Exponential
3 total works
AND, by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, asks and provides an answer for one of the most important questions for church leaders today: What is happening to the church in America? By all appearances, it looks like we are "doing" church better than we ever have. In the past thirty years the number of mega-churches has increased from under 100 to over 7,500. In the past ten years the number of multi-site churches has increased from under 100 to over 2,000. By the numbers, these church movements enjoy the national platform, the national voice, and the resources to profoundly impact the Kingdom. In spite of the rapid growth of these prevailing church movements, why is the Western church still in massive decline? Numerous books have been written documenting the flight of members from the institutional church. This is not another book about how to do church better or how to just get people back into the pews. AND helps you-whether you are a mega-church, traditional, contemporary, or organic church leader-focus on the vast majority of unchurched Christians and non-believers who are not moving toward any form of church. You will learn how to value existing church forms-attracting people to a physical church and releasing people into hands-on ministry ... bringing together the very best of the attractional and missional models for church ministry. AND will equip you and all church leaders to value existing church forms while catalyzing a missional movement of incarnational people into the world for Jesus Christ. AND is the second book in the Exponential Series-a partnership between Exponential Network, Leadership Network, and Zondervan featuring several signature books each year to tell the reproducing church story, celebrate the diversity of models and approaches God is using to reproduce healthy congregations, and highlight the innovative practices of healthy reproducing churches.
Question: What is the God-given purpose of the local church?
Answer: Relational discipleship.
DiscipleShift walks you through five key "shifts" that churches must make to refocus on the fundamental biblical mission of discipleship. These intentional changes will attract the world and empower your church members to be salt and light in their communities.
Over the last thirty years, many influential church leaders and church planters in America have adopted various models for reaching unchurched people. While many of these approaches have merit, something is still missing, something even more fundamental to the mission of the church: discipleship.
Making disciples—helping people to trust and follow Jesus—is the church's God-given mandate. Devoted disciples attract people outside the church because of the change others see in their Christ-like lives. And discipleship empowers Christians to be more like Christ as they intentionally develop relationships with non-believers.
Through biblical and professional insights, Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington discuss the transformational effectiveness of making disciples and just how to do so, in practical terms. You’ll learn:
- The specific roles of a disciple-making pastor.
- The components of person-to-person discipleship.
- How each ministry in your church leads to discipleship.
- How to implement discipleship in your church.
Disciple-making leaders will not produce perfect churches, but they will create effective churches.
Exponential Series Complete Set
by Dave Ferguson, Jon Ferguson, Jim Putman, Bobby William Harrington, Robert Coleman, Alan Hirsch, Brandon Hatmaker, Hugh Halter, Matt Smay, and Matt Carter
The Exponential Series Complete Set includes all 10 volumes from the Exponential Series of books. It contains:
- Discipleshift by Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert Coleman
- Exponential by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson
- Barefoot Church by Brandon Hatmaker
- On the Verge by Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson
- Sifted by Wayne Cordeiro with Francis Chan and Larry Osborne
- For the City by Matt Carter and Derrin Patrick
- AND by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay
- It’s Personal by Brian Bloye and Amy Bloye
- Transformation by Bob Roberts Jr.
- Missional Moves by Rob Wegner and Jack Magruder