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What does God want for His Church? For your church? Building on each of the nine chapters of his latest book, Letters to the Church, Francis Chan urges Christ-followers to ask honest questions about the structure and values of our churches; study God's commands for the body of Christ; pray in expectation of the Spirit's power; and get excited about doing whatever it takes to be the Church God desires. Journey with those around you—in your community, your church, or your small group—and take intentional steps toward living out the biblical principles that fueled a world-changing movement. Don't settle for just going to church. Be the Church. With the Letters to the Church Study Guide, be challenged and guided to passionately pursue Christ and His magnificent, beautiful vision for His Bride. Designed to be used with the Letters to the Church Video Series (available separately). This interactive study guide includes a free QR code and URL to access all nine videos, plus additional content for engaging study as a group or on your own. To aid you in your planning, following are the session titles and video run times: 1 The Departure 9:48 2 Sacred 8:31 3 The Order 7:35 4 The Gang 6:49 5 Servants 8:09 6 Good Shepherds 8:07 7 Crucified 6:18 8 Unleashed 6:43 9 Church Again 4:10

A New York Times-bestselling title, with over 300,000 units sold, in which Francis Chan challenges Christians to lean into God's original desire for the Church. Do you want more from your church experience? Does the pure gospel put you in a place of awe? Are you ready to rethink church as you know it? Sit with Francis Chan and be reminded that you are a part of something much bigger than yourself: something sacred. In this bestselling book, you will: Explore deep biblical truths about the Church Understand God's dreams for His Bride Learn the stories of ordinary people God is using to change the world Letters to the Church reminds us of how powerful, how glorious the Church once was and calls us to once again be the Church God intended us to be. For further individual or small group study, check out Letters to the Church: Study Guide.

En una de sus más poderosas obras, el pastor Francis Chan profundiza en las verdades bíblicas, reflexiona sobre sus propios sueños y fracasos, y comparte historias de gente común que Dios está usando para cambiar el mundo. Chan lo expresa diciendo: «Sabemos que nos hemos alejado de lo que Dios llama Iglesia. Sabemos que lo que experimentamos en la actualidad como Iglesia es radicalmente diferente a lo que las Escrituras relatan sobre la misma. Por décadas, líderes como yo, hemos perdido de vista el misterio intrínseco de la Iglesia. Hemos entrenado a la gente en las bancas a volverse adictos a cosas menos importantes. Es tiempo de cambio». Cuando Jesús regrese, ¿nos encontrará cuidando de su novia más que a nosotros mismos?. Cartas a la Iglesia nos recuerda lo poderosa y gloriosa que fue la Iglesia en algún momento… y nos desafía a volver a ser esa Iglesia, la que Dios deseó desde el principio.

If God had it His way, what would your church look like? The New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Love challenges readers to be the Church as God intends. Do you want more from your church experience?Does the pure gospel put you in a place of awe?Are you ready to rethink church as you know it? Sit with Pastor Francis Chan and be reminded that you are a part of something much bigger than yourself, something sacred. In his most powerful book yet, Chan digs deep into biblical truth, reflects on his own failures and dreams, and shares stories of ordinary people God is using to change the world. Chan says, “We've strayed so far from what God calls Church. We all know it. We know that what we're experiencing is radically different from the Church in Scripture. For decades, church leaders like myself have lost sight of the inherent mystery of the Church. We have trained people sitting in the pews to become addicted to lesser things. It's time for that to change.” When Jesus returns, will He find us caring for His Bride—even more than for our own lives? Letters to the Church reminds us of how powerful, how glorious the Church once was … and calls us to once again be the Church God intended us to be.

Throughout the course of his theological career, Jrgen Moltmann has been interested in the ecclesial and societal consequences of systematic theology. From his first major work, Theology of Hope, to his book Experiences in Theology, he has devoted substantive space to what each particular doctrine means for our life in this world, as individuals and as a community. The Transformative Church explores these concerns more deeply, looking at each of his major texts and highlighting themes relevant for a transformative ecclesiology. These themes are augmented by adding the perspectives of a contemporary church movement that reflects, in its practices, many of the same concerns. With these conversation partners, Patrick Oden constructs a more substantive transformative ecclesiology, one that is embedded in this world: we are to become in the church who we are to be in this world, becoming whole in Christ to be a messianic people in any context.

