The Concept Statement

            Anyone who has had a personal experience with the Living Christ has felt the presence of an overwhelming Force—a Force of love, acceptance, and renewal.  How should we respond to the God who had so touched our lives with His Presence?  And how can we help others experience the Powerful Love that brings peace of mind and a new purpose in life?  We want to discover why God created us and what He expects of us.  We want to know how to structure our lives and our goals in accordance with God’s plan.  In essence, we are asking how to be effective Christians.
            Considering his research of the lives of well-known Christians, and drawing from his experience as a Christian layperson, Tom Hollingsworth uncovers the key elements that are essential for effective Christian living.  He shows how these elements can be applied to our own spiritual journeys.

About the Author

  Thomas E. Hollingsworth worked for 25 years as an industrial engineer and manager for several large corporations.  He spent the next 12 years combining consulting work with teaching industrial management in the North Carolina Community College System.

   In the process of moving around the country, Hollingsworth was active in many different Christian organizations, including mainline churches of several denominations and unaffiliated charismatic prayer/Bible study groups.

   Sometime during the late 1980’s, the author concluded that most of the Christian organizations with which he had been involved did very little reaching out to those outside the church.  He began concentrating on doing outreach work—both in a jail and prison ministry, and in conducting weekly devotional services in nursing homes.

   Concurrent with these outreach services, Hollingsworth began in earnest his search for the behaviors and attitudes held in common by truly effective Christians.  Using analytical skills acquired in business and industry, he searched the Scriptures and biographies of notable Christians for key elements associated with effectiveness in the service of God.

   Hollingsworth self-published a booklet in 1971 entitled Living Promises.  In 1972, he revised and re-published this booklet under the title Living Promises-Living Commands.  Thousands of these booklets were distributed across several states after Hollingsworth made arrangements with motel managers to have these booklets placed in the rooms of guests.

   Hollingsworth was a native of Chattanooga, Tenn.  He was a 1948 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering.  During World War II, he served in an airborne division in Europe.  He was recalled to active duty during the Korean War and served in Japan.  He died in 2001 in a rural community just outside of Greensboro, N.C.