Breaking the Missional Code

Breaking the Missional Code PDF Author: Ed Stetzer
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 0805443592
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
The authors provide expert insight on church culture and church vision casting, along with case studies of successful modern missional churches.

Breaking the Missional Code

Breaking the Missional Code PDF Author: Ed Stetzer
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 0805443592
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Get Book Here

Book Description
The authors provide expert insight on church culture and church vision casting, along with case studies of successful modern missional churches.

Becoming Whole

Becoming Whole PDF Author: Brian Fikkert
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 0802481035
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
Western Civilization is wealthier, but it isn’t happier. We are the richest people ever to walk the face of the earth, but according to research, we aren’t becoming happier. Families and communities are increasingly fragmented, loneliness is skyrocketing, and physical and mental health are on the decline. Our unprecedented wealth doesn’t seem to be doing us much good. Yet, when we try to help poor people at home or abroad, our implicit assumption is that the goal is to help them to become like us. "If they would just do things our way, they’d be fine!" But even when they seem to pursue our path, they too find that the American Dream doesn’t work for them. What if we have the wrong idea altogether? What if the molds we are using to help poor people don’t actually fit any of us? What if the goal isn’t to turn other countries into the United States or to turn America’s impoverished communities into its affluent suburbs? In Becoming Whole (building on the best-selling When Helping Hurts), Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic look at the true sources of brokenness and poverty and uncover the surprising pathways to human flourishing, for poor and non-poor alike. Exposing the misconceptions of both Western Civilization and the Western church about the nature of God, human beings, and the world, they redefine success and offer new ways of achieving that success. Through biblical insights, scientific research, and practical experience, they show you how the good news of the kingdom of God reshapes our lives and our poverty alleviation ministries, moving everybody involved towards wholeness.

From Dependence to Dignity

From Dependence to Dignity PDF Author: Brian Fikkert
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 031051813X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
The church of Jesus Christ finds itself at a very unique moment in history. The average Christian living in the “economically advanced countries” enjoys a level of prosperity that has been unimaginable for most of human history. At the same time, over 2.5 billion people in the Majority World (Africa, Asia, and Latin America) live on less than $2 per day, with many of these people being Christians. Ironically, it is amongst the “least of these” in the Global South that the global church is experiencing the most rapid growth. All of this raises profound challenges to the global church. How can churches and missionaries in the Majority World effectively address the devastating poverty both inside their congregations and just outside their doors? How can churches in the economically advanced countries effectively partner with Global South churches in this process? The very integrity of the global church’s testimony is at stake, for where God’s people reside, there should be no poverty (Deuteronomy 15:4; Acts 4:34). For the past several decades, microfinance (MF) and microenterprise development (MED) have been the leading approaches to poverty alleviation. MF/MED is a set of interventions that allow households to better manage their finances and start small businesses. From remote churches in rural Africa to the short-term missions programs of mega-churches in the United States, churches and missionaries have taken the plunge into MF/MED, trying to emulate the apparent success of large-scale relief and development organizations. Unfortunately, most churches and missionaries find this to be far more difficult than they had imagined. Repayment rates on loans are low and churches typically end up with struggling programs that require ongoing financial subsidies. Everybody gets hurt in the process: donors, relief and development agencies, churches and missionaries, and--most importantly—the poor people themselves. This book explains the basic principles for successfully utilizing microfinance in ministry. Drawing on best practice research and their own pioneering work with the Chalmers Center, Brian Fikkert and Russell Mask chart a path for churches and missionaries to pursue, a path that minimizes the risks of harm, relies on local resources, and enables missionaries and churches to minister in powerful ways to the spiritual and economic needs of some of the poorest people on the planet. The insights of microfinance can play a tremendous role in helping to stabilize poor households, removing them from the brink of disaster and enabling them to make the changes that are conducive to long-term progress. Moreover, when combined with evangelism and discipleship, a church-centered microfinance program can be a powerful tool for holistic ministry—one that is empowering for the poor and devoid of the dependencies plaguing most relationships between churches in economically advanced countries and churches in poor nations.

Church in Hard Places

Church in Hard Places PDF Author: Mez McConnell
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433549077
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, paying particular attention to the downtrodden and the poor. As followers of Jesus, Christians are called to imitate his example and reach out to those who have the least. This book offers biblical guidelines and practical strategies for reaching those on the margins of our society with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The authors—both pastors with years of experience ministering among the poor—set forth helpful “dos” and “don’ts” related to serving in the midst of less-affluent communities. Emphasizing the priority of the gospel as well as the importance of addressing issues of social justice, this volume will help pastors and other church leaders mobilize their people to plant churches and make an impact in “hard places”—in their own communities and around the world.

