“Is your church dying from self-inflicted wounds?”
“Leading a church would be a lot easier if we didn’t have to deal with people”
“A God powered minority”
“God did not put the church at that address by mistake, there is a plan”
“Cultural Christianity is dead”
These are just a few of my most thought-provoking quotes from the book by Thom Ranier. Scrappy Church is not for the faint of heart. It gives a thorough review of all things that may be driving your church to extinction.
Author of over 20 books dealing with church health, Mr. Ranier gives an honest look through the eyes of members, leaders, and visitors to show how a church can kill itself without even realizing it. But he does not leave you hanging on for dear life. He also gives a blueprint for preparation to turn the church around, I will briefly overview this blueprint later.
He gives the main characteristics of a church to become “Scrappy”, focusing on prayer as one of the main and most important items. He tells us to remain positive, partner with other churches in the area and do not consider them the enemy, and focus on outreach.
Under his blueprint for preparation, Mr. Ranier lists three different areas to work on: Outward Deluge, Welcome Readiness, and Backdoor Closure. None of these points can be met honestly until the church undergoes an “Attitude Adjustment”. And it is not just the members, but also the leaders and even the Pastor that need to take part in this step. These three items focus on the structure of the church as a welcoming body of Christ.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it as a read to build or even maintain the health of your church.
You may purchase this book at:
https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/scrappy-church-P005812466
This book is also available as an ebook
I have a free copy of this book in return for an honest and fair review – Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CFR Part 255
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