Ordering

Ministering to Today's Adults

A Complete Manual for Organizing and Developing Adult Ministries in Local Congregations

Adult ministry poses a unique challenge to churches today — a challenge that many of us fail to meet adequately. The tragic result is an exodus of the best and brightest from our pews, not because these people have changed their theology or abandoned God. They just don't find much at church that seems immediately relevant or compelling.

For nearly fifty years Kenneth O. Gangel has been teaching church leaders how to do adult ministry right. In this volume he has distilled his insights into an easy-to-grasp-and-apply analysis of what it takes to capture the attention and guarantee the participation of adults in your church, including:

* Specific advice based on ages, genders, and
circumstances peculiar to certain ministries

* Proven, cutting-edge curriculum models that can
revitalize your church's adult instruction

* Contemporary solutions to the most common
problems we encounter in ministering to today's
adults

Whether they know it or not, even those who are lagging in church attendance and distancing themselves from other believers still need the time-proven, heaven-given blessings only the church can offer them. As you read this book, Gangel will give you fresh ideas about how to draw these drifters back into the fold. The real-life stories he tells and the successful strategies he outlines may strike in your heart some spark of imagination and renewed commitment that will help you to bring new life to the adult ministry of the church you serve.

Toward a Harmony of Faith and Learning

Essays on Bible College Curriculum

The bible college is a major force in the evangelical church of North America today, producing many of its leaders and 75 percent of its missionaries. Underlying the educational philosophy of the bible college is the concept that the teachings of scripture are foundational and permeating truths that impact all areas of life. Not until now has any book presented the biblical model of faith and learning as a practical paradigm for an educational institution.

Toward a Harmony of Faith and Learning: Essays on Biblical College Curriculum is a comprehensive presentation of the unique educational philosophy of the bible college. The overall structure of the book follows the threefold curriculum pattern of the bible college - biblical, professional, and general (liberal arts) studies. Each chapter examines one academic discipline within the bible college, its biblical foundation and philosophical rationale. Practical suggestions on curriculum development and classroom implementation are provided in each chapter, including helpful ideas on teaching methods, textbook selection, student involvement, and student preparation for future service or vocational ministry.

"The Bible college is a major force in the evangelical church of North America today. Not until this book has an author or an editor presented the biblical model of the faith and learning as a practical paradigm for an educational institution."
Dr. Wendell G. Johnston
Former Executive VP
Dallas Seminary

Handbook on Teaching

Written by Christian education specialists, The Christian Educator's Handbook on Teaching is a complete resource on Christian teaching for use in the home, church, and school.

Each of the contributors to this volume is deeply concerned that the reader be equipped for the awesome privilege of teaching. A potpourri of principles and practices are outlined, including valuable insights for both the beginning teacher and the veteran.

Foundations are laid, patterns are presented, varieties of teaching are revealed, and crucial roles in Christian teaching are exposed--all with a view to providing the Christian educator with a helpful handbook on teaching. Keep it on your desk--at arm's length--for ready reference and repeated reading.

Here you will find a gold mine of information on all phases and places of teaching God's truth. Twenty-one chapters address four general topics:

Foundations for Christian Teaching
Crucial Roles in Christian Teaching
Patterns and Process of Christian Teaching
Varieties of Christian Teaching

Handbook on Adult Education

How do adults learn? For nearly thirty years the general education field, influenced by the adult education model of Malcolm Knowles, has directed considerable attention toward answering this question. With The Christian Educator's Handbook on Adult Education, evangelicals join the discussion.

The Christian Educator's Handbook on Adult Education represents one of the first comprehensive attempts by evangelicals to apply adult education theory to Christian education in general. In this book contributors from across the evangelical spectrum--practitioners and academics--present an accessible interpretation, application, and critique of Knowles' approach from a biblical perspective. The result is a highly practical volume composed of applied, theoretical, and age-specific chapters that will appeal to those in ministry and higher education. Also included is a chapter by Knowles, reflecting on his contributions to Christian adult education.

"The variety of topics addressed, the andragogical model utilized, and the expertise of the contributors combine to offer Christian educators a manual that provides a solid biblical and theoretical base and hands-on guidance for maintaining a program of adult education."--C. Ferris Jordan, Theological Educator

Handbook on Family Life Education

This fourth volume in The Christian Educator's Handbook series--now in paper--is not about family life directly. Rather, it shows churches and ministry organizations how they can carry out effective programs of family life education. Readers will discover that family life education is much broader than counseling and much more valuable than crisis intervention.
This handbook will help Christian leaders evaluate their current programs and develop a successful family life education program.

"The Christian Educator's Handbook on Family Life Education will be nothing less than a lifeline for those that serve today's families."
Dr. Duane Litfin
President
Wheaton College

Handbook on Spiritual Formation

In this resource, available for the first time in paperback, twenty-five church leaders explore spiritual formation in the light of history; through specific acts of liturgy, public worship, and prayer; and in different age groups.
The editors explain their purpose in the introduction, We offer this volume as an alternative to a humanistic education which has robbed some churches of the ability to transform believers. We want to assist congregations in producing the kind of people who can witness to the world through both their words and the depth of their being. Our hope is that it will be used to educate and nurture believers in the process of spiritual formation.

"It is not often that a book combining adequate coverage of the subject, accurate information, and genuine spiritual insight appears, but The Christian Educator's Handbook on Spiritual Formation does just that. It draws together theoretical insight on spiritual formation for the academician and practical help on growing spiritually for the layperson."--Walter A. Elwell, Wheaton College