The More With Less Church

In our challenging economic times, it is no surprise that churches must get creative with their resources. But the authors of The More-with-Less Church believe pastors, leadership teams, and planning committees should look on times such as these not as hurdles to overcome but as opportunities to reconsider entrenched but inefficient ministry practices that are siphoning time, money, and energy from their churches. Drawn from time- and field-tested strategies, this practical resource helps church leaders avoid costly mistakes and maximize the return on their investment in four areas of church life--ministries, staffing, facilities, and finances.

This is a new edition of Herald Press's all-time best-selling cookbook, helping thousands of families establish a climate of joy and concern for others at mealtime. The late author's introductory chapters have been edited and revised for today's cooks. Statistics and nutritional information have been updated to reflect current American and Canadian eating habits, health issues, and diet guidelines. The new U.S. food chart "My Plate" was slipped in at the last minute and placed alongside Canada's Food Guide. But the message has changed little from the one that Doris Janzen Longacre promoted in 1976, when the first edition of this cookbook was released. In many ways she was ahead of her time in advocating for people to eat more whole grains and more vegetables and fruits, with less meat, saturated fat, and sugars. This book is part of the World Community Cookbook series that is published in cooperation with Mennonite Central Committee, a worldwide ministry of relief, development, and peace. "Mennonites are widely recognized as good cooks. But Mennonites are also a people who care about the world’s hungry."—Doris Janzen Longacre

You have less resources - but you know every student's name. Attendance drops when one family takes a vacation - but you have flexibility. Celebrate the wonderful journey of ministry in the smaller congregation. While making parents your partners in ministry, more ministry with less money, finding/training volunteers, and appreciating the advantages of serving in a smaller youth ministry

In 1980, before living simply and "green" became trendy and popular, Doris Janzen Longacre, author of the enormously popular More-with-Less Cookbook (over 900,000 sold), wrote Living More with Less, a practical guide for living in simple, sustainable, and healthy ways-ways that keep the future of the planet, and the plight of poor people, in mind. Thirty years later, Living More with Less 30th Anniversary Edition is being released as a way to celebrate and honor Longacre's foresight and vision, and to pass on her vision for simple and sustainable living to a new generation. Revised and updated by Valerie Weaver-Zercher, this 30th anniversary edition is true to author Doris' spirit of living in ways that keeps poor people, God's creation and each other in mind-and is loaded with new and practical tips in areas such as money, travel, clothing, housing, celebrations and recreation. "Living More with Less 30th Anniversary Edition collects the wisdom and experience of those who live with less than a consumer culture says we need. With stories, reflections, and advice from people around the world who are making changes to their daily habits in response to climate change and global poverty, Living More with Less 30th Anniversary Edition is a vibrant collection of testimonies, old and new, of those who are discovering the joy of living with enough." —Valerie Weaver-Zercher, editor Check out the article "Living More with Less: An Idea Whose Time Has Come Again" at Publishers Weekly Endorsements "This book was decades ahead of its time, and is just as relevant today as it was thirty years ago . . . It is like a cookbook for life." —Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution, speaker, and activist "This message is even more important than it was thirty years ago . . . Herein lies sound advice for living sensibly." —Bill McKibben, author Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet "This timely revised and updated edition is exceptionally wise, urgently necessary for the sake of saving our planet, pertinently and personally practical . . . Who could not but rave about this book!" —Marva Dawn, author of Unfettered Hope; Being Well When We're Ill; and Keeping the Sabbath Wholly "Living More with Less is about a way of living rooted in the Christian faith . .. . Our planet is groaning and we desperately need the kind of thoughtful essays and tips in this book to show us the way forward." —Ron Sider, founder and president of Evangelicals for Social Action Read the complete list of endorsements Click here for more about Living More with Less, including sample tips & ideas, additional resources and more. Click here for more about Doris Janzen Longacre, including poems, journal entries, her final sermon and more. Free downloadable study guide available here.

How do we as Orthodox parents keep our children in the Church throughout their lives? It all begins with involving them in the life of the Church from birth onward-in the parish and also at home. Blueprints for the Little Church provides practical ideas and encouragement-without judgment-for incorporating the primary practices of Orthodox spirituality into your family life at every stage of its growth and throughout the church year.

Why closing the back door of your church is even more important than opening the front door wider. In Sticky Church, author and pastor Larry Osborne offers a time-tested strategy for doing so: sermon-based small groups that dig deeper into the weekend message and tightly velcro members to the ministry. It's a strategy that enabled Osborne's congregation to grow from a handful of people to one of the larger churches in the nation—without any marketing or special programming. Sticky Church tells the inspiring story of North Coast Church's phenomenal growth and offers practical tips for launching your own sermon-based small group ministry. Topics include: Why stickiness is so important Why most of our discipleship models don't work very well Why small groups always make a church more honest and transparent What makes groups grow deeper and sticker over time Sticky Church is an ideal book for church leaders who want to start or retool their small group ministry—and velcro their congregation to the Bible and each other.

Wise insight on building a church, growing a church, and keeping costs low. For pastors, leaders, and building committees.

Christianity Today Book Award winner Golden Canon Leadership Book Award winner Feeling caught between the traditional church and the emerging church? Discover a third way: deep church. C. S. Lewis used the phrase "deep church" to describe the body of believers committed to mere Christianity. Unfortunately church in our postmodern era has been marked by a certain shallowness. Emerging authors, fed up with contemporary pragmatism, have offered alternative visions for twenty-first-century Christianity. Traditionalist churches have reacted negatively, at times defensively. Jim Belcher knows what it's like to be part of both of these worlds. In the 1990s he was among the pioneers of what was then called Gen X ministry, hanging out with creative innovators like Rob Bell, Mark Oestreicher and Mark Driscoll. But he also has maintained ties to traditionalist circles, planting a church in the Presbyterian Church of America. In Deep Church, Belcher brings the best insights of all sides to forge a third way between emerging and traditional. In a fair and evenhanded way, Belcher explores the proposals of such emerging church leaders as Tony Jones, Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt. He offers measured appreciation and affirmation as well as balanced critique. Moving beyond reaction, Belcher provides constructive models from his own church planting experience and paints a picture of what this alternate, deep church looks like--a missional church committed to both tradition and culture, valuing innovation in worship, arts and community but also creeds and confessions. If you've felt stuck between two extremes, you can find a home here. Plumb the depths of Christianity in a way that neither rejects our postmodern context nor capitulates to it. Instead of veering to the left or the right, go between the extremes--and go deep.