{"product_id":"renovation-of-the-church-what-happens-when-a-seeker-church-discovers-spiritual-formation-9780830835461","title":"Renovation of the Church: What Happens When a Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual Formation","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e Book Award winner\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeadership Journal\u003c\/i\u003e Top Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCopastors Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken tell the story of how God took their thriving, consumer-oriented church and transformed it into a modest congregation of unformed believers committed to the growth of the spirit--even when it meant a decline in numbers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Kent and Mike found out, a decade of major change is not easy on a church. Oak Hills Church, from the pastoral staff to the congregation, had to confront addiction to personal ambition, resist consumerism and reorient their lives around the teachings of Jesus. Their renewed focus on spiritual formation over numerical growth triggered major changes in the content of their sermons, the tenor of their worship services, and the reason for their outreach. They lost members.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the health and spiritual depth of their church today is a testimony of God's transforming work and enduring faithfulness to the people he loves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHonest and humble, this is Kent and Mike's story of a church they love, written to inspire and challenge other churches to let God rewrite their stories as well. Read it for the church you love.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKent Carlson\u003c\/b\u003e founded Oak Hills Church of Folsom, California, in 1984. For the past thirteen years he has been co-senior pastor of the church with \u003cb\u003eMike Lueken.\u003c\/b\u003e Mike and Kent are both graduates of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. They each live with their families in the Sacramento, California, area.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eDallas Willard (1935-2013) was a professor in the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for over forty years. A highly influential author and teacher, Willard was as celebrated for his enduring writings on spiritual formation as he was for his scholarship. His books include \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Conspiracy\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eChristianity Today?s\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Year in 1998), \u003ci\u003eThe Spirit of the Disciplines, Hearing God, Renovation of the Heart\u003c\/i\u003e and others. His books have received numerous \u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e Annual Book Awards and other recognitions. Willard served on the boards of the C. S. Lewis Foundation and Biola University, and was a member of numerous evaluation committees for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. He received bachelor's degrees from both Tennessee Temple College and Baylor University and a graduate degree at Baylor University, as well as a PhD from the University of Wisconsin in Philosophy and the History of Science.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eMike Lueken is copastor (with Kent Carlson) of Oak Hills Church of Folsom, California. He is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and lives with his family in the Sacramento, California, area.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"IVP Formatio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50514586206482,"sku":"9780830835461","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f76f6356-73c5-4395-b1dc-58885a91d58c.jpg?v=1730988291","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/renovation-of-the-church-what-happens-when-a-seeker-church-discovers-spiritual-formation-9780830835461","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}