Best Christian Church Leadership

discover and develop the qualities of an effective "people person" improve your relationships in every area of life understand and help difficult people overcome differences and personality traits that can cause friction inspire others to excellence and success. (Zig Ziglar) John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 18 million books.

Pastor, preacher, and New York Times bestselling author of The Songs of Jesus Timothy Keller shares his wisdom on communicating the Christian faith from the pulpit as well as from the coffee shop. we should be grateful to Keller for his wisdom, scholarship, and humility.”. -The Gospel Coalition. “If you want to see ‘between the lines’ and just ‘below the surface’ of our cultural moment and societal ethos . "...if you follow Keller into the arsenal, you will be powerfully equipped to overcome the world/flesh/Devil and see your prayers for kingdom advance answered by almighty God. And if you follow Keller to the banqueting table, you will increasingly feast on new and old treasures of awe and intimacy with your heavenly Father." “With intellectual, brimstone-free sermons that manage to cite Woody Allen alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Keller draws some 5,000 young followers every Sunday. “It has something for everyone—something for the agnostic (Keller makes a strong argument that there are no true atheists); something for the philosopher (although he invites the wounded reader to skip that section); and something for the believer being beckoned into the inner sanctum of sharing in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings (a place no one naturally wants to go).”. -The Gospel Coalition on Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. “ The Meaning of Marriage is incredibly rich with wisdom and insight that will leave the reader, whether single or married, feeling uplifted. “This is the book I give to all my friends who are serious spiritual seekers or skeptics.”. -Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life , on The Reason for God. “Keller mines material from literary classics, philosophy, anthropology and a multitude of other disciplines to make an intellectually compelling case for God. Written for skeptics and the believers who love them, the book draws on the author's encounters as founding pastor of New York's booming Redeemer Presbyterian Church…[ The Reason for God ] should serve both as testimony to the author's encyclopedic learning and as a compelling overview of the current debate on faith for those who doubt and for those who want to reevaluate what they believe, and why.”. - Publishers Weekly on The Reason for God. Today, Redeemer has more than six thousand regular Sunday attendees and has helped to start more than two hundred and fifty new churches around the world.

History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him “Hitler's Pope.” But a key part of the story has remained untold. The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing. Told with heart-pounding suspense, based on secret transcripts and unsealed files, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican's doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. Crisis Magazine “In compelling detail, Riebling looks not only at the strategies that various anti-Nazi officers and other co-conspirators pursued to kill Hitler, but the kind of government structures that would need to be imposed on shattered Germany if the conspiratorial plots succeeded.... Riebling’s compelling new evidence should put to rest the propaganda charging that Pius XII was at best a weak reed and at worst a Nazi sympathizer.” H-Net “Church of Spies sheds light on the secret actions and covert war waged by Pius, the Vatican, the German Catholic Church, and various German Catholic citizens against Hitler and the Nazis.... By weaving together numerous storylines in a chronological fashion from 1939 to 1945, the history of this period reads more like an exciting popular fiction spy novel than an academic work.... [A]n extremely readable and interesting work.”. George Weigel, First Things “[ Church of Spies ] adds a mass of new evidence to what we know, now, about what the Pope and the Church did to deal with the mortal threat to civilization posed by Hitler and German National Socialism.”. Catholic World Report “[A] blockbuster of a book which not only defends Pius XII...but utterly demolishes the Black Legend by showing in intricate and meticulously documented detail...that from the very start of the war the Pope cooperated secretly with anti-Nazi forces in Hitler’s thousand year Reich who sought, first, to remove the Führer from power; and when that failed, to kill him.... Riebling’s book is beautifully written, and reads like a novel.... [R]iveting.”. The American Catholic “[T]he wealth of detail the author has unearthed by his meticulous research...is impressive and absolutely damning against those who mendaciously have attacked Pius XII as either the silent Pope or even a sub rosa ally of Hitler. War on the Rocks “After years of painstaking research in the Vatican’s archives, Riebling has a different and heart-pounding story to tell of the Pope’s network of spies that fought to bring about Hitler’s downfall.... [An] amazing book that combines the rigor of history with the storytelling of a novel.”. This book has much to surprise, especially the many German officers, separately and together, involved in attempts on Hitler’s life.... Pius, vilified by critics who believed he ignored Germany’s atrocities, comes off as a politically savvy man who realized his interference would precipitate Hitler’s mortal overreaction against German Catholics. George Weigel, First Things blog “[A] deeply researched study of Pius XII’s involvement in plots to depose Adolf Hitler.... It’s a great read, so give it on those grounds; but it’s morally permissible if you give it to annoy the New York Times.”. Eric Metaxas, New York Times #1 bestselling author, nationally syndicated radio host “Church of Spies shows, with significant research to back it up, that Pope Pius the Twelfth was not, in fact, Hitler’s Pope, as he has wrongly been called, but quite the contrary, an enemy of Hitler’s who worked behind the scenes against him. Gerald Posner, author of God’s Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican “Mark Riebling takes readers into the seldom-explored mysterious world of Vatican espionage with a deeply researched and fresh account that reads like a spy thriller. The crackling narrative of Church of Spies delivers an important and compelling addition to the debate over the legacy of Pius XII, the most powerful and complex Pope of modern times.”. Michael Burleigh, author of The Third Reich: A New History “In this exciting and original work, Mark Riebling has unearthed vital new sources, and he writes elegantly and persuasively on a fascinating subject that has remained hidden in history’s shadows.”. Rabbi David Dalin, author of The Myth of Hitler's Pope "In Church of Spies , Mark Riebling provides a groundbreaking and riveting account of Pope Pius XII's secret war against Hitler. Ronald J. Rychlak, author of Hitler, the War, and the Pope “ Church of Spies is an incredible book. Mark Ruff, Contemporary Church History Quarterly "Mark Riebling's methodically-researched detective story... deserves widespread attention .... masterful... will long remain the definitive account of the papal involvement in the conspiracies to topple Hitler. Giles MacDonogh, author of After the Reich "An excellent, racy account of the Catholic Church's role in the resistance to Hitler and a useful corrective to some of the wilder accusations levelled at Pius XII.

· Realize the power of your identity in Christ. · Free yourself from the burdens of your past. · Stand against the spiritual forces of this world. · Win the battle for your mind. · Become the spiritual person you want to be. · Discover the truth about God's view of you. Learn to apply the truths of Scripture as a base from which to renew your mind and become the person Christ empowers you to be. Countless people have found genuine freedom in Christ through the insights God has given Neil Anderson. Reading Victory Over the Darkness has been the catalyst for numerous people on the journey of spiritual freedom in Christ. As part of our core curriculum studies, we encourage every new member of our church to complete Dr. Anderson’s Steps to Freedom in Christ. The Lord has given Neil Anderson a marvelous counseling and discipleship model that is a genuine blessing to the Body of Christ. Dr. Neil Anderson shares solid biblical guidelines for how Christians can be used of God to help set the captives free. Jack W. Hayford President, The King’s Seminary, Founding Pastor, The Church On The Way, Van Nuys, California. Dr. Neil Anderson has done a masterful job of taking a rather complex truth and making it plain enough for all to understand and practical enough for all to experience. He trained our intercessors in discipleship counseling, and they still experience the power of God when they walk people through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. In Lombardi-like fashion, Neil Anderson has entered our locker room and re-introduced our “football,” reminding us of the power found in the fundamentals of our faith. Victory Over the Darkness spells out practical and productive ways to experience Christian growth based on Christ's promise. Learn to apply the truths of Scripture as a base from which to renew your mind and become the person Christ empowers you to be. Praise for Victory Over the Darkness "Countless people have found genuine freedom in Christ through the insights God has given Neil Anderson. "The Lord has given Neil Anderson a marvelous counseling and discipleship model that is a genuine blessing to the Body of Christ."

Whether your church is vibrant or dying, whether you are a pastor or a church member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church will walk you through the radical paths necessary to keep your church alive to the glory of God and advancement of Christ’s Kingdom! Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the largest Christian resource companies in the world.

Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church's power—the Holy Spirit. -- Francis Chan is the founder of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. The author of the bestselling Crazy Love pleads passionately for the church to live by the power of the forgotten God: the Holy Spirit. Calling Christians to more than just a better life, Chan says he wants to live a life unexplainable without the Holy Spirit, so dependent on the Spirit that, he says, if he doesn't come through, I'm screwed. He offers vivid personal stories and illustrations about how the church ought to help Christians discern the powerful gifts of the Spirit, rather than toning down radicals. Through solid scriptural support and compelling narrative, breakthrough author Francis Chan returns us to the Holy Spirit as the Bible describes Him.

