| Summary, Etc. |
The church, that is. And how are we doing it? Congregations have long measured success by "bodies, budget, and buildings"---a certain record of attendance, the offering plate, and square footage. But the scorecard can't stop there. When it does, the deeper emphasis on accountability, discipleship, and spiritual maturity is lost. Ignoring these details, we see fewer lives transformed, Christian influence wane, and churches thin out---a situation that is all too familiar across North America today. -- It is time to take heart and rework the scorecard. -- According to Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer, the authors of Transformational Church, "Too often we've highlighted the negative realities of the declining American church but missed the opportunity to magnify the God of hope and transformation." -- Based on the most comprehensive study of its kind, including a survey of over 7,000 churches and hundreds of on-site interviews with pastors, Transformational Church takes us to the thriving congregations where truly changing lives is the norm. -- Stetzer and Rainer clearly confirm the importance of disciple-making through active biblical engagement and prayerful dependence on God alongside of ever-increasing, intentional participation in mission and ministry activities. -- "Transformational Chruches make disciples whose lives are being transformed by the gospel, so that the culture around them is ultimately transformed. Thransformational Churches are deeply committed to the essential foundations of discipleship: worship, community, and mission. They practice and make disciples through vibrant leadership, prayerful dependence, and relational intentionality---in their context with a missionary mindset. Simply put, Transformational Churches know, understand, and are deeply in love with their cities, communities, and people."---Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer. --Book Jacket.
|