Ministry Book of the Year--The Gospel Coalition 2017 Book Awards The critical missing element in Christian mentoring today: the congregation "Bringing up future leaders isn't just the job of the pastor but of the whole congregation. This is an urgently needed book in churches today." --R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Young, emerging leaders of the church, many of whom have gone through leadership training and traditional mentorship programs, still too often find themselves unprepared for the realities of ministry. Many leave the ministry altogether, overwhelmed. Phil Newton reveals a critical gap: single-source mentorship is incomplete. Mentoring must involve the congregation, not just senior pastors, in order to bring forth mature, resilient leaders prepared for all that ministry entails. The solid, practical solutions in The Mentoring Church offer churches of any size both the vision for mentoring future leaders and a workable template to follow. With insightful consideration of theological, historical, and contemporary training models for pastor/church partnerships, Newton is a reliable guide to developing a church culture that equips fully prepared leaders.

My timely book seeks to, among others, to appreciate and congratulate all men and women of God in ministry; and also encourage them for their continued dedication in leading the flock under their pastoral care as Chief Shepherds. Bravo! On a more concerned and passionate note, the book seeks to equip the pastor/leader with some basic ministerial skills for sound, fruitful, untiring and ever-lasting soul-impacting ministry, devoid of any abuses either covertly or overtly. My final aim is to challenge the pastor/leader to be professional and current for contemporary ministry because society is becoming more scientific, technological, academic, intellectual, argumentative, and above all, critical, and skeptical. Our local communities are increasingly becoming more violent, confused, frustrated, socially darker and gloomy, stressful, and uncontrollable. The pastoral services of the pastoral/leaders thus become inevitable, crucial, and critical because communities look up to the spiritual leader. Indeed, the pastor/leader is the radiant light of hope, a beacon of light of inspiration, and encouragement to many. The challenge is for all pastors/leaders to lead their respective local communities to greater heights as Gods ambassadors and the Called/Chosen for our present generation, and further work harder to hand over a better holistic legacy to the next generation. The Gospel must be preached in its fullest entirety uncompromisingly in season and out of season, devoid of any excuses. Let the Body of Christ be more united than ever to build a New Church that is modeled after the life of Christ. The Church that is anointed and empowered with answers to address the multiple-problems and the myriad of challenges facing the 21st century and beyond.

There is nothing more fundamental to the Christian faith and to building godly men than discipleship. In today’s vernacular, discipleship would best be described as “Spiritual Mentoring.” Why are discipleship and mentoring so important? How does discipleship connect to the struggles men face today? Discipleship is a relational process that requires people to become actively involved in their faith. Devoted and active men can change the direction of our culture. Most importantly, God has commanded men to be the leaders in the home, church, and community. Authentic discipleship is about developing a caring concern and a genuine love for others through modeling Christ-like attitudes and behavior in the context of relational environments. A fresh approach is needed to define, implement, and equip men with a passion to make disciples. It starts with relationship. Because it all starts with the individual, we must see one-on-one discipleship as the primary objective to begin the revolution. The Spiritual Mentor will explain how men can rescue their faith and how spiritual mentors must play a critical role in bringing the church back to its original purpose. Features include: Metaphors, anecdotes, and practical applications Practical tools for becoming a spiritual mentor Discussion questions Dr. Jim Grassi has captured the essence of what is happening today with men in the church and defined logical and practical steps to get back on course of men gaining a closer relationship with God in the mentoring and discipleship process. Dr. Grassi illustrates "the how to" thru practical examples of situations we all know and can relate. Dr. Grassi sets the tone for a modern day Haggai in being strong and staying courageous, putting in the effort by serving and working at the process, and lastly knowing that God never leaves your side and is always with you. This book is a must read and must have for reference of every men's ministry leader. - Darrel Billups, NCMM, Executive Director Our men’s small group just finished reading and discussing The Spiritual Mentor. We found the book to be challenging, informative and very practical. The stories and illustrations are captivating, giving insight into principles and techniques of discipleship. As fathers and grandfathers, we want to first be a positive influence on our families and then on others with whom we come in contact. This book has raised the level of our awareness of the responsibility and opportunity to serve God in fulfilling the most important directive given us by our Lord: to make disciples. Thank you for sharing your insight and experiences with us. - Norman Thomas, Administrative Pastor, Valley Assembly

This book isn’t for someone looking to fill pews or increase numbers in their ministries. Place Matters is for people who want to see kingdom growth through authentic and intentional relationship between the community and church. Coauthors Coz Crosscombe and Bill Krispin use biblical expositions, strategic principles, and real-life stories to present the church’s role in its local community. If you seek to share the powerful, life-transforming gospel of Jesus Christ in your surrounding community, this book is for you.

Lauded for his thoughts, Augustine of Hippo (354-430) has influenced virtually every philosopher of the last fifteen hundred years. But his personal character and ministry are even more remarkable, for in a time when most monastery dwellers sought solitude, Augustine was always in the company of friends, visiting disciples and writing mentoring letters to those he knew. Augustine as Mentor is written for modern day pastors and spiritual leaders who want to mentor and equip other evangelical Christians based on proven principles in matters of the heart like integrity, humility, faithfulness, personal holiness, spiritual hunger, and service to others. Author Ed Smither explains, “Augustine has something to offer modern ministers pursuing authenticity and longing to ‘preach what they practice.’ Through his thought, practice, success, and even failures, my hope is that today’s mentors will find hope, inspiration, and practical suggestions for how to mentor an emerging generation of spiritual leaders.”

A challenging, innovative approach to a delicate subject. It’s sure to benefit church leaders and members of all ages who dream of a “reinvented” church. —Publishers Weekly Has your church been stolen out from under you? A storm hits a small New England town late one evening, but the pelting rain can’t keep a small group of church members from gathering to discuss issues that lately have been brewing beneath the surface of their congregation. They could see their church was changing. The choir had been replaced by a fl ashy “praise band.” The youth no longer dressed in their “Sunday best.” The beautiful pipe organ sat unused. How will this group overcome a deepening rift in their fellowship and nourish the relationship between the young and old? Can their church survive or even thrive? Who Stole My Church? is a fictional story that tells the all too real tale of many church communities today. In this book you can walk alongside an imaginary community, led by real life pastor Gordon MacDonald and his wife, Gail, and discover how to meet the needs of all believers without abandoning the dreams and desires of any.

The art of mentoring, like all great arts, is a grace to be received, a gift to be given, and a skill that can be learned and practiced. This book explores the practice and grace of that art. The pastors in these pages share their hard-won experience of mentoring and being mentored, their wobbles and successes, insights and wisdom harvested from years in the vineyard.