NEW BOOK RELEASE: Placed for a Purpose
How well do you know your neighbors? Do you know their joys, fears, aspirations, even hopes? Could you enter into a significant spiritual conversation with them to help them understand the realities of the gospel message and lead them to be followers of Christ?
Most of us can feel the strain of those questions. While we live in neighborhoods and communities, our guard is up when it comes to truly knowing and living on mission with our neighbors.
Thankfully, Chris and Elizabeth McKinney have developed a helpful and engaging framework for equipping Christians to live on mission in the midst of the neighborhoods God has placed them in. Today we’re excited to release Placed for a Purpose as our latest GCD publication.
Through six sessions that you can work through on your own or with a small group, the McKinney’s will help you see the big picture of God’s work in our neighborhoods, and equip you to build strong relationships that can hold the weight of the gospel in conversations.
Dr. Tasha Chapman writes in the Foreword:
This book provides a much-needed, hope-filled, creative course for learning to be a good neighbor, literally. On a topic rarely discussed in church and long forgotten in our broader culture, these lessons meet a need in our Christian growth. This is no ordinary small group Bible study. The McKinneys lived these lessons with their neighbors before teaching them. Then, to strengthen it further, they field tested the study with small groups living in various types of neighborhoods. Expect no dull meetings with this book: no awkward silences, no discussions merely pooling opinions, no forgetfulness between weeks. These lessons create space for meaningful learning through a variety of methods.
Endorsements
“If you’ve ever had the desire to see God work in and through you right where He has you, then Placed for a Purpose is the perfect practical and heart-engaging guide. In the words of Rosaria Butterfield, get ready for an adventure of ‘making strangers into neighbors, and neighbors into the family of God.’ ”
—David Robbins, President and CEO of FamilyLife
“The McKinneys remind us how biblically rooted and practical ‘loving your neighbor’ really is and thereby inspire us to return to the ‘old ways’ of doing small group gospel outreach through building relational bridges with our neighbors. This excellent resource trains our church planters why and how to engage in neighboring.”
—Philip Douglass, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology, Covenant Theological Seminary; Director of Church Planting for Missouri Presbytery of the PCA
“I have no doubt that Placed for a Purpose will be the catalyst behind thousands of changed lives. The invitation from the McKinneys into the practice of neighboring will impact countless families and neighborhoods. The ripple effect is immeasurable. Their approach to building and strengthening community with those we live around is theologically rich but also refreshingly practical. It’s easy to read, full of insight, and provides a clear—yet approachable—call to action. The McKinneys, pulling from their decades of relational ministry, show us we don’t have to go far at all to make an impact on the world. There is so much potential right where we live. After reading Placed for a Purpose, you simply won’t ever see your neighborhood the same.”
—Polly Conner, Co-founder of Thriving Home; Co-author of From Freezer to Table & From Freezer to Cooker
“Chris and Elizabeth live this out in their own lives! Their approach is rich in theology and easy to apply in a multitude of different ways. When you read Placed for a Purpose, you will find yourself wanting to create margin in your life so you can be more present with the people who live right outside your front door. They will help you to overcome the awkwardness that many of us feel about meeting and getting to know our neighbors. They are the real deal and these tools will help you to live out the Great Commandment.”
—Dave Runyon, Co-author of Art of Neighboring
“Over the course of two years I enjoyed watching Chris and Elizabeth develop a ministry they called ‘neighboring.’ They both served in campus ministry for many years and had proven experience in reaching college students with the gospel. But neighboring was different in significant ways. And they had to find new ways of doing ministry that were intentionally relational and neighborly. As I watched this change as their pastor, I saw them having a lot of fun and neighbors were responding in large numbers. As Chris completed his Master of Divinity degree in seminary, he and Elizabeth were able to bring an interesting biblical theology into neighboring that has excited and equipped many others in our church to do likewise. I was so excited about what I heard that I had them present their new materials to our 70-person staff team. The material in this book is really good—insightful, educational, motivating, and actually fun to do while you make new friends and become more, well, neighborly.”
—Dave Cover, Co-lead Pastor, The Crossing, Columbia, Missouri
“This book could radically change the way we view and engage our neighbors. Most of us know that Jesus told us to love them—our neighbors—but we struggle to know how to do that in concrete, practical ways. Grounding us in the biblical story, Chris and Elizabeth McKinney show us what we need to know, what the posture of our heart needs to be, and the actual steps we can do to be a good neighbor. Placed for a Purpose will both compel and equip you to open your door, say hello, and love the people who live next door, across the street, upstairs, and in your community. May the kingdom of God be advanced in our neighborhoods as we learn what it means to truly be a good neighbor.”
—Courtney Doctor, Coordinator of Women’s Initiatives, The Gospel Coalition; Author of From Garden to Glory: A Bible Study on the Bible’s Story
Pick up a digital copy in our store, or the paperback on Amazon.com. For bulk-orders contact info@gcdiscipleship.com.
