WHEATON, Ill.—Crossway is pleased to announce that Rebecca McLaughlin’s Confronting Christianity (Crossway, April 2019) has been named the Outreach Resource of the Year in the Apologetics category.

The 17th annual Outreach Resources of the Year, presented by Outreach magazine, honor resources specifically focused on outreach in areas such as evangelism, apologetics, compassionate service, and cross-cultural ministry.

“It is a tremendous honor to receive this award,” writes Justin Taylor, Crossway’s executive vice president of book publishing and book publisher. “We pray this recognition would cause more people to use Rebecca’s book in seeking to reach the lost with the glorious good news of Jesus Christ!”

The book has also received recent awards from Christianity Today (winner of the 2020 Beautiful Orthodoxy Book of the Year) and the Gospel Coalition (winner of the 2019 TGC Book Award in the Evangelism and Apologetics category).

Confronting Christianity addresses 12 controversial issues about Christianity—the Bible’s teaching on gender and sexuality, the reality of heaven and hell, and more—and shows how current psychological and scientific research actually aligns with teaching from the Bible.

“Rebecca McLaughlin’s defense of the Christian faith is what all defenses should be: sensitive, smart, and sound. This is apologetics done right—and exactly right for this age in which we live,” commends Karen Swallow Prior, author of Fierce Convictions. “Confronting Christianity is a book I will draw upon myself and will recommend widely to believers and skeptics alike.”

McLaughlin is also the author of the forthcoming book for preteens 10 Questions Every Kid Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity (Crossway, January 2021), which will help kids think through topics similar to those explored in Confronting Christianity. For more information about the author, please visit rebeccamclaughlin.org.

Rebecca McLaughlin holds a PhD in Renaissance literature from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College in London. She is cofounder of Vocable Communications and former vice president of content at the Veritas Forum, where she spent almost a decade working with Christian academics at leading secular universities.

Founded in 1938, Crossway is a not-for-profit global Christian publishing ministry that publishes gospel-centered, Bible-based content to honor our Savior and serve his church. Crossway seeks to help people understand the all-encompassing implications of the gospel and the truth of God’s word—for all of life, for all eternity, and for the glory of God alone. Crossway is the global publisher of the ESV® (English Standard Version®) Bible, more than 1,000 Christian books, and an extensive list of gospel literature. For additional information, visit crossway.org.

Contact: Lauren Susanto, lsusanto@crossway.org

WaterBrook, an imprint of Random House, announces a new line of gift books and products to be published within the Christian publishing program. Ink & Willow offers a thoughtfully curated list of gift books, journals, and interactive products designed to spark reminders of how God reveals beauty in the midst of our ordinary. The Ink & Willow debut list will launch in Fall 2020 with a list of six titles, including a journal for couples, a guided prayer journal and a book of inspirational postcards to color and send.

Tina Constable, who leads the Christian publishing program at Random House, says, ‘”We created the Ink & Willow line for consumers who are looking to slow down in today’s fast-paced world and are seeking ways to find time for God’s encouraging voice through quiet reflections that nurture their spirit.”

Senior editor Susan Tjaden adds, “We’re so excited to develop beautifully designed non-traditional books, cards, journals, and other items for a spiritual audience. And while much of the content will be created in house, we will also partner with select authors for both original and ancillary products.”

The inaugural list of titles to be published this fall under Ink & Willow includes:

• Choose Joy: A Coloring Book of Gratitude and Wonder (9/22/2020)
• My Prayer Journey: A 52-Week Guided Journal to Inspire A Deeper Connection with God (9/29/2020)
• Whatever is Lovely Postcard Book: Twenty-Four Inspirational Cards to Color and Send (10/20/2020)
• 52 Weeks of Gratitude: A One-Year Journal to Reflect, Pray, and Record Thankfulness (10/27/2020)
• To Read or Not to Read: A Literary Journal for the Book Lover’s Soul (11/3/2020)
• Our Daily Question: A Three-Year Journal for Couples (11/10/2020)

