2024 the best place to live and work in usa review
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It is impossible to alleviate poverty―in its fullest sense―apart from the local church.
In recent years, Christians have shown an increased commitment to helping the poor. But this renewed interest in poverty alleviation is doomed to fail if it is not rooted in the local church―God’s established means of drawing downtrodden people into a transformative relationship with himself. Emphasizing the priority of the gospel, Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley, both pastors with fruitful ministries among the poor, offer biblical guidelines and practical strategies for planting, revitalizing, and growing faithful churches in hard places―in our own communities and around the world.
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Author
Mike McKinley Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley Jonathan Leeman Mark Dever
ASIN : 1433549042
Publisher : Crossway (January 31, 2016)
Language : English
Paperback : 208 pages
ISBN-10 : 9781433549045
ISBN-13 : 978-1433549045
Item Weight : 8 ounces
Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.54 x 8 inches
Reviewer: Nathan Cedarland
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Every church planter should read this book regardless of their context
Review: I thank the Lord for this book! As a church planter (who has been serving in hard places for over 8 years), I was constantly refreshed, convicted, challenged, and inspired. The temptation may be to skip through the doctrinal section at the beginning and get right to the practical stuff, but don't give in! The theological foundation is intentionally laid to support the practical sections later on. You will find the investment of time well worth it.Who should read this book?Jesus said "the poor will be with you always", and that is true everywhere, sometimes certain needs are just more obvious on the surface. So I would suggest that anyone doing church planting should read this book regardless of how economically depressed they perceive their context. This would also be a helpful read for anyone considering being a part of a church plant and especially for the core team. Leaders in existing churches will also profit from this fresh and biblical emphasis on the centrality of the local church in ministry to the poor. The authors are extremely accesible and share tons of pertinent stories (on almost every page) from their own experience of serving Jesus in difficult places. My wife and I read it together and it sparked a lot of great conversations. I will be ordering more copies to share with all of our leaders in training and suspect this will prove to be a useful resource for many years to come.
Reviewer: Elaine Sleigh
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A compelling read...
Review: This is the real thing from the experience of two men who have lived thechallengesof ministering in hard places and learned from them.
Reviewer: LeighAnn
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Read this book!
Review: This is the best book Iâve read in a long time and Iâm buying up copies to give away. I have a compassionate heart and have had many questions about how God wants to use me in my community. This book has helped me get the answers I need and it also helps me really think of what kind of ministries I want to invest in - ministries that tell the Gospel and build disciples. If they are only giving out food, theyâre missing the point. Many many good illustrations. Just like the men on the road to Ameus, my heart was stirred within me the whole way through. I pray God will use this book in churches all over the world!
Reviewer: A. Wencl
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An introduction to church planting in low-income areas
Review: Ministry anywhere is hard because all people, ministers included, are sinners. Yet ministry in lower-income, urban areas has its own problems, and the lack of gospel-centered churches in many of these areas would suggest that Christians believe ministry there is harder than in more economically advantaged places. Church in Hard Places by Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley addresses this reality and provides an argument for church planting in these âhard places.âIf youâre looking for a practical how-to guide for church planting in low-income neighborhoods, you should pass this one by. If you havenât given it much thought or are just considering the subject, McConnel and McKinley have you covered.Some years ago Mark Dever wrote a book called IX Marks of a Healthy Church. Since then heâs built a whole ministry around these nine marks geared towards promoting the health of churches around the globe. Church in Hard Places is part of that ministry, and anyone familiar with the nine marks will find them well-applied to the subject of ministry in places with high rates of poverty.I found myself highlighting a lot of what Mez and Mike had to say, though I would have liked more practical application since I found myself wondering okay, so what do I do from here? I suppose itâs not fair to criticize the book, since it wasnât the authorsâ purpose to write a manual on church planting, and the size of the book tells you right off the bat that itâs going to be an overview.Iâm hopeful that believers will rally to support church planting amongst the urban poor. Sunday morning is too segregated along racial and economic lines, and I, for my part, am trying to build bridges between people of different backgrounds in my community. May this book and others like it help to tear down the walls that divide us and cause us to come together to carry the gospel to every nook and cranny of our communities.I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of providing a review.
Reviewer: Jordan and Josephine H.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Must-Read
Review: Absolutely a must-read for anyone going into ministry of any sort. So practical, so insightful, so needed. My husband and I both read this book, and I loved it so much that I sent a copy to my sister (who also loved it).
Reviewer: Jason McNutt
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great lesson on everything
Review: Mike and Mez hit every aspect of the life of a church and what it takes to see people come to faith. From the priority of the gospel, gifts, church membership to discipleship. It is all there. Not a how to book but a theological, biblical and practical principled outline.
Reviewer: Larry
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Why is it easier to start a new church than to change an existing one?
Review: The church as we know it is one generation from posting a "for sale" sign on the front lawn.....This book can help find a way for the church to make that radical shift in it's demographics we need to continue. Most churches have been exclusive rather than inclusive. So, read this book put itdown and put on some boots. Great read.
Reviewer: KPLmin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Loved it
Review: Practical help for ministry in hard places. But has a theological foundation that keeps it all in perspective. Thankful for this book!
Reviewer: Bert Gibson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: North American institutional mission has produced less for more. Reliance upon human, sociological strategies and methodologies (rather than the Holy Spirit, the gospel and prayer) abound but with questionable conversion growth. "Missional" is the contemporary trendy mantra. This book helpfully uncovers the deception and is a call to return to Christ (gospel) centred mission.
Reviewer: Rev. Steve
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Church In Hard Places by Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley is a must for any church pastor or leader who is serious about doing more than just church. Mez and Mike are in two very different contexts, one in Scotland and the other in the USA, but they both have a wealth of experience in church planting and church revitalisation.Having said that, I would note that it is not necessary for the reader to be involved in either of these although you will find it invaluable if you are. If you are a church leader in an established church who is struggling to break through into effective evangelism and discipleship, I would recommend you buy this book and drop as a plumb-line against what you are doing.the second thing to note is that 'Hard Place' is not necessarily the roughest, toughest context you can think of, it could be upper or middle class contexts that are seeing no or little Gospel witness. This book will be helpful to you in whatever context you find yourself.Mike and Mez (who is senior pastor at Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh and heads up 20Schemes, the church planting ministry of Niddrie Community Church) challenge some of the middle class, evangelistic paradigms and assumptions. Quite often, the wealth of activity that takes place in churches is either derived from assumption or lack of understanding. Other activities such as mercy ministries can have a negative effect, make in terms of Gospel effectiveness, but are promulgated because it can leave Christians feeling good about themselves because they've done something.This book will help the reader assess and challenge your practice as well as encourage you to develop your understanding.A refreshing and encouraging read. I purchased my copy directly from 20Schemes to support the ministry.
Reviewer: evanommen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great book, lots of good information
Reviewer: David
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Were looking at planting a church in a council estate in England. We're in the early stages but this book really challenges you on your motivations behind it and also helps you realise the difficult nature of doing something like this.I would recommend this to anyone who is looking at getting involved in planting or working on a church in a poor area.
Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great book. Very clear and to the point on how to get a gospel ministry going in the more unreached areas of our society. I have personally found it useful in applying a lot of what is taught in the book to my life and gospel activity
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