Customer Reviews

Breakout Churches: Discover How To Make The Leap

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I must start by saying that I am not an advocate of what is typically known as the "Church Growth Movement." However, I believe "Breakout Churches" breaks all the molds of this genre of books. What the remarkable research of this book has demonstrated is simple and yet profound in our day: Church growth is directly related to the godly passion of its leadership and not to the promotion of pragmatic strategies.

Several things struck me about the results of the research Rainer's team did. The churches that experienced phenomenal growth - not just adding new believers to its ranks in revival like fashion, but seeing these believers mature into stable godly Christians and functioning members of the body - they did so by being singularly focused on the fundamentals of NT Christianity. First of all, they did not grow over night. The average tenure of the pastors of the breakout churches was 21.6 yrs. vs. less than 4 yrs. for the average American pastor. Secondly, each church had to face a crisis within the church, overcoming obstacles from members who opposed the vision of the leadership. This often led to painful splits and left scars upon the pastoral leadership. The differences between these pastors and those found in comparable situations (note that research was done in comparison churches that experinced no growth but plateaued or were declining) was the "breakout" Pastors endured these difficult times, yet never lost their sense of God-called purpose to lead the church. In contrast, the comparison pastors sought to avoid conflict altogether or leave for greener pastures (which rarely turn out to be greener). Hats go off to these men who endured difficulties some times for years, yet did so with a determination to never give up but to trust God with their ministries. How sad that too many pastors bolt at the first sign of conflict.

Several other characteristics were noted among the leaders of "breakout churches." They were men of great humilty. They rarely took credit for the growth of the church, and in fact several of them were quite reluctant leaders. None of them smelled of selfish ambition. However, they were extremely confident men. That is, they truly trusted God for the results of growth in the church. The corollary here is important. These were men of prayer.

There are other shocking revelations in light of so much Church Growth blather today. These men took very seriously the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. They spent at least 20 hours or more in sermon preparation and prayer each week. This was opposed to the comparison pastors who spent as little as 5 hours in the same duties. These churches also emphasized theology and doctrine. The members of these churches could clearly articulate the doctrines and beliefs of the church. Furthermore, these churches are all considered Evangelically conservative (e.g. holding strongly and passionately to the innerancy of Scripture). The main difference between them and the comparison churches was profound. The "breakout churches" took their doctrine seriously; that is, they believed that doctrine is not merely a matter of orthodoxy ("right belief"), but orthopraxy ("right behavior"). While the comparison churches believed essentially the same doctrines, most of their members did not seem to be able to articulate that doctrine nor did they seem passionate about living it.

There are other notable insights in to these churches. The growth of each church came after some period of decline (often many years) a realization of the negative implications of the decline and the need to do something about it (see chapter on "The ABC Moment"). This renewed passion was often met with resistance, but once the resistance was overcome, growth began. The key to the growth was a intersection of the passion of the leadership, the passion and gifts of the members of the church and the spiritual needs of the community (see chapter on "The VIP Factor"). This of course was cultivated patiently over time. As the congregation grew spiritually, they captured the passion and vision of the leadership for the lost (note that the growth came form the unchurched community not transfer growth - i.e. they were fiercely evangelistic).

One of the most interesting insights into the book was the issue of expectations. The leaders of these churches all have high expectations for the members of their congregations. This contributed significantly to the growth of the church. But that was not what caught my eye. Rather it was that within this atmosphere of high expectations was the presence of a great degree of freedom in the accomplishment of goals. In other words, it was a freedom within a specific set of boundaries. It was within this unique combination that growth occured and spawned an atmosphere making it a joy to serve in these churches. By contrast, the comparison churches (that were not growing, but declining) had 3 different dynamics going on. First, there were leaders with high expectations of the congregation, but low freedom given to them. This led to legalism and a kind of "my way or the highway" mentality. Secondly, there were churches with low expectations and low freedom. This marked the majority of comparison churches. The leadership had no clear passion for the ministry so it had little expectations of its members. However, it also did not allow its members to venture into ministry with fresh ideas either. The churches had a stifling atmosphere. Finally, there were churches with low expectaions and high freedom. These were chaotic churches with competing ministries yet no coherent mission or vision supplied by the leadership; a sort of free-for-all with no accountability.

