Bücher veröffentlicht von Abingdon Press

"A good education will land you a good job," "Be an entrepreneur/Start something in a garage or dorm room" and even "Jesus saves" are narratives that collapsed for the millennial generation (born 1982-2002). These narratives, amongst many similar social and religious ones, have lost their meaning and power as millennials question all authorities and struggle to flourish in a world come of age. With their needs for community and success, a strong spirituality, and believing that their gifts should be recognized and can make a difference, millennials increasingly find meaning and purpose outside the church. As they face economic uncertainty, reduced career prospects, unceasing change, as well as civic, global, and ecological uncertainties, however, a large number of millennials are overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression. Caught between hope and fear, millennials leave the church with their values of personal transformation, purpose, community, spirituality, social transformation and ecological awareness. Ironically the church often holds the same values.The Millenial Narrative is written for pastoral leaders who want to welcome millennials, both inside and outside their congregation. The book draws on the wisdom of the prophetic Book of Joel as a narrative worth living into. Drawing on Joel's three chapters, The Millenial Narrative empowers pastoral leaders to:- Facilitate the work of mourning Millennials are facing;- Envision a spiritual community that can welcome millennials;- Introduce a compassionate God that restores and indwells as the Spirit;- Reflect on God's judgment through the lens of accountability; and,- Support and encourage millennials to be a blessing to others.In addition, pastoral leaders will receive a sermon outline and material for adult education.

At its simplest, Mission Strategy is about aligning the what, who, how and when with God's why. Learn to implement Mission Strategy in your community of faith!Church and community relevance and vitality depends on leaders who see their situation through the lens of mission strategy. At its simplest, mission strategy is about aligning the what, who, how and when with God's why. The authors have lived Mission Strategy in a variety of bold ways and have helped others do the same. In doing so, they have created vitality in existing congregations and in newly formed clusters of churches. They have helped create zones of innovation and new ministry development.The sky is the limit when pastors, church leaders and laity in local churches begin emphasizing mission strategy in their conferences, regions, neighborhoods and churches.

William Barclay testifies to the Bible's unique value as an inspired book and gives clear advice on the best way to read it. He tells how the biblical writings came into being and finally gained acceptance as Scripture. And he explains the significance and the status of the Apocrypha. Most important of all, William Barclay presents the Bible as a book to be read and enjoyed today - a light in the darkness of a world that has lost its way.Barclay's original text has been edited and revised by Professor John W. Rogerson, who has also written a new introduction. Rogerson is the head of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield and an authority on the Old Testament. This is a required text for "Lay Speakers Lead Bible Study: Advanced Course." (Abingdon Press, 1997)Table of Contents: Foreward by Ronnie Barclay Prayers for Bible Study Introduction by John Rogerson The Making of the Old Testament The Making of the New Testament The Apocrypha How to Study the Bible The Inspired Book Aids to Reading Maps Index189 pages

The Word & Life series guides Korean readers to study the Bible more deeply and promotes better meditation on how the Bible's teachings can apply to our everyday life. Personal meditation and quiet time will be enhanced, and it will help readers change their lives by listening more closely and understanding God's Word. With study guides included, this series is designed for both individuals and small group study.

The Word & Life series guides Korean readers to study the Bible more deeply and promotes better meditation on how the Bible's teachings can apply to our everyday life. Personal meditation and quiet time will be enhanced, and it will help readers change their lives by listening more closely and understanding God's Word. With study guides included, this series is designed for both individuals and small group study.

Contains new information about unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls recently brought to light with translations of key passages and recent discovery of the movement behind the Scrolls in their own words.

The Inventive Age (the cultural turning following the Agrarian,Industrial, and Information ages) provides opportunities for reshapingall institutions and communities. Doug Pagitt brings to life tenInventive Age characteristics as they are experienced through thecommunity of Solomon's Porch - a holistic missional Christian communityin Minneapolis. These ten characteristics of Inventive Age culture willserve as a guide for those creating new faith communities and makingchanges in existing ones.

We live in changing times of significant cultural change. In theInventive Age (the cultural turning following the Agrarian, Industrial,and Information ages) how people think has changed. This has created anew context for Evangelism. Previous methods not only do not work, theyare often counterproductive.Evangelism in the Inventive Age is not a "e;next-level"e; resource for thosewho are already comfortable and confident evangelists, but is a bookfor the rest of us.For most Christians the issue of converting other people or sharingtheir faith is a troubled endeavor. Very few are in a comfortable placeof natural invitation, faithful integration, and hopefulness in sharingfaith.This book will create a new perspective on evangelism for the ordinaryperson who has extraordinary questions. Evangelism in the Inventive Ageis for those who have deep questions about the validity of evangelismand for whom evangelism does not come naturally.

