CALLED ENDORSEMENTS

In a Christian environment that majors on marketing and therapy, Kary
Oberbrunner gives us a shot in the chops reminding us that discipleship is the heart of ministry. This book beautifully outlines the why and how of authentic discipleship.
- Dr. Bill Brown, President, Cedarville University

If you're thirsty for some God-drenched insights on authentic discipleship, Called is a great place to start. Dr. Oberbrunner is drinking from some deep wells.
- Matt Green, Editor, Ministry Today

Kary’s passion for discipleship is infectious. You can’t read this book and not be convinced of a need you can personally fulfill within the Church.
- Cara Davis, editorial director, RELEVANT Media Group

“If, “Follow me,” are the most important words uttered by Jesus, then “How?” is certainly the most pressing question we wrestle to answer. Kary seeks to answer the “how?” through the “why?” toward the “now what?” He’s honest, insightful and a worthy journeyer with each of our pursuits toward responding to Jesus’ most compelling call.”
-Steven Argue, Executive Director– Contextual Learning Center,
Grand Rapids Theological Seminary

Kary addresses discipleship with conviction and passion; this is not a “three easy steps” book but rather a serious call to a Biblical lifestyle.
- Mike Calhoun, Vice President, Local Church Ministries, Word of Life Fellowship Inc., wol.org and Author of Pushing the Limits, Unleashing the Potential of Student Ministry.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s call to discipleship for his generation was a call to come and die. Kary Oberbrunner’s call to discipleship for his generation is a call to come and live. Ironically both have always been true but illusive to grasp. Called fuses these invitations into one transforming whole and offers us a pathway forward towards a life worth living.
- Rob Yackley, Director of NieuCommunities, nieucommunities.org

The secret is out. Praying a prayer, walking an aisle, and getting saved is not the end of God’s plan for the believer. God has in view for each believer who is saved a unique set ofpurposes, plans, gifts and challenges. Kary Oberbrunner challenges us to fulfill this plan by moving beyond an event called “getting saved” to the process of discipleship that God has envisioned for each of us. This is a call to a thoughtful and comprehensive discipleship of Jesus Christ.
- David R. Plaster, Th. D., Vice President, Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary

This is my kind of book. One that tells me the truth about who I am and what on earth I'm called to be and do. But, let me warn you. Before reading it, fasten your seatbelt. This isn't a "feel good" book...it's a "transform your life from the inside out so you can turn your world upside down" book. Get ready to leave your safe little world, and head into the jungle withAlmighty God.
- Dr. Tim Elmore, Founder of GrowingLeaders.com

With the well-written Called, Kary Oberbrunner joins the chorus of emerging voices who are challenging Christ-followers to dump the evangelical status quo in favor of radical, life-changing discipleship. Bravo!
- Angie Ward, Associate Director, Innovative Church Community

Oberbrunner has the pulse of the current generation combined with God's plan for the ages to re-calibrate leadership training for the twenty first century.
- Dr. Gene Heacock, Executive Director, Sandberg Ladership Center of Ashland Theological Seminary

There is an easy, captivating style in Kary’s writing so that almost unknowingly the reader will find oneself engaged in deep, stimulating thought about what it means to be an authentic disciple of Jesus. The book does not permit neutrality, nor will the reader be able to quietly slip back into a comfortable “business as usual” approach to one’s faith. This is a much-needed, practical call to exciting, incarnational Christianity.
- Dr. Bill Rudd, Pastor of Calvary Church, Fruitport, MI

With a wisdom born of experience and a passion surging from a good man, Kary Oberbrunner speaks to our souls and urges us to embrace the call to "become who we were born to be."
- Tammy Schultz, Ph.D., LMHC, Chair, Graduate School in Counseling and Interpersonal Relations Grace College

"A practical work reminding us of the serious call to and work of discipleship. This book gives the read a theological, biblical, and practical understanding of becoming the disciples we were born to be."
- Dr. Leroy A. Solomon, Doctor of Ministry Dean, Ashland Theological Seminary

“I highly recommend this book. Kary’s passion to help others understand the breadth and depth of what it means to follow Jesus is infectious. This book offers an insightful exploration of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. It is written in the spirit of Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship with much needed practical examples for today's generation. Whether you are helping others become faithful followers of Jesus Christ or if you feel a need in your own life to live out your faith with integrity, this book is a valuable companion on the journey of becoming who you were born to be.”
- Howard D. Van Cleave, Associate National Director, InterVarsity Faculty Ministry

Kary challenges his readers to live out loud. He inspires us to question, doubt, embrace and own our faith. Should we choose to rise to the occasion, we will find a fresh infusion of the living, active and powerful God. Read on and get ready for an adventure!
- Anne Thompson, Awake Entertainment

