“What Happened to Our Churches?” is a free eBook from David S. Luecke.
What happened to our churches is a Collection of 52 blogs About Regaining Spiritual Energy.
The Apostle Paul was an organizational genius and a world-class entrepreneur. He was also a high-level analyst who could spot what wasn’t working in churches he oversaw and figure out what to do about it. His letters to churches were his report along with an explanation for God’s empowering presence that would bring the intended results.
How would the Apostle Paul assess what is happening with the current steep decline of mainline Protestant churches in America, after serving so well and faithfully for centuries?
With a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior, Dr. David Luecke fills the role of Analyst in his latest book release. This collection of blogs is Dr. Luecke’s analysis of what’s happening in mainline churches that are in steep decline. They are losing their spiritual energy and the only way to regain it is to take the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence more seriously in church life and ministries.
Contents
Chapter 1: Six Perspectives on Regaining Spiritual Energy
Chapter 2: Motivated by the Spirit
Chapter 3: Recognizing the Spirit
Chapter 4: Discipled by the Spirit
Chapter 5: Waiting on the Spirit
Chapter 6: Culturally Shaped Experiences of the Spirit
Chapter 7: Organizing the Spirit’s Fellowships
About the Dr Luecke
There was a time in Dr. Luecke’s professional career when he had the title “Analyst.” His Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior was great preparation for a consultant as well as a professor. For six years, Dr. Luecke taught the M.B.A. Organizational Behavior course at Washington University in St. Louis. For ten years he taught the Doctor of Ministry course on Church Management at Fuller Seminary, where he was an administrator and associate professor. He also taught Strategic Management as a professor at Valparaiso University.
These 52 blogs address what Dr. Luecke sees has gone wrong with traditional mainline churches that, fifty years ago, were healthy but are now in steep decline. Luecke thinks Lutheran, as well as Presbyterian, Reformed, Episcopalian, Methodist, and United Church of Christ churches, have lost their basic spiritual energy. The only way to regain it back is to pay much more attention to who the Holy Spirit is and how he works today — that is, to recover the emphasis in Paul’s theology that Dr. Luecke gained from Gordon Fee’s detailed exegetical study God’s Empowering Presence (1994).
In 1990, Dr. Luecke received a call to plant a new Lutheran church in a suburb of his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. He saw it as a great opportunity to practice what he had been teaching. That church just moved into its large new sanctuary in a choice location in Broadview Heights. From their, Dr. Luecke moved on to become the Administrative Pastor at Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church in the neighboring suburb of North Royalton, where he still serves as a semi-retired Missions Pastor. Dr. Luecke was ordained 50 years ago and has a multitude of experience with what works and what doesn’t in congregations.
You can download the book here
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Thursday, February 07, 2019
Video: Lost at sea (the church is not a pleasure boat but a life boat)
A video to encourage people to see that the church is not a pleasure boat but a life boat
Tuesday, February 05, 2019
Web Page: Meditations and Musings - School Chaplain Blog and resources
"Meditations & Musings" is my humble attempt to share what Tim Jarick has found useful in ministry in an Australian Lutheran School setting.
It contains:
chapels,
devotions
and other resources
Some which he has written, others he has used and adapted in his K-12 school context.
Visit Meditations and Musings
It contains:
chapels,
devotions
and other resources
Some which he has written, others he has used and adapted in his K-12 school context.
Visit Meditations and Musings
Book: Lighthouses - Christian coaching in a post Christian World
A game changer in local mission.
There are already a number of useful resources in the Christian marketplace that teach you how to engage with people who are open to Christianity, even if only tentatively. Lighthouses: Christian Coaching in a Post-Christian World offers something fresh and different; it presents a model for engaging with people who are barely curious about the gospel or even openly resistant to it.
Evangelist and church planter Dean Eaton has teamed up with Christian clinical psychologist Dr. Paul Whetham to propose a fresh approach to gospel-sharing based on a coaching model.
Lighthouses: Christian Coaching in a Post-Christian World explains how to engage people in a 'wellbeing conversation' that leads naturally to an exploration of their identity in God. The book draws heavily on materials developed by Dr. Whetham for Soul Food Café (www.soulfood.cafe), an online resource centre for contemporary gospel-sharers. The basic idea is that by transforming community meeting places and church cafes into informal sacred spaces where people 'do life together', you can embark on the search for meaning and give voice to the deeper things of the soul.
Lighthouses: Christian Coaching in a Post-Christian World is highly recommended for people looking for a fresh approach to mission and evangelism.
