Sticky Church by Larry Osborne
I would recommend this book for any ministry leader. The question is raised, 'How can we open our doors without letting the back door fly open?' In essence, becoming 'sticky'.
Taken from the book, 'Front door churches that fail to structure for spiritual growth risk becoming merely a birthing center, the telltale mark of which is a back door fueled by maturity migration-a steady flow of people who complain, "I got started here, but I can't grow here." Back-door churches that fail to structure for spiritual growth will end up with programs and ministries that keep people from leaving but do nothing to help them grow or reach out to those who need Jesus.'
This book would be great to read before starting a new ministry or when looking to evaluate the effectiveness of a current one.
Going Deep by Gordon MacDonald
The first few chapters look at the question of 'What's your elevator story?' And in this book pertaining this to a church. If you walked into an elevator with a stranger and they asked what you do (work at a church), what would you tell them about your church before you got to their destination and would they be curious before they got out of the elevator. MacDonald believes in telling your elevator story, you are sharing who you really are. He uses numerous stories (numerous stories...) to share that his church was lacking people of true depth in their spiritual life. MacDonald needed to challenge his people to go deeper in the Word, and deeper in their relationships. This challenge could come through community bonds formed by MacDonald.
'Maybe a new kind of church needs to be birthed. One that emphasizes community and spiritual development. If so, the need for training, training, training is more necessary than ever.'
On my desk for the month of January:
'In the Name of Jesus' by Henri J.M. Nouwen
'Fusion' Nelson Searcy
Remember-if you have any questions/comments or book suggestions, feel free to share!
God Bless and a Happy New Year!!
-PC
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