Ministry With The Forgotten

Dementia diseases represent a crisis of faith for many family members and congregations. Magnifying this crisis is the way people with dementia tend to be objectified by both medical and religious communities. They are recipients of treatment and projects for mission. Ministry is done to and for them rather than with them. While acknowledging the devastation of dementia diseases, Ken Carder draws on his own experience as a caregiver, hospice chaplain, and pastoral practitioner to portray the gifts as well as the challenges accompanying dementia diseases. He confronts the deep personal and theological questions created by loving people with dementia diseases, demonstrating how living with dementia can be a means of growing in faith, wholeness, and ministry for the entire community of faith. He also reveals that authentic faith transcends intellectual beliefs, verbal affirmations, and prescribed practices. Carder asserts that the Judeo-Christian tradition offers a broader lens, defining personhood in relationship to God’s story and humanity’s participation in God’s mighty acts of creation and new creation; thereby contributing to hope, community, and self-worth. Pastors and congregations will be better equipped to minister with people affected by dementia, receiving their gifts and responding to their unique needs. They will learn how people with dementia contribute to the community and the church’s life and mission, discovering practical ways those contributions can be identified, nurtured, and incorporated into the church’s life and ministry.

Alan Hirsch's paradigm-shifting classic remains the definitive statement of the church as dynamic missional movement. The bestselling first edition ignited a conversation about how to harness the power of movements for the future growth of the church. In this major update, Hirsch shares significant insights gained along the way, provides fresh new examples of growing churches, and reflects on the last ten years of the missional movement. The new edition has been thoroughly updated and revised throughout and includes charts, diagrams, an expanded glossary of terms, new appendices, an index, a new foreword by Ed Stetzer, and a new afterword by Jeff Vanderstelt. Known for his innovative approach to mission, Hirsch is widely acknowledged as a thought leader and mission strategist for churches across the Western world. He considers The Forgotten Ways the guiding work to all of his other writings. The book explores the factors that come together to generate high-impact, exponentially explosive, spiritually vibrant Jesus movements in any time and context. This extensive update to Hirsch's influential work offers a system of six vital keys to movements that will continue shape the future of the missional movement for years to come.

While secularized cultures of the West have a great deal of difficulty dealing with the spiritual as a real, non-imaginary dimension of life, most of the world's peoples do not. Having worked and studied among peoples of several non-Western societies, Marguerite Kraft is convinced that coming to terms with spiritual power presents one of the greatest challenges for all those who work among non-Westerners in pastoral or mission situations. 'Understanding Spiritual Power' addresses the dynamics of the felt need for spiritual power in relation to a people's assumptions, values, and commitments, in order to provide a foundation for meaningful Christian witness in power-oriented societies. The Western Church, Kraft argues, under pressure from modern rationalism, has largely lost awareness of God's power and position vis-a-vis the spiritual realm so important in other societies. (Indeed, this loss of power could be one reason for the interest in Eastern and New Age philosophies on the part of Westerners disillusioned with the modern worldview.) Having worked among the Kamwe in Nigeria, the Thai in Asia, and the Navajo in North America, Kraft focuses on specific ways in which people in these three societies view reality and suggests how the gospel can be articulated in forms they can understand. 'Understanding Spiritual Power' offers a theological as well as a practical perspective on spiritual power. By exploring living societies, providing examples and case studies, and offering specific strategies, this book makes a powerful case for rethinking and recasting traditional missiological methods. At the same time, it helps Western Christians with ears to hear question whether they might not learn as much from those with whom they work as they seek to teach.

While many of us struggle to understand it, the Trinity is one of the most important teachings of the Christian faith. It defines God's very essence and describes how he relates to us. And while it can be a difficult concept to get our heads around, it is crucial for believers to understand how God explains his triune nature in his Word. In this book, James R. White offers a concise, understandable explanation of what the Trinity is and why it matters. While refuting the distortions of God presented by various cults, Dr. White shows how understanding this teaching leads to renewed worship and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian. And amid today's emphasis on the renewing work of the Holy Spirit, The Forgotten Trinity is a balanced look at all three persons of the Trinity. May this book deepen your understanding of this important doctrine while also drawing you closer to the triune God himself.

