AquaChurch: Essential Leadership Arts for Piloting Your Church in Today's Fluid Culture (Hardcover)

~ Leonard I. Sweet (Author) "You and your party have just landed at the Miami airport in the wee hours of the morning..." (more)
Key Phrases: postmodern leaders, countercultural church, web civilization, New York, North Star, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"AquaChurch is worth taking the time to read. Len Sweet is someone I greatly respect and appreciate. You will agree when you have navigated through AquaChurch. Thanks, Len." -- Dr. Walt Kallestad, Sr. Pastor, Community Church of Joy

"Len Sweet is a master of the apt metaphor. He discerns today's invisible forces that make leadership more like a voyage than a march. His navigational aids help keep us on course." -- Marshall Shelley, Editor, Leadership magazine

"Len Sweet is an ancient-future leader who navigates by God's North Star. This book is a must read for Jesus leaders who risk navigating uncharted, postmodern seas." -- Mike Slaughter, Pastor, Ginghamsburg Church

"Len Sweet offers us a 'learning' manual on self-navigating the 'watery' world of Postmodernism. Instead of describing a one-size-fits-all type of instruction manual on leadership, he shares with us the 'leadership arts' that can help guide us through the turbulent currents of today." -- Bill Easum, President, 21st Century Strategies, Inc.

Product Description

In this latest and most accessible work from church historian, futurist, and best-selling author Leonard Sweet, church leaders will discover the leadership arts that are essential in today's ever-changing culture. The author provides thought-provoking yet practical skills that will elevate the scope of ministry from mere survival of daily challenges to thriving in today's culture! He vividly portrays the new paradigms facing churches and illustrates the need to become an "AquaChurch" in order to effectively minister in our fluid, postmodern culture.

The author includes a "personal log"---questions and ideas that help apply personal thoughts as related to the new paradigms. And, each chapter concludes with a "ship's log"---ideas and activities that encourage group discussion and evaluation with church leaders. It provides an excellent platform for pastors and their entire church leadership to improve the effectiveness of their ministry.

This book not only challenges leaders to think in broader terms, but it provides practical strategies for making specific and meaningful changes in how they minister to their communities. They'll discover how to be relevant to an ever-changing culture with the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ!

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 269 pages
• Publisher: Group Publishing (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764421514
• ISBN-13: 978-0764421518
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #352,749 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide to being part of the post modern church, August 27, 1999

By	Bryan D. Burton (Seattle, Washington USA) - See all my reviews

In an excellent follow-up to his guide to post modern Christianity SOULTSUNAMI, Dr. Leonard Sweet from Drew University has provided us with an excellent "navigator's map" to post modern Christianity with the publication of this newest work Aqua Church. Dr. Sweet has again provided a creative approach to those who are seeking to be post modern Christians in a post modern church. It will shake the foundations of those who seek to maintain a "business as usual" approach to the church, but it will also challenge those who seek to be post modern Christians without being part of a post modern church. As with the earlier volume, Sweet provides the convinced, the seeker and the hesitant with a new way of looking at the Christian faith, the church and the future. Enjoy this excellent work as it navigates you, the church and wider culture through the challenging currents of the Christian faith, the Christian church and the world of postmodernism. You will not be disappointed!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another remarkable book for church leaders everywhere., October 9, 1999

By A Customer

The first thing that I did after I read this book was to order another five of them for use in the teams that I lead. This book is in the tradition of SoulTsunami, a must read for church leaders everywhere.

Leading in the postmodern culture is a lot different than the corporate model that a lot of churches have adapted. The 21 Irrefutable Laws don't seem so irrefutable in a culture where there are no absolutes anymore and those who insist that there are, are often looked at with suspicion.

Aqua Church helps answer some of the questions that a new age brings

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lays out the basics for "doing church" in the 21st Century, July 17, 2001

By	Tom Hinkle (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Leonard Sweet is definitely the "guru" of post-modern church life. He articulates principles that are essential for guiding the church through the troubled waters of today's society. As much as it is crucial to have a solid foundation of the person of Jesus, the Bible, and tradition, it is also important to value creativity and intuition. Although Sweet gives you the general principles, he stresses that no two churches are alike, and it is futile to attempt to copy even the most successful ones (Willow Creek, for example). A previous reviewer felt that Sweet was excessive in his many examples and illustrations. I don't agree with that assessment, even though, admittedly, I did get a little weary with his constant use of the sailing-ship metaphor (a metaphor which would seem rather anachronistic to a post-modern society). In fact, I'm sure many pastors could find a wealth of sermon illustrations in this book, even though that is not the main purpose.

One interesting point that did occur to me while I was reading "AquaChurch" was the fact that, since this book was written a couple of years ago and emphasized the fast-changing nature of society, that society had changed at such a rapid pace that parts of the book were obsolete by the time I read it! Maybe Sweet will update this volume every few years to keep it in print and relevant. Nonetheless, this is a very useful book for all who are in church leadership.