Böcker av Sean Benesh

Many people feel stuck at their jobs. It's not what they thought it would be when they entered their careers. Now what? How do you pivot? What do you pivot to? Many are embarking on the road to launching a startup. However, the idea and task of establishing something from scratch are daunting and overwhelming. Where to even begin?Ten Low-Cost / No-Cost Startup Ideas to Help You Ditch Your Day Job was written to help give you ideas and inspiration that you can do this! Ten ideas. That's it. They are enough to stimulate your thinking and imagination. Starting a new business or non-profit is about finding the meaning, purpose, and lifestyle you want to live. Let's journey together.

Often times books on theology offer a map of sorts of territory explored. There's a finality. "X" marks the spot. Treasure found. We know from church history that most of theology was hammered on the anvil of life and ministry as we sorted out what we believe and why. This happens as we're confronted with new territory and reality. On the Backside of the Desert is a theology book. In particular, a theology of church planting. Too often, books on church planting are how-to's, techniques, models, and success stories. Instead, we're starting from the beginning. The foundation. The origin story of church planting. Throughout On the Backside of the Desert, we'll together explore different doctrines as we map out a theology of church planting. The goal is to inform the what, how, and why of church planting. Theological foundation plus cultural exegesis and contextualization then leads to application.

As city centers become more revitalized, desirable, hip, and trendy, there is a wave of new church planters moving in. A direct correlation can be seen between the "livability" of a place and the number of new churches planted there. But should the driving goal of church planters be to move and plant the Gospel in cities and neighborhoods that are deemed desirable? What about uncool paces? What about the urban hinterlands? Benesh includes frank confession and discussion about motives in church planting, the value of place, ministry calling, and personal identity. He also challenges prevailing perceptions of what makes a city livable.

Often times the Bible is associated with rural pastoral settings. The Israelites wandering in the desert wilderness living in tents, David playing his harp for sheep out in the pasture, and Jesus strolling along dusty roads between remote villages. But what if I told you that the Bible is an urban book and that the center stage for where the drama of biblical events played out was truly the city? Starting in Genesis, all of the way to the end of the Bible in Revelation, the whole trajectory of humanity and the focal point for the Missio Dei was and is urban and not rural. When Jesus erupted into history through the womb of a teenager he lived in the most urban region in the world. The early church was birthed in the city and spread to the largest most influential cosmopolitan urban centers of the day. For the first-century Christian, to be a follower of Jesus was synonymous with being an urbanite. The Urbanity of the Bible explores the urban nature of the Bible and displays the urban trajectory of the Missio Dei. The city was and is a dominant theme of the setting, backdrop, and purposes of God throughout history. As the world today has flooded to the cities this book is good news. We were meant to live in the city.

As the world hurtles towards urbanization at an ever-increasing pace, there arises the need for further theological reflection on the city. Globalization, international immigration, and densification in cities are having a transformative impact on the urban landscape. Urban mission is at the forefront of many denominations, church planting networks, ministries, and mission organizations yearning for citywide transformation. How are we to think biblically and theologically about the city? View from the Urban Loft will take readers through the development of cities throughout history, act as a guide to navigating the current forces shaping urban environments, and seek to uncover a theology of the city that gives Christians a rationale and a biblical understanding of the meaning and purposes of the city and then how to live in it for the glory of God.

As the world hurtles towards urbanization at an ever-increasing pace, there arises the need for further theological reflection on the city. Globalization, international immigration, and densification in cities are having a transformative impact on the urban landscape. Urban mission is at the forefront of many denominations, church planting networks, ministries, and mission organizations yearning for citywide transformation. How are we to think biblically and theologically about the city? View from the Urban Loft will take readers through the development of cities throughout history, act as a guide to navigating the current forces shaping urban environments, and seek to uncover a theology of the city that gives Christians a rationale and a biblical understanding of the meaning and purposes of the city and then how to live in it for the glory of God.

Metrospiritual: The Geography of Church Planting is about church planting in the city. There is an outpouring of new expressions of church being started throughout metro areas across North America. Where are these new churches being started? Maybe a more subterranean question is, "Why"? Why are churches being started where they are and why is there is a bias towards one part of the city and an overall neglect of other parts? Metrospiritual explores these questions and more as it builds off of recent research and surveys of hundreds of church planters in seven large cities in the United States and Canada. There is a deeper look at pivotal issues such as gentrification, the Creative Class, community transformation, urban renewal, and the role new churches play in all of these.

Description:Metrospiritual: The Geography of Church Planting is about church planting in the city. There is an outpouring of new expressions of church being started throughout metro areas across North America. Where are these new churches being started? Maybe a more subterranean question is, ""Why""? Why are churches being started where they are and why is there is a bias towards one part of the city and an overall neglect of other parts? Metrospiritual explores these questions and more as it builds off of recent research and surveys of hundreds of church planters in seven large cities in the United States and Canada. There is a deeper look at pivotal issues such as gentrification, the Creative Class, community transformation, urban renewal, and the role new churches play in all of these.Endorsements:""It is important for church planters who hope to affect their cities to put on new glasses. Sean Benesh has successfully provided such a tool. By looking at not only the raw data of a city but its life--its laments as well as what brings joy--along with a deep theological impetus, we are brought into the grand and possible challenge of planting in an urban context. Both needed and timely!""--Rob FairbanksPresidentChristian Associates International""I really enjoyed Sean Benesh's Metrospirtual: The Georgraphy of Church Planting. I found it fresh, challenging, and comprehensive of things that are critical in selecting and identifying the community in which to work and the issues at play in the community. I highly recommend every church planter to devour it slowly.""--Bob Roberts Jr.Senior Pastor NorthWood Church ""In recent decades there have been a number of helpful books on church planting. They generally fall into two categories: a successful church planter who presents a formula or a technical approach that is highly theoretical. Sean Benesh avoids both extremes. His approach is both accessible and based on good research. Throughout the book there are many personal anecdotes drawn from his own church-planting experiences in a number of cities. His concern is for the urban context. He knows how to exegete the city. And he identifies the Creative class as a primary group to engaged because they shape the culture and set a course for the future of the location. It is rare to find an author who is both a skilled practitioner and an academically trained theoretician.""--Eddie GibbsSenior Professor of Church GrowthFuller Theological SeminaryAbout the Contributor(s):Sean Benesh is planting the Ion Community, a church in metro Vancouver, BC, Canada. He teaches as an adjunct professor in the areas of a theology of the city, community transformation, and other urban issues. Sean has been involved in church planting both as a planter and a strategist, in addition to being a hiking and mountain biking guide.