New York Times-bestselling author Francis Chan offers an in-depth study on the true source of the Church’s power – the Holy Spirit. As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Despite this, Chan contends we have neglected the Spirit for far too long. Expounding on the message of the bestselling Forgotten God, this interactive workbook is designed to initiate and facilitate both individual study and small group discussion. This workbook includes: Streaming access to video study resources Discussion prompts with space for journaling Scriptural references for reflection Perfect for individual study, a seven-week small group study, churches, youth groups, college campus ministries, or retreat weekends, Remembering the Forgotten God offers a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives.

You're probably missing some of the most interesting books of the Bible. In the Jewish tradition, the five books known as "The Five Scrolls" perform a central liturgical function as the texts associated with each of the major holidays. The Song of Songs is read during Passover, Ruth during Shavuot, Lamentations on Tisha B'av, Ecclesiastes during Sukkot, and Esther during the celebration of Purim. Together with the five books of the Torah, these texts orient Jewish life and provide the language of the faith. In the Christian tradition, by contrast, these books have largely been forgotten. Many churchgoers can't even find them in their pew Bibles. They are rarely preached, come up only occasionally in the lectionary, and are not the subject of Bible studies. Thus, their influence on the lives and theology of many Christians is entirely negligible. But they deserve much more attention. With scholarly wisdom and a quick wit, Williamson insists that these books speak urgently to the pressing issues of the contemporary world. Addressing themes of human sexuality, grief, immigration, suffering and protest, ethnic nationalism, and existential dread, he skillfully guides readers as they rediscover the relevance of the Five Scrolls for today.

The Bible teaches that the church is the fullness of Christ on earth (Eph. 1:23) and that God is able to do abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within the church (Eph. 3:20). So why are so many people disappointed with their church experiences? Why do so many outsiders view the church as irrelevant? Why do so many hop from one church to the next looking for fulfillment? Why are so many professing Christians seeking a form of Christian experience that no longer needs any connection with the organized church? The truth is that we have collectively drifted away from Gods blueprint for growing the body of Christ up into full maturity and attaining the fullness that he designed. We have inherited a leadership model that is more influenced by pagan practices, pragmatism, and capitalism than by the Scriptures. This cultural inheritance is extremely powerful, and it has resulted in a contemporary blind spot on a biblical truth of critical importance. It has led to our modern failure to properly recognize and appreciate a gift given by Jesus to his bride! This is the bad news. The good news is that reform is possible. Learn what has been forgotten, and rediscover the fullness of Gods design for his church!

In The Forgotten Desert Mothers, Laura Swan introduces readers to the sayings, lives, stories, and spirituality of women in the early Christian desert and monastic movement, from the third century on. In doing so, she finally sets the record straight that women played an important and influential role in early Christianity, indeed a role that has been long overshadowed by men. She begins with an exploration of the historical context and spirituality of the desert ascetics. Then she weaves together the sayings of the major desert ammas, or mothers, along with commentary that invites readers to reflect on their own spiritual journey as they share their wisdom. The book then journeys between desert, monastery and city to reveal the stories of ascetics and solitaries whose stories are rarely heard, organized in the author's own alphabetical collection. The Forgotten Desert Mothers demonstrates, like no other work, that women have long had a history of leadership in Christianity. This engaging, eye-opening, and insightful work targets all faith seekers looking to reclaim the history and spirituality of the women who came before them, as well as to understand their own inner journey. It will be a welcome addition to courses on early church history, women's studies, and religious studies.

This book seeks to throw light on the reasons which have given rise to the superficial image of Spurgeon as a genial Victorian pulpiteer, a kind of grandfather of modern evangelicalism. Even before his death in 1892 newspapers and church leaders disputed over the features of his life which entitled him to fame. Not his 'narrow creed' but his 'genuine loving character' was most worthy of remembrance said one periodical, echoing the general view. When Joseph Parker contrasted the hard Calvinism preached at Spurgeon's Tabernacle with the praiseworthy Christianity exemplified in his orphanage, The Baptist protested that the man about whom Parker wrote 'is not the Spurgeon of history'. But the distortion continued and Spurgeon forecast how the position he help might fare in years to come: 'I am quite willing to be eaten by dogs for the next fifty years but the more distant future shall vindicate me'. This book traces the main lines of Spurgeon's spiritual thought in connection with the three great controversies in his ministry.