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Activating the Passive Church
Has your church fallen into a predictable routine? Is it drifting without purpose or resolve? Put an end to that by using Lyle E. Schaller's potent prescription for passive churches.
Written for both lay and ordained congregational leaders, this timely book diagnoses the causes of church passivity, and formulates a method for combatting the problem. Dr. Schaller classifies churches according to their internal dynamics (rather than denomination or geographical location), and demonstrates how many have overcome the "twenty-year syndrome" - that awkward time when relatively new churches tend to lose their sense of direction. He also shows how churches can make a smooth transition from one pastor to another, and how new members can be used in establishing an effective church program.
The cumulative result of twenty years of experience in parish trouble-shooting, Dr. Schaller's new book will be welcomed by church leaders everywhere who face the dreaded spectre of church passivity.
Written for both lay and ordained congregational leaders, this timely book diagnoses the causes of church passivity, and formulates a method for combatting the problem. Dr. Schaller classifies churches according to their internal dynamics (rather than denomination or geographical location), and demonstrates how many have overcome the "twenty-year syndrome" - that awkward time when relatively new churches tend to lose their sense of direction. He also shows how churches can make a smooth transition from one pastor to another, and how new members can be used in establishing an effective church program.
The cumulative result of twenty years of experience in parish trouble-shooting, Dr. Schaller's new book will be welcomed by church leaders everywhere who face the dreaded spectre of church passivity.
159 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1991
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July 25, 2012
I might be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that Schaller's book is one of the first of a few, if not many, books on this topic. I say that because my hope is that in the decades since Schaller's writing there has been some improvement. As a first book on the topic of activating the passive church, this is fine; but it certainly won't do if someone actually wants to activate a passive church.
First of all, more time is spent in learning how to classify and categorize denominations and churches than anything else. While that's helpful knowledge in general, Schaller rarely returns to how this knowledge can be used in leading a church.
Given the deathly boring thoroughness of Schaller's categorizing skills, the reader should not be surprised to see that Schaller's list of types of passivity in a church is far longer than it ever needs to be. For one thing, Schaller's "to do" list in combating passivity lumps together various forms of passivity anyway. For another thing, many of the forms of passivity are exactly the same except for one small variation. A fabricated example: (20) Your church's passivity is shown by the main leaders of the church, who are generally older, sowing seeds of hopelessness for the future. (26) Your church's passivity is shown by the main leaders of the church, who are generally younger, sowing seeds of hopelessness for the future. What the frick.
Basically, I read this book because I picked it up at a yard sale. You should not pick this book up at a yard sale. If you are a leader of a church, lay or ordained, and want to figure out how to activate your church in new ways, you probably won't even be able to find this book in a store, and Amazon.com searches will probably stick this book at the end of the search. All good things. There are plenty of other books on this topic--at least, there are some, because I have read others--that you are far better off reading. If you find yourself reading this book somehow, for God knows why, your time won't be totally wasted, but that will be more because you've learned some general tips on how to be a leader and how to think about church than for the specifics of activating the passive church.
First of all, more time is spent in learning how to classify and categorize denominations and churches than anything else. While that's helpful knowledge in general, Schaller rarely returns to how this knowledge can be used in leading a church.
Given the deathly boring thoroughness of Schaller's categorizing skills, the reader should not be surprised to see that Schaller's list of types of passivity in a church is far longer than it ever needs to be. For one thing, Schaller's "to do" list in combating passivity lumps together various forms of passivity anyway. For another thing, many of the forms of passivity are exactly the same except for one small variation. A fabricated example: (20) Your church's passivity is shown by the main leaders of the church, who are generally older, sowing seeds of hopelessness for the future. (26) Your church's passivity is shown by the main leaders of the church, who are generally younger, sowing seeds of hopelessness for the future. What the frick.
Basically, I read this book because I picked it up at a yard sale. You should not pick this book up at a yard sale. If you are a leader of a church, lay or ordained, and want to figure out how to activate your church in new ways, you probably won't even be able to find this book in a store, and Amazon.com searches will probably stick this book at the end of the search. All good things. There are plenty of other books on this topic--at least, there are some, because I have read others--that you are far better off reading. If you find yourself reading this book somehow, for God knows why, your time won't be totally wasted, but that will be more because you've learned some general tips on how to be a leader and how to think about church than for the specifics of activating the passive church.
Displaying 1 of 1 review