Is your church meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of your community? Churches That Make a Difference explores the biblical mandate and how-to's of developing and maintaining an effective holistic ministry that combines evangelism and social outreach. This comprehensive resource will help your congregation embrace change, resolve conflict, overcome social barriers, and move into a life-changing outreach of holistic ministry.  
  
"When Sider, Olson, and Unruh call churches to engage in holistic ministry, they are calling us all back to the basics-to simply be faithful to the Gospel." Senator Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania  
   
"Those who want help in the integration of spiritual and social ministry will find that this book will give them the help they need." Commissioner John Busby, National Commander, Salvation Army  
  
"This is compulsive reading because it's not a set of ideas but realities that have been worked out in the ministry of local churches. I wholeheartedly commend it." Clive Calver, president, World Relief  
  
"A faith-based revolution is emerging with the church, taking its rightful and responsible place in the public square. I found this timely book to be an insightful and practical guide for the church to seize this unprecedented opportunity." Dave Donaldson, founder &amp; CEO, We Care America  
  
"This timely book combines a theological and historical perspective with practical advice. Filled with detailed examples of ministries that are successfully addressing societal problems, it should be an influential and useful work." Robert L. Woodson Sr., president, National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise   
  
"A wonderful guide for churches that want to empower the poor and share the gospel." Rep. Tony P. Hall, U.S. Congressman (D-Ohio)   
  
"This book shows that churches, especially small churches, with vision, courage, and a biblically informed theology can be major players in transforming cities. It gave me great hope." Tony Campolo, professor of sociology, Eastern College  
  
"A biblically grounded, richly researched, and thoroughly useful guide to enacting holistic ministry in every congregation." Carl S. Dudley, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Hartford Seminary  
  
"An extremely important book for congregations seeking to create ministries that reach the whole person, body and soul, with God's empowering love." Barbara Williams-Skinner, president, Skinner Leadership Institute   
  
"This is a good book on holistic ministry. It is excellent for the church in America and timely." Jesse Miranda, director, Center for Urban Studies and Ethnic Leadership, Vanguard University  
  
"This is an important book that will have a lasting impact on the role and vision of all our faith-based organizations." Bob Edgar, General Secretary, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA

Ronald J. Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA) and a professor at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, is the author of numerous books, including Just Generosity, Living Like Jesus, and Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.    
Philip N. Olson is vice president for church relations at ESA and director of Network 9:35, which helps churches develop holistic ministries.  
Heidi Rolland Unruh is associate director of the Congregations, Communities, and Leadership Development Project at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Churches over the past generations have been weakened by a failure to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of their communities. Many have adopted a narrow vision, focusing on only one aspect of ministry. But in today's environment of faith-based opportunities many Christians are eager to start reaching out to their world with both Good News and good works, and therefore they are searching for appropriate ways to integrate both into their ministry.   
 In Churches That Make a Difference, best-selling author Ron Sider and his coauthors give those involved in community outreach a comprehensive resource for developing holistic ministry--a balance of evangelism and social outreach. Illustrations and helpful organizational tips detail the how-to's of an effective holistic ministry. Case studies that show how different churches across the United States reach out to their communities provide a variety of ideas and practical applications. User-friendly tools are included as well for congregational studies, surveys, evaluations, and community assessments.   
 The authors draw on extensive experience with church ministries and faith-based organizations as they share the life-changing vision and biblical mandate for living the whole gospel. Church leaders will be encouraged in their process of developing and maintaining a holistic ministry, and local churches will rediscover a passion for loving the whole person the way Jesus did.

This book gives churches the tools to develop effective "holistic ministry" in their communities--a delicate balance of evangelism and social outreach.

Sider, Ronald J. ;Olson, Philip N. ;Unruh, Heidi Rolland

Cover Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgments 

Introduction: An Astonishing Opportunity 

An Overview of the Book 

Part 1: Understanding Holistic Ministry 

1. What Does Holistic Ministry Look Like?

2. The Church's Calling to Holistic Ministry

3. Making Evangelism Central

4. Embracing Social Action—from Relief to Public Policy

5. Integrating Evangelism and Social Outreach

Part 2: The Essential Elements of Holistic Ministry 

6. Divine Love and Power for Outreach Ministry

7. A Commitment to Community Outreach

8. A Healthy Congregational Base for Ministry

9. Church Leadership for Holistic Ministry

10. A Ministry-Centered Organizational Structure

11. Ministry Partnerships

Part 3: Cultivating and Implementing the Vision 

12. Developing a Holistic Ministry Vision for Your Context

13. Rallying Support for the Vision

14. Dealing with Fears, Change, and Conflict in Your Congregation

Conclusion: We Can Do It 

Appendix A: Profiles of the Churches in the Congregations,   Communities, and Leadership Development Project 

Appendix B: Holistic Ministry Resources 

Notes 

Churches over the past generations have been weakened by a failure to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of their communities. Many have adopted a narrow vision, focusing on only one aspect of ministry. But in today's environment of faith-based opportunities many Christians are eager to start reaching out to their world with both Good News and good works, and therefore they are searching for appropriate ways to integrate both into their ministry.  
 InChurches That Make a Difference,best-selling author Ron Sider and his coauthorsgive those involved in community outreach a comprehensive resource for developing holistic ministry--a balance of evangelism and social outreach. Illustrations and helpful organizational tips detail the how-to's of an effective holistic ministry. Case studies that show how different churches across the United States reach out to their communities provide a variety of ideas and practical applications. User-friendly tools are included as well for congregational studies, surveys, evaluations, and community assessments.  
 The authors draw on extensive experience with church ministries and faith-based organizations as they share the life-changing vision and biblical mandate for living the whole gospel. Church leaders will be encouraged in their process of developing and maintaining a holistic ministry, and local churches will rediscover a passion for loving the whole person the way Jesus did.

Offers those involved in community outreach a comprehensive resource for developing holistic ministry - a balance of evangelism and social outreach. This title provides illustrations and helpful organizational tips that detail the how-to's of an effective holistic ministry.

Churches over the past generations have been weakened by a failure to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of their communities. Many have adopted a narrow vision, focusing on only one aspect of ministry. But in today's environment of faith-based opportunities many Christians are eager to start reaching out to their world with both Good News and good works, and therefore they are searching for appropriate ways to integrate both into their ministry.In "Churches That Make a Difference", best-selling author Ron Sider and his coauthors give those involved in community outreach a comprehensive resource for developing holistic ministry - a balance of evangelism and social outreach. Illustrations and helpful organizational tips detail the how-to's of an effective holistic ministry. Case studies that show how different churches across the United States reach out to their communities provide a variety of ideas and practical applications. User-friendly tools are included as well for congregational studies, surveys, evaluations, and community assessments. The authors draw on extensive experience with church ministries and faith-based organizations as they share the life-changing vision and biblical mandate for living the whole gospel. Church leaders will be encouraged in their process of developing and maintaining a holistic ministry, and local churches will rediscover a passion for loving the whole person the way Jesus did.

Ronald J. Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA) and a professor at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, is the author of numerous books, including Just Generosity, Living Like Jesus, and Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philip N. Olson is vice president for church relations at ESA and director of Network 9:35, which helps churches develop holistic ministries. Heidi Rolland Unruh is associate director of the Congregations, Communities, and Leadership Development Project at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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