When human beings are involved in any endeavor, conflict is inevitable. But the best fight is the one a church never has to have because its members have been intentionally cultivating practices that lead to peace and preserve unity. Whether they are dealing with conflict right now or hoping to avoid it later, church members, pastors, and ministry leaders will benefit from the proactive approach to peacemaking found in The Peacemaking Church, which will equip them with the knowledge and practices they need to instill in their church leadership and membership. Foreword by Ken Sande.

It is hard to deny that todayÆs world can seem apathetic toward Christians. Some may look down at their iPhones when we mention God, motion for the check when we bring up church, or casually change the subject when we talk about prayer. In a world full of people whose indifference is greater than their desire to know Christ, how can we dream of growing the church? In Contagious Disciple Making, David Watson and Paul Watson map out a simple method that has sparked an explosion of homegrown churches in the United States and around the world. A companion to Cityteam's two previous books, Miraculous Movements and The Father Glorified, Contagious Disciple Making details the method used by Cityteam disciple-makers. This distinctive process focuses on equipping spiritual leaders in communities where churches are planted. Unlike many evangelism and church-growth products that focus on quick results, contagious disciple-making takes time to cultivate spiritual leadership, resulting in lasting disciple-making movements. Through Contagious Disciple Making readers will come to understand that a strong and equipped leader will continue to grow the church long after church planters move on to the next church. Features include: Engagement tools for use in the field Practical techniques to equip others to make disciples

Conflict abounds in the church of Jesus Christ. Reconciliation within the body, however, will not happen with the right 'method' or 'set of principles.' In Making Peace, readers are challenged to place their church and all of its dissension under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

"Here's a powerful, biblical antidote to despair!"--LEE STROBEL, New York Times bestselling author God's peace, his shalom, can penetrate every aspect of your life--spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Although the word shalom appears 550 times in the Scriptures and was a constant theme in Jesus' teachings, it is a neglected topic today. As a result, God's peace has been elusive to so many followers of Jesus. This book charts a course of shalom for you! As Greg Laurie writes in the foreword, since we are made in God's image, you could say we have been prewired for happiness. We are prewired for hope. We are prewired for peace. If you are longing for healing and wholeness, noted Bible scholar Jeremiah J. Johnston will help you discover how to · Unleash shalom in your life · Live and apply shalom in God's world · Protect your shalom in difficult times This uplifting book is also helpful for ministry leaders and everyone else who recognizes the church's incredible opportunity today to help individuals and families dealing with anxiety, worry, and mental pain. Let this be your guide into the peace that passes all understanding. Shalom! "This is more than surviving; we are offered the gift of truly flourishing."--SHEILA WALSH, author of Holding On When You Want to Let Go "In this reassuring meditation on Christian happiness... Johnston's mix of scholarly and uplifting notes will speak to solace seekers and their ministry leaders alike."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“The fruit of the Spirit working through millions of believers by faith could literally change the world…This is must reading for every sincere believer!” – Dr. Bill Bright, founder and president of Campus Crusade for Christ International Would you like true joy? Healthy relationships? To live free from anxiety? You actually can if you let God’s Spirit grow His fruit in your heart. Your witness for Christ is only as good as the fruit your relationship with Him produces. The Fruit of the Spirit points you toward a lifestyle that makes the gospel you proclaim attractive to others because they can see its results in your everyday life, emotions, demeanor, and actions. Drawing from Biblical examples, Trask and Goodall share insights that both challenge and encourage. They offer true-life examples of the difference you, too, can make when you let the Holy Spirit reproduce the character of Jesus within you.

Since the early days of the Church, Christians have struggled to come to terms with Christ's words of peace and His example of peace. In Christ's life, as recorded in the New Testament, it is striking that He neither killed anyone nor summoned any of His disciples to kill. Indeed, the final miracle Christ performed before His execution was to heal an enemy's wound, an injury caused by the Apostle Peter in an attempt to defend his master. Yet, in the course of more than twenty centuries of Christian history, we see Christians often involved in war and, in surveying the calendar of saints, find not only those who refused to take part in war but also those who served in the military, though no one has been canonized due to his skill as a soldier. Besides the millions of Christians who have fought in armies, often against fellow Christians, we also find many priests, bishops and theologians who have advocated war and blessed its weapons. Our subject is an urgent one. Many people today live either near conflict areas or are directly touched by war or in areas where terrorist actions may suddenly occur. Everyone on the planet is in some way affected by wars in progress or wars in the making as well as the consequences of wars in the past. Every day thousands of Christians struggle in thought and prayer with some of the most difficult of questions: May I fight injustice by violent methods? Am I allowed to kill in combat? Are there limits on what I can do in the defense of my country? Am I as a Christian allowed to disobey demands that I believe are unjust or violate the Gospel? When the demands of my country seem at odds with the demands of the Kingdom of God, how do I respond to this conflict? Rarely do we find easy answers to these and similar questions. Thus, those of us in the Orthodox Christian tradition search for help in Holy Scripture, the canons provided to us by ecumenical councils, the witness of the saints, the writing of the Fathers of the Church as well as theologians of recent times. Imitation of saintly forebears alone, however, will not solve our problems. Different eras have adopted different attitudes. Also many of today's problems never existed before, not least the changed character of war in an era of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and mass propaganda. Yet knowledge of the thought and action undertaken by the Orthodox Churches on the issues of war and peace in recent decades surely can help us find ways out of the dead ends that many communities are experiencing today. This is the aim of this book.