The Connected Church


Book Description

We are in a new era of communication. The internet and social media have changed the way we connect and communicate with each other. As the body of Christ, it is important that we understand these changes, so that we can effectively serve others. Whether you are an established organisation or an individual starting your ministry, this book will help you understand these global, technology-enabled changes and how they impact churches, nonprofits and individuals in ministry. The four-part communication model and the six-step framework presented in this book will help you successfully implement a social media and digital ministry program, laying a strong foundation for the future of your ministry. Section I - Why the Church should use Social Media: In the first section, the book talks about the importance of using digital, online and social communication medium. The book explores the evolution of a new type of audience - the connected audience and helps the reader learn the biblical basis of social media marketing and its relevance to the Great Commission. Section II - The Communication Model: In the second section, the book introduces the four-part communication model. The author lays out a broader vision of a smooth, seamless communication within the Church, as one body using social media and technology. Section III - The Framework for Implementing the Communication Model: In the third section, the book moves from visioning mode to action mode. The author presents a six-step framework as a practical means to implement the communication model in your ministry. This is a hands-on implementation section that examines management strategies, marketing strategies and operational details. Section IV - Future Trends that will Impact the Church: In the fourth and final section, the book returns to a visioning mode as the author identifies key future trends and discusses ways in which churches, nonprofits and ministries can prepare themselves for the future. Foreword is written by Mark W. Schaefer - Social media keynote speaker, college educator, consultant, and best-selling author of six marketing books including Known, The Content Code, Social Media Explained and The Tao of Twitter. Introduction is written by Rev. Sam P. Chelladurai - Senior Pastor of AFT Church. He is one of the most prominent and respected Bible teachers in India.




Connecting Church & Home: A Grace-Based Partnership


Book Description

Tim Kimmel gives a comprehensive strategy to churches for family ministry as well as a plan for parents seeking to pass their faith to the next generation. He shares valuable tools for the church to use to build a strong family ministry.A child who has seen grace lived out in front of him at church and at home is much more inclined toward staying committed to a relationship with God into adulthood. So Kimmel shares what a grace-based family ministry looks like in the local church. He also teaches parents how to translate every part of ministry they are exposed to at church to translate into spiritual training at home. The Family Ministry Map, created by Kimmel, is explained in detail, and examples of the program put into practice are given. This book gives a vital message to church ministry leaders and parents equally, making this a must-read for all involved in sharing faith with the next generation.




Bible Studies for Life: Connected - Bible Study Book


Book Description

Group Member Book for the six-session study by Dr. Thom S. Rainer on the body of Christ.




The Connecting Church 2.0


Book Description

The development of meaningful relationships, where every member carries a significant sense of belonging, is central to what it means to be the church. So why do many Christians feel disappointed and disillusioned with their efforts to experience authentic community? Despite the best efforts of pastors, small group leaders, and faithful lay persons, church too often is a place of loneliness rather than connection. In this revised and updated version of his best-selling book, Randy Frazee shows us how church can be so much...better. More intimate and alive. The answer may seem radical today, but it was a central component of life in the early church. First-century Christians knew what it meant to live in vital community with one another, relating with a depth and commitment that made "the body of Christ" a perfect metaphor for the church. What would it take to reclaim that kind of love, joy, support, and dynamic spiritual growth? Read this book and find out.




Thy Kingdom Connected (ēmersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith)


Book Description

Networks are everywhere. From our roads to our relationships, from our food supply to our power grids, networks are an integral part of how we live. Similarly, our churches, denominations, and even the kingdom of God are networks. Knowing how networks function and how to work with rather than against them has enormous implications for how we do ministry. In Thy Kingdom Connected, Dwight J. Friesen brings the complex theories of networking to church leaders in easy-to-understand, practical ways. Rather than bemoaning the modern disintegration of things like authority and structure, Friesen inspires hope for a more connective vision of life with God. He shows those involved in ministry how they can maximize already existing connections between people in order to spread the Gospel, get people plugged in at their churches, and grow together as disciples.




