Alban Senior Consultant Mann draws on her lengthy experience in helping congregations deal with the hurdles and anxieties of expansion or contraction in size. Often, congregations experiencing size change do not recognize the need to change culture and form as part of the successful adaptation process. Mann details the adjustments in attitude-as well as practice-that are necessary to support successful size change.
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Editorial Reviews
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"Alice provides analytical tools, stories from real situations, and biblical reflections that relate to both up and down transitions." -- Susan W. Hassinger, Bishop, United Methodist Church
"Finally, someone who has accurately discerned the frustrations of churches in transition and has faithful solutions." -- The Rev. John L. Vincze
"Finally, someone who has accurately discerned the frustrations of churches in transition and has faithful solutions." -- The Rev. John L. Vincze
About the Author
Before joining the staff of the Alban Institute, Alice Mann served for two decades in the dual roles of local pastor and nationally recognized consultant-trainer in the field of parish development, with emphasis on incorporating new members; redeveloping struggling congregations; defining judicatory roles in growth and revitalization; breaking through size plateaus; and deepening parish spirituality. She frequently assists churches with self-assessment, long-range planning, and the development of context-sensitive strategies for growth. In training workshops and planning retreats, Alice-engages large and small groups in practical learning and candid conversation about the choices church leaders face today.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Aha -- now I get it!,
By William Pinches "PC(USA) Pastor" (Mason, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The In-Between Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations (Paperback)
A helpful little book that articulates why churches get "stuck" in plateau zones, with worship attendance hovering between 50 and 70, or between 150 and 200, or between 350 to 400, or between 800 and 1000. There are invisible forces at work -- wrapped up in the identity and self-understanding of the church -- that inhibit growth at these levels. This book explains what those forces are, and offers a few suggestions.
I have an interesting history with this book; initially, this book helped me to understand that we should not be counting members so much as we should be counting worshipers. More recently, I have come to think that even counting worshipers is not what we really ought to be measuring. How many people is your church helping to grow spiritually, and what is the rate of that growth? To what degree are people internalizing the gospel and seeking to live by it? Those, I think, are the real questions. Of course, those kind of numbers are difficult to measure! Nevertheless, this book is helpful if you believe that your church may be stuck!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good,
This review is from: The In-Between Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations (Paperback)
The author explains well how difficult it is for a church to make a size transition. She explains the systemic dynamics that affect church growth and gives some ideas of how to best deal with the problems. This book is a must read for anyone that has noticed their church growth plateau and doesn't understand why.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Useful Tool,
By Sandra McCafferty "Sandy" (Harrisonburg, VA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The In-Between Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations (Paperback)
As a growing Mennonite church, we were interested in learning the best transitional methodologies. We see our self-image of a "small downtown church" is quickly becoming both incorrect and inadequate and we desire to make our "growing up" as painless as possible. This book is a useful tool in our quest to adapt to our larger congregation.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
One of my math teachers in high school was also the football coach. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
pastoral size churches, family size church, plateau zone, size transition, guiding coalition, multiple staff, worship opportunity, growth barriers, somewhat different style, ministry area, worship attendance, corporate size, adaptive challenge Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pastoral Church, Corporate Church, Biblical Reflection, Application Exercise, Family Church, Roy Oswald, Read Exodus, Read Numbers New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
One of my math teachers in high school was also the football coach. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
pastoral size churches, family size church, plateau zone, size transition, guiding coalition, multiple staff, worship opportunity, growth barriers, somewhat different style, ministry area, worship attendance, corporate size, adaptive challenge Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pastoral Church, Corporate Church, Biblical Reflection, Application Exercise, Family Church, Roy Oswald, Read Exodus, Read Numbers New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 10
books:
See all 10 books this book cites
5
books
cite this book:
- Leading Change by John P. Kotter on 4 pages
- Organizations: A Quantum View by Danny Miller in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Prepare Your Church for the Future by Carl F. George in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Heifetz in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Financial Meltdown in the Mainline? (The Money, Faith and Lifestyle) by Loren B. Mead in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 10 books this book cites
- Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in Community by Diana Butler Bass in Back Matter
- Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations by Gil Rendle on page 187
- The Hidden Lives of Congregations: Discerning Church Dynamics by Israel Galindo in Back Matter
- Beginning Ministry Together: The Alban Handbook for Clergy Transitions by Roy M. Oswald in Front Matter
- Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in Community by Diana Butler Bass in Back Matter
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