1 stars (An unfortunate addition to Rainer's fine history of work) - I am sorry to report that this is one of the worst books I have ever read. It's hard to believe it was authored by Thom S. Rainer. The fundamental problem with research stems from the selection criteria for "breakout churches". The criteria was so abysmally biased by Rainer's desire not to promote growth that stemmed from the involvement of a new pastor that they only produced 13 churches out of 400,000. Rather than taking another pass at identifying churches that would energize us in our calling, they instead decided to write a book lauding these 13 churches as the "good to great" of our time. Before you put this in your shopping cart consider the criteria led them to the selection of churches who: -Have pastors with an average tenure of 21.6 years with this one church (pg. 57) -Current pastor must have participated in both the declining years, as well as the break-out growth (pg. 16) -None of the 13 churches seek to discover a vision (pg. 111) -"Are careful, even plodding in making changes" (pg. 150) If you're looking for a book that will make you feel better about your church which has been declining for years, without giving you much in the way of actionable strategies, you've come to the right place. I hope Jim Collins received a quarter every time his name, his book title, or a page number in Good to Great was referenced! The only thing this book inspired me to do was re-read my copy of Good to Great! 5 stars (Character Counts) - I must start by saying that I am not an advocate of what is typically known as the "Church Growth Movement." However, I believe "Breakout Churches" breaks all the molds of this genre of books. What the remarkable research of this book has demonstrated is simple and yet profound in our day: Church growth is directly related to the godly passion of its leadership and not to the promotion of pragmatic strategies. Several things struck me about the results of... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHURCH AND MINISTRY CHURCH LIFE CHURCH GROWTH :: Social Theology :: Religion - Church Life & Growth :: Religion :: Parish And Churc :: Breakout Churches- Discover How To Make The Leap
5 stars (One of the most important books...) - you will ever read. I believe that this book is a revolutionary approach to church building. Thousands of churches have used this text to advantage - including my church. 5 stars (Even better the 2nd time!) - This book is one of the best books on churches that I've read...and as a seminary grad (twice) I've read a few. I recently pulled the book off my shelf, blew off the dust, and read it again. I think I've heard everything Rick teaches about church through other speakers and in other books, but the book makes me realize how prophetic Ricks words were back in the early 90's when he was putting this stuff in writing. Pastors and churches in North America are still trying to get it right...and still failing. Contrary to critics, I find Warren's book to be very biblical and right on target. Too many NA churches are trying to do church the wrong way. The Purpose Driven Church is a very easy to read, process book that pleads with churches to adapt methodologies to bring our culture the unchanging gospel message of Jesus Christ. From pastors to seekers, this book will help all realize what a New Testament church should look like in today's culture. 5 stars (This book was not what I expected at all!) - I approached this book with a skeptical and critical spirit. (Too many "seeker sensitive" churches water down the truth in an attempt to reach people. And they end up with shallow church members that are lacking in genuine Christian faith.) However, this book really softened my critical spirit. Some of my opinions were based on misconceptions and misunderstandings. I was impressed by Rick Warren's reasoning and ideas. What surprised me the most is the high expectations of his actual church members. (And members must re-new their membership once a year.) If members don't meet the expectations, they are dropped from the membership roll! The book said that 500 - 700 people a year are dropped from the membership roll... Nelson Books :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHURCH AND MINISTRY CHURCH LIFE CHURCH GROWTH :: Religion - Church Life & Growth :: Religion :: Parish And Church Management :: Eva :: The Purpose-Driven Church
5 stars (Must have book for the church leader's library) - The authors of this book do a great job of illustrating the 7 practices of effective ministry through the story of a baseball game. Later chapters dig deeper into how to apply the practices. Some of it seems so simple but then I wondered why I hadn't thought about them before. In fact, these practices are good for any organization, not just ministries. I'm using this book with my church staff right now and plan to have the leadership team read through it and began applying the principles to our ministry. 5 stars (Powerful) - This book was awesome. The principles set forth would work in any type of setting not just church. It is laid out in such a way that anyone can understand. It was a book I could not put down. I have read it three time now and still enjoy it. 4 stars (Interesting setting for tried and true principles) - This book does not present new or startling information, and the author admits to that. But it does put together some good leadership principles in an interesting way, relating them to baseball and placing them in a ballgame setting. The stage is set that everyone can relate to when the pastor wants to skip a church meeting and play hooky at the ball park. Most of us can relate to wanting to play hooky at one time or another. We are using this book as a study during our weekly church staff meeting, and it is generating lots of discussion as each person applies the principles to their own work duties and situations. I would caution against using it with a staff that includes many women ... unless they really like baseball. ... Multnomah :: Religion & Leadership :: CHURCH & MINISTRY & MINISTRY RESOURCES & GENERAL :: Religion - Church Administration :: Religion :: Pastoral theology :: Leadership :: 7 Practices of Effective Ministry
5 stars (Small group training manual) - Our congregation has used Bill Donahue's Leading Life-Changing Small Groups as our primary reference manual for training small group leaders for over 5 years. It gets right to the heart of the organization and leadership issues needed for successful ministry. It is also an excellent reference for avoiding and resolving problems that may occur as people get to know one another. 5 stars (Help for all phases of small group life.) - Whether you have led small groups for years or you are just starting out, you will find practical advice in this great resource. The text is easy to follow and can easily be used by small group leaders as they "group" together to learn to lead. Most of the Church is now focussed on relational evangelism. What better way to cultivate a personal relationship than in the small group. The group offers the opportunity to really know each other. Once strong relationships are in place, people begin to grow, multiplication takes place, and lives are changed. If this is what you want to accomplish you will find easy to understand technique in Leading a Life Changing Small Group. 4 stars (proven, practical tips for leading small groups) - Written by the director of adult education and leadership training at Willow Creek Community Church, this book is the result of experience rather than theory. Although the Willow Creek small group model is more structured than many leaders will feel comfortable with, the issues raised and the resources supplied will be helpful to anyone involved with small group leadership. The very title stresses the underlying principle: changing lives ... Zondervan :: Religion & Reference :: CHURCH AND MINISTRY MINISTRY RESOURCES SMALL GROUP :: Small groups :: Religion - Christian Education - Teaching Helps & Programs :: Re :: Leading Life-Changing Small Groups
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