I got your attention, didn't I?
Before you move on to something else, be assured that this is NOT a negative rant.
Death of the Church is an exceptional book that I read on my vacation. The title has tremendous shock effect, probably scaring many away from reading it (explaining why it never became a best-seller). Yet, this book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the cultural shifts happening around us, and the needed response by the church. It's not Church of God specific, but it applies to us as much as anyone. It sure has inspired me!
The subtitle of the book provides a better clue as to where the author, Mike Regele, is headed: "The Church has a choice: to die as a result of its resistance to change or to die in order to live." Regele is optimistic about the future of the church, but not today's institutions. By laying out a well-documented picture of life in America, he points out how the institutional church is facing death. The question is, however, will it die by design or default. Ultimately, "the death that the institutional church is facing is like the death each of us must face each day in our pilgrimage. Christ calls us to put to death those things in our lives that inhibit us from becoming all God intends for us to be." (p. 239)
Certainly there are many books out there describing the need for change in the church. What sets this book apart is its rich tapestry of historical and social analysis.
The book has two minor weaknesses. First, it is already dated (1995) and doesn't reflect some recent forces shaping our culture, but you will discover that not to be a hindrance. Second, the book just briefly touches on the "how to" aspect that many desire. Nevertheless, Regele gives us enough to ponder and leaves us wanting to begin the journey of discovering the solutions for ourselves.
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i once heard Erwin McManus, www.mosaic.org, speak of spiritual menopause. that state in the church where new birth cannot happen naturally, but only through adoption (assuming the cost and fostering the care of a new life in your midst). he said that most churches are simply choosing to die childless
the book title (Death...) and content mirrors a lot of what Reggie McNeal preached about in his message to the NAC
Reegele, McNeal, McManus and others are brining this message to the church more and more. our teen camp focused on this theme -- and Anderson Leadership team members that were at our camp and then went to others said that all the camps and messages carried that theme.
this may be a prophetic message that the Lord is sending to His people through the Spirt, lest we refuge into the Pharisee's "bubble culture"
here is some of our latest efforts to see a new way of church birthed in an old congregation http://servelovepray.blogspot.com/2005/07/out-we-go.html
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