Fan the Flame

What if we modeled our churches after what Jesus intended His church to look like? What if our hope for our ministries rested not on human wisdom but on God''s power?

Over the past few years, we''ve all seen how quickly circumstances can change, and many of us have experienced firsthand how church growth trends and popular models fail us. Churches across the country are struggling, and many pastors are deeply discouraged. We work hard and with great sincerity, but our efforts don''t seem to be helping our churches flourish.

Jim Cymbala—New York Times best-selling author and long-time pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle—has been watching the pressing need for back-to-the-basics spiritual leadership among Christians, and he''s seen so many churches come to defeat because so many leaders forget this one truth: Your church is not your church. It''s Christ''s church. In order for his church to flourish, we have to minister his way.

With this posture of humility and a refreshing return to the model of Paul''s church leadership and philosophy of preaching shown in the book of Acts, Cymbala has written an urgent message for all those in ministry that:

• Identifies the many pitfalls that church leaders can fall into.
• Reasserts the need for total confidence in the Gospel.
• Preaches complete dependence on the Holy Spirit, while showing you how to see the new things that the Spirit can do through your work.
• Offers practical guidance on inevitable leadership challenges, such as money, division, and priorities.

With honesty and clarity, Jim Cymbala has written Fan the Flame to ministers, church leaders, staff members, and any Christians serious about God''s church. He''s written this book in order to help you face these difficult times in the name of the Lord...

He''s written so that our prayer, as God''s people with God''s mission, might be: Lord, show us how to do your work so that in the midst of dark times we can still see you fan the flames of your power and Spirit. Lord, use us to that end. Amen.