Building Blocks

God’s House, the Church, must be built to His specification not ours. Here we explore the timeless biblical guidelines that God has given to shape the building of His Church in every generation, context and location.

What does a healthy local church look like? Unless you know, you cannot build it. We unpack the guidelines God gave to help us monitor and maintain local church health and identify church-shaping convictions that explain the current health of every church.

Whether you are building from scratch or taking an existing church into its next season, key foundational elements must be in place including a clear vision, mission strategy, agreed cultural values and a structure that will facilitate growth. We explore these and some practical keys to keeping the church in momentum as it develops.

A thriving church is a balanced church; it has missional, pastoral and devotional elements that must be kept in balance. Here we explore how to hold them all in positive tension, so that no one of them dominates the church inappropriately as it develops.

The church’s task is to ‘make disciples’ not just converts. Here we explore the discipleship process, get to grips with what whole-life discipleship is and consider how the church can practically facilitate its development through its range of activities.

We take a close look at what the New Testament teaches about those who lead the local church, the purpose of their role and how they should exercise their authority. We also explore some practical aspects of spiritual and legal governance, and best practice in ministry and organisational systems.

Building Church is a partnership between God and his people who work hard to do what they can, so that God can then do what only he can do. True togetherness, partnership, agreement and mutual submission are at the heart of every thriving local church. Here we explore the practical challenges of achieving and maintaining it.

Jesus wants you to help Him build His Church, and you can only do so with the gifts, abilities, and passions you have. Here’s help to identify, develop and release them for the greater good of your local church community.

Your effectiveness as a Church builder flows from your mind and heart, which is where the battle can and must be consistently won. Here are keys to winning it every time.

The Church is people, ‘living stones’ being built together. Here are proven strategies for the cultivation and development of healthy relationships that are vital to the success of every church community.

We explore how to better communicate the message at the heart of the Church’s mission, at the level and in the way best suited to your personality, gift and calling as a church-builder.

Here we learn how to handle money and things of value in God’s way and for His purpose through the local church.

We don’t own the Church, Jesus does, but we are entrusted with its care and development. Here we explore the skills of managing well all that Jesus has given us to look after for Him in the church-building process.

Building Church is a team effort. Here we examine how to develop trust, create team spirit and be a great team player in the volunteer culture of the local church community.

God gave the Bible to inform, guide and direct us as we help Jesus build His Church today. Here we explore its composition, essential nature and authority.

Knowing how to interpret the Bible accurately is crucial if we are to take its timeless principles and build thriving churches on them. Here we unpack basic hermeneutics and offer some simple rules for safe and sound interpretation of the Bible today.

Our aim is to build God’s House, so we need to know him deeply to build what truly represents him. Here we get to grips with the practical challenges of really knowing and defining accurately a God who is so great and multi-faceted.

Here we delve deeper into the broad span of God’s revealed characteristics and nature, grappling with how we practically hold them in beautiful tension in our lives today.

The Church is people; each one a ‘living stone’ who found new life in Christ the saviour. Here we take a panoramic look at the salvation process, to ensure we build a ‘House of Salvation’ that is founded on a deep, shared belief about its essential nature.

Salvation is a crisis followed by a life-long process; it doesn’t end until we get to Heaven. Here we explore vital principles that keep us growing into the fulness of our salvation.

Building Church will never succeed unless it sits within a solid understanding of the Kingdom of God. Here we unpack the nature of God’s Kingdom, its advance in and through us, and how Jesus taught the Kingdom would work in the world today.