WaterBrook is an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC

 

How the Light Gets In takes top spot in Faith-Based Fiction/Nonfiction category

CAROL STREAM, IL, March 6, 2020 — Oasis Audio, a division of Oasis Family Media, came home with a prestigious win at the Audio Publishers Association’s annual Audie Awards Gala this past Monday evening. The publisher’s production of How the Light Gets In (Tyndale, 2019), written by Jolina Petersheim and narrated by Tavia Gilbert, received top honors in the Faith-Based Fiction / Nonfiction category. A second Oasis title, Breathe Again (Revell, 2019), written and read by Niki Hardy, was a finalist in the same category.

Winners were announced March 2 at the 25th annual Audie Awards Gala held at Guastavino’s in New York City. The event, which recognizes the year’s most distinctive audio publishing work, is frequently called the “Oscars of spoken-word entertainment.” This year, the Audies saw more than 1,300 submissions in 24 categories.

Steve Smith, president and publisher of Oasis Family Media, said that he is “honored and pleased” with the distinction.

“This is only the second year that faith-based fiction and nonfiction — two very broad individual genres — were combined into a single category, making the competition exceptionally stiff. Of the five total finalists in the Faith-Based Fiction/Nonfiction category, two titles were Oasis Audio publications,” said Smith.

“We have decades of audiobook production experience under our belt. We shoot for excellence with every title we produce — and it shows. We work with the best narrators, the best engineers. This award validates my team’s commitment to producing to the highest caliber.”

This is the second Audie win for narrator Tavia Gilbert, who has been nominated 10 times.

Oasis Audio was a finalist for two Audie Awards in 2019, including Audiobook of the Year. Both nominations recognized the company’s production of Maxwell King’s The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers, narrated by LeVar Burton.

About Oasis Audio
Oasis Audio began publishing inspirational and self-help audio titles in 1996. Over the years, the product selection expanded to include Bibles, non-fiction, fiction, children’s and business audio titles. Today, Oasis Audio is the largest independent Christian and inspirational audiobook publisher in the United States. Oasis Audio is a division of Oasis Family Media. To learn more, visit oasisaudio.com

MEDIA CONTACT:  Julie Smith, Marketing Director, Oasis Audio, julie@oasisaudio.com  847-293-2994

MARCH 9, 2020 — TEMPE, ARIZ. — Several international book fairs have either been cancelled or postponed in the last few weeks due to concerns stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. Over the next four months, ECPA is producing three publishing conferences, and some in the Christian publishing community may be wondering about their status.

“ECPA is moving forward with each event as scheduled,” said Stan Jantz, ECPA president. “We are carefully monitoring the timing and location of each event and at this time, our events in Nashville, Chicago and Krakow will remain.

The European Christian Rights Fair (ECRF), will take place March 16-17 in Krakow, Poland. For the second year, ECPA is producing this event for global rights professionals and their customers, with Gary Chamberlin, executive director of CLC Europe, serving as host.

ECPA’s annual executive Leadership Summit will be held May 5-6 at the Nashville Airport Marriott Hotel. “We are pleased that registrations are ahead of last year at this time,” said Jantz. “We will have several world-class speakers and panels addressing the future of publishing as it relates to evangelicalism, content, and reader engagement.” Early-bird registration continues through March 20.

The second annual International Christian Rights & Export Fair (ICREF) will be held June 16-17 in Chicago on the campus of Moody Bible Institute. “This is a wonderful opportunity for members of the international publishing community to meet with foreign publishers, retailers, and distributors to discuss licensing and international sales,” Jantz said.  Registration for ICREF is now open. Pricing will remain same as last year at $399 for an exhibitor table for up to two people, with additional tables priced at $99. Attendees will pay just $49 for a two-day pass.

