Church Turned Inside Out: A Guide for Designers, Refiners, and Re-Aligners

by Linda Bergquist

A design-thinking book for planting or redesigning churches and incubating a new generation of leaders. Written by Linda Bergquist and Allan Karr, two experienced church planters and mentors, the book is full of wisdom, practical advice, and creative counsel. Instead of a business-model-as-usual approach, the authors challenge readers to begin with the raw materials of beliefs, values, individuals, teams, and culture, and to then move outwards to draw from a rich palette of real and potential church paradigms. This book is meant to provoke church leaders to think outside of the box and to imagine how their churches might better reflect the image and the mission of God in the world. 

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Amie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved that this book did not try to promote one church style ahead of others. It values the diversity of the home church to the mega church to the neighborhood parish and many more. It asks the reader to consider what kind of church they have (or want to have) in light of their goals and target demographic.

I read the second half of this book almost nine months after the first half. I have to admit I remembered enjoying the first more than I enjoyed the second. That being said, if you are in a place that you are able AND willing to restructure your church, this book will likely be helpful.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the way this book started, but I am not sure that it finished as strongly as it started. There is no question that this is a valuable book. The reader is encouraged to ask important questions and gives hope for change. The discussion of designer, refiners, re-aligners was very good, but there are stronger books about building communities, thinking through strategy in view of who people are, understanding and building a good ethos, etc. If I had to give one book to someone who wanted to start to rethink what church is, this might be the book I would give them, and I would call it a 4-star book. But in light of other resources I make it as a 3.