Building a Dynamic Church Training Manual
Second Edition
Description of the Manual
Having a dynamic church which is developing in a way that brings glory to God is vital. This should be the objective of the pastor and elders in an existing church, as well as that of the evangelist (church planter or cross-cultural missionary) as he starts new churches in his home country or abroad.
The purpose of this manual is to assist church leaders in rethinking such issues as:
- why the church exists
- the goals and purpose of the church
- why church structure is important
- who should be in leadership roles
- what ministries the church should be engaged in
- women’s roles in the church
- the pastor’s spiritual walk, family, preaching and teaching ministry
- additional topics
Following most chapters is an application section with practical questions for pastors, elders and evangelists. These questions are written to enable them to evaluate their ministries, either affirming what they are currently doing, or helping them consider ways to approach their ministries differently for improved results.
The main goal of this manual is to present supracultural principles for the reader to apply in his specific context. Supracultural principles are the mandates of Scripture which the church is to follow. Culture is the context in which they are applied. Therefore, the objective is to apply the Word of God in such a way that culture does not overshadow or become more important than biblical mandates. Yet, one still needs to understand the world in which he lives in order to integrate supracultural principles in a way that his church is biblical and relevant.
This 300-page manual was written primarily to assist the churches of the former Soviet Union. Though that is true, much of the manual is applicable to many cultures around the world. My desire is that it be used wherever possible, so please download a copy for yourself and others. My only restriction is that it not be modified or reproduced without my authorization. This book has also been translated by Christian Lingua into Farsi. You can find it at the Farsi resource section.