Church of the Wild


Book Description

2024 Nautilus Book Awards Silver Winner in "Religion / Spirituality of Western Thought" CategoryWinner of the Living Now Book Award, Church of the Wild reminds us that once upon a time, humans lived in an intimate relationship with nature. Whether disillusioned by the dominant church or unfulfilled by traditional expressions of faith, many of us long for a deeper spirituality. Victoria Loorz certainly did. Coping with an unraveling vocation, identity, and planet, Loorz turned to the wanderings of spiritual leaders and the sanctuary of the natural world, eventually cofounding the Wild Church Network and Seminary of the Wild. With an ecospiritual lens on biblical narratives and a fresh look at a community larger than our own species, Church of the Wild uncovers the wild roots of faith and helps us deepen our commitment to a suffering earth by falling in love with it--and calling it church. Through mystical encounters with wild deer, whispers from a scrubby oak tree, wordless conversation with a cougar, and more, Loorz helps us connect to a love that literally holds the world together--a love that calls us into communion with all creatures.




The Connected Church


Book Description

Many church leaders are frustrated because their church isn't growing and they have no idea how to turn things around. Where do they begin? Mac draws upon his extensive experience in helping businesses thrive to give clear, specific information about how to grow and develop a church. He reveals the one critical controllable metric, that when used and applied, will result in increase. This book is not about theology. It is about applying God's wisdom to create a thriving, healthy church that positively influences your congregation and community. Mac explains the concepts and practical, easy-to-implement steps to produce a robust and connected culture-one that will grow your church and reach your community for Christ.




Sticky Church


Book Description

Why closing the back door of your church is even more important than opening the front door wider. In Sticky Church, author and pastor Larry Osborne offers a time-tested strategy for doing so: sermon-based small groups that dig deeper into the weekend message and tightly velcro members to the ministry. It's a strategy that enabled Osborne's congregation to grow from a handful of people to one of the larger churches in the nation—without any marketing or special programming. Sticky Church tells the inspiring story of North Coast Church's phenomenal growth and offers practical tips for launching your own sermon-based small group ministry. Topics include: Why stickiness is so important Why most of our discipleship models don't work very well Why small groups always make a church more honest and transparent What makes groups grow deeper and sticker over time Sticky Church is an ideal book for church leaders who want to start or retool their small group ministry—and velcro their congregation to the Bible and each other.




Church as Network


Book Description

Just as the emergence of print and literacy created conditions for vast religious change at the time of the Reformation, the emergence of a digital culture shaped by computers and the internet has led to radically different assumptions about religious identity, how people connect and maintain transformative relationships, and how people follow and give authority to leaders. The central issues concerning this digital culture are not technological but theological and anthropological. Old models of stable religious identity and community seem irrelevant in a culture in which everyone is in motion. The book identifies three profound changes produced by digital culture which challenge existing understandings of church: 1) a shift to seeing Christian identity as an ongoing constructive project, 2) the development of fluid networked forms of community, and 3) the emergence of less hierarchical more conversational forms of leadership.




The Power of Connection in the Church


Book Description

This book is a church leader’s guide for connecting guests and closing the back door. You’ll discover how to intentionally serve people from their first visit, to becoming a flourishing member. You’ll learn how to build a culture of connection that purposefully expresses the value that Jesus places on all people. It’s this connection culture that has allowed Milestone Church to grow to thousands of active members, while maintaining its heart for the one, and a focus on the next one coming. Three intentional sections cover the POWER, the PRINCIPLES, and the PROCESS of connection. The why, the what, and the how—why connection is so powerful, what you can do to be better at it, and how to build a process that creates a culture of connection. Great services and excellent service are imperative, but connection is the value people feel. Connection is more than an action, it’s an attribute. This book will help you deliver on a desire to see people loved into a relationship with Jesus, grow spiritually, and find meaningful relationships in His Church.