Showing posts with label church planting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church planting. Show all posts

The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community Review

The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community
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The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community ReviewI heard about Jesse Rice's book, "The Church of Facebook: How the Wireless Generation is Redefining Community" from an interview he did on a podcast. The topic of online community and whether or not it can be authentic is of interest to me.
I wasn't sure what to expect; perhaps a Christianized critique of the whole social networking phenomenon complete with a set of warnings for believers and suggested rules for underage children. Thankfully this is not Jesse's book. Instead it opens with a fascinating story of the opening day on the Millennium Bridge crossing the Thames River in London. The unexpected shaking that day on the pedestrian footbridge is similar to the online spectacle of Facebook and other social networking sites. Jesse uses this and several other stories at the beginning of each chapter to create a historical framework for interpreting our online interactions. Jesse has done his research well and the book is very interesting because of it.
The science of connecting with others, of creating a "home" where we feel safe is the subject of chapter one. This is followed by a chapter on revolutionary changes to society and how Facebook is set up to be, if it not already is, a world changer. Chapter three delves into the controls people have of their online presence, of the information they choose to share online with others on their profiles. He poses the question of what we will do with the power we have to create, to shape society, with our online influence. Chapter four studies the impact that all of the new information has on an individual, understanding that people have adapted their behavior with this new way to connect with people, share information and collect new data. The fifth chapter focuses on the question of community and whether or not it can be experienced online. Are our relational needs truly being met? The final chapter speaks to implications of using social networking and some of the inherent behaviors that could be attributed to living life via an online presence. Jesse suggests some boundaries to keep the experience healthy, balanced and authentic.
Although the book could be categorized as a Christian book by a Christian author, it doesn't come across as preachy or fear-based. As such I hope it will be picked up by readers interested in modern communication, community development, sociology, and human psychology. It broadened my perspectives of social networking and has stayed with me as I've continued connecting with old and new friends online.The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community Overview

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Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can, Too Review

Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can, Too
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Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can, Too ReviewAccording to Leadership journal, "85 percent of churches in the United States have plateaued or declining attendance." That's approximately 340,000 churches. Mine is one of them.

During our heyday in the 1980s, we had two services in an auditorium that seats 760 people. Today, we have one service and an average of 100 people in attendance. We're almost 87-percent empty.

But I'm not worried for two reasons. First, I know that God wants us grow. Second, God has provided plenty of tools to help us grow.

One of those tools is Comeback Churches by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson. It identifies five crucial issues in revitalizing your church: leadership, vibrant faith, lay ministry, intentional evangelism, and celebrative but orderly worship.

Church revitalization requires strong, change-oriented leadership from pulpit and pew. To make a comeback, your church needs the right people in the right jobs doing the right thing.

But leadership is not everything. Members of comeback churches must also have a faith that is characterized by personal commitment to Jesus and the church's mission, a servant attitude, and strategic prayer.

In revitalized churches, pastors have limited roles, and they invite the laity to exercise their God-given ministries. And the whole church is involved in intentional evangelism, gradually incorporating unbelievers into the community and then into the faith.

Finally, comeback churches have celebrative (but orderly) worship services. More often than not, their musical style is contemporary, and they do everything with excellence.

If, like me, you're the pastor of a church that's seen better days, read Comeback Churches, and discover that your church's best days are still in front of you.Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can, Too Overview

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Journeys to Significance: Charting a Leadership Course from the Life of Paul (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) Review

Journeys to Significance: Charting a Leadership Course from the Life of Paul (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series)
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Journeys to Significance: Charting a Leadership Course from the Life of Paul (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) ReviewThe Apostle Paul is an example of a follower of Christ who demonstrates for us the paths we must all take to finish well, according to Neil Cole in this book. He argues that Paul's leadership abilities and effectiveness increased with each of his missionary journeys, and the book uses the story of those journeys to find leadership lessons applicable to all who are engaged in Christian ministry.
The book helped me to see Paul's story from a new perspective. The natural tendency is to view Paul's missionary journeys as a whole, rather than chronologically, and to assume that Paul applied a consistent level of apostolic excellence throughout. However, as the author points out, if Paul is to be a realistic model for Christians today, we need to discover how he learned and improved throughout his ministry, so that we can do likewise.
The first two chapters describe how Paul's birth, early life, conversion and period of learning and waiting following his conversion prepared him for the mission God had planned. Chapter 3 describes the first journey, in which Paul and Barnabas rapidly covered a lot of territory, making converts and moving on. There was lots of activity, but the churches planted were weak and struggling. Chapter 4 describes the second journey, in which Paul parted company from his mentor Barnabas, underwent suffering, and recruited leaders that he could leave behind at each church plant so that the churches would be stronger.
Chapter 5 describes the third journey, in which Paul lived in Ephesus for 3 years, training and sending out leaders who could multiply the work of church planting, thereby achieving far greater effectiveness than had been achieved on the first two journeys. Chapter 6 describes the fourth journey, to Rome, in which Paul's influence spread to governors, kings and the emperor, with some of his most effective work occurring while imprisoned. Then Paul's final journey to death is described, and how he finished well.
There are many Christian leadership books which offer advice based on cultural and organizational principles. This is not one of them. This book is an extended Bible study of the life of Paul, and all of the leadership advice offered is drawn directly from that study. At times the author strays into conjecture, and some readers will disagree with some of his views on the historical record, but in my opinion this is a very useful and enlightening book for church leaders.
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Zero to Sixty-60 Principles and Practices for Leading a Growing Church Review