“Too often the church seems more like a collection of body parts than a living and functioning organism. True discipleship must identify and unleash the church’s mid-level leaders--the joints and ligaments that hold it together and allow it to fulfill its mission. Kary Oberbrunner’s outstanding work is a major contribution toward reducing the gap between the professional ministry and the so-called laypeople.”
- Dr. Tom Julien, Executive Director Emeritus, Grace Brethren International Missions

The next building block after The Journey Towards Relevance. Passionate, challenging, thought provoking and informative. Kary's easy-to-read writing style makes this a book for everyone.
-Brett Ullman, Director, Worlds Apart, brettullman.com

There is only one way to discover the real you, and that is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Called will show you how to become the person you were meant to be.
- Harvey A. Hook, Author of The Power of an Ordinary Life
Executive Director, The Gathering Columbus

If you desire the passionate Christian life, sense the urge to follow a bigger Jesus, one who requires more rather than less, then you will hearken to the call and do well to read this book along the way!

-Tim Boal, Author of Building Authentic Community, Executive Director, Grace Brethren North American Missions

In the last 20 years we’ve relied on events, curriculum, and mass media to bring about spiritual transformation in America’s youth. These techniques have their place, but they’ve never discipled anyone, and the hoped for spiritual transformation has not materialized. Contrast that with the life of Christ. In three years of earthly ministry he trained twelve ordinary men to change the world…and they did it. This book gives you the tools you need to walk with others the way Jesus walked with his disciples, and experience the radical blessing that comes with doing God’s thing God’s way.
- Jeff Myers, Ph.D., President, Passing the Baton International, Inc.

This book reads like a discipleship manifesto for emerging leaders, bridging the gap between academia and real life. It's more than a book on discipleship, though, it's a provocative call to re-learn what it means to follow Christ with our minds and our hearts.
- Brian Orme, Pastor, freelance religion writer for Dayton Daily News

Dr. Kary Oberbrunner has done it again with this one, championing the idea that there is more to this faith we call Christianity than simply right belief and right behavior. Too many people are turned off by Christianity because all they see is an empty faith, guided by rules and regulations instead of a loving and living God. Called shows how this faith is one where “no theological robots are allowed,” and challenges the church to take a closer look at the Great Commission.
- Blair Halver, Founder of the Rebel Brand Clothiers, jesusisarebel.com

In his excellent new book “Called,” Dr. Kary Oberbrunner lovingly, yet firmly compels the church to re-evaluate discipleship, a crucial component of the Great Commission, on practical, as well as theological realms. Oberbrunner demolishes barricades to discipleship without ever lowering the bar. Accessible, but never simplistic, “Called” is an indispensable resource for pastors, teachers, leaders and students alike.
- John McCollum, Co-Founder of Asia’s Hope, asiashope.org

A must read for anyone interested in truly understanding Jesus' heart concerning the committed Christian disciple.
- Marc Eckel, Splat Experience performance artist, splatexperience.com

“Will you become who you were born to be?” With this poignant question, Oberbrunner launches into a theme that has become his passion: believers not just surviving spiritual infancy, but thriving in their life-long pursuit of becoming all we they were born to be in Christ. If you are sensing that the Jesus taught by many today is a watered-down Jesus who asks too little, the message of this book and its fresh look at the Jesus of the Bible will be a welcome read.
- Barb Wooler, Missionary to Bayaka Pygmy People

Called provides an insightful, refreshing, and challenging look into what it means to be a true follower of Christ today. Kary reminds us that we must take the Lord's mandate to heart: to be and to make disciples, thus fulfilling the Great Commission!
- Nick C. Corrova, Campus Crusade for Christ International

Called will challenge you and guide you through the first steps of becoming the Christian leader that God has called you to be. It is a powerful asset for pastors, lay leaders, youth leaders, and believers at all stages on their journey to becoming a disciple with a purpose.Dr. Kary Oberbrunner’s style of writing is very open and his words speak to me like a pastor, mentor, and friend. I am encouraged as well as challenged to follow his teachings, which I firmly believe to be inspired by a genuine desire to follow God, and his desire to be a committed leader of God’s flock.
- Ken Wiegman, AlphaOmegaNews.org

Called makes a lucid and compelling case for renewing our focus on
discipleship. Kary has created a practical, balanced paradigm that helps us understand discipleship and its critical role in the life of faith today.
- Justin Baeder, Church Planter, RadicalCongruency.com

As a pastor, leader, teacher, husband, and overall seeker of Christ I wish this book had been required learning in College. The need for discipling in this current day and age is critical and so few know the how and why behind it. Don’t just read this book, absorb it! It will revolutionize your life, your ministry, and will create a new perspective in every aspect of your everyday. You will no longer be a spiritual Ranger; you will become who Christ called and created you to be. Go and make disciples!
- Pastor James R. Graham, Associate Pastor of Youth & Family Ministries, Moosomin Baptist Church