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Vision America: A Strategy for Reaching a Nation
A strategy for reaching a nation
233 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 17, 2018
This book was published in 1994 and in 2010 it is a little dated, nonetheless, it serves as an excellent reminder on how not to evangelize, church-plant, renew or rejuvenate declining churches in these last days.
Written at the dawn of the "conversation," as evangelical Christianity embraced post-modernity, Malphers to a degree lauds the "Seeker-Sensitive" church movement, e.g., Willow Creek Community Church/Association, the precursor to the "Emergent Church Movement. Thirteen years later, "Hybels confesses: We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become 'self feeders.' We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own. Scaramanga, UrL. "Willow Creek Repents?" Christianity Today/Out of Ur (October 18, 2007). http://www.outofur.com/archives/2007/..."
I think Malphurs summarizes his book best when he writes, "Over the past two decades... a desperate need to equip pastors with a new set of skills to lead larger churches in what has become a largely unchurched urban world... Essentially, they have two choices. One is not to change... The other choice is to realize that the past is history and the future will be radically different... It confides, What we really need to do is not to return to the good old days but to return to what made the good old days good --- biblical fidelity, strong leadership, vision, innovation, and creativity. This is the same choice that the lead goose makes in a flock of Canadian geese when they migrate north for the winter. As a servant, it picks the straightest, best route and leads the way, at great risk to itself, recognizing its dependence on the others in the flock if they are ever to accomplish their mission as a team." (Aubrey Malphurs pp. 208-209)
Philosopher, naturalist and agnostic, George Santayana, spoke truth (all truth comes from God) when he said "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Written at the dawn of the "conversation," as evangelical Christianity embraced post-modernity, Malphers to a degree lauds the "Seeker-Sensitive" church movement, e.g., Willow Creek Community Church/Association, the precursor to the "Emergent Church Movement. Thirteen years later, "Hybels confesses: We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become 'self feeders.' We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own. Scaramanga, UrL. "Willow Creek Repents?" Christianity Today/Out of Ur (October 18, 2007). http://www.outofur.com/archives/2007/..."
I think Malphurs summarizes his book best when he writes, "Over the past two decades... a desperate need to equip pastors with a new set of skills to lead larger churches in what has become a largely unchurched urban world... Essentially, they have two choices. One is not to change... The other choice is to realize that the past is history and the future will be radically different... It confides, What we really need to do is not to return to the good old days but to return to what made the good old days good --- biblical fidelity, strong leadership, vision, innovation, and creativity. This is the same choice that the lead goose makes in a flock of Canadian geese when they migrate north for the winter. As a servant, it picks the straightest, best route and leads the way, at great risk to itself, recognizing its dependence on the others in the flock if they are ever to accomplish their mission as a team." (Aubrey Malphurs pp. 208-209)
Philosopher, naturalist and agnostic, George Santayana, spoke truth (all truth comes from God) when he said "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
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April 17, 2009Vision America: A Strategy for Reaching a Nation by Aubrey Malphurs (?)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews