User Friendly Churches: What Christians Need to Know About the Churches People Love To Go To

By George Barna

The apostle Paul shared that he was willing to use all means to win the lost with the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:22). Today's growing churches are putting Paul's words into practice as they... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830714782
• ISBN13: 9780830714780
• Release Date: April 1991
• Publisher: Regal Books
• Length: 191 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Hard to find fault with this one!

This is a very good book. In it, Barna examines growing churches and then extrapolates growth principles that they have in common. Barna warns the greater that to simply copy the methodologies and formats of successful churches without first analyzing one's own culture is to guarantee failure.Barna refutes to give pat answers to difficult questions. He urges the reader to understand the spiritual principles behind successful churches and then apply them to his or her own unique situation. The emphasis on leadership is superb. No church can grow if the pastor does not understand what it means to be a leader and to lay out a God-given vision for his people. No statement is truer than this: If the people in your church do not seem truly excited or passionate about ministry, he is because they do not have a leader who models those traits for them."I must confess that I am a real Barna fan and find it rather difficult to find fault with his work. Although at times he can get bogged down in statistics this book is remarkably lucid and worthy of sharing with my lay leadership. It has a clear, concise and limited purpose and Barna fulfills it admirable.

Imperative for anyone interested in relevant ministry

Barna studied some of the most successful churches in America (defined as those growing rapidly while having a major impact on the lives of people). What he found provides a new definition of effective church ministry: remaining true to the Gospel while remaining relevant to society. Anyone who thinks "church" has to mean "organs, robes, and cathedrals" will hate this book. Anyone who wants to know how to make church more relevant to Americans' daily lives, without compromising the Gospel message, must read it. This can (and should) change the way you do ministry