Christian Education: A Guide to the Foundations of Ministry

by Freddy Cardoza (Editor)

This introductory textbook solidly situates Christian education in the church and ministry context of the 21st century. With over 20 years of ministry, teaching, and leadership experience, Freddy Cardoza is uniquely qualified to bring together a wide range of Christian educators. This volume features the expertise of 25 evangelical scholars of Christian education, including diverse, next-generation voices in the field. It provides balanced biblical-theological and practical perspectives for church and parachurch leaders, equipping them to meet the ever-changing needs of our world. Additional resources for professors and students are available through Textbook eSources.

400 pages, Hardcover

Published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian education has changed quite a bit over the years, but it has also remained the same. The discipline itself has expanded to include many new ministries, and many of us witnessed the development of these ministries. Designed to serve as an introductory textbook for Christian education courses in Christian universities, this book demonstrates the hybrid nature of Christian education today. It draws from philosophy, psychology, business, religion, sociology, and other disciplines to emphasize the importance of ministering to all persons. With chapters by leading Evangelical Christian educators, the book emphasizes personal evangelism in spreading the Gospel and encourages training all believers to share their faith. Some writers developed their topic better than others who seemed to give only superficial treatment to the topic. With more topics to cover than textbooks of forty years ago, the editor's challenge in creating a volume suitable for a foundation course is understandable, but the coverage given some topics which used to garner more attention in courses of this nature is disappointing. This book should serve well as an introductory text for years to come when supplemented by additional content addressing weaker portions of the text. I received this advance review copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review. Although I worked as a seminary librarian when some of the chapter authors attended my institution, I did not allow my friendship with the authors to influence my review. (3.5 stars)

[Anna Hoech · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really impressed with how current the data in this textbook was as well as how nuanced the authors were in their arguments. Coming from the education world (in a secular university), I appreciated how this book took the theories and dissected which parts could align with Christian education and which ones would contradict our faith. The part of different ministries was especially interesting and eye-opening as it really talked about the state of Christianity among my generation (Gen Z) and how faith is becoming less prevalent and engaging even. There were parts of this book that I just had to pause and soak in because of how insightful it was on today’s generation. Truly, we need the Holy Spirit to breathe fresh faith into our generation and to help us see a deep need for the gospel again. I can’t believe I got to just read this for class. It really opened my eyes to see the heart of ministry to children, youth, young adults, and adults. This book was not afraid to address hard topics and issues that Christian education faces today. After being in a public school, I truly appreciate studying education from a biblical lens.

[Mark Youngkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book as one of the texts for a course in Christian Education I taught at Valor Christian College this past semester. It's well suited for that purpose. The chapters are well structured to introduce new concepts. I recommend it highly.

[Brandon Siwula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction book. Some sections are really helpful, some not as much.