The rich tapestry of nearly 2,000 years of church history overflows with persons, places, events, dates, and ideas. This volume in the popular ZondervanCharts series visually organizes large amounts of information from the history of the church for greater understanding and ease of reference. Students, teachers, pastors, and church history buffs will find this collection a valuable reference, one they will turn to again and again for their own information and for teaching others. This revised and expanded edition contains 126 charts (43 of which are new) that cover the history of the ancient church, the medieval church, the Reformation, the modern European church, the American church, and more. The accessible visual presentation assists in grasping not only facts, but parallels, contrasts, and relationships between those facts. Besides the charts themselves, a helpful bibliography and index are included.

"Church is not a meeting you attend or a place you enter," write pastors Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. "It's an identity that is ours in Christ. An identity that shapes the whole of life so that life and mission become 'total church.'" With that as their premise, they emphasize two overarching principles to govern the practice of church and mission: being gospel-centered and being community-centered. When these principles take precedence, say the authors, the truth of the Word is upheld, the mission of the gospel is carried out, and the priority of relationships is practiced in radical ways. The church becomes not just another commitment to juggle but a 24/7 lifestyle where programs, big events, and teaching from one person take a backseat to sharing lives, reaching out, and learning about God together. In Total Church, Chester and Timmis first outline the biblical case for making gospel and community central and then apply this dual focus to evangelism, social involvement, church planting, world missions, discipleship, pastoral care, spirituality, theology, apologetics, youth and children's work. As this insightful book calls the body of Christ to rethink its perspective and practice of church, it charts a middle path between the emerging church movement and conservative evangelicalism that all believers will find helpful.