Explores the inner workings of the Emerging Church, revealing how this unconventional movement has managed to create a distinctive place for itself at the margins of mainstream Christianity.

From London to New York to Ann Arbor, people are gathering in pubs and bars to communicate, connect, and learn from one another over the topic of religion, of all things. In Pub Theology, pastor, writer, and pub theologian Bryan Berghoef draws from his own experience in one such setting in northern Michigan. Berghoef contends that for too long the church has insisted on setting the terms for how one can find and encounter God. Yet what if God is to be found in places we haven't been looking at all: in a coworker who doesn't believe in God, in a Buddhist neighbor, in a friend who prefers a yoga studio to a sanctuary? This book will move readers to shift toward a more chastened, humble, and inviting faith. A faith that seeks not to teach, but to learn; not to speak, but to listen. A faith that will have a seat at the table in the important religious conversations our world is having. Real-life stories gleaned from conversations and encounters during pub theology gatherings, combined with the author's own experience in grappling with these issues, make for an intriguing and enlightening read. So what are you waiting for? Pull up a chair and join the conversation!

A twentysomething Christian journalist explores why the church today is so preoccupied with being cool, fashionable, trendy, and relevant.

An Army of Ordinary People contains the key to explosive, transformational, 21st century evangelism. Renowned church planter Felicity Dale shares stories of how God has always used—and is still using—ordinary believers to carry out his work in simple ways throughout the world. Some of these stories are dramatic—people being led to the Lord by the friends who counseled them through drug addictions and criminal pasts. Some are everyday—a dad spending his Sunday teaching Bible lessons to his kids, or a couple inviting their neighbors over to dinner and a spiritual discussion. But in each of them, there is a light bulb moment, when someone just like you thinks I can do that! And as a result, the gospel is spreading... and lives are being changed.

What are the beliefs of the new movement known as the emerging church? In thought-provoking debate, prominent emerging leaders John Burke, Mark Driscoll, Dan Kimball, Doug Pagitt, and Karen Ward discuss their sometimes controversial views under the editorship of author and educator Robert Webber. Hear what they say about their views of Scripture, Christ, the atonement, other world religions, and other important doctrines, so you can come to your own conclusions about the emerging church.

Author Frank Viola gives readers language for all they knew was missing in their modern church experience. He believes that many of today's congregations have shifted from God's original intent for the church. As a prominent leader of the house church movement, Frank is at the forefront of a revolution sweeping through the body of Christ. A change that is challenging the spiritual status quo and redefining the very nature of church. A movement inspired by the divine design for authenticity community. A fresh concept rooted in ancient history and in God Himself. Join Frank as he shares God's original intent for the church, where the body of Christ is an organic, living, breathing organism. A church that is free of convention, formed by spiritual intimacy, and unbound by four walls.

A careful and informed assessment of the “emerging church” by a respected author and scholar The “emerging church” movement has generated a lot of excitement and exerts an astonishingly broad influence. Is it the wave of the future or a passing fancy? Who are the leaders and what are they saying? The time has come for a mature assessment. D. A. Carson not only gives those who may be unfamiliar with it a perceptive introduction to the emerging church movement, but also includes a skillful assessment of its theological views. Carson addresses some troubling weaknesses of the movement frankly and thoughtfully, while at the same time recognizing that it has important things to say to the rest of Christianity. The author strives to provide a perspective that is both honest and fair. Anyone interested in the future of the church in a rapidly changing world will find this an informative and stimulating read. D. A. Carson (Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of over 45 books, including the Gold Medallion Award-winning book The Gagging of God, and is general editor of Telling the Truth and Worship by the Book. He has served as a pastor and is an active guest lecturer in church and academic settings around the world.