This workbook is a vital resource for everyone who partipates in 40 Days of Community. Features include: 40 days of devotional readings based on the "One Anothers" of the Bible; 40 days of journaling pages for you to record your thoughts and prayers in response to your devotional reading; The complete study guide for 40 Days of Community small group video lessons taught by Pastor Rick Warren, author of the best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life. - Back cover.

In each session you will learn how to fulfill God's five purposes for your life within the context of community.

In this six-session small group Bible study 40 Days of Community, pastor Rick Warren illustrates God's plan for us to fulfill his purposes in the context of community rather than in isolation. Designed for use with the corresponding DVD and Devotional Journal (both sold separately).

You are about to embark on a journey of discovery. Throughout this six-session video-based study taught by Rick Warren you are going to discover the answer to life+s fundamental question: "What on earth am I here for?"And here's a clue to the answer: "It's not about you ... You were created by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.-The Purpose Driven Life DVD Study Guide is designed to be used with The Purpose Driven Life DVD. Whether you are going to experience this adventure with a small group or on your own, this six-session video-based study will change your life.This study has been used by over four million people during the 40 Days of Purpose Campaigns in churches all over the world. When combined with the reading of The Purpose Driven Life, the book Publishers Weekly declared the "bestselling nonfiction hardback in history- this study will give your small group the opportunity to discuss the implications and applications of living the life God created you to live.

Contemporary society is in crisis, its structures broken and fragmented, and its people overstimulated, overstressed, and thirsty for true communion with the sacred and with one another. Yet although more than eighty-five percent of congregations in the United States conduct small-group ministry, too many of these groups begin with no clear sense of purpose, structure, or spiritual focus and end by veering away from Christian tradition and unknowingly settling for shallow versions of popular Christianity. In The Church and the Crisis of Community Theresa Latini lays out both a theoretical groundwork and a practical guideline for successful small-group ministry. Examining the latest sociological research and the real-life practices of small groups in six congregations, she shows how well-developed groups those with mission statements, leadership training, and solid organizational structure can be a truly effective tool in the church s work of transforming broken and shallow forms of community into life-giving, life-sustaining relationships with God and others.

In a society overrun by commercial clutter, religion has become yet another product sold in the consumer marketplace, and faiths of all kinds must compete with a myriad of more entertaining and more convenient leisure activities. Brands of Faith argues that in order to compete effectively faiths have had to become brands – easily recognizable symbols and spokespeople with whom religious prospects can make immediate connections Mara Einstein shows how religious branding has expanded over the past twenty years to create a blended world of commerce and faith where the sacred becomes secular and the secular sacred. In a series of fascinating case studies of faith brands, she explores the significance of branded church courses, such as Alpha and The Purpose Driven Life, mega-churches, and the popularity of the televangelist Joel Olsteen and television presenter Oprah Winfrey, as well as the rise of Kaballah. She asks what the consequences of this religious marketing will be, and outlines the possible results of religious commercialism – good and bad. Repackaging religion – updating music, creating teen-targeted bibles – is justifiable and necessary. However, when the content becomes obscured, religion may lose its unique selling proposition – the very ability to raise us above the market.

Over the past fifteen years, small groups have become a vital way to build community in large churches. Nowhere has this been more apparent than at Saddleback Church. Now Steve Gladen, pastor of small groups at Saddleback, shares the secrets of that ministry's incredible success in creating small groups with purpose. This practical book walks church leaders through the questions they need to answer to develop their own intentional small group strategy. Built around the most commonly asked questions, Small Groups with Purpose outlines the step-by-step process of creating a successful small group ministry. Because it is built upon principles and not methods, this plan can be implemented in any size church. Each chapter ends with a list of questions for readers to answer to help them assess their current situation and their desires for the future. Personal stories, Scripture, and examples ground the discussion and show the system in action. Pastors and small group leaders will find this book instrumental in making small groups work in their churches.