Book Description: The collective work of twenty Christian leaders known for their expertise in Christian education, this book is an up-to-date, comprehensive resource on Christian education, with the emphasis on making disciples as Jesus instructed. This volume addresses spiritual formation for all age groups and gives guidance on how to develop an effective church discipleship ministry. The book shows church leaders how to provide for the spiritual formation of all age groups, including people with special needs, who are often neglected. The aim of the book is to forge a strong connection between what happens on Sunday and how people live every day. The goal is discipleship, stressing how to develop a congregation that is on mission rather than merely a group of people who convene on Sundays. The book contains a strong emphasis on missions as an integral part of church identity and activity. Church leadership must provide ways for growing and encouraging disciples in being on a mission for Christ. At the core of the book is Jesus' command to his disciples, including church leaders today, "Go . . . and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB). As we enter the third millennia of the Christian church, church leaders must learn and practice ways to truly obey Jesus' command. This comprehensive book provides guidance and inspiration for doing that. The Christian leaders who authored this resource also point to the urgent need to equip and involve lay people in all the work of the church. The authors call for church leaders to involve church members in planning, decision-making, and action rather than to promote, on purpose or by default, a spectator mentality. Citing Ephesians 4:11-12, the authors emphasize that a church's staff members exist to equip and deploy all believers in the mission and ministry of Christ. The book stresses guiding Christian leaders to move their church from a school-with-pews mentality to a place that heeds the biblical call to develop disciples. Instead of just maintaining members, church leaders must focus on making disciples in order for their congregation to be on a mission as a vibrant force for change in their community and around the world. WHO NEEDS THIS BOOK? University and seminary professors will find this volume a good choice for a textbook for preparing ministers for church ministry. It will also be a valuable tool for pastors, general staff leaders, and practitioners for the various age group staff and key volunteer leaders in the local churches.

Encouragement for students to reflect on the nature and task of ministry in the 21st century and to seek education to equip them for ministry.

Nearly eighty percent of all new churches fail, leaving countless discouraged church planters wondering why. Ben Arment answers their question with Church in the Making by identifying and expanding on three God ordained conditions that make for a successful church plant even before the doors open: Good Ground – just as Jesus based his ministry on the openness of people’s hearts, we must gauge the spiritual receptivity of our community before planting a church. If the people are not yet open to the Gospel, the first step is to cultivate their hearts. Rolling Rocks – momentum is also key to the success of new churches. If God truly builds his church, then our job is not to start from scratch, but rather to identify where he is already bringing people, funds, and other resources together for his purposes. Deep Roots – wherever there’s a church in the making, God provides a group of leaders who can align people and resources in order to achieve and sustain the church’s mission. Lone planters have a much less hope of succeeding, let alone surviving.

If the church is to thrive in the twenty-first century, it will have to take on a new form as it ministers to the 120 million unchurched people in the United States. Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century is still virtually the only available text on church planting in North America and beyond. In this third edition, readers will find material on the importance of healthy, biblical change in our churches, updated appendixes, insight on our postmodern ministry context, and strategies for reaching new population demographics such as Generations X and Y. Pastors, ministry leaders, and church planters will find the information and advice found in this book invaluable as they carry out their ministries.

Why are 80 percent of our congregations stagnant or dying? There are a variety of reasons. This book dives deeply into one of the main reasons--the failure to adapt to the cultural changes of our day. When the Reformation began 500 years ago it sparked a number of radical changes (like worshipping in the vernacular rather than in Latin, etc.) that shocked the church. Over time many saw the merit of those changes and adapted. In the very same way today, major cultural changes are taking place. Is the church open to understanding those changes? And are congregations making the necessary effort to appropriately adapt to them without compromising our central message, the Gospel of Jesus Christ? This "transformational manual" addresses the cultural shifts and provides practical and experience-based ideas to appropriately respond while keeping a strong emphasis on the Gospel of Jesus. Are you ready to become a 21st century church?