Contents
Reimaging the role of an evangelist - Lighthouse coach
Faith and the Search for meaning
Resilience - developing a contemplative and compassionate mind
Enriched environments
The Mission
You can purchase Lighthouses from Amazon or if you are in Australia from ACR
There are already a number of useful resources in the Christian marketplace that teach you how to engage with people who are open to Christianity, even if only tentatively. Lighthouses: Christian Coaching in a Post-Christian World offers something fresh and different; it presents a model for engaging with people who are barely curious about the gospel or even openly resistant to it.
Evangelist and church planter Dean Eaton has teamed up with Christian clinical psychologist Dr. Paul Whetham to propose a fresh approach to gospel-sharing based on a coaching model.
Lighthouses: Christian Coaching in a Post-Christian World explains how to engage people in a 'wellbeing conversation' that leads naturally to an exploration of their identity in God. The book draws heavily on materials developed by Dr. Whetham for Soul Food Café (www.soulfood.cafe), an online resource centre for contemporary gospel-sharers. The basic idea is that by transforming community meeting places and church cafes into informal sacred spaces where people 'do life together', you can embark on the search for meaning and give voice to the deeper things of the soul.
Lighthouses: Christian Coaching in a Post-Christian World is highly recommended for people looking for a fresh approach to mission and evangelism.
Contents
Reimaging the role of an evangelist - Lighthouse coach
Faith and the Search for meaning
Resilience - developing a contemplative and compassionate mind
Enriched environments
The Mission
You can purchase Lighthouses from Amazon or if you are in Australia from ACR
Book: Sculptor Spirit - Models of Sanctification from Spirit Christology
The Holy Spirit is sculpting you.
Like the work of an artist who molds a lump of clay into its intended shape, the Spirit's sanctifying work lies in shaping people into the image of Christ.
Avoiding either a "Spirit-only" or a "Spirit-void" theology, Leopoldo Sánchez carefully crafts a Spirit Christology, which considers the role of God's Spirit in the life and mission of Jesus. This understanding then serves as the foundation to articulate five distinct models of sanctification that can help Christians discern how the Spirit is at work in our lives.
CONTENTS
Introduction
1. Sculptor Spirit: Spirit Christology and the Sanctified Life
2. Voices from the Past: Patristic Images of the Sanctifying Spirit
3. Baptized into Death and Life: The Renewal Model
4. Facing Demons Through Prayer and Meditation: The Dramatic Model
5. Sharing Life Together: The Sacrificial Model
6. Welcoming the Stranger: The Hospitality Model
7. Work, Pray, and Rest: The Devotional Model
8. I Want to Tell the Story: North American Spirituality and the Models
Conclusion
REVIEWS
"This is a book I didn't know we needed; but after reading it, I now see how much we did! Leo Sánchez provides a fresh mixture of historical summaries and constructive contributions that will prove helpful to our trinitarian discussions. A somewhat neglected focus for many, Sánchez gives particular attention to the relationship between the Spirit's work in the incarnate Christ and the Spirit's presence in our lives. Ably drawing from the patristics (especially Irenaeus) as well as leaning heavily on Luther, Sánchez seeks to outline five models for understanding life in the Spirit. Rather than imagining these in unavoidable tension, he creatively points out strengths in each, especially looking at them in light of pastoral concerns. Much in this volume can help clarify our thinking and stimulate our Spirit dependent lives." Kelly M. Kapic, Covenant College
"In the winsome spirit we have come to expect from Sánchez, Sculptor Spirit is a gentle and timely corrective to a lot of anemic spirituality found on the market today. Using Spirit Christology as the lens through which to examine the sanctifying work of the Spirit, Sánchez puts holiness back on the agenda as he recommends five models of sanctification for Spirit-filled believers today. Listening to voices from the past, Sánchez places before the reader various complementary models on what the Christian life looks like and how we can be further conformed to the image of Christ. It wasn't too long ago that Spirit Christology was a promising area to explore; with Sculptor Spirit we have another example of how Spirit Christology is delivering on its early promises. The Spirit gives life and in this work Sánchez clearly shows how the Spirit is at work conforming people to Christ's image for the glory of God." Myk Habets, dean of faculty and professor of theology, Carey Baptist College and Graduate School, Auckland, New Zealand
