Seasoned ministry leaders know that volunteers are hard to find. Parents are often busy and stressed. Youth workers get confused and burnt out. It's easy to be discouraged by or question the impact of your church's children's ministry!Cynthia Brown, author of Energizing Your Children's Ministry, deeply understands the eternal significance of children's ministry. That's why she gathered her vast experience (over 40 years in children's ministry) and personal anecdotes into a practical tool for church workers and volunteers who are passionate about outreach to God's littlest disciples.She starts with the foundational understanding that re-evaluating your children's ministry is as basic as your ABCDs: assess your church's needs, build relationships, create a leadership team, and then define the focus.These crucial steps are key in creating and leading children's programs that inspire and educate children and their families.So whether you teach Sunday school, VBS, preschool, or another children's ministry, this inspiring book will encourage you to intentionally and prayerfully reach children with the Good News of the Gospel.
The Message worth dying for . . .The government tells fifteen-year-old Simon Clay everything he needs to know. Except what really happened to his mom. And why no one can go out at night. And why the Darkness is so dangerous.By day, Simon pushes against every boundary there is. And by night, secret visitors and hidden messages make him question everything his life entails.There's a truth out there to be discovered, a truth the government will stop at nothing to stamp out. Join Simon and the Messengers as they risk their lives to protect it.Book one of The Messengers Series.
Does God hate me for getting a divorce?A survival guide for Christians who are navigating the minefield of divorce. Author Donna Pyle has been through it. She knows what it's like, dealing with the anger, struggling with the idea of forgiveness. From a firm biblical standpoint, she gives clear steps on how to deal with the trauma and grief, helping readers understand that though they are wounded, they are not defeated.Includes questions for reflection, prayer outlines, and journal prompts.
You're standing on a bridge that extends into an unknown destination. As a Lutheran educator, your vocation is an exhilarating mix of steady theology and shifting cultural trends. Talk about an age-old challenge! Each new generation of Lutheran educators creatively confronts the collision of God's Word with a changing world. This is by no means an easy task, but it matters to the Church eternally.And so it's with humility and a teachable spirit that educators like you often tap into the wisdom of teachers past and present. From sixteenth-century reformers to colleagues across the hall, fellow sojourners fuel, inform, and shape your passion for top-notch Lutheran education.That's why The Pedagogy of Faith: Essays on Lutheran Education offers a one-of-a-kind gift to our teaching community in the twenty-first century. Never before has there been a more diverse collection of authors and topics distilled into a single text on Lutheran education. The authors-theologians, professors, DCEs, school staff, missionaries, parents, and more-collectively represent hundreds of years in the educational arena.This book is not a blueprint but rather a starting point for your own thoughts, prayers, and reflections. "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses . . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1 ESV).
When children are in their early elementary school years, their minds are actually at the peak time for easy rote memorization. And yet, many Protestant churches begin formal confirmation instruction years after this formative period. What are the effects of this lapse in time? Too often, young teens fall away from their church after confirmation-a trend that will hurt future generations of families.After assessing current trends in the faith development of youth, Dr. David Rueter wrote Teaching the Faith at Home: What Does This Mean? How Is This Done? to reveal why the historic model of teaching the catechism early in the home is key in keeping families connected to the Church. Part 1 focuses on laying a foundation for understanding the history, purpose, and theological reasons for catechesis. And Part 2 is a very practical look at strategies and models for catechetical instruction that can be shared at church and used in the home.Catechesis that's grounded in family life is not a new idea, but it's one that our fast-paced culture often forgets and would do well to remember and cherish.
The people of Zion are at it again.Two of their very own are getting married, and everyone is pleased as punch to be hosting Bradbury's wedding of the century. Their collective joy is short lived, however, as busted air-conditioners, melting cakes, and a trip to the emergency room intrude upon the celebration.Yet the congregation rallies. Led by Pastor Fletcher and the stalwart Mrs. Scheinberg, they turn in faith to God's promises of life and salvation to see one another through trying days that demand patience, prayer, and perhaps another batch of cinnamon rolls.Emily Duke, Pastor Fletcher, and the rest of Zion's quirky flock return in this compelling sequel to House of Living Stones, proving that life in a small town is anything but small.
