Ten Leading Indicator Resources The resources listed here are focused on helping churches and church leaders (oversight teams, senior ministry leaders) achieve and sustain greater Great Commission health. For a list of Web-based resources related specifically to church health, see Church Health Web Resources.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful ... so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16)
We are committed to a proclamation and teaching of God's Word that is clear, theologically sound, and communicated in a relevant and practical way. The end result of our proclamation is people who are eager and able to please God by applying his Word to every area of life in ways both appropriate to the cultural context as well as biblically countercultural.
A New Kind of Church
Aubrey Malphurs, Baker. Malphurs argues that Scripture doesn't prescribe a standard model for doing church. Instead, it provides freedom within guidelines.
Speaking God's Words: A Practical Theology of Preaching
Peter Adam, Regent. There are a number of good books on how to preach. Adam develops a biblical theology of why.
360-Degree Leadership: Preaching to Transform Congregations
Michael Quicke, Baker. "Most writing on Christian leadership omits preaching, and most books on preaching leave out leadership." Quicke argues that biblical leadership necessarily involves both - with the end of personal and community transformation always in mind.
"Be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18-21). "Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God . . . and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests . . ." (Eph. 6:10-18).
We recognize that it is only the presence and power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to live authentic, transformed lives. The prayer lives of our congregations reflect a deep dependence upon God. Experiencing God and following him are traits of our ministries.
The Complete Book of Discipleship: On Being and Making Followers of Christ
Bill Hull, NavPress. This is Bill's most seasoned and best book on discipleship to date.
Renovation of the Heart
Dallas Willard, NavPress. The chapter on "Spiritual Formation in the Local Congregation" is a must read for people who are interested in church health
Shaped by God's Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches
Milfred Minatrea, Jossey-Bass. What does it mean for a church to be spiritual? Minatrea defines it in terms of its passions: loving God (worship, obedience), living his mission (serve, share), loving people (invite, embrace), and leading them to follow (equip, empower). In part two of his book, Minatrea describes how these passions translate into missional practices.
"The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10).
We are driven to reach our neighborhoods, our nation, and our world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ regardless of racial, economic, cultural, generational, or political barriers. The budgets, programs, and leaders of our local churches reflect a high commitment to outreach and evangelism, both locally and worldwide. Biblical evangelism normally results not only in numerical growth, but in baptized, committed disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Externally Focused Church
Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, Group. Externally focused churches determine their effectiveness not only by internal measures, such as attendance, worship, teaching, and small groups, but also by external measures: the spiritual and societal effects they are having on the communities around them. They ask, "Whose lives are different because of this church?"
Building a Contagious Church
Mark Mittelberg, Zondervan. Mittelberg presents a six-stage process to help church leaders raise the value for, and actually unleash, "contagious Christianity" in their church.
The Master's Plan for Making Disciples
Win and Charles Arn, Baker. "Making disciples" is not limited to making new converts, as the authors suggest. But their development of the oikos principle is important and valuable.
"Shout for joy . . . Worship the Lord . . . Enter his gates with thanksgiving . . ." (Psalm 100).
Inspiring worship that glorifies God and engages the hearts, minds, and emotions of people with God must be a trait of our community worship. We are committed to meeting the worship needs of the various generations and subcultures attending our churches. Healthy churches are characterized by a spirit of joy expressed in worship and regularly celebrate the Lord's Supper.
How to Start a New Service
Charles Arn, Baker. Not planning to start a new service? Arn will still help you think about the whole area of worship. He also provides a handy summary of generational differences and how to address them.
The New Worship
Barry Liesch, Baker. Liesch, who teaches at Biola, focuses on music in public worship. The goal is for pastors and worship leaders to discuss this book together.
Worship in Spirit and Truth
John M. Frame, P&R. Frame teaches theology at Westminster and leads worship in his church. He uses the Puritan's "regulative principle" to help readers think through the meaning of and biblical "rules" for public worship.
"Therefore go . . ." (Matt. 28:19-20).
Our congregations must have a clear sense of God's mission and a compelling vision for the future that is communicated clearly and "owned" by the members. Commitment to this mission guides the ministries and decisions of the church. Church structures should facilitate biblical purposes of the church. A willingness to change and take risks is crucial to ongoing effectiveness for local church ministry.
High Impact Boards
Tim Addington, Sandbox. Tim addresses three high impact areas that every church leader must grapple with: What are healthy leaders; How do you do intentional leadership; How do you develop empowered leadership structures in your church.
The Purpose Driven Church
Rick Warren, Zondervan 1995. This book has probably done as much as any other to popularize the importance of being a mission or (what Warren describes as) a purpose driven church. It provides an example of how one congregation, Saddleback Valley Community Church, does it.
Winning on Purpose: How to Organize Congregations to Succeed in Their Mission
John Edmund Kaiser, Abingdon. Kaiser outlines the "rules of the game" for boards, the pastor, staff, and the congregation. For church and ministry leaders.
