To win the game, you need the whole team Pastor Jim Putman, a former wrestler and coach, helped his staff build Real Life Ministries into an army of thousands. But there was a problem. Early on too many sat on the sidelines. Not enough wanted a piece of the action. His voice was faltering from so many sermons and he teetered on the edge of burnout thanks to the mixed blessing of an enormous but needy flock. So he hit his knees. Hard. God's solution surprised him. Putman and his entire leadership team stood before the congregation and gave up. They were done carrying the whole load. There were too many spiritual babies and they needed mature believers to step up. They knew there must be some raw talent hidden in the pews. God led them to use a Bible-based strategy for ministry revitalization that can help bring your church to the next level. Whether you're a burned-out leader or someone ready to tackle an active role in your congregation, Church Is a Team Sport will lead you to both personal growth and renewed spiritual strength. If you're ready to get the whole team in the game, this is the playbook that will show you how to make it happen.

Most Christians already know that they should be telling their friends about Jesus. But they have been poorly equipped with methods that are no longer effective in today's post-Christian world. As a result, many people become frustrated, blame themselves, and simply give up. Evangelism in a Skeptical World is a textbook on evangelism that is ideal for the church or the classroom to equip Christians with the principles and skills they need to tell the unbelievable news about Jesus to friends in a skeptical world. Many of the older principles and methods of evangelism in the twentieth century no longer work effectively today. In a post-Christian, post-churched, post-reached world we need new methods to communicate the timeless message of the gospel in culturally relevant ways. Dr. Chan combines the theological and biblical insights of classic evangelistic training with the latest insights from missiology on contextualization, cultural hermeneutics, and storytelling. Every chapter is illustrated with real-world examples drawn from over fifteen years of evangelistic ministry. These are methods that really work - with university students, urban workers, and high school students - getting past the defensive posture that people have toward Christianity so they can seriously consider the claims of Jesus Christ. Field-tested and filled with unique, fresh, and creative insights, this book will equip you to share the gospel in today's world and help as many people as possible hear the good news about Jesus.

The Christian Athlete is a gospel-centered guide that assists athletes who identify as Christians and are seeking to understand how to practically apply their faith to their sport. Athletes desire—and deserve—a more substantive expression of the Christian faith in the context of sport, but they don’t know what it looks like or where to turn to learn more. Author Brian Smith shares his story as an athlete and coach, and his experience working with high-level athletes in the last decade to help readers better understand how to integrate faith and sport by: Assisting those who want a wide-angled understanding of how to live the Christian faith in the context of sports Walking through the many questions Christian athletes ask about winning, losing, injuries, practice, and everything in between Moving Christian athletes from simply having clichéd spiritual sayings decorating their bodies or t-shirts to actually living out their faith through all the opportunities their sport offers them The Christian Athlete will show readers how to live out a biblical perspective on athletics and urge them to engage in the gifts they are given to glorify God whether they are the team MVP or riding the bench.

An indispensable source of advice and encouragement for the small church pastor, including how to formulate a mission while understanding the cultures of the community and the church.

The rules have changed. We can continue following rules that no longer apply, or we can craft a new game plan. As a church leader, which approach will you choose? In Should We Change Our Game Plan, George (Chuck) Hunter methodically lays out the foundational arguments for a radically new approach. He begins with a survey of where we have been, examining the secularization of our world. He shows a clear picture of where we are now, new rules and all. He then discusses four critical aspects of church life that we must evaluate and re-shape, if we are to fulfill Christ's mission in this new age. Hunter's writing is clear, thorough, eminently credible, and enjoyable. Game Plan is an excellent resource for all church leaders who need help in understanding (or explaining) why and how the Church must change.

An Invitation to Deeper, More Joyful, and Rewarding Relationships with God and Others None of us is lovable all of the time. People are unreasonable, arguments flare, feelings are hurt. And no one can make us feel worse than those closest to us. It's easy to fall into the trap of closing ourselves off in order to protect ourselves, rather than opening ourselves up for relationship with each other. But think of who Jesus invited into his life and ministry. They weren't always lovable. Yet he modeled perfect love for us and showed how the mark of a spiritually mature believer was always love. In The Power of Together, pastor and author Jim Putman uncovers the core of true discipleship with an in-depth, biblical look at how Jesus always invited people into relationship with himself. He loved them with God's perfect love and, in the process, showed everyone around him that the act of following God is the act of extending and receiving love that endures all things.