Free Why Nobody Wants To Go To Church Anymore: And How 4 Acts Of Love Will Make Your Church Irresistible Ebooks Online
It's sad but true: The American church is shrinking...fast. God-loving people are leaving in droves, and everything that attracted them in the past simply doesn't work anymore. Is there anything the church can do to turn the tide?Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore reveals the truth about this steep decline, along with innovative ideas for changing the way people think about church. Through startling statistics, compelling stories, and a surprising Jesus-based approach, you'll be stretched to redefine the way you do church.It all begins by embracing four simple acts of love: Radical hospitality Fearless conversation Genuine humility Divine anticipation Far from theoretical musings, these practical acts show Jesus' love to people who crave it. You'll see why they really work, how they're taking root in hundreds of communities around the country, and how you can help bring people back into a relationship with God.The time for changing the church is now. And the one who can change it is you.
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Group Publishing; First edition (October 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0764488449
ISBN-13: 978-0764488443
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #142,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #57 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Evangelism > Adult Ministry #213 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Churches & Church Leadership > Church Leadership #382 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Churches & Church Leadership > Pastoral Resources
I really hate giving a low rating but as I read this book I felt like I was reading a long advertisement and an endless sales pitch on a ministry the authors created.I know the author means well by this book and i as well know the church is in need. It is seeing a decline (not all but most denominations are, some are actually growing, Assemblies of God for example) and we all are on the same team and need to work together to see our world in an awakening to the heart of God. As i read this i didn't feel a sense of togetherness as i would have hoped for (that is unless you were having a Lifetree cafe as your church, then all view points are welcomed).i think the author's heart is in the right place, he just needs to grow some in the area of reaching out together. At one point in the book they state that these principles can work in a traditional church setting as well as in the lifetree cafe setting, but in another part they are blasting the traditional church setting as being fruitless and past it's time (i don't know how both concepts can work together, meaning by these two conflicting statements i see talking out of both sides of his mouth).By what they say in the book - "The typical Sunday morning service of half lecture and half sing-along isn't a useful way for them to connect with God. It doesn't matter how carefully the preacher prepares or delivers the sermon or how well the musicians perform (i think that is a misnomer, as i don't see it as a performance). That formula just doesn't work for most people anymore(location 733)."Do i disagree? Yes. do i believe it is boring to sit and listen to a lecture for half an hour, yes.Do i agree that the Holy Spirit works through the proclamation of the word of God, a resounding Yes.
Is the modern American church broken? And can it be fixed with a Starbucks-style makeover? Those are the questions you'll be asked to face if you dare to open Thom & Joani Schultz's newest book, Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore. Or, as the Schultz's put it:"What if, instead of the church being like a theater, a police station, or a seminary, it was more like a coffeehouse?"It's an interesting, and challenging question. And the authors are definitely up to the challenge, dealing with it in depth, with thoughtfulness and a spirit of humility. It seems they are genuinely interested in being part of the effort to fix our broken churches, and this book is their plan for how to do that.The first three chapters of Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore lay out the problem articulated in the title. If you thought that maybe the Schultz's were exaggerating for effect with the title wording, well you're wrong. As the stories and statistics in these early pages clearly show, people are abandoning American churches at an alarming rate--and Christians themselves are a significant part of those numbers. As a result, every year more than 4,000 churches close their doors. Those houses of worship aren't missed because, surprise, nobody really wants to go to church anymore.Thom & Joani Schultz don't leave us hanging with just the problem, though. As they say repeatedly, "Remember, we love the church." And so chapters four through 13 give their plan for reinvigorating America's churches through, yes, a coffee-shop approach to ministry. From their perspective, four "acts of love" are necessary for all churches to reverse the current downward trends in American church attendance.
I'm the kind of person who doesn't really like to go to church. I've been going all my life, and have been involved on just about every level of lay ministry. But I've always gotten very little out of the singalong & lecture format that church services have become. That's why I was intrigued by the concept of this book, and found that it offers some very different ways that churches can become meaningful places again for people who want to grow closer to God and other people.Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore starts with some plain facts about church attendance in America. The bottom line: it's dying. Yes, there are still millions of people who faithfully attend, but this book shows clear statistics and evidence that they're a fast-shrinking minority. Then the book jumps into reasons why people are staying away from the church, and I'm sure that the more than 80% of people who stay away from church on a typical Sunday will relate with at least one or two of them.The main point of the book is that church has become, over the past few decades, a place where people go to study God, rather than grow relationships. Churches spend the vast majority of their time and money on the Sunday morning lecture time, and a very small amount on actually building relationships. The authors say the focus of the church shouldn't be academic, but relational. They say faith is a relationship, not a subject to be studied.Most of the book focuses on what the authors call the "4 Acts of Love," which are presented as solutions to the 4 main reasons people stay away from church. They describe in detail a "bold new experiment" they've been conducting the last few years called Lifetree Cafe, which is an alternative to traditional church services.
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