Review: There's Hope for Your Church: First Steps to Restoring Health and Growth

There's Hope for Your Church: First Steps to Restoring Health and Growth by Gary L. McIntosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first read this book in May 2015, having borrowed it from my school's library, and I promptly purchased a copy to keep. Now in Aug 2016, because of its amateurish looking cover, I reread it to see if it deserved to stay on my bookshelf (anything less than 5 stars would mean it would be put up for sale to make room). I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover how good it was, and the 5 star rating remains unchanged. Many books that I have read, I felt that the author had no idea what they were talking about. McIntosh writes with the verve of a seasoned veteran who has had thought through and worked on this subject matter extensively.

This practical and uplifting book for the pastor of a "dying" church (or church in need of revitalisation) is like fresh hot rations given to a battle weary soldier on the front line. I appreciated the can-do and positive tone coupled with McIntosh's succinct style of writing. I found that the case studies were always so very insightful, and were an amazing fit with the practical advice presented. They were probably the part of the book that reeled me in the most and that I most enjoyed.

I found the following methodologies highlighted in the book especially helpful:

- Identification of the signs of trouble in the church (Chapter 3) - low morale, downward momentum or plateauing growth, survival mode, passive attitudes, consolidated power, lack of vision, toleration of known sin and unproductive ministries
- Inclusion of a diagram (Page 75) that illustrates that God's Vision is an intersection of the pastor's leadership passion, passion/gifts of the congregation and the community needs
- Building a successful dominant coalition (Chapter 6) requires the right people (by approaching individuals personally rather than over the pulpit), who respect you, who are willing to receive the biblical training and replace disagreeable leaders
- After evaluating the church morale (Chapter 7), seek to lift it by being positive yourself, finding the silver lining (every situation no matter how dire, has its good aspects to highlight; eg. thank people who are overworked), celebrate all victories, require people who highlight problems to come back with three possible solutions, recruit encouragers, highlight heroes, stay close to the people, focus on the right people (Focus on the Very Important People, then the Very Trainable People, then the Very Nice People, and then the Very Draining People)
- Do not delay in confronting problem people (Page 112) who are: disloyal (on surface appear to be with you but speak against you when you are not present), belligerent (verbally or physically attack others), belittle (put others down to make themselves look better), undermine (who seek to draw others away to another church)
- Accept resignations immediately and do not allow them to change their minds (some influential staff or board members threaten resignations often to get their ways; Page 112)
- Evaluate and refocus on the core ministry (Chapter 9) and outreach/evangelism (because theological equipping of people does not always result in them desiring to bring in new people)
- In reference to church members being equipped for change (Chapter 10), I can relate personally that radicals arent a great source of feedback as they always bring a positive report; they are great for starting new things with great excitement and energy but burn out too quickly (Page 136)
- Watch out and deal with these 5 kinds of losses (Chapter 11): of identity (with the roles/positions/places they occupy in church), of control, of meaning (in places, programs and patterns of life), of belonging (when they are overwhelmed by numbers of newcomers they do not know), of a future (as people hope for a stable future and struggle with the idea that it is changing)
- Stay the course (Chapter 12)
- Church revitalisation chart and checklist (Pages 164-5)
- That 9 out of 10 church mergers fail (Appendix B)
- When church mergers work best (Pages 182-183): occurs because of mission and outreach rather than need to survive; consist of churches with common theology, philosophy of ministry, values, and corporate culture; both congregations sell their buildings and move into a new one; a single or new pastor is called to lead the congregation; when three churches merge and none is dominant (often when two churches merge, one feels shut out and loses its sense of identity); time is given to developing solid communication about a possible merger and addressing concerns; significant time for courtship is allowed to take place

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Review: Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won't Get You There

Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Gary L. McIntosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After having read the book, I felt like I had just stepped into a time warp machine and had journeyed with a small church plant all the way to when it became a decentralized church (McIntosh's preferred term to the more commonly used megachurch). Only a few pastors would have had the privilege to have embarked on that voyage, and so it was a very surreal experience for me.