“ECPA is aware of the commitment many of our members are making to attend one or more of these next three events,” said Jantz. “At the present time, we are aware of no federal or state guidance about restricting travel within the United States or public gatherings at any of the cities we are meeting in. We remain committed to producing conferences that benefit the global Christian publishing industry. However, if new information comes to light, we will quickly notify the ECPA community, registrants and presenters, and adjust our cancellation policies as needed.” Jantz also stressed that measures will be taken at these and all future events to ensure the healthiest environment possible.

Jantz encourages ECPA members and affiliates to be in touch with specific questions about ECRF, Leadership Summit and ICREF.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. For more information about ECPA: info@ecpa.org  ECPA.org  @ECPA

CONTACT:  Stan Jantz, ECPA president and CEO, sjantz@ecpa.org, or 480-966-3998

Grand Rapids, Mich., Feb. 25, 2020 – Two-time GRAMMY award-winning hip-hop artist, entrepreneur, speaker, thought leader, philanthropist, and New York Times bestselling author Lecrae Moore has signed a contract with Zondervan for his new book, I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith, which releases October 13, 2020. Lecrae is represented by Margaret Riley King and Mel Berger of WME Entertainment. North American and non-exclusive open market rights were acquired by Senior Acquisitions Editor Mick Silva.

In his first book, the New York Times bestseller Unashamed, Lecrae was transparent about adversities experienced in his life—childhood abuse, drugs, alcoholism, a stint in rehab, abortion, growing up fatherless, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt. In I Am Restored, Lecrae shares how growing stronger in his faith has helped him create transformation in the lives of others. Lecrae bares his soul, sharing deep wounds, past trauma, and conflicts with family, church, and personal challenges in hopes that his process of restoration will help others.

“My forthcoming album, Restoration, chronicles the process of healing, and my book, I Am Restored, is about the journey toward healing,” says Lecrae. “My prayer is that I Am Restored will inspire readers to embrace the freedom and healing they need and to escape the despair, anxiety, doubt, and fear so many of us battle.”

“We need more artists willing to break barriers like Lecrae,” says Mick Silva, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Zondervan Books. “His story of allowing trauma and deep personal struggles to break the barriers within himself ultimately shows where his deep faith comes from. I believe his voice could be prophetic for our time.”

In addition to earning accolades for his musical talent, Lecrae has gained wide recognition for maintaining a strong commitment to his faith and values. “More caught than taught” is how the artist describes his incredible journey that includes two GRAMMY awards, a history-making #1 and RIAA Gold certified album, Anomaly, the masterful 2014 offering which topped Billboard’s coveted Top 200 Albums chart. His New York Times bestseller, Unashamed, was released in 2016. Lecrae resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and three children.

Zondervan is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Mich. For additional information, please visit zondervan.com.

For media inquiries, contact Trinity McFadden at trinity.mcfadden@harpercollins.com.

From Jordan Lee Dooley, author of the national bestseller Own Your Everyday, two new nonfiction books to WaterBrook.  In the first book of the new deal, tentatively titled Own Your Ambition and slated for a May 2021 publication, the social media influencer, entrepreneur and host of the SHE Podcast presents tools to clarify and take hold of your dreams–and to pursue them well–so you can live with focus and without the pressure to overwork yourself.  A second book will follow.  Senior editor Susan Tjaden has acquired world rights from Bryan Norman at Alive Literary.

For rights queries, please contact Denise Cronin, decronin@prh.com.

WaterBrook is an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

17th Annual Celebration of the Best 

For the 17th year, Outreach magazine is celebrating some of the best outreach-oriented books and curricula by honoring them as Outreach Resources of the Year.

The Outreach Resources of the Year aims to highlight valuable resources for church leaders and bring deserved attention to resources that can help churches better engage in effective outreach to share the gospel and reach their communities for Christ. This year’s titles address issues in evangelism and discipleship, apologetics, the church, leadership, racial reconciliation, and social justice, among other concerns. The resources are featured in the March/April issue of Outreach magazine.

