NavPress and WORDsearch Corp. have entered into a publishing agreement to make the best-selling works of beloved author Jerry Bridges available in WORDsearch format. WORDsearch 9 The Jerry Bridges Collection releases Jan. 1, 2011, and features sixteen of Bridges’ books and Bible studies, such as The Practice of Godliness, Growing Your Faith, and The Discipline of Grace. In addition, the software includes WORDsearch 9, seven Bible translations, more than 50 reference works.

A great ministry resource, this software allows pastors, small-group leaders, and Bible study leaders to take individual lessons and create effective and deep studies that promote meaningful conversation.

“Through his writings, Jerry Bridges has been a mentor to Christians who desire to grow in their relationship with Christ as well as to develop the ability to disciple others. I’m excited about the opportunity to expand his influence to as many people as possible by making his writing available for use in Wordsearch,” says Mike Linder, NavPress associate publisher.

Real-Life Discipleship is experiencing the same type of remarkable growth author Jim Putnam has seen take place in the church he pastors. Quickly selling out after its September 1 release, Real-Life Discipleship went back for a second printing in record time. Similarly, Putnam’s church, Real Life Ministries (RLM), started as a four-family church plant in 1998 and now is one of the fastest growing churches in the United States with weekend attendance topping more than 7,000 people. 

One key to the both the book and the church’s popularity is their specific focus. Real-Life Discipleship and its companion Discipleship Training Manual offer proven tools and strategies for strengthening small groups and creating disciples.

“Real-Life Discipleship is answering a real need in the church today for creating environments of discipleship through relational disciple-making small groups helping believers grow in their faith from the inside out,” says NavPress Executive Vice President Barry Sneed.

Real-Life Ministries, with its home base in Post Falls, ID, features a community of relational, disciple-making small groups that, like all of the church’s activities, revolve around four purposes:

• Sharing Christ with a dying world, making disciples of all nations (1 Peter 2:9)
• Connecting disciples into a leader-directed small group (2 Tim. 2:2)
• Training disciples to minister in the church and in the world (Eph. 4:11-12)
• Releasing those who have been developed to disciple others (Mt. 28:19)

Churches across the country have taken note of this successful model and its community impact. To accommodate the many requests it receives from church leaders who want to know what RLM is doing and how to replicate it, The Real Life Association now hosts high-touch, experiential “Immersion” conferences and church planter boot camps.

Rick Howerton, well-known in the church community as a small-groups guru, has joined NavPress as National Small Group Strategist. In his new role, Howerton will be spearheading NavPress’ reinvigorated small-group publishing efforts.

“My vision is to see biblical small groups within walking distance of every person on the planet,” says Howerton.

“Rick is a catalyst across this nation for small groups. His passion and calling is to see people experience biblical community in their lives,” says NavPress Executive Vice President Barry Sneed. “As the national small group strategist for NavPress, Rick will provide tremendous leadership for small group pastors and churches.”

An experienced ministry veteran, Howerton, has degrees from Campbellsville University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spent 10 years involved with college ministry; in 2003, he planted The Bridge, a church centered on small groups. Howerton served as Associate Teaching Pastor and Small Groups Pastor at Living Hope Baptist Church in Bowling Green, KY, for seven years and spent 10 years at Lifeway Church Resources as a Small Group-ologist/Specialist.

He is the author of Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual (Lifeway).