Zero to Sixty-60 Principles and Practices for Leading a Growing Church
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Zero to Sixty-60 Principles and Practices for Leading a Growing Church ReviewOne of the most common barriers to church leadership is a lack of intentional self-development on the part of the pastor. No organization can outgrow its leader.
When a pastor stops growing personally, the sermons are stale, the passion for ministry wanes, the staff and volunteers fall into maintenance mode and the church stops thriving.
Two of the best ways to circumvent this growth barrier are 1) to read books that will stretch you and 2) to seek out mentors you admire.
With Zero To Sixty, Bob has left you no excuse for shirking self-development. Not only is this a book that will challenge you, forcing you to think through the hard issues of day-to-day ministry, but it is written as if Bob were sitting across a table from you, sharing his heartfelt lessons in person. In the following pages, you will gain practical truth and teaching, yes, but you will also gain something you might not expect - a mentor to walk you through those truths and teachings one step at a time.
Here's my advice to you, church leader. Don't simply read this book. Use it. Write in the margins. Note the points that stand out to you. Discuss the lessons and their application with your staff. Invite another church leader to lunch and share what you are learning. Drink this book in.
-- From the Forward by Nelson SearcyZero to Sixty-60 Principles and Practices for Leading a Growing Church Overview

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Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations Review

Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations
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Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations ReviewEd Stetzer and Thom Rainer have well-deserved reputations as "gurus" of church organization. They have both written prolifically on a variety of church-related topics, and have contributed an impressive body of research over the years to help churches understand what makes ministry tick.
Unlike many in their field, their approach has always been grounded in the authority of Scripture (rather than the latest and greatest cultural trends) and fully cognizant of the fact that God is the author of all spiritual growth within churches regardless of their particular ministry methodology.
Transformational Church, the latest from LifeWay Research President Stetzer and LifeWay Christian Resources President Rainer, proposes that the Church is fundamentally about radical change--death to life, rebellion against God to kingdom service, etc.--and that too many churches are mired in the status quo of apathy or inward-focused activity that does not contribute meaningfully to Christ's mission.
Through case studies of churches around the U.S. (some large, some small, of different denominations, but all following after God), the authors develop what they call the "new scorecard" for measuring the effectiveness of ministry; this is in addition to (not necessarily in contrast with) the "old scorecard" of attendance, giving, and programs/facilities. They build a theory of the "transformational loop" of church development, which is comprised of three categories: discern, embrace, and engage. They break down the categories into seven key elements that active churches should evince: a missionary mentality, vibrant leadership, relational intentionality, prayerful dependence, worship (actively embracing Christ), community (connecting people with people), and mission (showing Jesus through word and deed). Each of the elements is fleshed out in detail through a chapter of the book.
Stetzer and Rainer try to avoid a "do this, get that" systematic approach to church ministry, attempting rather to show churches in action demonstrating the principals they describe ministry. It is impossible for them to completely escape the style that lends itself to their subject matter (measuring performance), but they leave the reader with an encouragement to evaluate churches from a biblical perspective of kingdom mission, not simply from a traditional measure of success.
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Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication Review

Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication
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Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication Review(I received a review copy of this book from Baker Academic though I was not required to write a positive review.)
This book is difficult to review because it truly is an in-depth manual that covers nearly every aspect of church planting. I'd love to discuss all the details in depth here, but the review would be much too long. Instead, I'll give a summary of the contents and my brief reflection on the contents.
There are four main parts of this book: 1) biblical foundations of church planting, 2) strategic considerations of church planting, 3) developmental phases of church planting, and 4) the critical factors of church planting. There is an appendix which contains a helpful bibliography and topical index but (sadly) no scripture index. I appreciated the many real-life examples of church plants around the world, which helped the authors explain the different nuances of planting. I also liked the charts and helpful diagrams throughout the chapters. The book is well written, concise, and the subdivisions in the chapters make for easy reading. That being said, the book is not really a layperson's guide to planting; it is a 450 page manual aimed at the serious "student" of church planting. This is the ideal book for a seminary setting or an advanced course on planting churches.
More on the four parts. In part one Ott and Wilson discuss many different biblical texts that deal with missions and church planting. They answer questions that have to do with the church in general, reasons for planting churches, church planting in Acts, and other such topics. Part two is about historical church plant movements and methods, including those of John Nevius, Roland Allen, David Garrison, and movements from countries around the world. In this second part the authors also talk about different types of church planters, contextualization, and church plant methods such as mother/daughter, teams, house churches, and indirect church plants (among others). Ott and Wilson also give historical examples of all these types in this section.
Part three has to do with the phases of church planting - from the beginning to the end. The authors talk about demographics, targeting, commissioning leaders, launching, structuring, discipling, and other issues like these. This part is the longest part of the book because it has to do with the nuts and bolts of what it means to start a church plant and keep the work going until it is an organized local church with leadership structure in place.
The last part talks in more detail about the church planter himself. There is also a chapter which discusses the dynamics of church planting teams (sometimes called the "core group"). Ott and Wilson also give more details in this part about developing leaders in the church plant, as well as partnerships in church plants.
Though my review may make this book sound like a dry technical manual about planting churches, it is not that at all. The authors frequently talk about the main point of planting churches: to preach the gospel and make disciples so God's name is praised. There is also much emphasis on the fact that the Holy Spirit is the one who does the true "work" in church planting, along with a continued emphasis on the need for church planters/teams to pray without ceasing.
I've read quite a few different books on church planting, and to be honest, this is at the top of my list. Of course I didn't agree with everything in the book, and I'm sure most readers will disagree with some things in it, but it is so comprehensive, well written, and helpful that I cannot seriously imagine anyone giving this book a bad review. No matter what historic Christian denomination you identify with, you'll be able to benefit from this book. If you're thinking about church planting or any sort of mission work, and if you want a solid, in-depth textbook in this area, I would highly recommend this book. This is one resource I will be using and recommending for many years.Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication Overview

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A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Journey of Transformation Review

A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Journey of Transformation
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A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Journey of Transformation ReviewThe book has met my expectations and a valuable resource. The service that I received was timely and without any negative incident.A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Journey of Transformation Overview

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The Attractional Church: Growth Through a Refreshing, Relational, and Relevant Church Experience Review

The Attractional Church: Growth Through a Refreshing, Relational, and Relevant Church Experience
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The Attractional Church: Growth Through a Refreshing, Relational, and Relevant Church Experience ReviewThe first book I've read that paints a positive picture of the Attractional Church! I recommend it for Pastors and Church Planters. Especially if you are looking to be Refreshing, Relational and Relevant!
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Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church (The Leadership Network Innovation) Review

Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church (The Leadership Network Innovation)
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Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church (The Leadership Network Innovation) ReviewRaw.
We clicked because I drive a 1978 Chevy truck that gets single digits to the gallon and has a bacon air freshener and no functioning speedometer and because I fashion myself as the seld-appointed leader of a heterosexual male backlash in our overly chickified city filled with guys drinking herbal teal and rocking out to Mariah Carey in their lemon yellow Volkswagon Cabriolets while wearing fuchsia sweater vests that perfectly match their open-toed shoes. (p. 147)
Funny.
Scrambling for ideas, I agreed to cance a Sunday church service to let some of our long-haired public radio types take us outside to do a joint art project they had proposed....As a truck-driving jock who watches a lot of Ultimate Fighting, I can honestly say it was the gayest thing I have ever been a part of. (p. 71)
Real.
Emotionally, ministry proved to be more exhausting than I could have fathomed. Because I deeply loved my people and carried their burdens, the pains of our people's lives began to take a deep toll on me. Many nights were spent in prayer for people instead of sleeping, and even on what were supposed to be days off, my mind was consumed with the painful hardships and sinful rebellions of our people. (p. 68)
Mark Driscoll's latest book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev. Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church, is a fantastic look at life in ministry. I have a great deal of love and respect for Andy Stanley and Rick Warren, but their stories don't match my stories in ministry. Mark's story of the growth of his church is a wonderful and real look at a man on a mission, with strong theological convictions, and who loves Christ's church and the city of Seattle.
It is raw. He is blatanly honest. But if many could get away with it in ministry, we would do the same thing. He is a passionate man who doesn't have time to say things in flowery words. His story is real. It is an honest look at the hard life of ministry, and the pain and anguish we go through as ministers. And all the while, it's a picture of one sold out to Christ and his mission.
He is theologically conservative. He spends time unashamedly distancing himself from a hermeneutic that is liberal and relative. He believes the book, studies theology, and is passionate about teaching that.
Each of the chapters chronicle a period of time in the growth of Mars Hill. It is encouraging to see the struggles and the faith. It is encouraging to face many similar situations and see how others handled it.
I truly think this is a must read for all church planters and for those of us in ministry it should be highly considered. Few pastors are able to be real and transparent enough to let others see their pain and hardache and fears. Mark is a real man. And his story is compelling.Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church (The Leadership Network Innovation) Overview