Seldom does one find serious scholarship so easy to read.” – The Times , Book of the Year A New York Times bestseller, this major new history of the knights Templar is “. a fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger" – Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem A faltering war in the middle east. These are the first Knights Templar, a band of elite warriors prepared to give their lives to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over the next two hundred years, the Templars would become the most powerful religious order of the medieval world. In this groundbreaking narrative history, Dan Jones tells the true story of the Templars for the first time in a generation, drawing on extensive original sources to build a gripping account of these Christian holy warriors whose heroism and alleged depravity have been shrouded in myth. His aim is to present a gripping historical narrative, and in this he succeeds… As he describes it, the order comes across as a combination of Blackwater, Goldman Sachs, Kroll International, FedEx, Fort Knox, Bechtel and the Red Cross. Information is unreliable and easily manipulated, allowing conspiracy theories to take root and spread.” – Cullen Murphy, The Washington Post "Dan Jones has created a gripping page-turner out of the dramatic history of the Templars, from their spiritual warrior beginnings until their tragic destruction by the French king and the pope. …In Jones’s bravura account, this tension between aristocratic killer and humble monk shadows the Templar story. “Gripping… Jones tells the story of the Templars with energy and verve, regalling readers with well-chosen details and anecdotes. He has done precisely that.” – Peter Frankopan, The Telegraph "Business chiefs listen up, especially in the world of big tech where egos are becoming rather inflated . The caution, although not explicit, comes in the epic story of the warrior monks known as the Knights Templar whose activities have given rise to much speculation and theories, some reasonable and some absurd. “The story of the Templars, the ultimate holy warriors, is an extraordinary saga of fanaticism, bravery, treachery and betrayal, and in Dan Jones they have a worthy chronicler. “A fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger, featuring a cast of exuberantly monstrous sword swingers spattering Christian and Islamic blood from Spain to Jerusalem.” -- Simon Sebag Montefiore author of Jerusalem: The Biography "In this thrillingly lucid account, Dan Jones demystifies the Templars in a story spanning hundreds of years and countless rulers, knights and archbishops, a seemingly disproportionate number of whom ended up beheaded . Anyone who has read Jones’s earlier medieval chronicles will know what to expect here: fast-paced narrative history depicted with irresistible verve, bloody battle scenes and moments of laugh-out-loud wit. There are contemporary parallels, too, with the Templars eventually being laid low by the medieval equivalent of a kind of 'fake news': anti-Templar propaganda spread by the church. “Thank God this book is sane… Jones tells the engrossing story of an ascetic order of warrior knights chiefly dedicated to the defense of pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem… Templars is based on a wide-ranging and thorough research and relies overwhelmingly on primary sources… It reads like a morality tale.” – Robert Irwin, Literary Review. Jones examines the storied Templars, an organization of quasi-monastic warriors who rose to fame and power in the midst of the Crusades, only to rapidly collapse in questionable scandals . Jones chronicles the Templars’ actual record of great military achievement, fiduciary responsibility, exceptional faithfulness, and lasting cultural significance.” --Booklist. A thrilling dynastic history of royal intrigues, violent skullduggery, and brutal warfare across two centuries of British history.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Young Stalin. “Dan Jones’s epic portrait of the medieval royals is a timely reminder that things haven’t always been so rosy for those on the throne.” —GQ. There is fine scholarly intuition on display here and a mastery of the grand narrative; it is a supremely skillful piece of storytelling.” —The Sunday Telegraph. “If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones or The Tudors, then Dan Jones’ swashbucklingly entertaining slice of medieval history will be right up your alley. “Jones is a born storyteller, peopling the terrifying uncertainties of each moment with a superbly drawn cast of characters and powerfully evoking the brutal realities of civil war.” —The Evening Standard. “Dan Jones has an enviable gift for telling a dramatic story while at the same time inviting us to consider serious topics like liberty and the seeds of representative government.” —Antonia Frasier. Dan Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Templars, The Plantagenets, Wars of the Roses, and Magna Carta . He wrote and presented the popular Netflix series Secrets of Great British Castles and appeared alongside George R.R.

The Book of Mormon chronicles stories of ancient peoples migrating from the Near East to the Americas, their beliefs and instructions, wars and contentions, and revelations about righteous living. -- The Salt Lake Tribune, October 3, 1998 Octavo editions give readers a firsthand experience of a milestone text: each includes page-by-page views, expert commentaries, and appropriate "marginalia."

