GeoComi 95-6-58

THE COMING CHURCH REVOLUTION

Empowering Leaders for the Future

Carl F. George

Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1994, 345 pp.

I thought I was reading Prepare Your Church for the Future. Same ideas, perhaps extended some. Meant as a book to work through to apply the “Meta-church perspective.” I am uncomfortable with the constant focus on “care.” George seems to make care the primary function of the church.

“Our purpose is not to invent a future but rather to discover the future to which God is calling his people.” 25

Meta-Church means a church in transition, ...a church that is becoming. (Meta means change or transformation.) 26

Basic method: developing leaders who are capable of growing cells. 28

A Meta-Church is...

· a new social architecture designed to maximize clergy-laity relationship in ministry.

· a church where the primary source of care is its network of groups...

· a church organized around a system of lay-pastoral skills

· a church intent on developing its staff and volunteer leaders into a network of evangelistic care units

· a church prepared to handle large numerical growth without losing the personal touch and care of the individual

· a church that’s spreading the pastoral care load ...

· a church capable of ongoing self-diagnosis and corrective action as leaders regularly review ... 30

Very few churches larger than 400 do their own soul winning... 38

A leader inspires commitment in people to turn a vision into a concrete reality. 41

Churches rise and fall on the availability of trained, talented, and Spirit-gifted leadership. 48

Volunteer energy is the most valuable resource in any church. 50

There is a profound shift in North American society toward a hunger for personalization and intentional relationships. 64

“If you follow these steps and they don’t work, then find some steps of your own.” 66

A cell is a place where people have enough social reference points to find themselves sustained emotionally and spiritually. 69

Meta-Church theory...calls more for roles than programs. It looks for relationships more than curriculum. 73

“Adult motivation for learning rises dramatically in the presence of a problem.” 75

Adults learn best if you can get them first to commit to an assignment. Then furnish problem-solving training as needed. 77

What if no one were taught more Bible until he was obeying what he was taught last? 81

The typical church approach to training lay ministers is nothing more than a cut-down copy of college and graduate school course work. We lecture people to death. We have become word centered, not action centered. 82

The thicker the supervision, the thinner the orientation has to be. 84

Cho’s church: Each cell group of 10 or 12 will love two people to Christ in the next year. Spiritual procreation is the main issue for this church. 94/97

People who can tolerate three years of full-time classroom theological education tend not to be very achievement oriented in terms of developing those who build community. 125

Learn how to describe the future in such clear terms that people salivate to get to it. 132

Worship is the victory shout by a triumphant army. 135

“Hamlet” churches - “The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king. 145

People come to church for many reasons, but they stay if they find a friend. 186

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