"One of the theological dangers facing the English-speaking church is its over reliance on Christology, what can be called hyperchristocentrism, which means that Christ is emphasized to such a degree that Christian trinitarianism breaks down. What is needed in response to this situation are ways to make Christology more trinitarian, and this is what Sánchez helps achieve in this work. Sculptor Spirit emphasizes a Spirit Christology for its implications related to sanctification, spirituality, and the Christian life overall. Through its models and various examples from antiquity to the present, it is a reliable guide that I hope finds resonance with students, preachers, and teachers who are passionate to offer something substantive to a hungry church." Daniel Castelo, professor of dogmatic and constructive theology, Seattle Pacific University and Seminary
"Sánchez's past work on the relationship of the Holy Spirit to Christ provides an effective foundation for this exploration of several views of the ways in which the Holy Spirit creates and forms the holy life of faith in those who trust in Christ. This work draws readers into a world- and church-wide conversation on how the Spirit goes about sanctifying sinners and leading them into a life of faith and obedience that exercises true humanity in the midst of our faltering world. This skillfully-constructed, aptly delivered assessment of various models for interpreting the presence and working of the Spirit in believers' lives will stimulate and guide pastors and laity into new perspectives on how to understand and practice the faith." Robert Kolb, professor of systematic theology emeritus, Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis
"In this impressive volume, Leopoldo Sánchez provides a comprehensive and detailed account of Spirit Christology, tracing its development through the ages to offer a robust trinitarian account of Christ as one filled with the power of the Spirit. Having laid the foundation for Christ as the pattern for the Spirit-filled life, he then applies this to a practical, generative, and thought-provoking, models-based approach to sanctification, making the much-needed link between orthodox dogmatic theology and everyday life. Thus this book is a valuable contribution both to the academy and the church." Lucy Peppiatt, principal, Westminster Theological Centre, UK
"A singular book on the Spirit combining an excellent knowledge of tradition and contemporary literature with imagination and theological creativity. It leads to a suggestive but open-ended exploration of various models for experiencing and understanding the work of the Spirit." Justo L. González, author of The Mestizo Augustine
"With fourth-century church fathers and Luther as foundational resources, in interaction with current scholarship, Sánchez explores five models of sanctification that illumine the ministry of the Spirit of Christ in believers. This creative Latino-Lutheran scholar continues his fruitful work in Christology and pneumatology with a volume that will benefit the broader church in North America. A stellar contribution from a fresh voice, forged as a Latino within a historic tradition. Un aporte singular." M. Daniel Carroll R., Blanchard Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School
"Everyone these days wants to be spiritual. They just don't know how or what it really means to be spiritual. Leo Sánchez charts a course that anchors that yearning for spirituality on solid ground. He presents an experience of the Spirit grounded firmly in the theology and practice of the church through the centuries as he provides various models of what it means to be 'in the Spirit.' Spirituality is not so much a feeling or a yearning as it is a way of life worked out in the person of Christ and his work through and in the Spirit in and for us. Sánchez reminds us that the Spirit blows where it wills, but it never blows apart from the will of Christ and the Father. If you're looking for a theological yet pastoral approach to reach those who want to be spiritual but don't know how, this book is a great resource." Joel C. Elowsky, professor of historical theology, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
You can purchase Spirit Sculptor here
Like the work of an artist who molds a lump of clay into its intended shape, the Spirit's sanctifying work lies in shaping people into the image of Christ.
Avoiding either a "Spirit-only" or a "Spirit-void" theology, Leopoldo Sánchez carefully crafts a Spirit Christology, which considers the role of God's Spirit in the life and mission of Jesus. This understanding then serves as the foundation to articulate five distinct models of sanctification that can help Christians discern how the Spirit is at work in our lives.
