A New Kind of Church : Understanding Models of Ministry for the 21st Century

How should we do church in a changing world? There's no question the world is changing. Many churches are changing with it, adopting new models for ministry: emergent, seeker, purpose-driven, multisite, and so on. These models have been greeted with ... Read more

How should we do church in a changing world? There's no question the world is changing. Many churches are changing with it, adopting new models for ministry: emergent, seeker, purpose-driven, multisite, and so on. These models have been greeted with enthusiasm, but also with controversy and criticism. What are we to make of this? Does Scripture prescribe a standard model for doing church? Or is there freedom within certain guidelines? In A New Kind of Church, respected church consultant Aubrey Malphurs addresses these important questions. The heart of the book outlines a means for evaluating any church model, including: -a proper way of interpreting what Scripture says about the local church -a theology of change -a theology of culture and church -a definition of the local church This important book is for anyone concerned with the state of the church, but it is especially valuable for church leaders considering change in their own churches. "Anyone who is a student of church health will greatly benefit from the sage wisdom Malphurs provides. This sort of insight is rare and valuable. Aubrey helps us confront our assumptions so we can move toward health and vitality in our congregations."--Alan Nelson, executive editor, Rev! magazine "A New Kind of Church will encourage you to think biblically and strategically about the church in North America today. Aubrey Malphurs loves the church and its leaders and his insights will inspire."--Ed Stetzer, author, Breaking the Missional Code Aubrey Malphurs is professor of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary and president of The Malphurs Group (www.malphursgroup.com). He engages in church consulting and training and is the author of more than fifteen books, including Planting Growing Churches in the 21st Century. Less