Seldom does one find serious scholarship so easy to read.” – The Times , Book of the Year A New York Times bestseller, this major new history of the knights Templar is “. a fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger" – Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem A faltering war in the middle east. These are the first Knights Templar, a band of elite warriors prepared to give their lives to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over the next two hundred years, the Templars would become the most powerful religious order of the medieval world. In this groundbreaking narrative history, Dan Jones tells the true story of the Templars for the first time in a generation, drawing on extensive original sources to build a gripping account of these Christian holy warriors whose heroism and alleged depravity have been shrouded in myth. The warrior monks have always appealed to conspiracy theorists, and although Jones strips away the myths, he has great fun recounting their bloodthirsty crusading exploits.” -- The Sunday Times , History Book of the Year "Dan Jones gives no credence to the conspiratorial fantasies that have been spun around the Templars over the years . - Cullen Murphy, The Washington Post "Dan Jones has created a gripping page-turner out of the dramatic history of the Templars, from their spiritual warrior beginnings until their tragic destruction by the French king and the pope. …In Jones’s bravura account, this tension between aristocratic killer and humble monk shadows the Templar story. He has done precisely that.” – Peter Frankopan, The Telegraph "Business chiefs listen up, especially in the world of big tech where egos are becoming rather inflated . The caution, although not explicit, comes in the epic story of the warrior monks known as the Knights Templar whose activities have given rise to much speculation and theories, some reasonable and some absurd. “The story of the Templars, the ultimate holy warriors, is an extraordinary saga of fanaticism, bravery, treachery and betrayal, and in Dan Jones they have a worthy chronicler. “A fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger, featuring a cast of exuberantly monstrous sword swingers spattering Christian and Islamic blood from Spain to Jerusalem.” -- Simon Sebag Montefiore author of Jerusalem: The Biography "In this thrillingly lucid account, Dan Jones demystifies the Templars in a story spanning hundreds of years and countless rulers, knights and archbishops, a seemingly disproportionate number of whom ended up beheaded . Anyone who has read Jones’s earlier medieval chronicles will know what to expect here: fast-paced narrative history depicted with irresistible verve, bloody battle scenes and moments of laugh-out-loud wit. There are contemporary parallels, too, with the Templars eventually being laid low by the medieval equivalent of a kind of 'fake news': anti-Templar propaganda spread by the church. “Thank God this book is sane… Jones tells the engrossing story of an ascetic order of warrior knights chiefly dedicated to the defense of pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem… Templars is based on a wide-ranging and thorough research and relies overwhelmingly on primary sources… It reads like a morality tale.” – Robert Irwin, Literary Review. Jones examines the storied Templars, an organization of quasi-monastic warriors who rose to fame and power in the midst of the Crusades, only to rapidly collapse in questionable scandals . Jones chronicles the Templars’ actual record of great military achievement, fiduciary responsibility, exceptional faithfulness, and lasting cultural significance.” --Booklist. Fast-paced and accessible, The Plantagenets is old-fashioned storytelling and will be particularly appreciated by those who like their history red in tooth and claw.” —The Wall Street Journal. A thrilling dynastic history of royal intrigues, violent skullduggery, and brutal warfare across two centuries of British history.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Young Stalin. “Dan Jones’s epic portrait of the medieval royals is a timely reminder that things haven’t always been so rosy for those on the throne.” —GQ. There is fine scholarly intuition on display here and a mastery of the grand narrative; it is a supremely skillful piece of storytelling.” —The Sunday Telegraph. “If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones or The Tudors, then Dan Jones’ swashbucklingly entertaining slice of medieval history will be right up your alley. “Jones is a born storyteller, peopling the terrifying uncertainties of each moment with a superbly drawn cast of characters and powerfully evoking the brutal realities of civil war.” —The Evening Standard. “Dan Jones has an enviable gift for telling a dramatic story while at the same time inviting us to consider serious topics like liberty and the seeds of representative government.” —Antonia Frasier. Dan Jones is the author of The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queen Who Made England , a New York Times bestseller; Wars of the Roses , which charts the story of the fall of the Plantagenets and the improbable rise of the Tudors; Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty; and Summer of Blood. He wrote and presented the popular Netflix series Secrets of Great British Castles and appeared alongside George R. R. Martin in the official HBO film exploring the real history behind Game of Throne s. He is the historical consultant to Knightfall , a major new production from A&E Studios and The History Channel on the legend of the Templars, produced by Jeremy Renner and due to air in early 2018.

Beautifully written, in clear direct language, bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn's new book will help readers see the Mass with new eyes, pray the liturgy with a renewed heart, and enter into the Mass more fully, enthusiastically, intelligently, and powerfully than ever before. The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth reawakens a surprising ancient view of the Eucharist, as the harbinger of the supernatural drama described by the New Testament book of Revelation. --Michael Joseph Gross As with his earlier Rome Sweet Home, Hahn's The Lamb's Supper seeks to bring scriptural exegesis and Roman Catholic ritual tradition into fruitful dialogue. The only consideration noticeably absent from Hahn's liturgical review of Revelation is whether the doxological splendors of the Mass are marred or made manifest in the hastily prepared English translations of the Latin Rite issued in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.