Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won't Get You There

by Gary L. McIntosh

Overview

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 Level 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801091988
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Pages:	222
Sales rank:	902,716
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

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

1 What Got You Here Won't Get You There 9

Part 1 Congregational Life Cycles

2 St. John's Syndrome 21

3 The Emerging Church 35

4 The Growing Church 46

5 The Consolidating Church 54

6 The Declining Church 65

7 The Dying Church 74

8 Leading through the Stages 87

9 Growing through the Stages 102

Part 2 Church Size Stages

10 Step Up to the Next Level 115

11 The Relational Church: 15 to 200 Worshipers 134

12 The Managerial Church: 200 to 400 Worshipers 145

13 The Organizational Church: 400 to 800 Worshipers 153

14 The Centralized Church: 800 to 1,500 Worshipers 160

15 The Decentralized Church: 1,500-Plus Worshipers 168

Part 3 Choice Points

16 Growth and Decline: Size Matters 181

17 Reaching Your Growth Point 195

Notes 207

Further Reading: Worth a Look 213