When Helping Hurts

When Helping Hurts PDF Author: Steve Corbett
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 0802487629
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
With more than 450,000 copies in print, When Helping Hurts is a paradigm-forming contemporary classic on the subject of poverty alleviation. Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good. But it looks ahead. It encourages us to see the dignity in everyone, to empower the materially poor, and to know that we are all uniquely needy—and that God in the gospel is reconciling all things to himself. Focusing on both North American and Majority World contexts, When Helping Hurts provides proven strategies for effective poverty alleviation, catalyzing the idea that sustainable change comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out.

Beyond Poverty

Beyond Poverty PDF Author: Terry Dalrymple
Publisher: William Carey Publishing
ISBN: 1645083209
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
Answering the Cry of the Poor in a Million Villages The church is facing a strategic opportunity—85 percent of people living in extreme poverty around the world reside in villages. These villages are also home to the majority of the world’s least reached people. The church has historically played an active role in wholistic ministry and alleviating global poverty with a goal of encouraging sustainable community development. However, while these outreaches may succeed in “helping without hurting,” they still often focus on limited-scope projects that provide good solutions to a single community. In Beyond Poverty, Terry Dalrymple calls us to move beyond sustainable projects in a single village to transformational movements that multiply change from village to village and sweep the countryside. Through multiple case studies based on the actual experiences of more than 900 organizations in 135 different countries, this book tells the story of a large and growing network of ministries around the world using the strategy of Community Health Evangelism to change the life of the poor forever. The principles in this book are not just a theory, but proven strategy. The church is uniquely positioned to accelerate poverty alleviation worldwide. This book will help you understand the fundamentals of catalyzing transformational movements that make disciples among the poor while lifting whole communities out of cycles of poverty and disease. This is our moment! This is your opportunity to advance a global movement and answer the cry of the poor in a million villages.

The Hole in Our Gospel

The Hole in Our Gospel PDF Author: Richard E. Stearns
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781594153235
Category : Christian life
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A CBA Bestseller -- Two thousand years ago, twelve people changed the world. Stearns believes it can happen again. It's 1998 and Richard Stearns' heart is breaking as he sits in a mud hut and listens to the story Rakai, Uganda. His journey to this place took more than a long flight from the United States to Africa. It took answering God's call on his life, a call that hurtled him out of the presidential corner office at Lenox -- America's finest tableware company -- to this humble corner of Uganda. This is a story of how a corporate CEO faced his own struggle to obey God whatever the cost, and his passionate call for Christians to change the world by actively living out their faith.Richard Stearns has served as President of World Vision U.S. since 1998, having formerly been the CEO of Parker Bros. Games and Lenox, Inc. He and his wife, Renee, have five children of their own and millions more around the world.

Charity Detox

Charity Detox PDF Author: Robert D. Lupton
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062307290
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description
The veteran urban activist and author of the revolutionary Toxic Charity returns with a headline-making book that offers proven, results-oriented ideas for transforming our system of giving. In Toxic Charity, Robert D. Lupton revealed the truth about modern charity programs meant to help the poor and disenfranchised. While charity makes donors feel better, he argued, it often hurts those it seeks to help. At the forefront of this burgeoning yet ineffective compassion industry are American churches, which spend billions on dependency-producing programs, including food pantries. But what would charity look like if we, instead, measured it by its ability to alleviate poverty and needs? That is the question at the heart of Charity Detox. Drawing on his many decades of experience, Lupton outlines how to structure programs that actually improve the quality of life of the poor and disenfranchised. He introduces many strategies that are revolutionizing what we do with our charity dollars, and offers numerous examples of organizations that have successfully adopted these groundbreaking new models. Only by redirecting our strategies and becoming committed to results, he argues, can charity enterprises truly become as transformative as our ideals.

The Economics of Neighborly Love

The Economics of Neighborly Love PDF Author: Tom Nelson
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830889329
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
What does the good news of Jesus mean for economics? Marrying biblical study, economic theory, and practical advice, pastor Tom Nelson presents a vision for church ministry that works toward the flourishing of the local community, beginning with its poorest and most marginalized members and pushing us toward more nuanced understandings of wealth and poverty.

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire PDF Author: Jim Cymbala
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458758206
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
The Times Are Urgent God Is on the Move Now Is the Moment to ... ask God to ignite his fire in your soul! Pastor Jim Cymbala believes that Jesus wants to renew his people-to call us back from spiritual dead ends, apathy, and lukewarm religion. Cymbala knows the difference firsthand. Thirty-five years ago his own church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle, was a struggling congregation of twenty. Then they began to pray ... God began to move ... street-hardened lives by the hundreds were changed by the love of Christ ... and today they are more than ten thousand strong. The story of what happened to this broken-down church in one of America's toughest neighborhoods points the way to new spiritual vitality in the church and in your own life. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire shows what the Holy Spirit can do when believers get serious about prayer and the gospel. As this compelling book reveals, God moves in life-changing ways when we set aside our own agendas, take him at his word, and listen for his voice.