Nov 4, 2010

Book Review: The Strategically Small Church by Brandon J. O'Brien

Excerpt: My goal in writing this book has been to cast a vision for a new way of measuring success in our ministries. I have avoided offering systematic strategies and methodologies for making your church strategically small because the process will no doubt be different in every congregation. The Strategically Small Church, pg 155.

Back Cover: Our culture's infatuation with bigness - bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger businesses - has infiltrated the church. But smaller doesn't equal second-rate. Leadership Journal editor and former pastor Brandon O'Brien shows how small churches are uniquely equipped for success in today's culture.

O'Brien celebrates churches that are taking full advantage of their small size and analyzes how other churches can learn from their strategies. For example, strategically small churches:
facilitate a higher level of commitment from laypeople
focus attention on fewer programs, increasing effectiveness
nurture close relationships across age and life-experience barriers
 
But perhaps most important, O'Brien asks churches to rethink what it means to be successful. Sometimes small is just right.

My Review: I attend a small church, and so when this book was presented for review, I snatched it up. I don't agree with everything that O'Brien says, or the philosophies that are presented in the book. However, I found a lot of gems to take away. Being a small church doesn't have to be a negative thing. The biggest lesson I took from this book is that it all comes down to our perception of what a church should be. Too often we buy into the mega-church thought process that says that we have to have all these programs and tons of people to be successful. That's not really the view that we get in scripture. There are many advantages to being a small church, and O'Brien does a great job of pointing them out.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I recommend this book to any believer who is struggling with accepting the size of their small church, and that church's potential impact on the community. I recommend this book to pastors and laypeople alike.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review.)

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