Renovation of the Church

by Carlson, Kent; Lueken, Mike; Willard, Dallas

• ISBN13: 9780830835461
• ISBN10: 0830835466
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-01
• Publisher: Ivp Books

Summary

Copastors Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken tell the story of how God took their thriving, consumer-oriented church and transformed it into a modest congregation of unformed believers committed to the growth of the spirit--even when it meant a decline in numbers.As Kent and Mike found out, a decade of major change is not easy on a church. Oak Hills Church, from the pastoral staff to the congregation, had to confront addiction to personal ambition, resist consumerism and reorient their lives around the teachings of Jesus. Their renewed focus on spiritual formation over numerical growth triggered major changes in the content of their sermons, the tenor of their worship services, and the reason for their outreach. They lost members.But the health and spiritual depth of their church today is a testimony of God's transforming work and enduring faithfulness to the people he loves.Honest and humble, this is Kent and Mike's story of a church they love, written to inspire and challenge other churches to let God rewrite their stories as well. Read it for the church you love.

Author Biography

Kent Carlson founded Oak Hills Church of Folsom, California, in 1984. For the past thirteen years he has been co-senior pastor of the church with Mike Lueken. Mike and Kent are both graduates of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. They each live with their families in the Sacramento, California, area.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 9
Introduction	p. 13
The Creation of the Monster	p. 19
Deciding to Change: The Donner Party	p. 30
The Keys to Transition: A Few Hard Years	p. 37
Rethinking the Gospel: The Enthralling Vision of Life in God's Kingdom	p. 52
Consumerism: Talking to Fish About Water	p. 64
Setting Aside Ambition: The Necessary Groundwork of Change	p. 74
Co-Pastoring: Two Are Better Than One	p. 88
Understanding The Church: The Fellowship of the Unformed	p. 98
Spiritual Formation: Do You Really Want to Be Healed?	p. 112
Outreach: A Burning Passion for the World	p. 132
Worship: Celebrating the Story of God	p. 147
Mistakes: After Further Review	p. 162
Epilogue: A Vision for the Future	p. 172
Acknowledgments	p. 179
Notes	p. 181
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