helps you go beyond just tolerating problem people to limiting their damage and showing them God's love. You'll discover effective strategies to turn dissidents into disciples. This time-tested book by the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today's Leadership Journal has new chapters on using social media and caring for those with mental illness. It will help you not only preserve your sanity (and maybe your job), but minister more effectively, even to those who make life difficult.




Gospel Patrons


Book Description

Behind every great movement of God stands a few generous men and women called Gospel Patrons. This book tells three of their stories from history and invites us to believe God, step out, and serve the purposes of God in our generation too. For bulk orders and more resources, please visit: gospelpatrons.org "I read this book from cover to cover. I couldn't put it down. I'm praying for thousands of similar Gospel Patrons for our generation." -Todd Harper, President of Generous Giving "This is a great read! I love the way these stories paint a picture of stewarding relationship, affluence, and influence to lay up treasure in heaven." -David Wills, President of National Christian Foundation "Gospel Patrons is one of the most important books I have seen this year! It's 100 years overdue and these untold stories urgently need to be told today." -George Verwer, Founder of Operation Mobilization "As I read Gospel Patrons, I found myself weeping for joy. May the Lord powerfully use this vision around the globe!" -Howard Dayton, Founder of Compass--Finances God's Way




The Wondrous Gift


Book Description




Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs


Book Description

Women long to be loved, to be known, to be understood. But who can meet those needs at their deepest level? Only the One who created women--who knows them by name and who designed them--can bring fulfillment that truly satisfies. "Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs" shows how God desires to help every woman: I need acceptance... God loves, forgives, and accepts I need security... God promises He will never leave I need to feel pretty... Christ sees me as new, spotless I need a companion... He is the perfect friend I need communication... He talks to me intimately through His Word Formerly "Heart Hunger."




The Death of Porn


Book Description

ECPA Christian Book Award Finalist Your Battle against Porn Isn't about Porn. It's about Hope. Pornography may seem inescapable, but God can free us from its destructive power. The gospel replaces the dehumanizing lies of pornography with this surprising truth: God created us as royalty. How then can we reclaim our God-given identity to take a stand against—and ultimately starve—the predatory porn industry? In The Death of Porn, Ray Ortlund writes six personal letters, as from a father to his son. Ideal for individuals and small groups, it will give hope to men who have been misled by porn into devaluing themselves and others. Through Scripture and personal stories, Ortlund assures readers that God loves them the most tenderly in their moments of deepest shame. The Death of Porn inspires men to come together in new ways to fight the injustice of porn and build a world of nobility for every man and woman—for the sake of future generations.




Ministry in the Marketplace


Book Description

Become a minister in the marketplace! Ministry in the Marketplace: Joining Your Personal Faith and Professional Life shows how to bridge the divide between calling and career. If you ever wondered whether or not God could work wonders in your workplace, then this is the book for you. Quit leaving the ministry to professional ministers and start reaching people in your sphere of influence! We were made to represent God and touch people's lives and when we don't do what we were created to do we are left feeling empty and dissatisfied. Yet this book is more than just about purpose, but also a practical discussion about how to really walk with God as a minister in the marketplace. Those that are not called to the full-time ministry still have a real calling to reach out to others on God's behalf because we were created to touch the world with the love of God. That does not mean we have to be in a pulpit ministry, but that our daily lives are our pulpit, and the people around us our congregation. Inside this revolutionary book, author Michael Kocurek reveals: - It is God's will for us to minister to people around us even while we are on the job. - A godly definition of success doesn't exalt work at the expense of God's purposes. - We have placed too much of the work of ministry on the pastor of the local church. Michael Kocurek is a husband, father, and marketplace minister who expresses his Christianity through the vocation of professional selling. A graduate of Texas Tech University, Michael has committed his life to communicating the message of marketplace ministry. He resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife and four children. To learn more or to order copies of his book, visit www.ministryinthemarketplace.com.