Book: Rising - The amazing story of Christianity's ressurection in the Global south

Pundits regularly declare that Christianity is dying. And in a way they are correct. Its golden age of influence is long gone in Western Europe, and similar trends are happening in North America. But while it slowly dies in the West, Christianity has been coming to life in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Christianity is rising.

Megachurches in Nigeria, India, and South Korea have tens of thousands of members. The largest Roman Catholic populations in the world are found in Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines. And sociologists predict that there could be nearly 600 million Christians in China by 2040.

Now immigrants, refugees, and missionaries from the Global South look to former strongholds of Christian influence in the West as new mission fields, bringing their vibrant faith to our shores. They are bringing the gospel back to us in new and surprising ways.

The future of Christianity is bright, you just have to look around.

Video and Article: Stop saying the church is dieing

The common quote - 'the church is dieing' Ed Stetzer argue this is neither true theologically or statistically....
He argue there is a transition.....

Take a listen to the video

and read his article at Christianity Today

Then think about
What does this mean for us?
What can we learn from this and the branches of Christianity that are growing?

Article: A small church redefines its mission

Discover the positive impact a small congregation had when it redefined its mission to one of being community focussed.....and what that meant for its congregation and the community God had placed it in

Go to http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2878

Book: MOVE what 1000 churches reveal about Spiritual Growth

About the book
One of the church's primary responsibilities is to foster genuine spiritual growth in people's lives. Today's pastors bring tremendous effort and passion to this task, but they are often disappointed by people who sit in the pews for years, knowing about Jesus but never really knowing him. In 2004, Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago undertook a three-year study to measure spiritual growth called the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey. Over the next six years, additional data was collected from over a quarter million people in well over a thousand churches of every size, denomination, and geographic area. Move presents verifiable, fact-based, and somewhat startling findings from the latest REVEAL research, drawing on compelling stories from actual people---congregation members of varying spiritual maturity, as well as pastors who are equally candid as they share their disappointments and their successes. It provides a new lens through which church leaders can see and measure the evidence of spiritual growth. The local church is uniquely equipped to foster spiritual growth and challenge people to pursue a life of full devotion to Christ. Move helps pastors and church leaders inspire and direct that challenge with confidence as they lead their congregations to move closer to Christ.

A summary of Move is available here

Amazon Customer Reviews

8 principles for churches that want to grow

A recent article by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church and the resurgence discusses 8 principles of churches that want to grow.....

1. Begin with the end in mind and know how large you are aiming to be.
2. The larger the church, the more different that church is from other churches of the same theology and tradition
3. Change is inevitable
4. Don't assign moral judgements to size and change
5. If you want to grow you need to prepare for common changes now.
6. Be humble as a leader to seek the counsel of pastors ahead of you and receive their counsel.
7. Discern between guilt and conviction in seasons of transition
8. Pray and plan for people to meet Jesus.

To read the article in full visit  http://theresurgence.com/2012/05/07/8-principles-for-churches-that-want-to-grow

Article and Book: Surving and Thriving Church

Article:   The life cycle of Leviathian Church
including lessons learnt for surviving and thriving-

Life-sustaining Lessons

Unlike some of her offspring, the mother church adapted to new circumstances and, more than once, courageously made changes that have kept her alive. Life-sustaining lessons she has learned include:
· Member loyalty by itself cannot keep a church alive.
· Location isn’t everything, but it is a big thing.
· Maintaining adequate resources requires creativity.
· Without strong pastoral leadership decline accelerates
· Doing something—even if it seems wrong—is always better than doing nothing
· Not making choices almost never makes things easier or better
Read the whole article at http://www.jesusfirst.net/2005August04.htm

Book :   Tales of Leviathian Church, 16 tales from the church
These 16 stories about true-to-life characters will provide life lessons while tugging at your heartstrings.

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A fast growing Lutheran church

Each year Outreach magazine lists the largest 100 congregations and 100 fastest growing congregations in USA.

The Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines Iowa is listed as one of the fastest growing Lutheran congregations in the USA...

Why not take a look at their web site and discover more about this congregation http://www.hopewdm.org/

A list of MEGA Lutheran Churches

Some people believe it or not are attracted to big churches....and it appears every denomination has them.

They are not the norm, however they exist and God is using some of them to deliver the Gospel into people's lives.

Below is a list of various Mega Lutheran churches and if you take the time to look at them you will find that they are as diverse as there are people. They also offer some resources online that you may find helpful. And you may even pick up a thing or two from them to inspire you....

Calvary Lutheran Church Golden Valley MN
Christian Family Lutheran Church Omaha NE
Community Church of Joy Glendale AZ
Concordia Lutheran Church Fort Wayne IN
Faith Lutheran Church Troy MI
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Nassau Bay TX
Hales Cornes Lutheran Church Hales Corners WI
Hope Lutheran Church Fargo ND
Hosanna Lutheran Church Lakeville MN
King of Kings Lutheran Church Omaha NE
Lutheran Church of Hope West Des Moines IA
Mt Bethel Lutheran Church Mount Bethel PA
Prince of Peace Lutheran Burnsville MN
Mt Olivet Lutheran Church Minneapolis MN
North Heights Lutheran Church Roseville MN
Saint Andrews Lutheran Church Mahtomedi MN
Saint John Lutheran Church Ellisville MO
Saint Lorenz Lutheran Church Frankenmuth MI
Saint Philip The Deacon Plymouth MN
Shepherd of the Valley Apple Valley MN
Upper Arlington Lutheran Church Columbus OH
Upper Arlington Lutheran Church at Mill Run Hilliard OH

If you have any to add please feel free to email me