Frank Carlson Library

Jim Heidinger has given a gift to the church. He helps the reader comprehend the complex factors and forces that have combined to gut the evangelical passion for souls and orthodox theology that was the core of the American Wesleyan movement. For those who have been wading through the turbulence that theological liberalism has caused in our church, this book will help you understand how we got here.

A brief overview of United Methodist history, beliefs, organization, missions, and interpretation of the membership vows. Great for new members or for ongoing training.

Northern New England, a rugged landscape dotted with transient settlements, posed challenges to the traditional town church in the wake of the American Revolution. Using the methods of spatial geography, Shelby M. Balik examines how migrants adapted their understanding of religious community and spiritual space to survive in the harsh physical surroundings of the region. The notions of boundaries, place, and identity they developed became the basis...

Written in a humorous, accessible style, this book is an easy-to-understand guide to the kinds of theological questions that many United Methodist youth and others are asking today. Being United Methodist in the Bible Belt will help any United Methodist youth, parent, or educator better understand their unique brand of Christianity in light of the understandings of those from the evangelical tradition. With helpful sidebars explaining United Methodist...

The Christian life is a life of growth. The gospel message is simple but not simplistic. Learning the gospel and its implications is a lifelong process, but modern evangelicals are often too focused on the moment of conversion while ignoring the ongoing work of sanctification. For John Wesley and George Whitefield, justification and sanctification were inseparable. In Born Again, Sean McGever maps Wesley's and Whitefield's theologies of conversion,...

John Wesley was an Anglican priest and major leader in the eighteenth-century Evangelical awakening whose theology and practice continues to influence the church today. This book tells how his own search for a heart renewed in love ultimately led him to a fresh vision of the way of salvation, one that is centered on sanctification, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and available to all. Transcending the theological dichotomies of his day, Wesley developed...

The ministry of evangelism is at its best when it occurs in and through the local church, experienced by members at the local church level. Through the local church, Christians learn to discern the voice of the Good Shepherd, and when they know the voice of the Good Shepherd, they easily run away from following the false prophets, false spiritual healers, and other strange voices. African local churches are the best arenas for converts to make their...

Drawing on the roots of early Methodists, Philip Meadows urges readers to use the act of "remembering their baptism" to connect themselves to their own discipleship and mission. This will result in the daily shaping of their Christian lives by personal and corporate spiritual discipline, which is itself decidedly baptismal in character. When church communities of every size remember their baptism, they hold one another accountable for the life of...

Take a journey together with others from your local church--a road trip that will help you rediscover your true mission. This newly revised and updated edition of Roadmap to Renewal will serve as a vital resource enabling you to reconnect to your mission area. Use the step-by-step process in a small group to come up with a Ministry Action Plan for your community of faith. Know your community. Know your mission. Know your strengths and challenges....