Taking Your Church to the Next Level

by McIntosh, Gary L.

• ISBN13: 9780801091988
• ISBN10: 0801091985
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-09-01
• Publisher: Baker Pub Group

Summary

All local churches experience a predictable life cycle of growth and decline. But if a church is on a downward trend, how can it turn around? Taking Your Church to the Next explains the impact of age and size on churches and outlines the improvements that must be made at each point for a church to remain fruitful and faithful to its mission. McIntosh deftly describes the cycles of fruitfulness and the importance of continual improvement to diminish destructive forces that keep a congregation from its mission. Church leaders, pastors, and all who care about the church and desire to see it experience biblical growth will benefit from the sage wisdom offered in these pages.

Author Biography

Gary L. McIntosh is president of the Church Growth Network and professor of Christian ministry and leadership at Talbot School of Theology. He leads seminars and has written several books, including Biblical Church Growth and Beyond the First Visit.

Table of Contents

What Got You Here Won't Get You There	p. 9
Congregational Life Cycles
St. John's Syndrome	p. 21
The Emerging Church	p. 35
The Growing Church	p. 46
The Consolidating Church	p. 54
The Declining Church	p. 65
The Dying Church	p. 74
Leading through the Stages	p. 87
Growing through the Stages	p. 102
Church Size Stages
Step Up to the Next Level	p. 115
The Relational Church: 15 to 200 Worshipers	p. 134
The Managerial Church: 200 to 400 Worshipers	p. 145
The Organizational Church: 400 to 800 Worshipers	p. 153
The Centralized Church: 800 to 1,500 Worshipers	p. 160
The Decentralized Church: 1,500-Plus Worshipers	p. 168
Choice Points
Growth and Decline: Size Matters	p. 181
Reaching Your Growth Point	p. 195
Notes	p. 207
Further Reading: Worth a Look	p. 213
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