For almost the entire period of its existence, the Church has fought to stay spiritually alive. Now, we face a faith crisis of global proportions - particularly for our youth who are meant to lead us in the future. Re:New - A Case for Spiritual Renewal in the 21st Century explores the critical need for examination and spiritual renewal at all levels. This renewal will repair the leakages in our wells, filling us afresh with the life of Christ and of His Spirit, which will then overflow to transform the world. This is the Renew Movement! In the first book of the Re:New series, Pastor Jervis Djokoto explains the urgent call to action for all spiritual leaders and Christians to launch a spiritual revolution grounded in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Discover how you can join in at a Renewal Hub to spark the journey for you as an individual and your entire Church community. REVIEWS "As the Western Church is in decline and the Global Church is exploding, the question before us is how does renewal take place in both contexts long-term? This book is one of many being written by the next generation of global Christian scholars that is so encouraging and needed right now. Jervis has brought together biblical insight, robust theological reflection, has used his personal journey to give a strong way to move forward in the power of the Holy Spirit in both directions. This conversation is key for us as we try to see the kingdom of God grow, especially in globally influencing multicultural cities like Toronto, where I serve." -- Dr. JON THOMPSON, Senior Pastor, Sanctus Church, Canada and author of Convergence: Why Jesus needs to be more than our Lord and Savior to thrive in a post Christian world. "Churches in the Global north are in a period of spiritual decline as believers get pulled into formal religion or abandon the faith all together. But Jervis Djokoto, a Canadian millennial pastor and Doctoral student of Ghanaian descent is out to change that. In a hope-filled compelling fashion, Djokoto's Re:New - A Case for Spiritual Renewal in the 21st Century Church argues that the same experiential, Spirit-centered, communal and embodied movement of God that shifted the center of Christianity to the global south is available to all countries and communities. Joel 2 speaks of the Holy Spirit being poured out on all flesh. That means in these last days there are renewal catalysts everywhere being moved by God to personal revitalization. Djokoto shares his personal story of transformation and then invites other change agents to join him in local networking hubs that prioritize spirituality over structures and have a willingness to wait as long as it takes for the Spirit to come. The result will be a creative contextualized gospel where Jesus the ultimate cure reverses the signs of sickness in our culture. Here is a clarion call to be taken very seriously." -- JAMES PENNER, Lethbridge-based speaker, sociologist and lead author of Hemorrhaging Faith: Why and When Canadian Young Adults Are Leaving, Staying and Returning to Church. "In his call for spiritual renewal, Pastor Jervis is not offering a new formula but instead is suggesting we slow down and pay attention to the work the Spirit has been doing all along. Jervis makes his point via a survey of church history, theology and global Christianity. Spiritual vitality has consistently emerged as God works through the church's weakness and frailty. This book rings true because it emerges from the author's own spiritual journey as he has learned to listen and discern the voice of the Spirit." -- REV. DAN SHEFFIELD, pastor/church-planter, adjunct lecturer at Tyndale Seminary and author of The Multicultural Leader.

If the church is to thrive in the twenty-first century, it will have to take on a new form as it ministers to the 120 million unchurched people in the United States. Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century is still virtually the only available text on church planting in North America and beyond. In this third edition, readers will find material on the importance of healthy, biblical change in our churches, updated appendixes, insight on our postmodern ministry context, and strategies for reaching new population demographics such as Generations X and Y. Pastors, ministry leaders, and church planters will find the information and advice found in this book invaluable as they carry out their ministries.

Relationships are a wonderful, mysterious, often elusive, sometimes painful part of the human experience. The most intimate of all human relationships, according to the Bible, is that between a husband and a wife. It is no surprise, therefore, that there is a book of the Bible, the Song of Songs, that focuses on this relationship. What is surprising is how little attention is given to the Song of Songs by scholars, by the church, and by readers of the Bible. With this volume Tremper Longman III unpacks for modern people what this ancient love poem says about the male-female relationship -- and, by analogy, about God's love for his people. Longman's superb study begins with a thorough introduction to the Song of Songs and its background. Longman discusses the book's title, authorship, date, literary style, language, structure, cultural milieu, and theological content. He also canvasses the long history of interpretation of the Song of Songs, a history too often characterized by repression of the text. In the commentary itself, Longman structures the Song of Songs according to its twenty-three poetic units and explains its message verse by verse. The exposition is made clearer by Longman's adoption of an anthropological approach to the text and by his frequent comparisons of the Song of Songs with other ancient Near Eastern literature. Learned yet highly accessible, innovative yet fully informed by past scholarship, this commentary shows the beautiful Song of Songs to be a timeless celebration of human love and sexuality.

The Southern Baptist Convention is currently facing issues that challenge its identity, heritage, and future. In The SBC and the 21st Century, key leaders—including Jason Allen, Frank Page, Ronnie Floyd, Thom Rainer, Albert Mohler, Paige Patterson, David Platt, and Danny Akin—address critical issues such as: · Will the SBC grow more unified around shared convictions and mission or will it fragment over secondary concerns and tertiary doctrinal differences? · Will the SBC be able to maintain a distinct Baptist identity while engaging and partnering with the broader evangelical community? · Will the SBC be willing to reimagine its structures, programs, and efforts to effectively reach the world for Christ or will it risk being a past-tense denomination? This volume not only promotes meaningful dialogue, it calls leaders throughout the SBC into action. Extensive thought, research, assessment, and wisdom from some of the SBC’s brightest minds have been poured into this volume with the intent of rendering a helpful contribution to SBC life that will propel forward the collective work of Southern Baptists well into the 21st century.

Deep Faith Meets High Tech here in The Renewal of Preaching in the Twenty-first Century. A communications revolution is sweeping through the churches leaving some on fire and others burned out. This work shows what makes the difference for church leaders and communities who are using new media to advance Christian preaching. Join them by recovering the great tradition and expanding it through creative use encouraged by artists and filmmakers as well as preachers and professors. This work explores ways to maximize the promise of preaching and confront the perils leading to the renewal of church and society. Beginning with review of the situation today, we proceed step by step through the preparation and presentation of the sermon leading to transformation. The sermon in the local parish is seen as the microcosm of the macrocosm that is the communication of God's good news. "Rooted in a knowledge of and respect for traditional worship, David Randolph accurately assesses the difficulty facing mainline traditions in speaking to today's visual culture. But he doesn't stop there. He eloquently outlines a course of action that gives emphasis to the visual and, in particular, to the use of what he terms `new media.' Renewal of Preaching is a must read, not only as a text for those preparing for ministry, but also for long-time pastors seeking new ways of speaking to today's generation."---Joan Brix Carter Dean of College of Art and Design, Olivet University