What kind of communities are we forming? What story are we telling? Howcan we tell it more effectively? Pagitt takes on these questions andinvestigates the goals and roles of preaching in the Inventive Age.From the book: ';I find myself wanting to live with the people of mycommunity, where I can preach but not allow that to become an act ofspeech making. Instead, I want it to be a living interaction of thestory of God and the story of our community being connected by our truthtelling, our vulnerability, and our open minds, ears, and eyes allbrought together by the active work of the Spirit of God.'

Many books seek to predict the future of Christianity, but few help usgrasp the opportunities of the current situation and equip us tonavigate the present. Doug Pagitt, author, radio host, and pioneeringleader, does just that, offering fresh, optimistic insights andpractical suggestions. According to Pagitt, the last two centuries canbe divided into four epochs: Idyllic, Industrial, Informational andnow-Inventive. The Inventive Age - our currently reality - presentsdistinct opportunities for how faith communities think, what they value,and the tools they use. Pagitt offers leaders in Christian communities(and beyond) essential frameworks for participation in the InventiveAge.

Study the entire Book of Revelation starting with John's theology that teaches that Jesus, the exalted Christ, is the center of faith. Some of the major ideas explored are: personal religious experience; the living voice of God in the church today; advocating for what is right; distinguishing between good and evil; God's grace seeks to redeem; and covenant with God.More than 3.5 million copies of the series have been sold.This revision of the Abingdon classic Genesis to Revelation Series is a comprehensive, verse-by-verse, book-by-book study of the Bible based on the NIV. These studies help readers strengthen their understanding and appreciation of the Bible by enabling them to engage the Scripture on three levels:What does the Bible say? Questions to consider while reading the passage for each session.What does the passage mean? Unpacks key verses in the selected passage.How does the Scripture relate to my life? Provides three major ideas that have meaning for our lives today.The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words. The simple format makes the study easy to use.Updates will include:New cover designs.New interior designs.Leader Guide per matching Participant Book (rather than multiple volumes in one book).Updated to 2011 revision of the New International Version Translation (NIV).Updated references to New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible.Include biblical chapters on the contents page beside session lesson titles for at-a-glance overview of biblical structure.The simple format makes the study easy to use. Each volume is 13 sessions and has a separate leader guide.

Prayer nurtures our faith and encourages spiritual growth. This thematic Bible study calls individuals and small groups to a deeper life of prayer during the season of Lent. It guides readers to spiritual transformation and application of Bible study to everyday, practical life experience. By coming near the cross through prayer, we can know and imitate heart of Christ. This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during the Lent 2016 season. In addition to the main content, each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week. The focus emerges from the chapter content and encourages readers to engage in a spiritual practice or do something specific that will help them grow in faith. On the whole, this thematic seasonal Bible study series is designed for transformation and application of Bible study to everyday, practical life experience.

There is much that the church today can learn from the worship of the early church, particularly in the second century. This was a time when increasing numbers of gentiles were coming to the church with little or no previous knowledge of the Judeo-Christian tradition. How did the church train and instruct those who wished to join it? How did its worship, particularly in baptism and in communion, respond to the challenge of shaping and nurturing believers who would have to live their faith in a hostile environment? Today the church begins to face similar conditions. Growing numbers around us have little or no idea what our faith is all about. As such people seek membership in the church, and as we all seek ways to be faithful in the present environment, we have much to learn from the church in those earlier times, and particularly from its worship. La iglesia de hoy tiene mucho que aprender del culto de la iglesia antigua, particularmente de la iglesia durante el siglo segundo. En aquel tiempo cada vez eran ms los gentiles se acercaban a la iglesia sin saber mucho de la tradicin judeo-cristiana. Cmo era que la iglesia instrua y adiestraba a quienes deseaban unirse a ella? En qu modos el culto de la iglesia responda al reto de formar y nutrir a aquellos creyentes que tendran que vivir en un ambiente hostil? Hoy la iglesia se enfrenta a retos semejantes. Cada vez son ms nuestros contemporneos que saben bien poco acerca de la fe cristiana. Cuando tales personas piden unirse a la iglesia, y cuando nosotros mismos buscamos cmo ser fieles en el ambiente de hoy, la iglesia de aquellos tiempos tiene mucho que ensearnos, particularmente en lo que se refiere al culto.

