A companion to the author's earlier book Designing an Older Adult Ministry (Discipleship Resources, 1999), this book will provide new information and outline ways to develop and strengthen ministries by, with, and for older adults that can, and will, enhance the spiritual growth and well-being of people of all ages. The church is beginning to recognize that there are vast numbers of older people in its membership. It is becoming aware of its indebtedness to them for the leadership, support, ...

Drawing on the roots of early Methodists, Philip Meadows urges readers to use the act of "remembering their baptism" to connect themselves to their own discipleship and mission. This will result in the daily shaping of their Christian lives by personal and corporate spiritual discipline, which is itself decidedly baptismal in character. When church communities of every size remember their baptism, they hold one another accountable for the life of disciplined discipleship and everyday witness....

Where is God when we are hurting or in despair? How can we find hope even when we feel hopeless? Pain, struggle, and despair are part of life, and they test our character as God's people. John Wimmer approaches these challenges to our faith realistically and thoughtfully. He does not offer easy answers or platitudes like "Everything happens for a reason." We can't always understand or control many things that happen to us, but we can choose how we respond to our circumstances. Wimmer encourag...

How do you prepare for Pentecost? As followers of Christ, we are invited to become Easter people filled with the Holy Spirit. The Resurrection is the center of the Christian faith. Without it there would be no Christian story, Christian church, or Christian way of life. Did you know that the Christian calendar sets aside a season of 50 days between Easter and Pentecost? The Easter season, sometimes called Eastertide, includes our Lord's ascension and leads to the Day of Pentecost, when Christ...