Let’s face it. What used to work in church just doesn’t anymore. You know it. I know it.
If you’ve been in ministry for a decade or more, you know the old methods (which were new when you started . . . because you were one of those mavericks back then) only bring diminishing results.
And you’re stumped.
If you’re just starting out in ministry, you’ve chosen a brave path . . . one strewn with many problems but not nearly as many solutions. And you’re looking around for “models” or “formulas,” only to discover it’s harder than you thought to find something that connects with the unchurched. I know.
That’s why I love what Peyton Jones does in this powerful book.
Maybe our model’s not broken. Maybe we are.
Let me rephrase that. Maybe we need to be broken.
Peyton sums it up so well: “Despite what you may have been led to believe, the church services you attend are not the key to reaching the unreached. You are.”
He’s so right. And this book takes you on that journey. If you don’t get punched in the gut more than a dozen times, your reading comprehension is poor. This book made me cry (not figuratively . . . literally). It also broke my heart. Which is exactly what my heart needed.
Like you, I’m not 100 percent sure what the answer to the future church is. I am confident there’s a bright future, because the church is Jesus’s idea, not ours.
As much as we’d love to find five things that would solve everything, or ten ways to bullet-proof your leadership (who writes blogs like that anyway?), we all know it’s not that simple.
One thing I do believe that will make a difference is passion. I’ve noticed that churches whose leaders have a white-hot passion for Christ and for the mission tend to reach far more people than churches led by leaders whose passion glows less.
In this book, Peyton pokes and prods the souls of leaders until they start to bleed.
You can’t read this book without becoming uncomfortable or convicted. Every time you think you’re off the hook, Peyton launches into another chapter where he pushes you into an encounter with the God who moves mountains and (hopefully) the callous hearts of church leaders.
This book is a unique blend of the inspired leadership of the past, the pain of the present, and the promise of the future. It will both challenge you deeply and inspire you greatly, until your walk with God becomes so uncomfortable you either throw yourself at Christ’s feet or you decide to walk away—both of which could be good things because the church is no longer at the point where mediocrity is helping anyone.
If you want an easy ride, this book isn’t for you.
If you’re looking for simple formulas and easy solutions, put this book back on the shelf.
But if you’re ready to go on a soul journey that can kindle within you the kind of white-hot passion that will help lead a new generation to Jesus . . . read on and lead on.
That’s what I’m doing.
CAREY NIEUWHOF
Founding Pastor, Connexus Church