CONTENTS
Introduction
1. Sculptor Spirit: Spirit Christology and the Sanctified Life
2. Voices from the Past: Patristic Images of the Sanctifying Spirit
3. Baptized into Death and Life: The Renewal Model
4. Facing Demons Through Prayer and Meditation: The Dramatic Model
5. Sharing Life Together: The Sacrificial Model
6. Welcoming the Stranger: The Hospitality Model
7. Work, Pray, and Rest: The Devotional Model
8. I Want to Tell the Story: North American Spirituality and the Models
Conclusion
REVIEWS
"This is a book I didn't know we needed; but after reading it, I now see how much we did! Leo Sánchez provides a fresh mixture of historical summaries and constructive contributions that will prove helpful to our trinitarian discussions. A somewhat neglected focus for many, Sánchez gives particular attention to the relationship between the Spirit's work in the incarnate Christ and the Spirit's presence in our lives. Ably drawing from the patristics (especially Irenaeus) as well as leaning heavily on Luther, Sánchez seeks to outline five models for understanding life in the Spirit. Rather than imagining these in unavoidable tension, he creatively points out strengths in each, especially looking at them in light of pastoral concerns. Much in this volume can help clarify our thinking and stimulate our Spirit dependent lives." Kelly M. Kapic, Covenant College
"In the winsome spirit we have come to expect from Sánchez, Sculptor Spirit is a gentle and timely corrective to a lot of anemic spirituality found on the market today. Using Spirit Christology as the lens through which to examine the sanctifying work of the Spirit, Sánchez puts holiness back on the agenda as he recommends five models of sanctification for Spirit-filled believers today. Listening to voices from the past, Sánchez places before the reader various complementary models on what the Christian life looks like and how we can be further conformed to the image of Christ. It wasn't too long ago that Spirit Christology was a promising area to explore; with Sculptor Spirit we have another example of how Spirit Christology is delivering on its early promises. The Spirit gives life and in this work Sánchez clearly shows how the Spirit is at work conforming people to Christ's image for the glory of God." Myk Habets, dean of faculty and professor of theology, Carey Baptist College and Graduate School, Auckland, New Zealand
"One of the theological dangers facing the English-speaking church is its over reliance on Christology, what can be called hyperchristocentrism, which means that Christ is emphasized to such a degree that Christian trinitarianism breaks down. What is needed in response to this situation are ways to make Christology more trinitarian, and this is what Sánchez helps achieve in this work. Sculptor Spirit emphasizes a Spirit Christology for its implications related to sanctification, spirituality, and the Christian life overall. Through its models and various examples from antiquity to the present, it is a reliable guide that I hope finds resonance with students, preachers, and teachers who are passionate to offer something substantive to a hungry church." Daniel Castelo, professor of dogmatic and constructive theology, Seattle Pacific University and Seminary
"Sánchez's past work on the relationship of the Holy Spirit to Christ provides an effective foundation for this exploration of several views of the ways in which the Holy Spirit creates and forms the holy life of faith in those who trust in Christ. This work draws readers into a world- and church-wide conversation on how the Spirit goes about sanctifying sinners and leading them into a life of faith and obedience that exercises true humanity in the midst of our faltering world. This skillfully-constructed, aptly delivered assessment of various models for interpreting the presence and working of the Spirit in believers' lives will stimulate and guide pastors and laity into new perspectives on how to understand and practice the faith." Robert Kolb, professor of systematic theology emeritus, Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis
"In this impressive volume, Leopoldo Sánchez provides a comprehensive and detailed account of Spirit Christology, tracing its development through the ages to offer a robust trinitarian account of Christ as one filled with the power of the Spirit. Having laid the foundation for Christ as the pattern for the Spirit-filled life, he then applies this to a practical, generative, and thought-provoking, models-based approach to sanctification, making the much-needed link between orthodox dogmatic theology and everyday life. Thus this book is a valuable contribution both to the academy and the church." Lucy Peppiatt, principal, Westminster Theological Centre, UK
"A singular book on the Spirit combining an excellent knowledge of tradition and contemporary literature with imagination and theological creativity. It leads to a suggestive but open-ended exploration of various models for experiencing and understanding the work of the Spirit." Justo L. González, author of The Mestizo Augustine
"With fourth-century church fathers and Luther as foundational resources, in interaction with current scholarship, Sánchez explores five models of sanctification that illumine the ministry of the Spirit of Christ in believers. This creative Latino-Lutheran scholar continues his fruitful work in Christology and pneumatology with a volume that will benefit the broader church in North America. A stellar contribution from a fresh voice, forged as a Latino within a historic tradition. Un aporte singular." M. Daniel Carroll R., Blanchard Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School
"Everyone these days wants to be spiritual. They just don't know how or what it really means to be spiritual. Leo Sánchez charts a course that anchors that yearning for spirituality on solid ground. He presents an experience of the Spirit grounded firmly in the theology and practice of the church through the centuries as he provides various models of what it means to be 'in the Spirit.' Spirituality is not so much a feeling or a yearning as it is a way of life worked out in the person of Christ and his work through and in the Spirit in and for us. Sánchez reminds us that the Spirit blows where it wills, but it never blows apart from the will of Christ and the Father. If you're looking for a theological yet pastoral approach to reach those who want to be spiritual but don't know how, this book is a great resource." Joel C. Elowsky, professor of historical theology, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
You can purchase Spirit Sculptor here
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