Posted: 4/28/06
Book Reviews
“All Churches Great and Small: 60 Ideas for Improving Your Church’s Ministry” by Kirk Farnsworth and Rosie Farnsworth (Judson Press)
Co-pastors Kirk and Rosie Farnsworth, of The Gathering Church in Kingston, Wash., present a thoughtful work on the advantages and strategies of a small church. They build upon a questionable—perhaps flawed—foundation. It is their unwavering opinion that small churches are better churches, assuming larger churches are marred by bureaucracy and the unbiblical standards of numbers, facilities and programs.
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Moving beyond this disposition, the authors introduce 10 “life-transforming activities” that apply to small congregations—shepherding, gathering, covenanting, ministering, studying, worshipping, praying, giving, living in the Spirit, and witnessing. With each chapter, the authors offer multiple “ideas for improving your church’s ministry.” These 60 ideas are practical and helpful.
This book will be helpful for leadership teams in any church, with an abundance of thoughtful follow-up suggestions for implementation. Innovative and thought-provoking ideas abound. Its unfortunate bias against larger churches masks its application, which will be helpful to any church, small or large.
Mark Denison, pastor
First Baptist Church
Gainesville
I Saw the Lord by Anne Graham Lotz (Zondervan)
I Saw The Lord is a wake-up call for your heart.
For the Christ-follower who has wandered from your “first love,” this book will draw you back from the complacency, hum-drum routine of life into a fresh, new vision of God.
Just as Isaiah saw the Master sitting on a throne, high, exalted, Anne Graham Lotz challenges us to see God with a fresh, new vision, and to add the logs of daily disciplined prayer and Bible study (not just reading) to our personal revival fire.
The alarm clock has been ringing loudly, but we seem to be ignoring it.
The wake-up call sounded loudly on a day we remember as 9/11, but we hit the snooze button, rolled over and resumed sleep. Then came the wake-up sound of the tsunami, and we continued our lifestyle, sleeping as usual. Katrina and Rita sent the alarm ringing even louder! Are we awake yet?
I Saw The Lord draws you into a personal revival, “a quiet, miraculous, eye-opening revelation of God within your Spirit” that will ignite your soul with a fresh, new vision of God.
Nelda Taylor-Thiede, president
Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas
Gonzales
Letters from Dad by Greg Vaughn with Fred Holmes. (Integrity)
Greg Vaughn has started something.
The death of his own father sparked a strong conviction: He would make sure his children and other family members would have meaningful letters from him as a legacy of Christian faith, hope and love.
In the process of fulfilling his promise, he got a group of men involved in the same commitment.
The results were good. “Letters from Dad” developed into a full-fledged men’s ministry, and it’s spreading.
This book tells the story, with inspiration and practical instruction for giving your family a blessing to treasure and to pass on.
It is designed for fathers and for the context of a men’s ministry, but the principles can be adapted and applied across the whole church family.
Men who read the book and follow its advice will experience many of the same results.
It offers terrific potential for making significant family memories and for extending a healthy Christian witness at the same time.
Rick Willis, pastor
First Baptist Church
Lampasas
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