Home and Education/Religion and Spirituality/Breakout Churches- Discover How To Make The Leap 1 stars (An unfortunate addition to Rainer's fine history of work) - I am sorry - 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 Software Posted by Zondervan
Breakout Churches- Discover How To Make The Leap Last Version posted by 11.10.2008
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Breakout Churches: Discover How To Make The Leap review: 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 the research Rainer's team did. The churches that experienced phenomenal growth - not just adding new believers to its ranks in revival like fashion, but seeing these believers mature into stable godly Christians and functioning members of the body - they did so by being singularly focused on the fundamentals of NT Christianity. First of all, they did not grow over night. The average tenure of the pastors of the breakout churches was 21.6 yrs. vs. less than 4 yrs. for the average American pastor. Secondly, each church had to face a crisis within the church, overcoming obstacles from members who opposed the vision of the leadership. This often led to painful splits and left scars upon the pastoral leadership. The differences between these pastors and those found in comparable situations (note that research was done in comparison churches that experinced no growth but plateaued or were declining) was the 'breakout' Pastors endured these difficult times, yet never lost their sense of God-called purpose to lead the church. In contrast, the comparison pastors sought to avoid conflict altogether or leave for greener pastures (which rarely turn out to be greener). Hats go off to these men who endured difficulties some times for years, yet did so with a determination to never give up but to trust God with their ministries. How sad that too many pastors bolt at the first sign of conflict.
Several other characteristics were noted among the leaders of 'breakout churches.' They were men of great humilty. They rarely took credit for the growth of the church, and in fact several of them were quite reluctant leaders. None of them smelled of selfish ambition. However, they were extremely confident men. That is, they truly trusted God for the results of growth in the church. The corollary here is important. These were men of prayer.
There are other shocking revelations in light of so much Church Growth blather today. These men took very seriously the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. They spent at least 20 hours or more in sermon preparation and prayer each week. This was opposed to the comparison pastors who spent as little as 5 hours in the same duties. These churches also emphasized theology and doctrine. The members of these churches could clearly articulate the doctrines and beliefs of the church. Furthermore, these churches are all considered Evangelically conservative (e.g. holding strongly and passionately to the innerancy of Scripture). The main difference between them and the comparison churches was profound. The 'breakout churches' took their doctrine seriously; that is, they believed that doctrine is not merely a matter of orthodoxy ('right belief'), but orthopraxy ('right behavior'). While the comparison churches believed essentially the same doctrines, most of their members did not seem to be able to articulate that doctrine nor did they seem passionate about living it.
There are other notable insights in to these churches. The growth of each church came after some period of decline (often many years) a realization of the negative implications of the decline and the need to do something about it (see chapter on 'The ABC Moment'). This renewed passion was often met with resistance, but once the resistance was overcome, growth began. The key to the growth was a intersection of the passion of the leadership, the passion and gifts of the members of the church and the spiritual needs of the community (see chapter on 'The VIP Factor'). This of course was cultivated patiently over time. As the congregation grew spiritually, they captured the passion and vision of the leadership for the lost (note that the growth came form the unchurched community not transfer growth - i.e. they were fiercely evangelistic).
One of the most interesting insights into the book was the issue of expectations. The leaders of these churches all have high expectations for the members of their congregations. This contributed significantly to the growth of the church. But that was not what caught my eye. Rather it was that within this atmosphere of high expectations was the presence of a great degree of freedom in the accomplishment of goals. In other words, it was a freedom within a specific set of boundaries. It was within this unique combination that growth occured and spawned an atmosphere making it a joy to serve in these churches. By contrast, the comparison churches (that were not growing, but declining) had 3 different dynamics going on. First, there were leaders with high expectations of the congregation, but low freedom given to them. This led to legalism and a kind of 'my way or the highway' mentality. Secondly, there were churches with low expectations and low freedom. This marked the majority of comparison churches. The leadership had no clear passion for the ministry so it had little expectations of its members. However, it also did not allow its members to venture into ministry with fresh ideas either. The churches had a stifling atmosphere. Finally, there were churches with low expectaions and high freedom. These were chaotic churches with competing ministries yet no coherent mission or vision supplied by the leadership; a sort of free-for-all with no accountability.
The godly, humble, confident, Biblical and God-centered passion of the pastors of these churches was contagious. It attracted other like-minded people. The culture of ministry in the breakout church was one of joy and unbridled passion for souls. My only caveat with the book is that there were not more Scripture references to back-up what was clearly in my mind a desription of Biblical pastors and churches. Nonetheless, 'Breakout Churches' is a must read for every pastor who wants to see genuine Biblical growth in his church and is tired of the latest fads and fashions that are hawked about and sold with little or no return. What is needed today is good old hard work, longevity, passion and a commitment to the sovereign work of God to grow His Church in His time. 5 stars (Mandatory readding) - Rainer does excellent research, and this book is no exception. It will help to read Good to Great, before, after, or along with this book, because Rainer outline and insights are developed from Good to Great. The book has several good points about turn around or break out churches. The good thing is he has comparison churches to illustrate his points. The caution is that research can tell us what is but does not mean predictability (that whole correlation does not mean or imply causation). I would like Rainer to continue his research, to see if his conclusions are applicable to other churches. I always wonder about leadership issues, and would have liked a better idea of what stage the leaders were in at the break out stage. The book is well written, and should be read any interested in church growth, or turning around a church.
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Breakout Churches- Discover How To Make The Leap 
