John Blattner

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.

Churches across the country are floundering and many pastors are deeply discouraged. They work hard and with great sincerity but their efforts don't seem to be helping their churches to flourish. Their congregations are split over political issues. Their faith is low. Finances are tight. Many leaders want to love their flocks, but find themselves in endless arguments with people they are trying to serve. The pressing need of our time, especially for leaders, is not to focus on transforming the culture, but on reviving the church. Yet sadly, when it comes to the work of ministry, few pastors turn to Scripture. Instead, they follow the latest church growth trends based on business models rather than the New Testament, and they become frustrated and disheartened when these fail. The first Christians had no money and no leverage. The Roman government opposed them at every turn. The Jewish establishment persecuted them. They had no buildings and no New Testament. Yet the church exploded, proving that the Gospel is built for the hardest of times. In Fan the Flame, New York Times best-selling author and pastor Jim Cymbala looks at the pressing need for spiritual leadership by focusing our attention on Acts 20--Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian church. He examines how Paul led the church--so that we can follow his lead. Along the way, Jim includes stories from his own experience at The Brooklyn Tabernacle, a church he has led for more than forty years. He offers ground-level, faith-driven, nitty-gritty, biblically-wise advice that will encourage, inspire, and equip leaders in the church, wherever God has planted them. When leaders begin to understand and practice true spiritual leadership, they will find that their lives are transformed and they discover fresh energy and peace as God leads the way in building his kingdom. Filled with practical insights on developing a practice of prayer and leading others into the presence of God, Fan the Flame will help you to become the kind of leader God can use to reignite revival in today's church.