Christians encounter hostility and subtle persecution in the U.S. and face open persecution in other parts of the world. We are called to turn the other cheek, but in what other ways would God have us respond? This book provides biblical perspectives to help understand the challenge of persecution and how God promises to guide, use, and sustain us. Features: The biblical perspective on hostility and persecutionHow God would have us respondRecent trends of hostility and persecution toward Christians in the U.S. and worldwidePositive options for a response reflecting the Gospel and life under God's graceLearn the answers to questions like these:What kinds of hostility do Christians encounter?When does hostility spill over into persecution?What are the underlying roots found in sin, spiritual warfare, and opposition to Christ?How can examples from Scripture improve our understanding of persecution?What are God's priorities, and how does that motivate Christians?How does God support and encourage us during times of difficulty?How can we respond?
The Pastor At Prayer is a devotional resource designed to assist pastors in their prayer life, strengthen them in their ministry, and provide basic readings and a framework for daily prayer and meditation on God's Word. Features:A Lutheran, pastoral, devotional prayer guide, centered in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.A comprehensive reading of the Scriptures and the Confessions forms the heart of the resource.This revision presents all the prayers in contemporary style, and updates all referenced texts to those currently available.
People remain thankful for science, but they also recognize that science does not hold all the answers. In fact, they see that science can raise more questions than it answers, driving people on further quests for understanding truth, and contentment. Faith and Science in a Skeptical Age shows Christians how to respond to a world focused on finding answers to life's mysteries by exploring current topics and their impacts on our culture.Topics covered include:Heaven and hellNear-death experiencesAngelsDemonsMiraclesAlien explorationStem cell researchCloning, and moreFaith and Science in a Skeptical Age is a companion to our Faith on the Edge Bible study series.
Do you ever wonder what your next step should be? If there is more to life? Do you crave something better? More than security or wealth success or popularity, what we really need is to be loved, to matter. But with all our inner strength and the world's create-your-own destiny attitude, with all our technology and know-how and savvy, we are helpless to truly satisfy that craving on our own. God's intention was never for us to have a dissatisfied, self-critical spirit. In His eyes, each of us is irreplaceable, carefully crafted, designed for a unique and noble purpose. And He is determined to reach us. Throughout the ages, amid all of the world's selfish rebellion, unthinkable corruption, ugly swirl of violence, and abject godlessness, the Lord God has shown that He works in a consistent and beautiful way. He draws close to us. He enters our existence. God reaches into our lives, turns us around, and fulfills every desperate, yearning, miserable need. God offers us grace. Pure, lavish, unending grace. Discover the life you crave.Features:Discussion questions for each chapterAccessible to all people of all faithsAnecdotes from contemporary everyday life, history, and the BibleDirects reader to apply Scripture to his or her life
The first aspect of this guide is a resource that provides a basic understanding of mental health from both psychological and spiritual perspectives. It offers readers a deep understanding of the value of both perspectives and shows how they work together for the care of souls. Also included are guidelines to help the congregational community become a center for wellness. Christian Concepts for Care gives readers a unique understanding of the spiritual basis to mental health and to the development of mental and emotional disorders. The second aspect of this book is a detailed guide of mental and emotional disorders. It offers explanations on how one can work with such disorders in a healing community, on when referrals should be made to professionals, and on how pastors and congregations can work in positive ways to support members during and after treatment. This book equips pastors and congregations to become a part of the member's wellness. While Christian Concepts for Care offers descriptions of mental health issues and disorders, it is not of a textbook on various illnesses and clinical prognoses. Rather, it is a unique resource that shows the spiritual nature of these disorders. As a result, readers gain a new perspective that gives hope and a practical way to apply faith. Christian Concepts for Care engages pastors, parish nurses, and professional church workers who are called upon to offer care and counseling, as well as lay congregational leaders who support the "professional" staff of the congregation. It equips workers (and those preparing to work in these fields) with the tools they need not only to better understand mental and emotional disorders but also to offer effective spiritual care. Features:Provides basic understanding of mental health from both a psychological and spiritual perspective.Gives valuable insight into the development of mental and emotional disorders.Shows how psychology and spiritual perspectives can work together for the care of souls.Supports pastoral care as an essential part of supporting members with mental and emotional disorders.Offers strategies for referral to mental health professionals in the community.Assists pastors and church professionals in understanding the role of pastoral care and congregational support in the care and life of those with mental and emotional disorders.