While I'm no church pastor (I'm just a student in bible college), I found the book immensely helpful. McIntosh dedicates a chapter each to different sized churches, discussing the characteristics, key points of transition and proposed action plans to be considered. That's the second part of the book. The first part, was much gloomier, but oh so very necessary for the many stagnating churches who are oblivious that they may be soon die off. Part One dedicates entire chapters to each type of congregational life cycle of a church. The content is easy to comprehend and highly relatable - any church pastor (even member) should be able to identify which stage their church is presently in.

If I could borrow a star wars reference, I felt that McIntosh is like the wise Jedi Master - leaving us young padawans, as the new leaders of the next generation of the resistance, with this wonderful tome of knowledge. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and heartily recommend it to all pastors and lay believers who love their church.

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Review: Growing God's Church: How People Are Actually Coming to Faith Today

Growing God's Church: How People Are Actually Coming to Faith Today by Gary L. McIntosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am quite a fan of McIntosh's books, having thoroughly enjoyed "Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) and "There's Hope for Your Church"(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...), both of which I regard to be 5 star titles.

Short review: Skip Part 1 and go straight to Part 2 & 3 and Appendix. You can thank me later. The latter parts of the book are worth the retail price many times over. If you have decision making influence in your church's leadership, buy the book, read it and use it as a tool to engage in some serious reflection. I doubt you will regret the decision.

Long review: I appreciated his sharing of his faith journey, which he used to lead into his proposition that churches have now lost the focus on evangelism, and instead have focused on missional acts of service. But somehow he seemed to have taken on a fondness in extremely lengthy retellings of biblical narratives, which takes up far too many pages (Matthew's account of following Jesus in Chapter 1, Jesus' reading of the scroll of Isaiah in Chapter 3, Jesus casting out an unclean spirit in Chapter 4, going to Jesus' tomb in Chapter 5, choosing of Matthias in Chapter 6). I dreaded every start of the chapter because of the monotonous and unimaginative paraphrasing of the gospel accounts that would have to be endured. I do not sense that McIntosh's strength is in theology or exegetical teaching/preaching, so perhaps if he had stuck to his areas of expertise (eg. Ecclesiology and ministry), the book could have been more effective in communicating a thesis. I felt like that I had just went on an very painful eisegetical journey by the end of the book; too much ground was covered far too thinly. This is a huge pity, because I recognise the value and importance of utilising research methods and data analysis to validate and explain the observance of a trend in churches today (the loss of focus on evangelism).

If Part 1 shows McIntosh at his worst, Part 2 and 3 is when he is at his best! Meshing statistics and data with practical recommendations (after having explained what the data means) is something I have not since before (in an ecclesiological context). Take time to slowly read through and consider how for example, people come to Christ, why people stay in church, how important is the pastor's preaching etc. While the study was done with ~1000 respondents in America, I would imagine that the findings would not stray too far when reapplied to another First World Country.

5 Stars for the latter part of the book and 0 stars for Part 1, so an overall 3 stars.

I received this book from Baker Books through Netgalley.com in exchange for this review.

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Review: Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction

Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction by Gary L. McIntosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At the date of this review (in 2015), I understand that all students at Evangel University are required to read this book as part of their first year in seminary - that's a huge stamp of confidence from the student development/leadership department of the importance of the topic and how useful the book is. Churches and Christian Organisations would find this book a good starting point in leadership development and training of their leaders.

Many of us are aware of how gifted and talented we are. And this book will provide a sober reminder and a reality check to warn us how so very close we are so prone to falling and ending up in ministerial failure, not in spite of but BECAUSE of these very strengths that we have. Alongside with Thomas' Sacred Pathways, I use Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership (compiling the questionnaires at each chapter into a single MCQ Test) as a starting point for my christian friends to better understand their leadership gifts (and the respective pitfalls). I have done the test thrice (2013, 2014 and 2015), plotted the results on a graph and appreciated how I had evolved over time. I barely could find a single boring page in the book as the content was engaging to the point I devoured page after page. The real-life illustrations of each Dark Side of leadership perfectly made clear the propositions and substantives the authors attempted to convey. The material was highly accessible, extremely practical and very relevant.

