A
friend who has an incredible ministry and heart for children and the
church has written this section.
Children
Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family, and Community by
Scottie May, 2005.
Children
Mean the World to God
by Harold Shank, 2001. A good theology of children. Shank uses
a lot of scripture as its base and deals a lot with disenfranchised
children. Very reader-friendly and has some exercises at the end of
each chapter that might be good for group discussion.
Family
the Forming Center: A Vision of the Role of Family in Spiritual
Formation by
Marjorie Thompson, 1996. Some
of it is pretty thick (especially at first), but it progresses to give
some good, practical ways that families can be the primary spiritual
teachers of their children, including some good stuff on family rituals
and celebrations. She comes from the perspective that the
family is the most important component of spiritual formation.
Joining
Children on the Spiritual Journey: Nurturing a Life of Faith
by Catherine Stonehouse, 1998. Stonehouse sees us as "pilgrims
together on the journey". This is an easy read.
Postmodern
Children's Ministry: Ministry to Children in the 21st Century
by Ivy Beckwith 2004. A very good resource.
She has chapters on characteristics of the postmodern child, the
role of the community of faith, children in worship, etc.
Real
Kids, Real Faith: Practices for Nurturing Children's Spiritual Lives
by Karen
Marie Youst, 2004. This has lots of practical information and things that
parents and children's leaders can do to nurture children's spirituality.
Reader-friendly.
The
Story We Find Ourselves In: Further Adventures of a New Kind of Christian
by Brian McLaren, 2003. Sequel
to A New Kind of Christian exploring how our lives are intertwined with
the divine narrative.
Things
that Matter:
A Guide to
Christian Faith.
Ed.
by Michael R. Weed and
Jeffrey Peterson, 2000. Good
for new believers, seekers, or small group studies.
Simple and profound.
A
New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey
by Brian McLaren, 2001. A
fictional dialogue between a burned out Christian leader and a postmodern
teacher. The book captures
the spirit of Christianity where faith is more about way of life and not a
system of belief.
Walking
on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
by Madeleine L’Engle, 1972. L’Engle
explores the relationship between Christianity and Art, offering personal
insights into her own faith and artistry.
A book about being co-creators with God.
Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture by William D. Romanowski, 2001. An easy to read introduction into the complex interaction between faith, Christianity, and popular culture.
ChurchNext:
Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry
by Eddie Gibbs, 2000. The
church needs to make major shifts from being market driven to being
mission oriented.
The
Missional Church: A
Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, ed.
by Darrell Gruder. The
book argues that the church does not have a mission, but is a missional
community itself.
More
Ready than you Realize: Evangelism as Dance in the Postmodern Matrix
by Brian McLaren, 2002. This
is a great book. McLaren
frames evangelism is the context of “spiritual friendship” and is
sensitive to various places that people are on their spiritual journey.
Refreshing and practical!
Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the-Century Culture, by Marva J.
The
Shaping of Things to Come,
by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, 2003.
This book is an exciting challenge for the church to embrace Jesus
and his way of doing mission.
Making
Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition
by Christine Pohl, 1999. Pohl
revisits the discipline of welcoming strangers as a core part of the
Christian life. Be prepared to be challenged!
L’Abri
by Edith Schaeffer, 1969. An
awesome story of community, faith, and hospitality taking place in the
Swiss mountains.
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1949. An amazing little book offering practical guidance for Christian community.
Awed
to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann,
2003. Brueggemann is a well
known Old Testament theologian (a favorite of Lance’s).
The book is a compilation of forty-two years of teaching and
praying.
Prayers
by Michel
Quoist, 1999. A Compelling introduction to a life of prayer.
Each prayer reminds us that we need Christ every day, not only in
the liturgy and the Scriptures, but also what Quoist calls the “gospel
of daily life.”
Compassion:
A Reflection on the Christian Life
by Henri Nouwen, Donald McNeill, and Douglas Morrison, 1982. The authors explain how compassion opposes competition and
power. The book challenges us
to reflect God’s servant character.
The
Great Divorce
by C. S. Lewis, 1946. One of
the great authors and thinkers of the modern era takes us on an adventure
of the afterworld. An
imaginative and intriguing book!
Hinds
Feet on High Places by
Hannah Hurnard, 1975. An
allegorical tale of Much Afraid on a spiritual journey of faith.
Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr, 1993. A good book for learning to define and experience spiritual formation as a life long journey in Christ.
