The Cultural Church Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle version is available to download in english. Read online anytime anywhere directly from your device. Click on the download button below to get a free pdf file of The Cultural Church book. This book definitely worth reading, it is an incredibly well-written.
In what direction are we being blown by the winds of change now waiting through the church? - Is the church influencing culture, or is culture influencing the church? - What lies behind current calls for a "new hermeneutic"? - Is there a better way to understand Scripture? With calls for sweeping changes in the way we understand Scripture, this just may be the most important book of the decade. It is must reading for every church leader and Christian concerned with the future of the church at the brink of a new century! F. LaGard Smith is the author of some thirty books, ranging from devotionals to doctrinal discussions to commentaries on current legal and social issues. He is best known as the compiler and narrator of The Daily Bible, the NIV in chronological order. Smith has taught in both graduate and undergraduate university programs for over thirty years.
The United States is currently undergoing the most rapid demographic shift in its history. By 2050, white Americans will no longer comprise a majority of the population. Instead, they'll be the largest minority group in a country made up entirely of minorities, followed by Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. Past shifts in America's demographics always reshaped the county's religious landscape. This shift will be no different. Soong-Chan Rah's book is intended to equip evangelicals for ministry and outreach in our changing nation. Borrowing from the business concept of "cultural intelligence," he explores how God's people can become more multiculturally adept. From discussions about cultural and racial histories, to reviews of case-study churches and Christian groups that are succeeding in bridging ethnic divides, Rah provides a practical and hopeful guidebook for Christians wanting to minister more effectively in diverse settings. Without guilt trips or browbeating, the book will spur individuals, churches, and parachurch ministries toward more effectively bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for people of every racial and cultural background. Its message is positive; its potential impact, transformative.
Once upon a time, Moses had had enough. Exhausted by the challenge of leading the Israelites from slavery to the Promised Land, Moses cried out to God, "What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? . . . If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me" (Exodus 11:11, 15). If that sounds hauntingly familiar to you, you may be the senior pastor of a contemporary church. The burden of Christian leadership is becoming increasingly unbearable--demanding skills not native to the art of pastoring; demanding time that makes sabbath rest and even normal sleep patterns seem extravagant; demanding inhuman levels of efficiency, proficiency and even saintliness. No wonder pastors seem and even feel less human these days. No wonder they burn out or break down at an alarming rate; no wonder the church is missing the mark on its mission. In Creating a Missional Culture, JR Woodward offers a bold and surprisingly refreshing model for churches--not small adjustments around the periphery of a church's infrastructure but a radical revisioning of how a church ought to look, from its leadership structure to its mobilization of the laity. The end result looks surprisingly like the church that Jesus created and the apostles cultivated: a church not chasing the wind but rather going into the world and making disciples of Jesus.
Cracking Your Church's Culture Code by Samuel R. Chand Pdf
Strategies for transforming a toxic church culture Why is it that the best strategic plans and good leadership often are not able to move churches in the desired direction? Sam Chand contends that toxic culture is to blame. Quite often, leaders don't sense the toxicity, but it poisons their relationships and derails their vision. This work describes five easily identifiable categories of church culture (inspiring-accepting-stagnant-discouraging-toxic), with diagnostic descriptions in the book and a separate online assessment tool. The reader will be able to identify strengths and needs of their church's culture, and then apply practical strategies (communication, control and authority, selection and placement of personnel, etc.) to make their church's culture more positive. Discusses how to diagnose the state of a church's culture Reveals what it takes to put in place effective strategies for creating a more positive church culture Author served on the board of EQUIP (Dr. John Maxwell's Ministry), equipping five million leaders world-wide. This important book offers a clear guide for understanding and recreating a healthy church culture.
When church and culture look the same... For the many Christians eager to prove we can be both holy and cool, cultural pressures are too much. We either compartmentalize our faith or drift from it altogether—into a world that’s so alluring. Have you wondered lately: Why does the Western church look so much like the world? Why are so many of my friends leaving the faith? How can we get back to our roots? Disappearing Church will help you sort through concerns like these, guiding you in a thoughtful, faithful, and hopeful response. Weaving together art, history, and theology, pastor and cultural observer Mark Sayers reminds us that real growth happens when the church embraces its countercultural witness, not when it blends in. It’s like Jesus said long ago, “If the salt loses its saltiness, it is no longer good for anything…”
Fruitful ministry in the century must embrace the unavoidable reality of the city. A Center Church theological vision affirms that center cities are wonderful, strategic, and underserved places for gospel ministry and recognizes that virtually all ministry contexts are increasingly shared by urban and global forces. Regardless of your particular cultural or geographical context, you will need to consider the city when forming a theological vision that engages the people you are trying to reach. This eBook contains the fifth part of Center Church, “Cultural Engagement.” In it, Keller discusses four models for engaging urban culture, acknowledging that each model has strengths and weaknesses—ways in which it reflects a particular biblical emphasis and other ways in which it reflects an unbiblical imbalance or idol. The Center church model for cultural engagement blends the key insights of each model in a way that we believe is more biblically faithful and also fruitful for reaching urban culture.
Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry by Osoba O. Otaigbe Pdf
Revd Osoba Otaigbe has written a comprehensive guide for helping the church more effectively relate and serve across cultural borders. Whether youre welcoming a community of refugees, travelling on a short-term mission experience, befriending an expat family, or simply interacting with an increasingly diverse society, this guide will help you love your neighbour. The book is packed full of insights about cultural intelligence and brings them to life for Christians. The case studies and discussion questions are particularly useful for making the theoretical ideas immensely practical. As both a cultural intelligence researcher and a Christian, it gives me great joy to commend Revd Osoba and his work to you. David Livermore, PhD., author of Leading with Cultural Intelligence and President of Cultural Intelligence Centre USA Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry is a timely contribution to our understanding of the way varied global and local cultures can be nurtured to offer a rich and meaningful engagement in our lives and in work. It draws on a wide range of scriptural and practical examples that makes it an easy to read and understand study guide for various audiences. The guidance on how to develop cross-cultural competence, in particular, makes the book a must-read, one that promises to equip the reader with the much required understanding, appropriate responses, and management of diverse cross-cultural engagements in both missions and ministries. Dr Maureen Ayikoru, Senior Lecturer, Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom In our rapidly changing society it is really important that we all develop greater cultural intelligence. If we are to become the vibrant Kingdom community of all nations that the Bible envisages we need much greater understanding and appreciation of those who are different from ourselves. This book, and the assessment and workshops that go alongside it, will be particularly helpful for leaders, churches and groups who want to grow in this area. Relating the concepts of cultural intelligence to passages of Scripture, it will certainly encourage some great discussion, learning and reflection for discipleship and mission. Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry is a worthwhile work with important things to say and to give perceptive and practical guidance Prof David Dunn-Wilson, Honorary Research Fellow, Cliff College, United Kingdom Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry book has done a marvelous job of integrating scriptural basis and reference points in the exploration of the cultural intelligence factors as they relate to ministry and mission. This being interspersed with practical and real world scenarios and examples is very helpful. The reflection/study guide questions are also well written and will provide for deeper learning, discussion and application. There is a considerable amount of information and detail to work through and I would suggest that people work through the book at a steady pace so that they can fully digest that immense learning and insights that this book will give. Adrian Kistan, Principal Consultant, Intercultural Solutions, Australia More than ever, cultural intelligence is a much-needed competence to grow, develop and nurture. Current fears and conflicts on the global and in local contexts, and not the least in churches, underscore this. Through this timely volume, Osoba O. Otaigbe brings his expertise as a cultural intelligence researcher, and years of experience working in cross-cultural and diverse contexts to offer an invaluable resource for churches. Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry draws on a variety of scholarly sources, biblical texts, and practical examples to provide readers with helpful insights and questions for reflection on developing cultural awareness, intelligence and competence. A welcome resource for ministerial/missional formation and both denominational and local church leadership! Michael N. Jagessar (Revd Dr) Global and Intercultural Ministries, United Reformed Church (UK)
This 50th-anniversary edition, with a new foreword by the distinguished historian Martin E. Marty, who regards this book as one of the most vital books of our time, as well as an introduction by the author never before included in the book, and a new preface by James Gustafson, the premier Christian ethicist who is considered Niebuhr’s contemporary successor, poses the challenge of being true to Christ in a materialistic age to an entirely new generation of Christian readers.
The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives by Michael Horton,Frederica Mathewes-Green,Brian D. McLaren,Erwin Raphael McManus,Andy Crouch Pdf
What should the church look like today?What should be the focus of its message?How should I present that message?We live in as pivotal and defining an age as the Great Depression or the Sixties–a period whose definition, say some cultural observers, includes a warning of the church’s influence. The result? A society measurably less religious but decidedly more spiritual. Less influenced by authority than by experience. More attuned to images than to words.How does the church adapt to such a culture? Or should it, in fact, eschew adapting for maintaining a course it has followed these last two millennia? Or something in between?These are exactly the questions asked in The Church In Emerging Culture by five Christian thinker-speaker-writers, each who advocate unique stances regarding what the church’s message should be (and what methods should be used to present it) as it journeys through this evolving, postmodern era. The authors are:Andy Crouch–Re:Generation Quarterly editor-in-chiefMichael Horton–professor and reformed theologianFrederica Mathewes-Green–author, commentator, and Orthodox ChristianBrian D. McLaren–postmodernist, author, pastor, and Emergent senior fellowErwin Raphael McManus–author and pastor of the innovative and interethnic L.A.-based church, MosaicMost unique about their individual positions is that they’re presented not as singular essays but as lively discussions in which the other four authors freely (and frequently) comment, critique, and concur. That element, coupled with a unique photographic design that reinforces the depth of their at-once congenial and feisty conversation, gives you all-access entrée into this groundbreaking discourse.What’s more, general editor Leonard Sweet (author of SoulTsunami and AquaChurch, among several other acclaimed texts) frames the thought-provoking dialogue with a profoundly insightful, erudite introductory essay–practically a book within a book. The Church In Emerging Culture is foundational reading for leaders and serious students of all denominations and church styles.
