The Christian story, from Genesis until now, is fundamentally about people on the move—outgrowing old, broken religious systems and embracing new, more redemptive ways of life. It’s time to move again. Brian McLaren, a leading voice in contemporary religion, argues that— notwithstanding the dire headlines about the demise of faith and drop in church attendance—Christian faith is not dying. Rather, it is embarking on a once-in-an-era spiritual shift. For millions, the journey has already begun. Drawing from his work as global activist, pastor, and public theologian, McLaren challenges readers to stop worrying, waiting, and indulging in nostalgia, and instead, to embrace the powerful new understandings that are reshaping the church. In The Great Spiritual Migration, he explores three profound shifts that define the change: ∙ Spiritually, growing numbers of Christians are moving away from defining themselves by lists of beliefs and toward a way of life defined by love ∙ Theologically, believers are increasingly rejecting the image of God as a violent Supreme Being and embracing the image of God as the renewing Spirit at work in our world for the common good ∙ Missionally, the faithful are identifying less with organized religion and more with organizing religion—spiritual activists dedicated to healing the planet, building peace, overcoming poverty and injustice, and collaborating with other faiths to ensure a better future for all of us With his trademark brilliance and compassion, McLaren invites readers to seize the moment and set out on the most significant spiritual pilgrimage of our time: to help Christianity become more Christian.

With powerful true stories and specific activities for readers to try, this participant's guide to the inspirational book shows how to live out faith in a way that improves people's lives.

The study Way of Life will help groups approach and engage the spiritual, theological, and missional proposals in Brian McLaren’s book The Great Spiritual Migration. This participant guide provides an introduction to the main text and can also stand alone with additional commentary and questions. The book also contains new content from Brian McLaren, including personal devotionals written to accompany each section. In The Great Spiritual Migration, Brian McLaren argues that in order to survive, Christianity must shift away from an outdated system of beliefs to a way of life based on love. In order to achieve this, McLaren outlines three migrations: spiritually, Christians focus less on doctrine and more on the abiding life of love made manifest in Jesus; theologically, a new way of reading Scripture shifts away from literalism and toward a more generous, literary approach; and missionally, the new way of life leads to “organizing religion,” rather than organized religion, in which spiritual activists are committed to ecological, economic, and interfaith concerns.

The study Way of Life will help groups approach and engage the spiritual, theological, and missional proposals in Brian McLaren’s book The Great Spiritual Migration. The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the four-week study including session plans and discussion questions, scripture, prayer, opening activities as well as multiple format options.

Companions in Christ is designed to develop you as a leader in guiding the spiritual life of your congregation. This resource gives you an overview of the Christian spiritual life and the practices that help people enter into the formative pattern of Christ's life: a life of prayer, study and service. Help your small-group members move from information (knowledge about) to experience (knowledge of) in the means of grace--ways in which Christ meets people, renews their faith, and deepens their life together in love. This revised Leader's Guide provides detailed guidance for leading a small group through the 28 weekly sessions. The plans have been tested and refined by groups in churches across the country. This books contains all you need, including --the Getting Started Guide, which was formerly a separate piece --a revised plan for a Closing Retreat --Weekly Needs at a Glance --page references for both the comprehensive 1-volume Participant's Book and the new 5-volume series

This participant's guide from Barton, designed for use with the six-session Sacred Rhythms DVD study, provides guidance for groups in a way that links the disciplines of the Christian faith to the most compelling desires of the human soul.

Take the Next Step Perfect for individual or group study The Finding Your Way Back to God companion Participant’s Guide explore the idea that we all want to find our way home – and back to God. The participant’s guide offers Bible investigation, life application questions, and prayer exercises help you take positive action on your desire to find God.