Traveling Together: A Guide for Disciple-Forming Congregations

Many church leaders feel-at least on some level-that virtually all the old answers about what it means to be and do church don't work anymore. Author Jeffrey D. Jones believes that if the old answers don't work any more it is because the world in which they had worked is no more. A new world has dawned and new answers are urgently needed. In Traveling Together, Jeff Jones takes his readers on a journey, providing a guidebook that maps out: * The factors facing congregations in this post-modern, post-Christian world * What it means to be a disciple * Biblical foundations for understanding the purpose of the church-to become a disciple-forming community * Key experiences that contribute to the growth of disciples * Eight important qualities of a disciple-forming congregation Rather than bemoaning the state of the church in the world today, Jones says we need to be open to the possibility that the struggles of these times are God's way of calling the church to be what it is supposed to be-to do what it is supposed to do in this new world. Traveling Together is a travel guide for a journey with a sacred purpose-discerning God's call, both as individuals and as the church. The destination will look different for different congregations, but Jones provides the tools to help pastors and other leaders embark on their own unique quest to respond to God's call. Anyone concerned for the life and ministry of the church, who has a sense that things are not what they might be, and who is seeking a new understanding of congregational life and mission will find hope and help in these pages. With the heart of a pastor, Jeff Jones shows congregational leaders how to embrace the best parts of their church's rich heritage and reclaim it for a new day.

Jeffrey D. Jones is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Plymouth, Massachusetts. A former denominational executive, he is the author of nine books and is the director of distance learning for Andover Newton Theological School.