More Than 52 Churches

In More Than 52 Churches: The Journey Continues uncover more adventures, more insights, and more struggles. More than 52 Churches is an insightful journey for church members, an essential guide for church leaders, and a hopeful encouragement for church visitors.

You've read More Than 52 Churches. Now it's time to put thoughts into action. This workbook will guide you-if you dare let it.Consider 175 thought-provoking questions to propel your faith forward. Discover how the narrative of More Than 52 Churches can help inform your church community and reform your spiritual journey.?Explore the diversity of Jesus's church and your essential role in it.?Expand your perspectives of worshiping God and serving Jesus.?Extend your faith practices to embrace a more holistic perspective of what it means to truly follow Jesus.Casual Christians need not apply. More Than 52 Churches gave us more faith communities to consider and more faith practices to ponder. Now The More Than 52 Churches Workbook provides gentle, but challenging, questions to turn stimulating ideas into life-altering change.?Move from spiritually passive to practical.?Transform from self-satisfied to self-sacrificing.?Change from a church consumer to a church champion.Then contemplate the three keys to becoming an engaging church and the essential role you play in making that happen. If you feel it's time to move from the sidelines and get into the game, The More Than 52 Churches Workbook provides the game plan to get you there.

If you want to know your church’s weaknesses and strengths, you must look at it through the eyes of a visitor. That’s exactly what Peter DeHaan does as he shares an insider’s perspective on dozens of churches. What can we learn from the churches that line our cities and small towns, even if we never step foot inside? Christian churches around the world are immensely varied in their size, interpretation of the Bible, and worship style, but there is one thing that unites them all: their belief in Jesus. In More Than 52 Churches, the sequel to 52 Churches, you’ll team up with Peter DeHaan as he travels to another twenty-four Christian congregations to observe, learn, and grow. Although this book is a sequel, it can be read as a standalone. As each church experience unfolds, you’ll discover greater diversity and new insights from a wide range of worship services and personal encounters with other believers. In More Than 52 Churches, you’ll discover: • How to celebrate the amazing diversity of the local church and her worship styles • Different ways that church visitors experience your church and why that’s important • How churches effectively minister to their congregations • The vital importance of church fellowship and personal connection • Insights to help you better connect with visitors Ideal for members or church leaders, you’ll get a unique perspective and broader understanding of church denominations, sizes, and worship styles. The book will help believers understand that a one-size-fits-all congregation will never adequately represent all churches. Instead, every church should embrace their strengths and identify their weaknesses so that they can better serve the world around them. With insightful commentary and a unique perspective into church communities, you’ll catch a greater vision for how we can appreciate every kind of church, even when it doesn’t look like the church we call home. You might even discover how you can make your church an even better one—just by experiencing it as a visitor does. Get More Than 52 Churches and discover how you can reimagine your church today.

Visit fifty-two churches in a year? No way! Peter DeHaan and his wife did just that. They spent a year visiting a different Christian church every Sunday: Protestant mainline, evangelical, and charismatic; Roman Catholic too. He visited a congregation just like yours. Count on it. You’ll laugh. You’ll cringe. You’ll cry. Church-reform proponent Peter DeHaan is a strong advocate of forming meaningful Christian community. And he shares his discerning journey of discovery to inspire ministers, members, and attendees to build personal connections that matter. This isn’t a church-shopping romp or a mean-spirited critique. Peter doesn’t rip at today’s church. Instead he offers a gift of encouragement, hope, and insight to all of Jesus’s followers. Plus, he shares astute observations and makes spot-on suggestions. Then build on the narrative of 52 Churches with the thought-provoking follow up: The 52 Churches Workbook. In it, consider 200 challenging questions to grow your faith. Ideal for group discussion or individual introspection. But that’s not all. Read more church encounters in More Than 52 Churches. Followed by The More Than 52 Churches Workbook. More experiences and more reflective considerations. Read the 52 Churches Boxset for education, read it for entertainment, and read it for the vision gained only from visiting a diverse array of churches. These books are ideal for ministry leaders, members, and spiritual seekers. Get your copy of the 52 Churches Boxset to begin your own exploration of religious practices!