About this VolumeWalther's sermons reflect not only the importance of Walther as leading theologian of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the first decades of its existence but also his extraordinary gifts as a preacher. Now in English, Walther's sermons will give you today a peek into the powerful preaching of the first president of the LCMS.The sermons are printed unchanged in content and form. They originate from the Walther's almost 30 years as pastor of the first German Evangelical Lutheran (Joint) congregation of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession in this country, which for some time past consists of four areas with four churches: Trinity, Immanuel, Zion, and Cross Churches. Gospel Sermons Volume 2 covers The Time of the Church (The Season after Pentecost, including sermons for several feast days).Experience this explanation of God's Word by C. F. W. Walther and know that Christians are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His [God's] own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). This was the Bible verse Walther put on one of the first pages of the German edition of his Gospel sermons.
About This VolumeYour salvation rests on Jesus Christ alone. While the foundation is sure, how will you build your life upon that foundation? Scripture is full of encouragement for living holy Christian lives full of the joys (and the crosses) that come with living a life of service toward God and neighbor.This volume will equip you to:¿ Find Jesus where He has chosen to reveal Himself-in Church and in His Word¿ Learn with the disciples how to pray-the Lord's Prayer¿ Live out the Jesus-centered life through your vocation¿ Live out the Jesus-centered life in your familyAbout The SeriesThe You Can Do It Series encourages and equips believers to live out life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, being formed and shaped by God's Word. Written in a clear and encouraging style, each of these topical books gives Christians achievable goals for strengthening their faith and relationships. Each book features a consistent presentation of a topic in five parts with each part consisting of a presentation, summary, discussion questions, and several action steps.Books In The SeriesUnderstand the Bible BetterWitness ChristMake Your Marriage StrongerRead the Bible PrayerfullyHave a Faithful Prayer LifeAppreciate Science and Love the BibleHave a Stronger FamilyLive a Jesus-Centered LifeMake Your Congregation a Caring Church
Our salvation is not dependent on how we feel, but certainly our relationships with one another very often are. Fostering and nurturing good relationships, removing stumbling blocks of perception and communication, and sweating the details, both inside and to the outside of the congregation, are key to having a caring congregation. This volume will equip you to:Establish a pattern of caring that flows out of the Means of GraceValue taking care of the details as a means of showing careFind ideas and ways to care for the community around the churchCare for the called, elected, and volunteer workers in the congregationNurture and support the members of the congregationAbout The SeriesThe You Can Do It Series encourages and equips believers to live out life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, being formed and shaped by God's Word. Written in a clear and encouraging style, each of these topical books gives Christians achievable goals for strengthening their faith and relationships. Each book features a consistent presentation of a topic in five parts with each part consisting of a presentation, summary, discussion questions, and several action steps.
We want to be faithful in our prayers, but even if we know how to pray, how can we make time to pray? How can we be faithful in our prayers? How often should we pray? For whom should we pray? This volume will equip you to:See regular church attendance as the best foundation for a faithful prayer lifeMake time to prayPrepare to prayUse God's own Word to shape your prayersMeet the struggle that leads to a faithful and regular prayer lifeAbout The SeriesThe You Can Do It Series encourages and equips believers to live out life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, being formed and shaped by God's Word. Written in a clear and encouraging style, each of these topical books gives Christians achievable goals for strengthening their faith and relationships. Each book features a consistent presentation of a topic in five parts with each part consisting of a presentation, summary, discussion questions, and several action steps.
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