Many American Christians today are not sure what spiritual maturity is or how to get there. Thomas Bergler has written this accessible guide to help both individuals and whole faith communities to grow spiritually. Bergler claims that spiritual maturity - which he defines as basic competence in the Christian life - is not only desirable but attainable, and he identifies its character from pertinent New Testament passages. He further offers a wealth of practical, research-based guidance for effectively fostering spiritual maturity in Christian believers and entire congregations. -- Publisher.

In From Here to Maturity Rodney follows up his highly successful autobiography The Landlords Son with the continuation of his life story, including the formation and running of his Construction Company. A story of a colourful life in all its phases; happy, traumatic, challenging, controversial and sad. The book covers Rodney’s charitable voluntary work, legal challenges and family life. Personal recollections of a life between the 70's and modern day. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to the British Heart Foundation.

Expert guidance on how to grow up in Christ This book is a follow-up to Thomas Bergler’s acclaimed work The Juvenilization of American Christianity, which documents how church youth ministries over the past several decades have contributed to a process of adolescent spiritual traits becoming accepted and even celebrated by Christians of all ages. This “juvenilization” in the church is a real problem that must be addressed, says Bergler, and in his new book he addresses it head-on. Bergler’s From Here to Maturity is an accessible guide for helping both individuals and whole faith communities to grow spiritually. Bergler claims that spiritual maturity -- defined as “basic competence in the Christian life” -- is both desirable and attainable, and he effectively presents a biblical theology of spiritual maturity, identifying its traits from pertinent New Testament passages. Adapting Dallas Willard’s model of spiritual formation and applying it to congregational life, Bergler offers a wealth of practical, research-based guidance as to how Christian leaders can effectively foster spiritual maturity in their congregations. He also identifies six key faith-sustaining factors and provides a system for evaluating a church’s state of spiritual maturity and steps for improving it. Ecumenically friendly, From Here to Maturity will be useful to individuals and leaders from many different churches and theological traditions.

Pop worship music. Falling in love with Jesus. Mission trips. Wearing jeans and T-shirts to church. Spiritual searching and church hopping. Faith-based political activism. Seeker-sensitive outreach. These now-commonplace elements of American church life all began as innovative ways to reach young people, yet they have gradually become accepted as important parts of a spiritual ideal for all ages. What on earth has happened? In The Juvenilization of American Christianity Thomas Bergler traces the way in which, over seventy-five years, youth ministries have breathed new vitality into four major American church traditions -- African American, Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic. Bergler shows too how this "juvenilization" of churches has led to widespread spiritual immaturity, consumerism, and self-centeredness, popularizing a feel-good faith with neither intergenerational community nor theological literacy. Bergler s critique further offers constructive suggestions for taming juvenilization. Watch the trailer:

Once Upon a Time There Lived a precocious little girl with slightly unruly hair who shot free throws with her brother on the backyard basketball court, dressed up in snazzy outfits and shiny strap shoes, and thought her big sister was the most gorgeous creature since Brigitte Bardot. This little girl grew into a smart teenybopper with bouffant hair who surreptitiously passed notes to her best friend in study hall, dressed in snug-fitting bell-bottom trousers and the scantiest miniskirts, and held hands with her boyfriend at the Uptown Theater. Finally, Deborah Paul grew into a very bright, sophisticated lady who savors long baths, conducts Internet searches for her discontinued favorite bra, and knows exactly what's wrong with doctors today. Her hairdo changes are still the talk of the town, as is the professional success of this woman who now serves as vice president and editorial director of Emmis Publishing. This collection of bright, breezy, pertinent (and sometimes impertinent) personal essays by the prizewinning and distinguished editor spans a writing career of some twenty years. Longtime fans and anyone interested in exceptionally well-written, pithy, and often humorous commentary on the passing scene in America will savor this treasury of tales. Book jacket.

It seems that much of American Christianity has lost sight of the goal of growing to maturity in Christ. This loss of vision has had serious consequences for the quality of our witness and ministry. In Aiming at Maturity, Steven W. Rankin seeks to bring back into focus key qualities of spiritual maturity and summarizes important biblical passages to show the scriptural foundations that call for spiritual maturity. Rankin also addresses certain tendencies in popular Christian culture to reduce doctrinal truths to sound bites with the laudable but counterproductive goal to make doctrine memorable, therefore applicable. Thinking more expansively about certain key doctrines related to the work of Christ and the impact of grace contributes to growth toward maturity in a way that popular descriptions of these doctrines do not. Finally, Rankin also challenges readers to consider the important role of emotions in developing Christlike dispositions, which contribute toward producing the fruit of a mature Christian life. By looking at relevant modern research, Aiming at Maturity shows the inherent connection between thoughts and feelings that draw us closer to the actual biblical description of the heart.