The Externally Focused Quest


Book Description

The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church for the Community is designed for church leaders who want to transform their churches to become less internally focused and more oriented to the world around them. The book includes clear guidelines on the changes congregations must adopt to become truly outwardly focused. This book is not about getting all churches to have an annual day of community service as a tactic, but changing the core of who they are and how they see themselves as a part of their community. The Externally Focused Quest outlines ten changes needed for church leaders to transform their churches and presents a highly practical approach that shows leaders how to become more externally focused without having to give up programs that serve members. This book reveals what it takes to make the major shift from internal to external focus and how that affects church leadership.




The Externally Focused Church


Book Description

How can your church get the attention of your community? It's all about focus. Externally focused churches do more than confront their communities--they cooperate as well. They're quick to partner with community agencies. Open to building new relationships. They flood their neighborhoods with practical compassion. And through it all they carry the love of Christ. If non-Christians aren't asking what's behind the excitement of your church members, it's time to get externally focused!




The Externally Focused Life Kit


Book Description

Welcome to an Externally Focused Life. God designed your church for this. Your church is wired to serveaitas how you grow. How your trust in God deepens. Where your faith finds traction. Embrace a church-wide lifestyle of serviceaone motivated by more than duty or obligation. Connect your church to your community in an authentic, magnetic way. Discover how your church members can share faith stories in ways their neighbors want to hear. And watch ordinary, everyday peopleayour peopleashift their focus outward. You geta] a[ The Externally Focused Life bookabrimming with practical insightsa]inspiring storiesa]and clear, Biblical teaching that fuels heart-felt growth. a[ The Leaderas Packawith everything you need to share the vision for an externally focused life with your entire church. Included: a promo video and artwork, video sessions for small groups, a planning guide, and sermon outlines. a[ The Childrenas Ministry Packawith six lesson plans for both preschoolers and elementary children. Included: reproducibles, the aItas About Goda theme song, and curriculum guides. a[ The Youth Packasix one-hour sessions. Included: six printable lesson plans and 18 video teaching segmentsathree for each session, including on the street interviews, teaching time, and a wrap-up to help students apply the teaching to their lives. An Externally Focused Life begins here. Welcome.




To Transform a City


Book Description

To Transform a City is a timely, compelling book that helps readers understand how to think about cities, their own city, and the broad strategies needed for kingdom impact. The book begins with an overview of the importance of cities in the new day in which we live. The authors address the process of transformation along with examples of where and how communities have been transformed throughout history. After writing a persuasive chapter on kingdom thinking the authors unfold the meaning of the whole church, the whole gospel, and the whole city. The book ends with the need for people of good faith to work together in the city with people of good will for the welfare of the city.




The Church of Irresistible Influence


Book Description

Now available in paperback. The inspiring story of how a church showed God's love to a dying culture by building bridges to its neighborhood, community, and world.




The Inside Out Church


Book Description




Creating a Missional Culture


Book Description

Missiologist and church planter JR Woodward offers a blueprint for the missional church--not small adjustments around the periphery of the infrastructure but a radical revisioning of how a church ought to look that entails changing how we think about leadership and what we expect out of discipleship.




The Neighboring Church


Book Description

New Leadership network title, to be filled in at a later date by editor.




Leading Small Groups That Thrive


Book Description

Nearly every church is trying to help their congregants build relationships with others, grow as disciples, and/or engage in meaningful service through small groups. Many have argued that these small groups are the preferred vehicle for relationship building, disciple making, and membership assimilation in the local church, especially in large, multisite churches. Leading Small Groups That Thrive shows small group leaders, step by step, how to plan for, launch, build, sustain, and multiply highly effective, transformational, healthy small group experiences where people grow spiritually together. Based on a large-scale research study of small group pastors, leaders, and members, Leading Small Groups That Thrive gives church leaders both what they want--practical, straightforward, actual small group member voices and experiences, and compelling guidance on how to build transformational groups complemented with real-life examples and data of successful small groups--and what they need--substantial, challenging insights and a data-driven model grounded in the latest research on church small groups.




Real Good Church


Book Description

"This is a practical manual of everything our church did," says author Molly Phinney Baskette, "to reverse our death spiral and become the healthy, stable, spirited and robust community it is today—evident in the large percentage of children and young adults in our church, and a sixfold increase in pledged giving in the last decade." "Real Good Church" is a testament to Baskette's and First Church Somerville UCC's success, and a gift of hope for all churches that find themselves struggling to keep their doors open. What makes "Real Good Church" unique in the field of church growth books? It's practical. It actually tells churches what they can do—and how to do it. It offers beginning and intermediary steps for growth and renewal. Churches, no matter what situation they're in, will be able to jump in and get to work. It has a sense of humor. Baskette's easygoing, often self-deprecating writing style and approachable strategies will empower the reader and their church to revitalize itself. (If her church could do it, we can, too!)