The godly, humble, confident, Biblical and God-centered passion of the pastors of these churches was contagious. It attracted other like-minded people. The culture of ministry in the breakout church was one of joy and unbridled passion for souls. My only caveat with the book is that there were not more Scripture references to back-up what was clearly in my mind a desription of Biblical pastors and churches. Nonetheless, "Breakout Churches" is a must read for every pastor who wants to see genuine Biblical growth in his church and is tired of the latest fads and fashions that are hawked about and sold with little or no return. What is needed today is good old hard work, longevity, passion and a commitment to the sovereign work of God to grow His Church in His time.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and the research brought forth principles which many other books on church growth do not show, together with the reality checks that Rainer brought forth. In fact, some portions of the book would be difficult to write about, and even Rainer admits to it, because it shows the ugly side of church, and that most of the problems which prvents a church from being a breakout church happens internally. Rainer was careful not to make this book appear as a step-by-step approach for churches to break out, and despite the principles that are stated, there is a recognition that great churches are great only because of the power of a great God! This book also does not imply that great churches are always big churches, but great churches do grow. Churches are never plateaued, but are always either growing or declining, as the research shows.

"Great churches were, in our study, churches that had broken out of the mediocrity of losing as many people as they were reaching. They were churches that had become outwardly focused, more intentional about evangelism than before." (pg. 189) Rainer also used the comparison churches who were not categorized as breakout churches constantly to show the difference in principles and perspectives.

Even though the definition of breakout churches may be a bit narrow (e.g. that it has to be the same senior leader that leads the churches to breakout, meaning that if there is a change in the senior leader, it whould not be considered a breakout church), the principles apply the same. What is important in this research is describing some of the processes that senior leaders of stagnant and declining churches go through, what they realized and learnt from God and their circumstances, having a never-say-die spirit, and to forge ahead a dream that God had put in their hearts for a great church!

I've read several titles by Thom Rainer, and this one has a tone different from the rest. In this volume, Rainer's heart for the pastor is very evident, displaying a sympathy for the church leader who has struggled for years in a congregation that shows little if any signs of revitalization. He draws heavily upon Jim Collins' work "Good to Great," applying the secular insights of that title to the secular realm of churches.

As a pastor who has served in one congregation over ten years, this book provides me with fresh insights and a sense of renewed hope for long-term church leadership. I have no doubt it will provide the same insights and hope for churches that long to "break out." For anyone struggling to see his/her church survive and thrive, this title is a must-read.

I loved this book, and not just because I'm in one of the churches reviewed. I thought one of the most fascinating things they document is how members and staff in plateaued or declining churches all go on about how awesome their church is doing, and how many people they're winning. They are completely out of touch with the fact that the church has lost vitality. Why? Probably because the leadership is engaged in propaganda with their own people, too scared to tell them the truth.

It is scary to confront your church with truth when you are failing. I've been there. Especially as the lead pastor, you have to point out that your church stinks in terms of accomplishing your mission, when guess who is the leader! However, that's what they need to know, and that's the only way to get things turned around.

Many thought-provoking and practical lessons in this book.
-Dennis McCallum, author Organic Disciplemaking: How to promote Christian leadership development through personal relationships, biblical discipleship, mentoring, and Christian community

In more conservative and Calvinistic circles the "Church Growth Movement" and constructs of Church Growth have been roundly, and in many instances, rightly criticized. The emphasis on methodology and pragmatism has often been at the expense of theology and a Biblical view of the sovereignty of God. The perceived excesses of the Willow Creek and Saddleback models of ministry; the theological aberrations of Robert Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral model and some of the unguarded statements of C. Peter Wagner (along with his own problematic theology) has caused the movement to be viewed with a jaundiced eye by many.

The author of this work has been a leader in the conservative wing of the Church Growth Movement for many years. He is the author of several significant books in the area of church growth, was for many years the Dean of the Billy Graham School of Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is now president of Life Way.

This work is modeled after the template of Jim Collins' bestselling business book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ad Others Don't (Harper Collins, 2001). Rainer acknowledges his debt to the model of Collins' work (p. 13-14). Initially the reader might think that this is just another so-called Christian book borrowing from the pragmatism and secularism of American business, but this would be a thoroughly erroneous observation.