More than 150 resources published between Nov. 1, 2018, and Oct. 31, 2019, were submitted for consideration and placed into 11 categories. An expert in each category evaluated the resources and chose what they considered to be the best. The experts also chose how many resources to recognize, and whether to include any as “Also Recommended.”

The Outreach Resources of the Year are:

EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP

“Some of the most important evangelism findings of this generation”

Resource of the Year
You Found Me by Rick Richardson (IVP)

Also Recommended

• The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra (Moody)
• Unlikely Converts by Randy Newman (Kregel)
• Faith for Exiles by David Kinnaman (Baker)
• Gospel Witness by David Gustafson (Eerdmans)

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APOLOGETICS

“Raising the hard questions … and answering them”

Resource of the Year
Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin (Crossway)

Also Recommended

• Narrative Apologetics by Alister McGrath (Baker)
• Cultural Apologetics by Paul Gould (Zondervan) 

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CHURCH

“Practical and biblical steps almost any church can undertake”

Resource of the Year
Taking It to the Streets by Harry Louis Williams II (IVP)

Also Recommended

• Why Church? by Scott Sunquist (IVP)
• The Church of Us vs. Them by David Fitch (Brazos/Baker)

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 LEADERSHIP

“Six powerful ministry trends sweeping across North America”

Resource of the Year
Liquid Church by Tim Lucas and Warren Bird (Zondervan)

Also Recommended
How to Lead in a World of Distraction by Clay Scroggins (Zondervan)

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 RACIAL RECONCILIATION

“Fresh language and metrics in the much-needed dialogue around race in America”

Resource of the Year
InTENSIONal by D.A. Horton (NavPress) 

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CROSS-CULTURAL AND MISSIONAL

“Effortlessly explaining global mission history without condescension”

Resource of the Year
Christian Mission by Edward Smither (Lexham)

Also Recommended

• Global Arts and Christian Witness by Roberta King (Baker)
• Teaching Across Cultures by James Plueddemann (IVP) 

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 SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

“Straight talk and readable writing, always with a gracious mood that stems from his strong alliance with Christ”

Resource of the Year
Holy Sexuality and the Gospel by Christopher Yuan (Multnomah)

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 THEOLOGY AND BIBLICAL STUDIES

“Everything about outreach is rooted in what one thinks the proper response to the gospel is”

Resource of the Year
Paul and the Language of Faith by Nijay Gupta (Eerdmans)

Also Recommended

• For the Life of the World by Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun (Brazos/Baker)
• The Mosaic of Atonement by Joshua McNall (Zondervan)
• Justification: Two-Volume Set by Michael Horton (Zondervan)

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 SPIRITUAL GROWTH

“In the end, it’s about a Father who doesn’t merely wait for us, but comes running to welcome us back”

Resource of the Year
On the Road With Saint Augustine by James K.A. Smith (Brazos/Baker)

Also Recommended
The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley (IVP) 

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 COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIPS

“Deftly explores the dicey issues of unhealthy relationships”

Resource of the Year
When to Walk Away by Gary Thomas (Zondervan)

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KIDS AND YOUTH

“God gave us all ‘one big heart’ to love and celebrate the value of others”

Resource of the Year
One Big Heart by Linsey Davis with Beverly Davis (Zonderkidz)

Also Recommended

• The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible by Joanna Rivard and Tim Penner (Zonderkidz)
• So the Next Generation Will Know by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace (David C Cook)

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WHO MADE UP THIS YEAR’S PANEL?

EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP: Michelle Sanchez, executive minister of Make and Deepen Disciples for The Evangelical Covenant Church, and an Outreach magazine contributing editor.

APOLOGETICS: Ed Stetzer, an Outreach magazine contributing editor, who holds the Billy Graham distinguished chair of church, mission and evangelism at Wheaton College and the Wheaton Graduate School, where he also directs the Billy Graham Center.

