In Thom Rainer’s latest book, he sets out to discover how churches that were once healthy but had stagnated in growth have broken out to become great churches impacting lives and entire communities.
From the subtitle to the research methods, this is a book-length,
church-focused homage to Jim Collins's business bestseller Good to Great: Why
Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't. Rainer, a dean at the
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and president of a church consulting
firm, sent a Collins-inspired team of researchers to pore through previously
collected data on "effective evangelistic churches." The team was looking for
churches that had gone through a period of stagnation before experiencing a
"breakout" period of vitality, measured largely through membership
growth-while keeping the same pastoral leadership. These criteria excluded
both churches that had grown consistently or churches that grew after changing
pastors. Of the 50,000 churches in the seminary's database, only 13 qualified.
Rainer seeks to identify the secret of those churches' success and draws some
telling comparisons with similar churches that were in gradual decline (and
persistent denial). But his conclusions are consistently tainted by what
statisticians call "post hoc bias"-there is no way to prove that the factors
he identifies, which track closely with Collins's conclusions, were
responsible for these churches' growth. The real value of this book is the
hope Rainer instills that even churches that appear moribund can see
remarkable change-if their leaders are willing, in Rainer's words, to
"confront reality." (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4 out of 5 stars)
4 of 4 Reviews Showing:
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Randy (North West WI), July 17, 2008
Excellent source for the church looking for ways to great church growth. Typical of Rainer, there is good research and facts presented to back his conclusions. This text is an excellent pairing with Rainer's Unsurprising Insights from the Unchurched. The church that is willing to change to be effective will greatly benefit, but this book confronts the reader with the fact that many churches must change in order to be effective.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by David R. Bess (Charleston, West Virginia), November 22, 2005
I've read several titles by Thom Rainer, and this one has a tone different from the rest. In this volume, Rainer's heart for the pastor is very evident, displaying a sympathy for the church leader who has struggled for years in a congregation that shows little if any signs of revitalization. He draws heavily upon Jim Collins' work "Good to Great," applying the secular insights of that title to the secular realm of churches.
As a pastor who has served in one congregation over ten years, this book provides me with fresh insights and a sense of renewed hope for long-term church leadership. I have no doubt it will provide the same insights and hope for churches that long to "break out." For anyone struggling to see his/her church survive and thrive, this title is a must-read.
1 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Denny Sullivan (Denver CO), September 21, 2005
What a dissapointment when Thom Rainer's book arrived! I had grown to expect Thom's writing to be Scripture-based, insightful and challenging. When I read the book, I thought to myself that Thom must have had a deadline to write a book and he looked over at his bookshelf and got an idea--not a good one--to rewrite Collins' book in the acceptable palette of the non-discriminating church leader. I read Collins' book, Good to Great and I could find some application points that directly related to the church. I consult with churches in the processes of going from good to great--more often from dying to stable--and was hoping Thom's book would be a good resource. Indeed, Thom gave some good insight but with the inordinate amount of sola scriptura left out in favor of sola collinsa, it was like eating a good meal and then walking out on the bill.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Ed Morin (Redmond, WA), April 15, 2005
This is a book I have waited years for. Being an obnoxious fan of Good to Great, I could not resist reading Dr. Rainer's book patterned on Jim Collin's book from several years ago. In short, it's utterly fantastic. I read it in under 24 hours -- I couldn't put it down. Now when I _think_ I know what we need to do, I can point to definitive data that can't be dismissed as "secular and not applicable." I'm a data junkie when it comes to making good decisions and Breakout Churches is all about depersonalizing the process so you can get past the opinions and get to the facts about what is important.
If your church is like 80% of the churches out there and is stagnant in some way, take a does of this along with Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren (written before Purpose Driven Life). These two books will help you work with your church's leadership to reinvigorate a stagnant situation. The process can be done with current leadership, BUT only if the current leaders have their "ABC Moment." You'll have to read Breakout Churches to understand what that means. For me, it was easy to have an "ABC Moment" after reading Purpose Driven Church, but then knowing what to do about it is where Breakout Churches helps. My prayer is that this book will revitalize the other 80% of the American churches that are stagnant today so that the lost will find our Lord and be transformed by his grace. Blessings.
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