Breakout Churches: Discover How to Make the Leap (Hardback)

Breakout Churches by Thom S. Rainer, may prove to be one of the key books I have read for the future of my ministry! I received this book from New Life the same week I attended the Great Lakes District Evangelical Free Church Association Conference. The timing was certainly of God. As I was being inspired by professors from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the other 40 pastors in the Solo Pastor Track, I recognized, for the first time, some of the key issues that are currently defining and limiting our Church. I was very encouraged by some of the statistics and journeys reported in the book, even though our Church is still not considered good or great by the criteria or inventory the author included.

One of the most inspiring aspects of the book was the fact that the 13 breakout Churches were all small and self serving before they blossomed. These weren’t the incredible stories of the Mega-mega Churches Willow Creek, Saddleback, or Harvest Bible, with the Mega-leaders Hybels, Warren, or MacDonald. These were the stories of the kind of Churches that we see all over the Fox Valley and along Randall Rd. Churches that have been doing fine, but desired more - more of God, more love for people, and more passion in their ministries. Churches that became obedient to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission and who honestly assessed and evaluated themselves and through prayer and purpose began to change, and through change, grow. Reaching more lost souls for Christ – who can’t get fired up about that? I will be buying 10 more copies for each member of our Deacon Board for Christmas!

- Rev. Elliott J. Anderson, Senior Pastor

As a pastor of what is called the average church in America, 80 people a week average, I started reading this new book with great personal interest. My first reading of this book was done in only two days. The book has lots of chapters marked for further review and in depth study.

I am planning to buy one book for each of my church board members and key leaders. If my plans all work out I would love to use this book to lead in our boards discipleship study on our monthly meetings.

Tom Rainer is right, we are the size we are because they want to be that size. We have never been a large church and have been in this town for 50 years. We need to break out.

-Pastor Keith Ritchie

It has taken some time to review this book because of the impact this book has had on my approach to ministry as a pastor.

The premise of this book is to discover what leads a church to experience breakout growth from a period of decline in attendance and spiritual fever. To understand the core issues in this breakout the author gave study of 13 churches across the United States that had experienced decline followed by breakout under the same pastoral leadership.

Leadership is clearly a critical issue if a church that is in decline is to turn and become a church vibrant to impact people in their community with the glory of God. The author identified that such leaders, called legacy leaders, want to catch God's vision for their church. The common tendency of churches anxious for turn around from decline is to formulate vision, often in forms that imitates larger model churches. The point very appropriately made is that God holds out a vision unique to every church. It is His desired that this vision be caught by the church pastor.

Breakout churches are also marked by pastors who lead them to become evangelistic as an outgrowth of excellence in its discipleship ministries. Discipleship and evangelism are not two difference ministries. A healthy disciple of Jesus will be an effective witness for Jesus. That emphasis is a refreshing reminder of the Biblical truth of "your faith in Christ Jesus... is constantly bearing fruit and increasing..." (Col 1:3-8)

Another compelling discovery commonly found in these 13 breakout churches is that they did not allow the "tail of their dog to wag unless there was in act a dog in place." The tail could be technology which in some churches drives the public expression of the church. Technology does not create growth that reflects the Glory of God, although if the church knows its core values it may find that technology is able to help push forward those values. Core values are the dog, technology, ministries, new approaches and so on may push forward those values, but they are the tail of the dog. In an age of seeker drive churches it is all to easy to have the tail wagging when the dog is not even present. Technology and other tools driving forward when the church has not caught the purpose for which God has raise up that church.

There is much that this book brings forward in its study of breakout churches. Repeated reading is a must. Also a pastor would be wise to give a copy of this book to each church leader. Why? The author answers that in his concluding statement; "Great churches as great only because f the power of a great God."

- Rev. Andrew Kerr