CHURCH: Bob Whitesel, a church coach, consultant, practical theologian, John Wesley scholar, founding professor of a seminary and author of 13 books.

LEADERSHIP: Greg Ligon, chief innovation officer at Leadership Network and co-author of The Multi-Site Church Revolution and A Multi-Site Church Road Trip.

RACIAL RECONCILIATION: York Moore, national evangelist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA and the author of Do Something Beautiful.

CROSS-CULTURAL AND MISSIONAL: Robert Gallagher, director and professor of intercultural studies at Wheaton College Graduate School. He co-authored Encountering the History of Missions and Breaking Through the Boundaries.

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: Knute Larson, an Outreach magazine consulting editor and a coach of pastors and churches. He pastored for 43 years, and is the director of Pastorpedia, a monthly video and blog for church leaders, accessible through OutreachMagazine.com.

THEOLOGY AND BIBLICAL STUDIES: Scot McKnight, author or editor of some 60 books and the Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, Illinois.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH: Glenn Paauw, director of content for the Institute for Bible Reading. He is the author of Saving the Bible From Ourselves.

COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIPS: Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, founders of the marriage assessment SYMBIS.com and authors of The Good Fight, Crazy Good Sex and Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts.

KIDS AND YOUTH: Russell St. Bernard, an Outreach magazine consulting editor, the director for ministry operations at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, and founder of After the Music Stops.

Outreach magazine offers the ideas, insights and stories of today’s outreach-oriented, Bible-based churches. Founded in January 2003 by church communications company Outreach Inc., Outreach is an award-winning, bimonthly periodical for church leadership and is available by subscription and on Amazon.com. Find out more at OutreachMagazine.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (February 26, 2020) – Outreach Magazine (www.outreachmagazine.com), which provides practical resources for pastors and volunteer leadership in all areas of outreach, has announced that NavPress (@NavPress) book InTENSIONal: Kingdom Ethnicity in a Divided World (SC, 978-1-63146-691-5, October 2019) by D. A. Horton has been selected as its Resource of the Year in the Racial Reconciliation category. The book will be highlighted in the March/April issue of Outreach as well as online.

“D. A. offers biblically grounded, practical, and challenging counsel to a divided church: Let’s understand, honor, and celebrate our diverse experience, backgrounds, and contributions, and in so doing, discover what it means to live as a Kingdom people,” said Caitlyn Carlson, NavPress acquisitions editor.

Added Don Pape, publisher, NavPress: “This book captures D. A.’s Kingdom heart. What an honor to bring this message to the American church for such a time as this.”

Wrote Outreach about InTENSIONal: “Horton provides fresh language and metrics in the much-needed dialogue around race in America. InTENSIONal reframes what has become a tired dialogue around racial reconciliation, expands the conversation, and roots it in a greater Kingdom theology. With real and significant implications for mission in a divided world, this book emphasizes racial ‘conciliation,’ which goes beyond reconciliation and affirms the inherent dignity and value of all racial/ethnic identities. Horton represents a fresh and powerful voice in Kingdom conversations around justice in general, and ethnic conciliation specifically.”

Added R. York Moore, national evangelist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA, who evaluated the book for Outreach:

WHO: D. A. Horton, assistant professor of intercultural studies at California Baptist University, and pastor of Reach Fellowship, a church plant in Long Beach, California.

HE SAYS: “The American church stands at the threshold of becoming the first generation to actively present ethnic conciliation to the American landscape.”

THE BIG IDEA: This book offers vision and practical guidance for Christians who want to embrace our Kingdom ethnicity, combating hatred in our culture with the love of Jesus.

THE PROGRESSION: Divided into eight chapters, this book addresses the issues of ethnic conciliation and how we as Christians are called upon to reflect Christ in how we treat others.

An Outreach excerpt from Horton’s book is available here: https://outreachmagazine.com/resources/books/multicultural/47424-the-right-pace-to-develop-leaders.html

For additional information about InTENSIONal, as well as other NavPress products, visit: www.navpress.com.

