Good, concrete pictures of trends among dying churches (including ones I've known intimately). Only three stars because it could have been longer. (What book review ever asks for longer?) ( )

This was a quick, interesting read.  The author tried to provide the signs that a church is in danger of dying out.  He made very good points about how difficult it is to see the gradual changes to the church environment.  His tips were very thought-provoking and I appreciated his blunt writing style.  He got straight to the point which gave more time for thought and analysis.  I think this book would be a great book for a discussion. ( )

As a pastor who has served multiple churches over the last 22 years, I can testify to the sad reality of the health of many churches. Far more churches than you would think are already dead....They just don't know it yet.

In Autopsy of a Deceased Church, church growth author Thom Rainer takes the reader down the unsettling journey of autopsying dead churches. Like a medical autopsy, Rainer is looking for the reasons that churches die. He settles in on some key threads that run through unhealthy churches and, left unchecked, will ultimately lead to their demise. These issues include a selfish refusal to reach out to others, elevating personal preferences over mission, failed pastoral leadership, and lack of prayer.

A short read, Autopsy of a Deceased Church can be read in one afternoon. Be forewarned though: it takes longer than one afternoon to digest. Each chapter caused me to think of churches I had served or other churches about whom I was aware. Their health is dubious. Their mission is confused. Their prayer life is anemic. And, if things don't change, death awaits them.

My prayer is that this short book will be used mightily by God to shake churches awake from their slumber. That somehow, churches who seem destined for the mortuary would become a platform for the grace of God. ( )

This precise and easy-to-read exposé on how churches die provides simple insights on how to detect slow erosion. After studying similar “common threads,” Thom S. Rainer concludes that many of the churches are (to name a few) holding on to the past (the good old days) too tightly, not looking like their community, controlling an inward focused budget, forgetting about outreach, and rarely praying together.

Many of these churches seemed to face a slow death because of a lack of vision and the missing component of selflessness and compassion. “Those in the church were more concerned about protecting the way they did church than reaching residents of the community.” It’s exciting when you do find a church or pastor with an outward looking passion and mission. I recently spoke to a local pastor and friend who shared with me how their church recently decided to adopt their 100 closest neighbors in loving and non-threatening ways. I’m excited to see what God does through their selfless love!

18595231Some of my favorite quotes come from the chapter on prayer and the church: “Prayer was the lifeblood of the early church.” “Prayer was not an add-on to give them permission to eat a meal. It was serious stuff for a serious group of church members.” Prayer time is where the church discovers “together the question behind the question . . . they begin to understand more clearly.’

This is a book I would recommend to any pastor or church serious about staying alive and making an impact in their community!B&H Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This precise and easy-to-read exposé on how churches die provides simple insights on how to detect slow erosion. After studying similar “common threads,” Thom S. Rainer concludes that many of the churches are (to name a few) holding on to the past (the good old days) too tightly, not looking like their community, controlling an inward focused budget, forgetting about outreach, and rarely praying together.

Many of these churches seemed to face a slow death because of a lack of vision and the missing component of selflessness and compassion. “Those in the church were more concerned about protecting the way they did church than reaching residents of the community.” It’s exciting when you do find a church or pastor with an outward looking passion and mission. I recently spoke to a local pastor and friend who shared with me how their church recently decided to adopt their 100 closest neighbors in loving and non-threatening ways. I’m excited to see what God does through their selfless love!

18595231Some of my favorite quotes come from the chapter on prayer and the church: “Prayer was the lifeblood of the early church.” “Prayer was not an add-on to give them permission to eat a meal. It was serious stuff for a serious group of church members.” Prayer time is where the church discovers “together the question behind the question . . . they begin to understand more clearly.’

This is a book I would recommend to any pastor or church serious about staying alive and making an impact in their community!B&H Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )