Growing the African American Church

by Stewart, Carlyle Fielding, III

• ISBN13: 9780687498390
• ISBN10: 0687498392
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-01
• Publisher: Abingdon Pr

Summary

Wisdom from some of the most influential African American pastors of our day on how to grow and sustain a vibrant congregation. Carlyle Fielding Stewart III, author of African American Church Growth, has brought together senior pastors from some of the fastest-growing and most influential African American congregations to answer the question, 'œWhat makes a church grow?' The answers center around four areas of ministry and witness: Preaching and worship, Evangelism and Discipleship, Community Outreach, and Stewardship. Written by church leaders with long experience in leading effective congregations, this book will be required reading for anyone seeking to grow an African American (or other) congregation. To read the Foreward and Introduction click here

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Vance P. Ross
Introduction	xi
Carlyle Fielding Stewart III
PART ONE: Evangelism
1. The Doors of the Church Are Open! A Look at Evangelism and Discipleship in the Black Church	3	(14)
Tyrone D. Gordon
2. Fishing with Flavor: Untraditional Evangelism in the African American Church	17	(14)
Sheron C. Patterson
3. Growing Men into Spiritual Stewards	31	(16)
Elston Ricky Perry
PART TWO: Preaching and Worship
4. Preaching and Worship in the African American Church	47	(16)
J. Alfred Smith Sr.
5. Growing the African American Church through Worship and Preaching	63	(22)
Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.
PART THREE: Outreach
6. Church Growth through Community Outreach: A Ministry of Community Redemption	85	(12)
James C. Perkins
7. Church Growth through Back-Door Ministry	97	(14)
Les Mangum
PART FOUR: Spiritual Formation
8. Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying: Planning, Guiding, and Sustaining Spiritual Formation in the African American Congregation for Church Growth	111	(24)
Eugene A. Blair
9. The Depth of Our Love for Christ Determines the Level of Our Commitment to Spiritual Formation	135
D. Lovett Sconiers
PART FIVE: Stewardship
10. The Art of Giving	159	(14)
Walter L. Kimbrough
Contributors	173