Why should the church be concerned about cultures? Louis J. Luzbetak began to answer this question twenty-five years ago with the publication of The Church and Cultures: An Applied Anthropology for the Religious Worker. Reprinted six times and translated into five languages, it became an undisputed classic in the field. Now, by popular demand, Luzbetak has thoroughly rewritten his work, completely updating it in light of contemporary anthropological and missiological thought and in face of current world conditions. Serving as a handbook for a culturally sensitive ministry and witness, The Church and Cultures introduces the non-anthropologist to a wealth of scientific knowledge directly relevant to pastoral work, religious education social action and liturgy - in fact, to all forms of missionary activity in the church. It focuses on a burning theological issue: that of contextualization, the process by which a local church integrates its understanding of the Gospel (text) with the local culture (context).
What to do when they say they’re Christian but don’t know Jesus Whether it’s the Christmas and Easter Christians or the faithful church attenders whose hearts are cold toward the Lord, we’ve all encountered cultural Christians. They’d check the Christian box on a survey, they’re fine with church, but the truth is, they’re far from God. So how do we bring Jesus to this overlooked mission field? The Unsaved Christian equips you to confront cultural Christianity with honesty, compassion, and grace, whether you’re doing it from the pulpit or the pews. This practical guide will: show you how to recognize cultural Christianity teach you how to overcome the barriers that get in the way give you easy-to-understand advice about VBS, holiday services, reaching “good people,” and more! If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure how to minister to someone who identifies as Christian but still needs Jesus, this book is for you.
Worship and Culture by Glaucia Vasconcelos Wilkey Pdf
How are we to proclaim Christ in different cultures? This question was central to a landmark study on worship and culture conducted by the Lutheran World Federation between 1992 and 1999. Much has changed in the years since then: the world today more than ever is a multicultural global village. Worship and Culture revisits that LWF study and publication, shedding new light on the question from recent theological and sociological scholarship to expand and enrich the texts in the original three-volume work. This book includes texts from the main statements that came out of the original project as well as updated essays from some of the original contributors. It also adds new essays, prayers, and hymns to the conversation, inviting readers to consider what the life of the church should look like in today’s hybrid, multicultural world. Contributors Julio Cezar Adam Scott Anderson Mark P. Bangert Thomas F. Best Stephen Burns Anscar J. Chupungco, OSB Joseph A. Donnella II Norman A. Hjelm Margaret Mary Kelleher, OSU Dirk G. Lange Gordon W. Lathrop Anita Monro Martha Moore-Keish Melinda A. Quivik Gail Ramshaw S. Anita Stauffer Benjamin M. Stewart Glaucia Vasconcelos Wilkey Joyce Ann Zimmerman, CPPS
Introducing Cultural Anthropology by Brian M. Howell,Jenell Paris Pdf
What is the role of culture in human experience? This concise yet solid introduction to cultural anthropology helps readers explore and understand this crucial issue from a Christian perspective. Now revised and updated throughout, this new edition of a successful textbook covers standard cultural anthropology topics with special attention given to cultural relativism, evolution, and missions. It also includes a new chapter on medical anthropology. Plentiful figures, photos, and sidebars are sprinkled throughout the text, and updated ancillary support materials and teaching aids are available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.
Cultural Change & Your Church by Michael Pocock,Joseph Henriques Pdf
In our communities composed of people from various cultures, countries, and backgrounds, where does the church stand? How representative is it? And how can local churches best minister and evangelize within an increasingly multicultural society? 'Cultural Change and Your Church' is an invaluable resource for understanding the transformation of our cultural landscape and, most importantly, for learning how to embrace the resulting opportunities to minister to all people. Michael Pocock and Joseph Henriques consider the Bible's examples and teaching related to diversity, introduce several churches currently modeling cross-cultural ministry, and suggest hands-on ways for church leaders to encourage change and proactive thinking.