I highly recommend this book for staff working in executive positions for both in Christian and "secular" organisations.

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10mins after the service is the most important time...

Too many churches have systematized hospitality by creating jobs for greeters and helpful parking lot attendants. It's their task to make a good first impression so visitors will feel good about the church. That's all great. But here's the surprise: The most important 10 minutes at church happen after church services when it's nobody's "official duty" to be friendly, according to Gary L. McIntosh and Charles Arn in their book What Every Pastor Should Know.

From page 77 of

Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore

Review: There's Hope for Your Church: First Steps to Restoring Health and Growth

There's Hope for Your Church: First Steps to Restoring Health and Growth by Gary L. McIntosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A practical, uplifting and can-do book for the pastor of a "dying" church is like fresh hot rations given to a battle weary soldier on the front line. The case studies are never boring and McIntosh's succinct style of writing provides a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I especially appreciate the following methodologies highlighted in the book:

- Identification of the signs of trouble in the church (Chapter 3) - low morale, downward momentum or plateauing growth, survival mode, passive attitudes, consolidated power, lack of vision, toleration of known sin and unproductive ministries
- Inclusion of a diagram (Page 75) that illustrates that God's Vision is an intersection of the pastor's leadership passion, passion/gifts of the congregation and the community needs
- Building a successful dominant coalition (Chapter 6) requires the right people (by approaching individuals personally rather than over the pulpit), who respect you, who are willing to receive the biblical training and replace disagreeable leaders
- After evaluating the church morale (Chapter 7), seek to lift it by being positive yourself, finding the silver lining (every situation no matter how dire, has its good aspects to highlight; eg. thank people who are overworked), celebrate all victories, require people who highlight problems to come back with three possible solutions, recruit encouragers, highlight heroes, stay close to the people, focus on the right people (Focus on the Very Important People, then the Very Trainable People, then the Very Nice People, and then the Very Draining People)
- Do not delay in confronting problem people (Page 112) who are: disloyal (on surface appear to be with you but speak against you when you are not present), belligerent (verbally or physically attack others), belittle (put others down to make themselves look better), undermine (who seek to draw others away to another church)
- Accept resignations immediately and do not allow them to change their minds (some influential staff or board members threaten resignations often to get their ways; Page 112)
- Evaluate and refocus on the core ministry (Chapter 9) and outreach/evangelism (because theological equipping of people does not always result in them desiring to bring in new people)
- In reference to church members being equipped for change (Chapter 10), I can relate personally that radicals arent a great source of feedback as they always bring a positive report; they are great for starting new things with great excitement and energy but burn out too quickly (Page 136)
- Watch out and deal with these 5 kinds of losses (Chapter 11): of identity (with the roles/positions/places they occupy in church), of control, of meaning (in places, programs and patterns of life), of belonging (when they are overwhelmed by numbers of newcomers they do not know), of a future (as people hope for a stable future and struggle with the idea that it is changing)
- Stay the course (Chapter 12)
- Church revitalisation chart and checklist (Pages 164-5)
- That 9 out of 10 church mergers fail (Appendix B)
- When church mergers work best (Pages 182-183): occurs because of mission and outreach rather than need to survive; consist of churches with common theology, philosophy of ministry, values, and corporate culture; both congregations sell their buildings and move into a new one; a single or new pastor is called to lead the congregation; when three churches merge and none is dominant (often when two churches merge, one feels shut out and loses its sense of identity); time is given to developing solid communication about a possible merger and addressing concerns; significant time for courtship is allowed to take place

I absolutely recommend this book! I read it once having borrowed it from my school's library, and I prompted purchased a copy to keep (and hopefully re-read in time to come!)

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