D. A. Horton currently serves as an assistant professor of intercultural studies at California Baptist University and pastor of Reach Fellowship, a church plant in Long Beach, CA. Prior to these roles, he served as chief evangelist for the Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI); as a church planter/pastor in Kansas City, MO; as a national coordinator of urban student ministries at the North American Mission Board (NAMB); and as the executive director at ReachLife Ministries. He is currently working on his PhD in applied theology with a North American missions emphasis at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored seven books, including Bound to Be Free and Enter the Ring. He is of Mexican-Choctaw heritage, and he and his best friend, Elicia, have been married for 15 years, and they have three children.

The mission of NavPress is to advance the calling of The Navigators by bringing biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical products to people who want to know and love Christ more deeply. Through The Message Bible and other insightful resources, NavPress seeks to bring positive spiritual movement to people’s lives. In January 2014, NavPress entered into an alliance with Tyndale House Publishers to strengthen and better position NavPress and its rich content for the future. NavPress provides books and other content that bring spiritual impact, life transformation, and help lead in the mission of making disciples.

Charlotte, NC, February 2020—The Good Book Company is excited to announce that J.D. Greear, Pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and President of the Southern Baptist Convention, has signed a two-book deal with TGBC.

The first book, titled Searching for Christmas, will be released in October 2020. In the book, Greear will invite seekers and skeptics, as well as Christians, to look behind the events of the first Christmas and see how the baby who lay in the manger is the One who we all are longing for, and desperately need.

The second will be a trade book on prayer, releasing fall 2021. Provisionally titled “Ask,” it will take on questions about the how and why of prayer that Christians often think but don’t like to voice.

Greear commented, “I’m excited to be writing books on two such wonderful subjects—how the incarnation of Jesus literally changes everything for us, and the privilege and possibilities in prayer for the people of God. The Good Book Company is a publisher committed to making profound messages accessible to ordinary people, and I’m looking forward to partnering with them.”

Carl Laferton, Executive Vice President of Publishing at TGBC, said, “J.D. is one of the clearest and most compelling communicators of the gospel today, and I am among countless thousands who’ve been personally impacted by his speaking and writing. We’re absolutely delighted that he’s chosen to publish these two books with The Good Book Company.”

J.D. Greear is the lead pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and the 62nd President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Under his leadership The Summit has become a church of more than 10,000 members and sent out over a thousand missionaries and church planters. J.D. is the author of several books including Gospel (B&H, 2011), Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart (B&H, 2013), and Jesus, Continued (Zondervan, 2014).

ABOUT THE GOOD BOOK COMPANY
Founded in 1991, The Good Book Company (TGBC) is an international Christian publisher. Their Bible studies, books, devotionals, videos, tracts, evangelistic courses, and training materials are used throughout the English-speaking world, and in translation in over 35 languages worldwide. Everyone at TGBC is passionate about the Lord Jesus, His word, His church, and His gospel of grace. They create and publish biblical, relevant, and accessible resources that will encourage Christians to keep going, keep growing, and keep sharing their faith. Find out more at www.thegoodbook.com

WESTMONT, IL—Outreach magazine has honored IVP’s You Found Me and Taking It to the Streets as Outreach Resources of the Year, with three additional books from IVP making the short list for the Also Recommended resource in its category.

The Outreach Resources of the Year aims to highlight valuable resources for church leaders and bring deserved attention to resources that can help churches better engage in effective outreach to share the gospel and reach their communities for Christ. More than 150 resources published between November 1, 2018, and October 31, 2019, were submitted for consideration and placed into eleven categories. An expert in each category evaluated the resources and chose what they considered to be the best. The experts also chose how many resources to recognize, and whether to include any as Also Recommended. The resources are featured in the March/April issue of Outreach magazine.

