The Pastor's Guide to Growing a Christlike Church

How can you change a stagnant, inward-focused church of pew-sitters into a growing, outreach-oriented fellowship of believers? In The Pastor’s Guide to Growing a Christlike Church, you’ll discover the keys to creating a vibrant, biblical, spiritually healthy church. William Willimon, H.B. London, George Hunter III, and other well-known church leaders teach you how to:Develop servant leaders among the laity Get laity involved in serving the community Nurture healthy spirituality in the churchDevelop authentic Christian community and fellowshipPlan worship services that bind church members togetherCast a vision for the future of the churchAnd much more!

An international speaker, best selling author, and compassionate teacher, Stan has authored more than ninety books to date. His books have sold more than three million copies worldwide.Stan served for forty years as a pastor, and was named General Superintendent Emeritus by the Church of the Nazarene. He was vice president of John Maxwell’s Injoy Ministries, has spoken in eighty countries, and shared the platform with speakers including Zig Ziglar, Jerry Lucas, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, and Cy Young baseball great R.A. Dickey.StanToler.com H.B. London, Jr. is Vice President of Ministry Outreach/Pastoral Ministries at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, CO. A fourth generation minister, he pastored churches for thirty-one years before accepting his present position in 1991. His ministry has taken him around the world in specialized assignments related to revival, church growth, missions development, evangelism, and pastoral training. A first cousin to Dr. James C. Dobson. H.B.’s assignment at Focus on the Family is ministry to pastors and their families.
Beverley London was raised near Turlock, California, and attended Pasadena College. She has been married to H.B. since 1957. She has been a housewife and mother since their first child was born in 1959. From the beginning days of their ministry, Beverley has served the church and contributed to their shared ministry through music. She is an accomplished pianist and organist. Beverley enjoys home decorating, travel, flower gardening, and time spent with her four grandchildren. JOHN C. MAXWELL is a cutting-edge entrepreneur, best-selling author, and dynamic speaker. He has cultivated an extensive following among the most highly respected and influential business leaders across the globe. Reaching more than 350,000 people a year through speaking engagements alone, Maxwell develops leaders of excellence and integrity by providing resources and training for personal and professional growth.Maxwell’s books include: Thinking for a Change, Running with the Giants, Leadership 101, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Many of his titles have landed on the best-seller list in noted publications, such as The New York Times, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CBA Marketplace. He resides in Atlanta with his wife, Margaret. Kennon L. Callahan, today’s most soughtafter church consultant, has w orked with thousands of congregations across the planet, and has helped tens of thousands of church leaders and pastors through his workshops and seminars. He is best known for his groundbreaking study Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, which is regarded as the most dynamic and comprehensive longrange planning resource available. This widely acclaimed program for church renewal identifies the twelve essential characteristics of successful, growing churches and offers all congregations a way to unlock their inherent potential for effective ministry. William Willimon, S.T.D., has been dean of the Chapel and professor of Christian ministry at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, since 1984. He has served as pastor of churches in Georgia and South Carolina. In 1996, an international survey conducted by Baylor University named him one of the Twelve Most Effective Preachers in the English-speaking world. He is the author of 50 books. His articles have appeared in many publications including The Christian Ministry, Worship, and Christianity Today. His Pulpit Resource is used each week by over 8,000 pastors in the U.S.A., Canada, and Australia. He serves on the editorial boards of The Christian Century, The Christian Ministry, Pulpit Digest, Preaching, The Wittenburg Door, and Leadership. He has given lectures and taught courses at many pastors’ schools, colleges, and universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. He is married to Patricia Parker. The Willimons have two children: William Parker and Harriet Patricia. Dr. George Hunter is Dean and Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth at Asbury Theological Seminary. As a trainer, pastor, and consultant, countless ministry leaders have benefited from Dr. Hunter’s work. He is a graduate at Florida Southern College, Emory University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Northwestern University (Ph.D.). He has authored ten books, including To Spread the Power: Church Growth in the Wesleyan Spirit (1987), How To Reach Secular People (1992), Church for the Unchurched (1996), The Celtic Way of Evangelism (2000), Leading and Managing a Growing Church (2000), and Radical Outreach (2003)--all with Abingdon Press. James Earl Massey is Dean Emeritus and Distinguished Professor-at-Large at Anderson University School of Theology in Anderson, Indiana. He holds degrees from Oberlin Graduate School of Theology, Asbury Theological Seminary and other institutions. For forty years, Dr. Massey has been an extraordinary preacher, teacher, and communicator of the Gospel. He served as the senior pastor of the Metropolitan Church, Detroit, Michigan (1954-76); the Campus Minister of Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana (1969-77); a speaker on the ’Christian Brotherhood Hour’ radio broadcast (1977-82); Dean of the Chapel of Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama (1984-90); and Preacher-in-Residence of Park Place Church of God, Anderson, Indiana (1994-95). He has preached and lectured at more than a hundred colleges, universities, and seminaries in the United States and on four continents. He is a life trustee of Asbury Theological Seminary and sits on the editorial boards of Christianity Today, Leadership, Preaching, and The New Interpreter’s Bible. His published works include The Responsible Pulpit and Designing the Sermon. Darius Salter is currently devoting his time to writing and itinerate preaching. He is completing a biography of Methodist Bishop Matthew Simpson, the clergyman closest to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and who preached Lincoln’s funeral. Salter is the author of seven books, including America’s Bishop, the first comprehensive biography written on Francis Asbury. He also chairs the Board for New Fields Ministries, an inter-denominational missionary organization. Dr. Salter is a graduate of Kentucky Mountain Bible College, Asbury College, and Asbury Theological Seminary. He completed the Ph.D. at Drew University and taught seminary for 24 years. He pastored for 12 years, and has preached on 6 continents. Dr. Salter served as Executive Director of the Christian Holiness Association, an inter-denominational fellowship consisting of many denominations, colleges and universities, and mission organizations. He is an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. Kentucky Mountain Bible College named him its Alumnus of the Year in 2011.Darius is married to Brenda. They are the parents of four daughters, all who played four years of collegiate softball. Ron Blake has been a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene for 20 years. He was the Director of Clergy Services at Nazarene Headquarters. He is presently the Senior Pastor at Detroit First Church of the Nazarene.