The mission of The United Methodist Church is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." In order to carry out this mission, The United Methodist Church has defined seven pathways of ministry: developing new churches, transforming existing congregations, ending racism through expanding racial and ethnic ministries, teaching the Wesleyan model of discipleship, strengthening clergy and lay leadership, reaching and transforming the lives of new generations, and eliminating poverty in community with the poor. The United Methodist Council on Korean Ministries/Korean Ministry Plan has a vision to strengthen small group ministries for the local church to fulfill the mission of The United Methodist Church. The Korean Ministry Plan partnered with the National Association of Korean United Methodists to develop training material for small group ministry leaders that incorporated both Wesleyan tradition and Korean spirituality. This material was developed with the purpose of leading churches to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and for individuals to realize their individual spiritual gifts so that they could serve the local church and community better. Thus, we United Methodists may be disciples of Jesus Christ who experience the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the world. We welcome you into this journey of discipleship in small group ministry. We are genuinely looking forward to meeting you. --Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, President of the Korean Ministry Plan

Mary Had a Baby: An Advent Bible Study Based on African American Spirituals, written by Marilyn E. Thornton with material from the first edition by Cheryl Kirk-Duggan. Mary Had a Babyhas four sessions, one for each week of Advent, and is perfect for small groups, Sunday school, midweek sessions, and choir workshops. Each lesson includes Scripture, song lyrics, devotional and contextual information, and discussion questions to stimulate deepening faith and a sense of community. The book includes leader helps. The four spirituals featured in Mary Had a Baby are ';Mary Had a Baby,' ';Rise Up Shepherd and Follow,' ';Children, Go Where I Send Thee, '; and ';Go, Tell It on the Mountain.' A mp3 file of the four songs is available free with purchase of the study.

Power-boost your team's capacity to share faith without anxiety! Most churches and Christians target the wrong people with "evangelism" efforts. The model we use no longer works because it is passive, too polite, and focused in the wrong direction. We are not making new disciples, not adding significantly to Christ's transformation of the world. But there is hope and practical help for churches who are ready to take a new approach. Get Their Name by Bob Farr, Kay Kotan, and Doug Anderson outlines that hope and help. The Get Their Name Workbook provides the critical next step. Church leaders can use this resource with their teams, small groups, and staff to power-boost the book's ideas in their own church context. The workbook is formatted to function as an individual study, too. The Get Their Name Workbook: Creates conversation starters for group discussion or personal reflection Poses powerful questions, which can lead to honest and authentic reflection and evaluation Encourages group participants to process the information together, increasing understanding and commitment Stimulates calls to action, increasing the likelihood of real and sustainable change in the congregation

Faith in Jesus Christ incorporates all Christians into the body of Christ, the invisible communion of all believers. But the church, as a human institution, remains broken and unable to embody fully this unity or oneness. Too often, the failure of Christians to manifest God's love is rooted in differences in culture, traditions, or language that lead to fear and misunderstanding. This book brings together a collection of stories-of songs-that give the reader insight, that provide examples of how to share stories and learn from them, and that ultimately can lead to a new way of understanding the concepts of beloved community and the body of Christ.

On This Spirit Walk is a resource for small group study within the local church. Setting this resource apart is the list of Native American United Methodist writers who contributed to this work. This diverse group includes a cross-section of tribes and nations, ages and life experiences. The inclusion of indigenous activist and human rights advocate Rev. Liberato Bautista provides a powerful depth of vision to these voices.

Worship should be about more than just your ears. Worship means more when we're experiencing more than simply the spoken, read, and sung word. That's why Delia Halverson and Karen Appleby have written Creating Holy Space; to help us worship with our eyes as well as our ears.The book contains suggestions for worship visuals tied to each Sunday of all three years of the Revised Common Lectionary. These visuals can be assembled on the altar, placed elsewhere in the sanctuary, or photographed to be used for projection. The weekly entries describe each of the four readings for that Sunday, and suggest viuals appropriate to each, creating a multi-sensory experience of worship bound up with the day's lectionary theme.

An indispensable introduction that clearly addresses the important and complex questions about Israel and the Old Testament's relationship to the ancient Near East.

Often our Advent/Christmas journey is focused on us our memories, feelings, relationships and experiences. This study puts the focus on Gods action in Jesus Christ. It encourages participants to think more deeply in terms of the biblical, theological and spiritual meaning of the Nativity, while still applying it to their own life experience.

Jesus called his core leaders with a simple, paradoxical phrase: "Come, follow me."

Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of this beloved, never out of print, James Moore book with this special edition that includes a new introduction by the author. Why do we try to justify anything and everything we want to do? We use words, scapegoats, blaming other people, circumstances, past events, even evil spirits ( the devil made me do it! ) to attempt to excuse bad choices we make with our own free will. Moore challenges readers to recognize such situations and to grow beyond them. He addresses such sin as half-heartedness, spiritual arrogance, deception, overreaction, hostility, presumptuousness, losing spiritual balance, and more. He reminds us what our faith tells us about excuses, which is God . . . sees through. is more interested in forgiving us than in hearing our excuses. wants penitence not excuses from us. In his warm, embracing style, James Moore encourages us to seek forgiveness. After all, we are justified by the grace of a loving, caring, forgiving, God and not our eloquent excuses. Perfect as a 12 session small group study using the Leader Guide in back."