You Found Me: New Research on How Unchurched Nones, Millennials, and Irreligious Are Surprisingly Open to Christian Faith was honored as the best Resource of the Year in the evangelism and discipleship category. Researcher and practitioner Rick Richardson unveils the findings of the Billy Graham Center Institute’s groundbreaking studies on the unchurched. A study of two thousand unchurched people across the country reveals that the unchurched are still remarkably open to faith conversations and the church. Even unchurched “nones” and millennials are quite receptive if they are approached in particular ways.

Kevin Palau, president and chief executive officer of the Luis Palau Association, said, “At a time when many are assuming that the Christian movement across America is down for the count, Rick Richardson provides far more than a ray of hope. In his new book, You Found Me, Rick describes the strategies that the top ten percent of churches growing through actual conversion (conversion communities) are using to make headway in evangelism, living out and joyfully sharing the good news. In my hometown of Portland, Oregon, a proudly progressive and unchurched place, we’ve seen great gospel progress through active engagement with our community, which is seeking to continually encourage and equip everyday believers to share their faith. Unchurched people are far more open than we give them credit for. There’s so much more we can do to share in the harvest, which Jesus continues to assure us is ripe and ready!”

Outreach’s best resource in the church category was Taking It to the Streets: Lessons from a Life of Urban Ministry by Harry Louis Williams II. Known around Oakland, California, as “O.G. Rev,” Rev. Williams’s calling is to the streets: to the hungry, homeless, addicted, incarcerated, and vulnerable. In this book he takes on racism, the plight of children in the inner city, gentrification, urban violence, the prosperity gospel, and more, all from the perspective of someone who understands these phenomena from the inside. Taking It to the Streets offers firsthand accounts of urban life alongside large-scale considerations of its systemic challenges, all in the context of the life-giving good news of Jesus.

“Rev. Williams seeks to take his readers beyond the headlines and stereotypes to expose the reality of communities and people who have been neglected and abandoned by society,” said Michael L. Pfleger of Faith Community of Saint Sabina in Chicago. “He tries to educate people on the realities of whole segments of our society who have been demonized and treated as throwaways. He reminds us that the good news of Jesus calls us not only to do the acts of charity that call us to care for our brothers and sisters but to demand justice and transform a society that has become comfortable with leaving brothers and sisters on the side of life’s road.”

IVP titles chosen as Also Recommended resources include:

CHURCH:

Why Church? A Basic Introduction by Scott W. Sunquist

“In a post-Christendom era, a primer on what the church is all about is sorely needed. Sunquist offers us a book that is fluent and fresh, combining profundity and down-to-earth simplicity, with healthy doses of humor and no-nonsense realism. After reading it, you are very likely to agree with him when he writes: ‘the church is really one of God’s best ideas.’”
—Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Professor of Theology, Duke University

CROSS-CULTURAL AND MISSIONAL:  

Teaching Across Cultures: Contextualizing Education for Global Mission by James E. Plueddemann

“Masterful weaving of both theory and practice . . . Teaching Across Cultures will be helpful to virtually every audience whether the differences are cultural, generational, ethnic, gender, or regional. We all want to be better teachers. We are all concerned with outcomes as a result of our teaching; this book takes us there as well.”
—From the foreword by Duane Elmer, author of Cross-Cultural Servanthood

SPIRITUAL GROWTH:  

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley

“Habitually choosing what is best over and above what is loud and urgent has never been more difficult than in a culture of perpetual distraction. ‘But where do I begin?’ people ask. In this book, Justin Earley offers the answer. Follow his lead, and you will find much of your life handed back to you.”
—John Stonestreet, president of The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview

For a complete list of IVP award winners visit ivpress.com/awardwinners.

Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, InterVarsity Press serves those in the university, the church and the world by publishing thoughtful Christian books that equip and encourage people to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord in all of life. For more information, visit ivpress.com.

Contact: Krista Clayton, 630.734.4013  kclayton@ivpress.com