Five Practices of Fruitful Living [Paperback]

Robert Schnase (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2010

How do I cultivate a life that is purposeful, deep, and fruitful? What are the commitments, critical risks, and personal practices that open me to God's grace? How can I discover the spiritual life and the difference God intends for me to make in the world?
- Radical Hospitality.
- Passionate Worship.
- Intentional Faith Development.
- Risk-Taking Mission and Service.
- Extravagant Generosity.

Five Practices of Fruitful Living provides an honest, practical, and winsome guide to the spiritual journey. By repeating and deepening certain fundamental practices, we cooperate with God in our spiritual growth. These five practices - to receive God's love, to love God in return, to grow in Christ, to serve others, and to give ourselves fully - as we attend to them and develop them, help us settle ourselves in God and become instruments of God's grace. Following Christ will change your heart; and through you, God will change the world.

FROM THE INTRODUCTION
Five Practices of Fruitful Living moves the discussion of Christian practice from the congregational level to the personal practices of discipleship. The fruitful, God-related life develops with intentional and repeated attention to five essential practices that are critical for our growth in Christ. Radical Hospitality. Passionate Worship. Intentional Faith Development. Risk-Taking Mission and Service. Extravagant Generosity. These practices open our heart to God, to others, to a life that matters, a life rich with meaning, relationship, and contribution. They help us flourish.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ROBERT SCHNASE is Bishop of the Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church. Previously, he served as pastor of First United Methodist Church, McAllen, Texas. Schnase is the author of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, a best-selling book on congregational ministry that has ignited a common interest among churches and their leaders around its themes of radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity. Five Practices has reached a global community with translations in Korean, Spanish, Russian, Indonesian, and German. He is also the author of Cultivating Fruitfulness, Ambition in Ministry, and Testing and Reclaiming Your Call to Ministry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press; Student/Stdy Gde edition (May 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426708807
• ISBN-13: 978-1426708800
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Schnase
Robert Schnase serves as bishop of the Missouri Area of The United Methodist Church.

Based in Columbia, Mo., he is the leader of nearly 900 congregations with 175,000 members across the state, offering ministry through local churches, colleges, campus ministries, social services and mission projects throughout the world.

Bishop Schnase was elected bishop in 2004 in The United Methodist Church's South Central Jurisdiction, an area that covers nine states in the southcentral United States.

A native of south Texas, he was ordained Deacon in 1981 and Elder in 1986 in the Southwest Texas Conference. He is a graduate of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas with a master's degree in theology, and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in psychology. He has also studied Spanish for several summers in Central America.

From 1989 to 2004, he served as Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church of McAllen, Texas. First Church was recognized for congregational growth, bi-cultural ministry, young adult ministry and commitment to mission as the congregation relocated and built new facilities to serve the Rio Grande Valley. From 1984 to 1989, Rev. Schnase served as pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in Harlingen, receiving the Circuit Rider Award for Church Growth and the Denman Evangelism Award. From 1982-1983, he served the Farnham and Alton Circuit of five churches with the British Methodist Conference.

In addition to Five Practices, he's the author of several books published by Abingdon Press, including The Balancing Act: A Daily Rediscovery of Grace (2009), Ambition in Ministry: Our Spiritual Struggle with Success, Achievement and Competition (1993), and Testing and Reclaiming Your Call to Ministry (1991). He worked as editorial consultant for the New Interpreters Bible, and has contributed chapters to Weaver and Stapleton's Reflections on Marriage and Spiritual Growth and Grand-Parenting and the Spiritual Journey.

Bishop Schnase has served as delegate to The United Methodist Church's highest legislative conference, the General and its regional Jurisdictional Conferences. He has served on a number of agencies, including the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, the Board of Directors of Texas Methodist Foundation, the UTPA Campus Ministries Board and many other conference, district and ecumenical projects. From 1998 to 2004, he served as chair of the Order of Elders of the Southwest Texas Conference.

Bishop Schnase's wife, Esther, is a high school English teacher. They have two college-age sons, Karl and Paul. Bishop Schnase is an avid runner, completing several marathons, and enjoys canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, studying Spanish and traveling in Latin America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, October 6, 2010

By 

Kimberly Hinds - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Five Practices of Fruitful Living (Paperback)

The Five Practices of Fruitful Living is a small book with enormous amount of practical living to be fruitful in Kingdom building. The book is an easy read and the information is explained in such a manner that anyone could grasp and understand what it means to live fruitful.

Bishop Schanse Five Practices For a Fruitful Congregation is also an excellent book that lead our congregation to begin studying his newest book in fruitfulness.

Every Pastor and congregation should embrace, implement and apply the practices that are revealed in each of these books.

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 Practices, June 14, 2011

By 

denrev - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Five Practices of Fruitful Living (Paperback)

We have been using the 5 Practices for our new members class, and we've found that it helps get individuals involved in serving God much quicker than conventional methods we've tried in the past. Great book, great tool!!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Five Practices of Fruitful Living, November 30, 2010

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R Cooper (Texas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Five Practices of Fruitful Living (Paperback)

Excellent for use in church school classes and small groups. Good reminder of how we are to live according to the teachings of Jesus.