You can blow up your life. To bring strong and tall buildings to the ground, demolition experts strategically place tiny explosives throughout the structure of a building so that the building will topple on itself. Instead of destroying the building from the outside, they destroy it from within. In the same way many great men and women have imploded, and others are well on their way. Author of bestselling books Simple Church and Creature of the Word, Eric Geiger offers a sobering reminder that many great and godly people have imploded, and none of us are above the risk. Looking at the story of David's infamous implosion, readers will learn how to ruin our lives (so we won't), and also how to find hope if we do--as all of us need His grace.
Most churches merely exist.
Many churches do not develop leaders intentionally and consistently. When leaders emerge from some churches, it is often by accident. Something is missing. Something is off.
Authors Eric Geiger (author of bestselling Simple Church and Creature of the Word) and Kevin Peckargue that churches that consistently produce leaders have a strong conviction to develop leaders, a healthy culture for leadership development, and helpful constructs to systematically and intentionally build leaders. All three are essential for leaders to be formed through the ministry of a local church.
From the first recordings of history God has made it clear that He has designed creation to be led by His covenant people. More than that, He has decided what His people are to do with that leadership. Whether you are called to lead your home, in the marketplace, in God's church, or in your community, if you are called by God you are called to lead others to worship the glory of God in Jesus Christ.
God has designed His people to lead.
The Reformers viewed the gospel as not merely one thing among many in the life of a church but rather the means by which the church exists. When the gospel is rightly declared and applied to God’s people, the church becomes “a creature of the Word.” She understands, embraces, and lives out the reality of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection in more than her doctrinal statement. The gospel impacts all the church is and does. Creature of the Word lays out this concept in full, first examining the rich, scripture-based beauty of a Jesus-centered church, then clearly providing practical steps toward forming a Jesus-centered church. Authors Matt Chandler, Eric Geiger, and Josh Patterson write what will become a center-ing discussion piece for those whose goal is to be part of a church that has its theology, culture, and practice completely saturated in the gospel.
Many of the church leaders we talk to are seeking an escape from the not-so-simple life.
"Relax. This book is not about another church model. If you are a church leader, you have been exposed to plenty of models, and most of them are on your shelf. Or worse, you have blended a bunch of models into one schizophrenic plan. If that is the case, neither you nor the people in your church are really sure what your church is all about. We see it all the time.
But go ahead, let down your guard. No new program is going to be pushed here. There will be nothing new to add to your calendar. If anything, you will be encouraged to eliminate some things, to streamline. This book will help you design a simple process of discipleship in your church. It will help you implement the model you have chosen. It will help you simplify."