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Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) Review

Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series)
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Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) ReviewMy how we could have used this book ten years ago when our church (Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL) first decided to cross the racial divide in hopes of becoming multi-ethnic! Our results were recently described in a January, 2010 Time Magazine article that shows both how far Willow has come, and how far it still has to go.
It's interesting that both these authors and our pastor (Bill Hybels) were inspired by Michael Emerson's depressing book "Divided by Faith." For those who haven't read it yet, it describes lasting multi-ethnic churches as sociologically impossible. Yet, as I once responded to Dr. Emerson in a meeting, it HAS to be possible for Christians, because the Bible commands it. This book is the story of HOW it has been possible with God's help, not only for Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, but also for several other cited examples to become truly multi-ethnic (defined as no more than 80% from any one ethnicity.)
A key insight of this book is: however well the homogeneous unit principle of church growth worked in the twentieth century, only multi-ethnic churches can achieve lasting growth in the twenty-first. One reason is that the U.S. is becoming more diverse. Twenty-five percent of the people living near Willow's suburban campuses no longer look like the people who founded Willow. Any church that today only appeals to only one ethnicity, thereby shrinks its market, especially as the U.S. moves toward becoming majority-minority by 2042. Second, and more importantly, people who are considering the message of the church today can't avoid wondering why it can't be at least as diverse as their workplace. As this book put it "For in an increasingly diverse and cynical society, people will no longer find credible the message of God's love for all people when it's preached by segregated churches."
Another key insight: "it is the [multi-ethnic] church at Antioch, and not the [homogeneous] church in Jerusalem, that is the most influential church of the entire New Testament." and "it wasn't until the church at Jerusalem was persecuted that individuals were forced to carry the message of Christ to other lands and people."
The book lists seven core commitments of a multi-ethnic church: embrace dependence, intentional steps, diverse leaders, cross-cultural relationships and competence, inclusion and mobilizing for impact.
Thankfully, this book then gets into actual cases, such as tongues, women in ministry, politics, the undocumented, worship music, wine versus grape juice, choosing leaders, and resolving conflicts. It also presents various models of how multi-ethnic churches function, listing strengths and weaknesses of each approach. For instance, Willow now has a popular weekly service in Spanish, good for attracting Hispanics. However, the resulting challenge is how to ensure Willow remains united, not two congregations sharing a building.
I found the transitions between the two authors a bit hard to track, and still wonder about the ethnicity of Deymaz. Those primarily concerned about bridging the specific divide between black and white may want an additional book, such as the book "Letters Across the Divide" that helped Willow start its "Justice Journey."
Overall, for churches interested in actually becoming multi-ethnic, this is your "how to" guide.Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series) Overview

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The Purpose Driven Church: Every Church Is Big in God's Eyes Review

The Purpose Driven Church: Every Church Is Big in God's Eyes
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The Purpose Driven Church: Every Church Is Big in God's Eyes ReviewI find it hard to rate this book accurately. I have read few books that have been more helpful in the realm of practical church life. Warren skillfully presents a blue-print on how to grow a healthy in church in which the five purposes (which are presented Biblically) of worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and evangelism are held in balance. The steps to take are practical and clear. Add to that a plethora of helpful common-sense tips to improving logistics in working with both the visitors and members of your church. This book is full of helpful ideas.
HOWEVER, the demerit of the book is its rather shallow Biblical basis. I believe that the five purposes Warren presents are biblical. I believe that the concept of moving people from membership to maturity to ministry to missions is biblical and very, very well developed. And I was impressed to see that Warren's church uses a church covenant and practices church discipline. I simply wish he had given a better biblical defense for these things. There are points where it seems like the author is taking Scripture out of context to defend a point - evidenced by his excessive use of paraphrases of Scripture. He should have used a literal translation and stuck to what the text actually says.
I also highly disagree with Warren's approach to music. He probably goes a bit overboard on the seeker-sensitive side of things, although I admit many of the things he says are non-moral, non-biblical, common-sense issues.
I was helped by reading this book. I have the sense to know that I can't apply everything Warren says in my own church culture and tradition, but there are some things any one can apply. I say, buy this book and read with discernment. As long as you don't make a Bible out of it, you will probably benefit greatly.The Purpose Driven Church: Every Church Is Big in God's Eyes Overview

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The 3 Loves: The 3 Passions of the Heart of Christianity Review

The 3 Loves: The 3 Passions of the Heart of Christianity
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The 3 Loves: The 3 Passions of the Heart of Christianity Reviewthe section titled Loving His People is amazing, this is an inspirational book, I will be sharing this at the church I attendThe 3 Loves: The 3 Passions of the Heart of Christianity Overview

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