No one wants to see a church die. And yet, far too many churches are dying. For more than twenty-five years, Dr. Thom Rainer has helped churches grow, reverse the trends of decline, and has autopsied those that have died. From this experience, he has discovered twelve consistent themes among those churches that have died. Yet, it’s not gloom and doom because from those twelve themes, lessons on how to keep your church alive have emerged.
Whether your church is vibrant or dying, whether you are a pastor or a church member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church will walk you through the radical paths necessary to keep your church alive to the glory of God and advancement of Christ’s Kingdom!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Thom S. Rainer (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee. He was founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His many books include Transformational Church, Essential Church, and Simple Church.
MY REVIEW:
This book is a sobering look at what is happening in the churches today - especially, I'm afraid, of the American churches. It's a short little book packed with tons of information. I really liked that at the end of each chapter there are questions we can ask ourselves about our church and our role in it.
He starts out by sharing his diagnosis of some churches that he had tried to help and the resistance he came up against. The biggest challenge is that people don't want their church to change - they want things to remain as they always were.
He gives us hints about how to diagnose problems in our church and to look honestly at ourselves and our role in our church. I also love how he challenges us to do the one thing that is most important for our church and that's to pray.
Despite the soberness of this book, the author does offer us hope if our church is sick or even dying. I think this book is a must read for any pastor, elder, deacon or church member!
*This book was provided to me for my honest review by B & H Publishing Group
Blessings - Julie
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