The Church Builder

One group focused on destroying all religion. One group struggling to preserve the church. One woman searching for the truth. For two months, small-town lawyer Bethany Barclay had been mourning the hit-and-run death of her enigmatic best friend, Annabelle Seaver. Then the son of her wealthiest client is found murdered in her kitchen. When Bethany herself becomes the leading suspect, she must flee both the authorities and a mysterious killer. But there is more at stake than she knows. Bethany is caught in the web of a shadowy organization determined to destroy Christianity. The final outcome rests on her ability to piece together the last three months of her best friend’s life.

From A. L. Shields—pseudonym for New York Times bestselling author Stephen L. Carter—come the Church Builder novels as an e-collection! The Church Builder One group focused on destroying all religion. One group struggling to preserve the church. One woman searching for the truth. For two months, small-town lawyer Bethany Barclay had been mourning the hit-and-run death of her enigmatic best friend, Annabelle Seaver. Then the son of her wealthiest client is found murdered in her kitchen. When Bethany herself becomes the leading suspect, she must flee both the authorities and a mysterious killer. But there is more at stake than she knows. Bethany is caught in the web of a shadowy organization determined to destroy Christianity. The final outcome rests on her ability to piece together the last three months of her best friend’s life. Wilderness Rising An age-old struggle between the enemies of God and the champions of faith. A rumored relic that could prove Christ performed miracles—or declare him a fraud. A woman on the run from international authorities. Bethany Barclay is fighting to outwit the Wilderness, an ancient and powerful cabal bent on destroying Christianity. Its members murdered her best friend, framed her for acts of terrorism, and captured the brilliant teen hacker she vowed to protect. To ransom the girl, Bethany must find the Pilate Stone—a mysterious first-century artifact that might not even exist. But she’s not the only one looking for the stone. In an international landscape of double agents, Bethany finds it impossible to tell friend from foe. The Garden, a secret group of powerful intellectuals sworn to save the Church and help Bethany, is collapsing under the rising power of the Wilderness. And an ocean separates her from her only proven ally—the lone wolf Ray Fuentes, who has battles of his own to fight. A sparse trail of breadcrumbs takes Bethany across Europe into a labyrinth of academics, art historians, and followers of a reclusive monastic order. As her quest transforms into an ever more complex and dangerous game, unlikely actors in the drama emerge. Some are ruthlessly devoted to preserving a world where faith is possible. Others aim to brutally, and finally, undermine belief. Including her own.

The distillation of over 30 years experience of building local church Building Church contains the principles and lessons learned from repurposing church with passion and direction. But Stephen Matthew doesn't attempt to prescribe a work-anywhere, transferable model. Instead, he points to the timeless principles of Scripture that provide the building blocks of "the church that God wants you to build." CLIVE URQUHART, Senior Pastor, Kingdom Faith Church: "A thorough, step-by-step journey of how to take the seed of a vision to the realisation of a vibrant, dynamic and growing church. Without prescribing a model, Stephen gives the tools to equip you to translate them into the context you are in." DR SCOTT WILSON, President, Eurolead.net: "An honest, up-front, experience-based, practical tool ... Stephen clearly articulates the many facets of how to do church really well ... a must read." STUART BELL, Senior Pastor, New Life Lincoln and Leader, Ground Level Network: "A highly valuable resource for everyone who loves church." MAL FLETCHER, Chairman, 2020Plus: "Stephen's desire to equip leaders for greater effectiveness shines through the pages of this warm, well-constructed and enlightening book." REVD ROB WHITE, Fresh Streams Network Minister and Chairman, Hope for Justice: "An unmissable book ... advice like this is worth its weight in gold ... If you're a church leader, do yourself and your church a favour - read it " About the author STEPHEN MATTHEW is a gifted Bible teacher and committed church builder. He is Senior Associate Pastor of Abundant Life Ministries and Principal of the Abundant Life Leadership Academy.