VISTA, Calif.—Outreach magazine announced today that 20 resources have been selected for recognition as 2012 Outreach Resources of the Year.
They are highlighted in the just released March/April 2012 issue of Outreach.
The annual Outreach Resources of the Year feature celebrates the best outreach-oriented books and curricula in areas such as evangelism, compassion and justice ministries, missional living and cross-cultural ministries. View the list now »
“These resources deserve accolades, but Outreach Resources of the Year is about more than that,” said Outreach Editor Brian Orme. ”We strive to help churches share God’s love, reach their communities and change the world. Drawing their attention to the best resources available each year is one way we do that.”
About 170 resources published between Nov. 1, 2010, and Oct. 31, 2011, were submitted to Outreach for consideration—the most submissions in the last four years. Outreach editors narrowed the field to 122 and placed them in categories.
The magazine then enlisted the help of an expert in each category to consider the resources.
“Each year, we are humbled by the involvement of so many people at the top of their fields who volunteer their time to evaluate the resources and choose the best,” Orme said. “We are truly grateful for the participation of the expert panelists.”
Each panelist independently evaluated the resources in his or her area of expertise and selected what he or she thought were the best. The experts chose how many resources to recognize in their respective categories.
The 2012 Outreach Resources of the Year are:
EVANGELISM
The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited
By Scot McKnight (Zondervan)
APOLOGETICS
Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists Are Missing the Target
By John C. Lennox (Lion Books)
If God, Why Evil? A New Way to Think About the Question
By Norm Geisler (Bethany House)
LEADERSHIP
Journeys to Significance: Charting a Leadership Course From the Life of Paul
By Neil Cole (Jossey-Bass)
Ministry Velocity: The Power for Leadership Momentum
By Wayne Schmidt (Wesleyan)
The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting: A Guide for Starting Any Kind of Church
By Aubrey Malphurs (Baker)
CULTURE
From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology
By John Dyer (Kregel)
Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women
By Carolyn Custis James (Zondervan)
MISSIONAL CHURCH
Missional Communities: The Rise of the Post-Congregational Church
By Reggie McNeal (Jossey-Bass)
MISSIONAL LIVING
Right Here, Right Now: Everyday Mission for Everyday People
By Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford (Baker)
PASS-ALONG RESOURCES
Questions of Life Outreach Booklets
By Nicky Gumbel (Alpha North America)
SMALL-GROUP CURRICULA
Muslims, Christians and Jesus (DVD-based study)
By Carl Medearis (Zondervan)
CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY
Bloodlines: Race, Cross and the Christian
By John Piper (Crossway)
COMPASSION AND JUSTICE
The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor: Serving Others Through the Eyes of Jesus
By Mark Labberton (IVP)
BIOGRAPHY
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life
By Donald Miller (Thomas Nelson)
CHILDREN’S OUTREACH
The Nature of God: Ocean Adventures Book and The Nature of God: Ocean Adventures Volumes 1, 2 and 3 DVDs
By Peter Schriemer (Zonderkidz)
YOUTH OUTREACH
Evangephobia: Face Your Fears and Fuel Your Passion and Reach Out: Don’t Freak Out (DVD Curricula and Devotionals)
By Greg Stier (Group)
Hurt 2.0: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers
By Chap Clark (Baker Academic)
Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids
By Kara E. Powell and Chap Clark (Zondervan)
The March/April 2012 issue of Outreach also features an interview with Bobby Gruenewald, pastor and innovation leader at LifeChurch.tv, and a feature on what churches need to know about using technology effectively.
Vista, Calif.-based 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. Each year, Outreach publishes the Outreach 100, a special issue in September that features the 100 Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches in America; the Small Church issue (July/August); and the Outreach Resources of the Year (March/April). Outreach is available by subscription. For more information, visit outreachmagazine.com.
View the panelists for the Outreach Resources of the Year
View the list of the Outreach Resource of the Year
