10 Great Ideas from Church History: A Decision-Maker's Guide to Shaping Your Church

by Mark Shaw

Tired of following the latest church-growth fad? In many churches, building vision means embracing the ideas of the latest guru and jumping from one program to another. Ministry decisions are made according to the crisis of the moment or the pressures of the bottom line. Long-term planning can seem like an impossible dream. This book offers something different. Here are ideas that have stood the test of time--ideas from the most significant Christian leaders of the last five hundred years. Your church can implement key strategies from the lives and writings of the reformers:
Gain a vision for truth.
Renew your quest for holiness.
See how delighting in God will inspire your worship.
Bring renewal with a biblical model of revival.
Build leaders with a time-tested plan for discipleship.
Energize your vision for missions.
Grow together with key principles of Christian community.
And who makes up the panel of expert consultants who will guide your vision for lasting change? None other than Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, William Carey, John Wesley, Richard Baxter, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and more. Each of the ten great ideas found in this book provides a biblically based and historically rooted vision for your church over the long haul. Do you want to revitalize the work of your church? Here are ten of the best ways in history to make it happen.

Genres: Church History, History, Theology

237 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. ^6

Mark Shaw is professor of historical studies and director of the Centre for World Christianity at Africa International University. He studied World Christianity at the University of Edinburgh, UK, (MTh), and church history at Westminster Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, USA, (ThD).

Also publishes as Mark R. Shaw.

Reviews

[Johnathan Nazarian]

Good for a history of the birth of several major historical Christian concepts.

[Glen]

I thought that this book was quite excellent, showing how some of our great theological thinkers of the past dealt with some of the issues of their day and how to apply such issues today. For those of use who may not understand the a godly view of things such as denominationalism, who would want to know where to begin in a quest for holiness, a look at what missions is about, discipleship and other mainstream areas that we seek to improve concerning church and our relationship with God.