Marketing the church is hot. For many church leaders, marketing might even be the first article of their creed, which goes something like this: We believe that our church determines its identity and mission through the tactics of marketing strategies. Theologians Kenneson and Street offer a thoughtful and provocative protest, with a foreword from Stanley Hauerwas. The authors expose the theological presuppositions that inform the marketing project. . . and help us to see that the marketer's presumption that form can be separated from content of the gospel betrays an understanding of the gospel that cannot help betraying the gift that is Christ. The authors propose an alternative, constructive account of the church's mission and purpose that is not based on exchange of value but on reminding us that the gospel is always a gift - a gift that makes impossible any presumptions that there can be an exchange between human beings and God that is rooted in the satisfaction of our untrained needs. The cross and resurrection challenge the world's understanding of what our needs should be.

It's one thing to market cars and deodorant and hamburgers. It's another thing, says Doug Webster, to market Jesus and the gospel. Standing up to a spate of books and seminars that urge churches to model their mission on Madison Avenue methods, Webster sounds an urgently needed wake-up alarm. Selling Jesus is a hard-hitting book that shows how Jesus is more than a product to be hawked, how seekers are more than a matter of meeting "felt needs." But Selling Jesus doesn't merely challenge. It moves beyond penetrating criticism to the next step, suggesting faithful and powerful alternatives to marketing the church. Selling Jesus is a necessary book for those who are beginning to wonder if evangelism and missions really aren't synonymous with product promotion.

With many evangelical churches being subscribed to pragmatic rather than scriptural patterns for worship this book calls for the Church to return to its scriptural roots.

Filling a lapse in the debate on the role of religious thought in economic theory, The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy, informed by the history of Catholic economic thought, shows that the long-seen contradiction between Catholic faith and support for the market economy does not exist.

"I read Phil's book, Rethink Communication, and it's excellent. I picked up several nuggets of wisdom for myself, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for practical ways to improve their communication. "-John Maxwell The church doesn't have a message problem. The church is facing a message delivery problem. The old communication playbook no longer works. What worked before isn't working anymore. It's time to rethink communication and leverage the greatest opportunities we've ever had to communicate in the church. In Rethink Communication, Phil Bowdle walks through the new reality for what attendance, engagement, and attention look like for the church. Then he offers a practical communication playbook you can use to communicate anything in your church-and actually connect. These practical tips and proven strategies will work regardless of size, staff, or budget. Communication has been overlooked for far too long in the church. It's time for that to change. It's time to rethink communication for the church.

Although written before much of the revolution in digital media, this book provides a lot of useful strategic input for those involved in media and Scripture Engagement.