"Entrust to reliable men . . ." (2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; 1 Pet. 5:1-11; Eph. 4:11-16).
We are committed to intentional leadership development and the exercise of the leadership gifts. We desire to see trained, godly individuals who are spiritually mature leading our local congregations. We desire to see mature leaders deployed as workers for the harvest. Healthy leaders not only promote the spiritual growth of the members, but also develop, empower, and release them for ministry.
A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders
Reggie McNeal, Jossey-Bass. McNeal provides both theory and action steps for leadership growth and development. Because it provides discussion questions related to each topic it covers, Work of Heart can be used individually, in mentoring settings, or it can be discussed together as a group.
Steering Clear: Leadership Strategies for the Almost Healthy Church
Jim Fann, NextStep Resources. Steering Clear uses Paul's advice to Timothy at Ephesus to pursue discussions of leadership, endurance, credibility, church transformation, and related topics. Steering Clear can be studied on its own, with your leadership team, or in a coaching relationship.
The Next Generation Leader: Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future
Andy Stanley, Multnomah. Of all that could be said about leadership, what must be conveyed to next generation leaders? Stanley answers this question by discussing five key concepts: competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character.
"In Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth" (Acts 1:8; Acts 13-28).
Healthy congregations are committed to reproducing themselves. We have a vision for planting or facilitating the planting of churches in our community, district, and world. Believing that God desires the EFCA to reflect the economic and ethnic diversity of our nation, we will be intentional in planting churches among all people who make up our nation and our world.
Churches Planting Churches
Bob Logan & Steve Ogne, ChurchSmart. Churches Planting Churches is a guide designed to walk your church through the process of planting a daughter church.
Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century
Aubrey Malphurs, Baker. "This book is not only for church planters," Malphurs writes, "but also for those who are already in a church but want to learn more about how growing churches function."
Planting Missional Churches
Ed Stetzer, B&H. A balanced overview of "missional" church planting..
"Command . . . not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth . . . but to put their hope in God . . . Command them to do good . . . and to be generous and willing to share" (1 Tim. 6:17-19).
Our churches must be financially strong through ongoing stewardship education and the challenging of our congregations to make sacrificial investments in eternity through regular and special gifts. Our pastors must address the issue of money and possessions in a biblical, relevant, and practical way. Our congregations must adopt God's heart for the poor, disadvantaged, and needy in their allocation of available resources.
44 Ways to Expand the Financial Base of Your Congregation
Lyle Schaller, Abingdon. Schaller describes this as a "how" book on encouraging people to be more generous in underwriting the costs of ministry. Practical and suggestive.
How to Increase Giving in Your Church: A Practical Guide to the Sensitive Task of Raising Money for Your Church or Ministry
George Barna, Regal. This is a research-based study of the who, how, and why of givers and giving.
Maximum Generosity Church Resource Guide
Brian Kluth, Kingdom Seekers. This resource is aimed at pastors and contains preaching helps, worksheets, sample brochures, and a planning calendar among other things.
"Entrust to reliable men . . ." (2 Tim. 2:2).
"Therefore go and make disciples . . ." (Matt. 28: 19-20).
Intentional disciplemaking processes to the next level of spiritual maturity must be built into the fabric of every local church. These disciplemaking pathways must be able to take a majority of local church members from new life in Christ to spiritual maturity. We have a commitment to see each member of our congregations using their spiritual gift(s) within the context of the local church.
Growing True Disciples: New Strategies for Producing Genuine Followers of Christ
George Barna, Waterbrook. "Almost every church in our country has some type of discipleship program or set of activities, but stunningly few churches have a church of disciples," Barna states. In this book, he outlines biblically based insights on building a discipling church.
New Century Disciplemaking
Bill Hull, Revell. Hull reviews Jesus' disciplemaking strategy and offers applications to the contemporary church. Formerly published as Jesus Christ Disciplemaker.
The Disciple-Making Pastor
Bill Hull, Baker. Hull encourages pastors to define their primary task in terms of disciplemaking. Chapter 9, "Making it Work in the Local Church," provides a programmatic snapshot of how a pastor could begin to implement the disciplemaking process in the church.
"By this will men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).
Recognizing that all people are made in God's image and are loved by Him, we believe that our churches must reach across social, economic, and racial lines with practical acts of love within the church and the community-with special care for the needy, forgotten, and defenseless. We also believe our churches must be characterized by believers who are committed to the reconciliation of relationships among all people. Within the local church, loving relationships produce unity, accountability, and a powerful demonstration of God's presence within our communities.
The Emotionally Healthy Church
Peter Scazzero, Zondervan. A discussion of relational health in groups and congregations.
Life Together: A Discussion of Christian Fellowship
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, HarperCollins. A classic; thoughtful and suggestive.
The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict
Ken Sande, Baker. Sande's book is valuable to equip people in churches to respond to conflict biblically.
(Updated 9/07)
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