If you could visit a different church each Sunday for one full year... Where would you go? Who would you see? What would happen to your faith? After a string of bad first dates and no church to call home, Dave Boice chronicles his yearlong spiritual journey in search for something more. What started as a simple endeavor to find a hometown church turned into a thrilling spiritual adventure that is sidesplittingly witty and deeply emotional. From the streets of Manhattan to the beaches of Orange County, Boice explores numerous denominations including Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Quaker, Greek Orthodox, Christian Science, and other churches. From 20,000-seat megachurches to being the lone congregant at a Scientology service, no building was too big (or as a visit to "The World's Smallest Church can attest) too small. He danced with Pentecostals in Arkansas, immersed himself in prayer with monks that make beer in Massachusetts, and headbanged at a church known for heavy metal music in Ohio. You'll hear sermons from some of Christianity's most widespread preachers (Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes), most intellectual (Tim Keller and Os Guinness), most emergent (Nadia Bolz-Weber and Jay Bakker), to even the most curious (Todd Burpo from Heaven is For Real). Boice's unique undertaking and honest reflection reveals startling epiphanies and insights that will engage both believers and skeptics. 52 Churches in 52 Weeks is a must-read for anyone who wrestles with faith in the 21st century.

Could many churchgoing Christians be getting a diluted Christianity—one that diminishes the loving, giving, personal God who provides the believer everything in life? Author Steve McVey passionately but unwittingly taught from the pulpit the very lies he now exposes. Forthrightly but humbly, he shows how pastors and churches can end up distorting scriptural truths because of their preconceptions. Opening up the Scriptures freshly, Steve examines typical problems such as Leaving out half of the truth: “Becoming a Christian means having your sins forgiven.” (We also are made alive!) Using “shorthand” that promotes an unbiblical view: “Our sins are under the blood of Jesus.” (Far better, they’ve been taken away!) Confusing our role with God’s: “Salvation is giving your life to Christ.” (More important, He gives His life to us!) Readers will see that God’s undiluted truth is always best...and brings a fulfilling, close relationship with Him.

They say there’s no such thing as a perfect church. Well, one author decided to test that theory out for himself. Peter DeHaan spent an entire year roaming from one church to another, visiting 52 different Christian congregations. In the process he learned what makes these places of worship unique, what makes newcomers feel like they belong, and what cringe-worthy shenanigans are guaranteed to keep visitors from ever coming back. In his travels, Peter learned about different denominations and worship styles as well as what happens when imperfect humans gather together in the name of a perfect God. What he discovered was occasionally funny, always interesting, and at times absurd. So absurd that he wrote a book about his experiences. 52 Churches is part religious exposé, part travel memoir, and 100% authentic. Peter refuses to hold back his punches. You’ll cringe when this Christian author is singled out by a fire-and-brimstone preacher, unnecessarily determined to save his soul out of hell. You’ll find yourself thankful that you weren’t in Peter’s shoes when the pastor told his congregation to greet one another with a holy kiss. You’ll read about Christian practices that are far different from your own, and in the process gain a deeper understanding of believers from all walks of life and denominational backgrounds: Protestant mainline, evangelical, and charismatic, Roman Catholic, and more. If you’re a pastor trying to engage newcomers, a seasoned church member looking for some chuckles, or a spiritual lurker curious about what goes on beneath the steeples of America’s churches today, this book was written for you. Read 52 Churches now for an insightful, unforgettable read about the strange and mysterious believers who meet together behind closed doors each and every Sunday.

Gain insight into one of the most intriguing books of the Bible: Revelation The end times. The second coming. When Jesus returns. No matter how you refer to the last book of the Bible, Revelation is an epic battle between good and evil. Through evocative imagery that sparks our imagination, the final book in the New Testament can both intrigue and confuse believers. Stop spinning your wheels, trying to unlock the secret code of what might happen when, how, and where. A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation will help you read Revelation and study it with the goal of applying it to your life today. Even if you’ve been in church your whole life, it will inspire you to hope in Christ’s return and the establishment of a new heaven and earth. Through forty daily readings, you’ll discover how Revelation can best inform what we do, think, and believe today. A combination of Bible study teaching through a devotional style, you’ll discover practical and understandable insights you can apply to your life and spiritual journey right now. In this Bible study devotional on Revelation, you’ll: • gain a fresh approach to the book of Revelation • explore how to apply it to your life in meaningful ways • gain a broader and more impactful view of John’s Revelation • hold on to hope that good will triumph over evil in the end • trust in a God who holds the past, present, and future in his hands Join Peter DeHaan, a lifetime student of the Bible and founder of the A Bible a Day website, in this study on Revelation that will teach and encourage you. Through forty daily insights, you’ll gain practical application about the final book of the Bible and feel more confident in your understanding of this often-confusing book. Through short readings, application questions, and additional biblical references, you’ll receive hope and assurance that God is in control over every future event. This book is ideal for individuals, small groups, and Bible studies. If you’ve ever wondered how Revelation can apply to your life, then start with A New Heaven and a New Earth to discover what God’s final words can teach you. Get your copy today.

Comparing physical poisons to the spiritual poisons, authors identify ailments that affect the body of Christ in order to prevent the breakdown and decay of the church.

Veteran church consultant calls church leaders back to the hope that God can and does restore churches, equipping them with practical tools to bring about healthy growth.