There is a clear sense in which that church growth and effective evangelism is entirely in the hands of a sovereign God; however, it is nonetheless demonstrable that God does not simply override poor planning, bad methodology and outright ineptitude (or sinfulness) on the part of church leaders, granting the blessing of successful evangelism and growth. John MacArthur, who is well known in decrying the influence of pure pragmatism in church ministry (e.g. Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes like the World [Crossway, 1993]), has also noted that there is a practical aspect of ministry that cannot be ignored if a local church desires to be successful (e.g. "Marks of an Effective Church," in The Master's Plan for the Church [Moody Press, 1991], p. 103-16).

Rainer's work examines 13 churches that made the transition of a "Breakout Church" as designed by the criteria established by Rainer's study. The criteria was strict, the 13 churches that were studied were selected from an initial examination of over 50,000 churches. There were five criteria established that the sample churches has to meet (p. 213-15). Key among these criteria was that the church needed to experience the breakout under the same pastor. As Rainer notes, "the decline, breakout and growth all had to take place under the same pastor" (p. 214). This fact is key in that following Collins' work; Rainer also emphasizes leadership, what he calls "Acts 6/7 Leadership" (p. 5-67), as foundational to "Breakout Churches."

Rainer notes that, "it is a sin to be good if God has called us to be great" (p. 34) and the biblical principles that under gird greatness are detailed throughout this work. He details a six-stage process that the "Breakout Churches" he studies all went through. Initially these were all churches in decline, from there was a renewed commitment on the part of the pastor to "Acts 6/7 Leadership," which emphasizes the "called leader," the "contributing leader," the "passionate leader," the "bold leader," and the "legacy leader." The first five concepts are built on the leadership qualities seen in the apostles in Acts 1-5 and the final state in demonstrated in a large measure by the leadership qualities of Stephen in Acts 6-7. From there the church moves to what Rainer calls the "ABC Moment," that is the realization that something is not right in the church (Awareness), that the leader acknowledges this and confronts it (Belief), and the willingness to face the opposition from those satisfied with the status quo (Crisis). The next step is the "Who/What Simultrack" where, to paraphrase Collins' work, the wrong people gotten off the bus, the right people are put on the bus, the even the right people who were there are put into the right seats. Next he details the "VIP Factor" where the "leaders discovered vision through the intersection o three factors: the passion of the leader, the needs of the community; and the gifts, abilities, talents and passions of the congregation" (p. 30). The next step is a development of `Culture of Excellence" where the good is eschewed in favor of the best. Finally there is the feature of "Innovation Accelerators." Rainer notes that methodologies and innovation are the end-result, not the solution to declining churches. "How many church leaders have divided and demoralized congregations by introducing innovative methodologies and approaches before the church was ready to accept the?" (p. 31).

The results of Rainer's research and study of his 13 churches was eye-opening, perhaps particularly to those who have an inclination against "Church Growth" type of studies and materials. One was the centrality of Biblical preaching as a foundational factor in the "Breakout Churches." Rainer notes that all of the pastors involved in "breakout" renewed emphasis on the study and preaching of the Word. As he notes:
The evidence of our research is convincing. These churches never abandoned the basics in their transition to greatness. There were obviously may methodological issues there were of great importance in their breakout. But any methodological factors were secondary to biblical fidelity, preaching and prayer. The Big Mo cannot be sustained by methods. The breakout churches are truly Acts 6:4 churches: "[We] will give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word" (p. 174).
Rainer notes several other factors and also details a group of comparison churches that did not "breakout." There is a helpful series of appendices, including a "Frequently Asked Questions" section as well as a detailed subject index. The work is well noted. A detailed bibliography would have been a helpful addition to this work however.

As the author repeats throughout the work, this is not a book of methodology. He rejects the notion that A+B+C must always equal D. "I have attempted throughout this book to be very careful not to imply that the churches that moved to greatness did so with some magical, methodological, quick-fix formula. To the contrary, the opposite was true" (p. 172). He debunks the myth that churches can grow simply on the basis of methods and innovations or the securing of a "great pastor."

This is a book that pastors and church leaders who are serious about fulfilling the Great Commission and leading effective, God honoring and biblically sound churches need to read and digest thoroughly and we highly recommend it to all such leaders.

What does it take for a plodding church to shatter mediocrity and become a great one? In his recently published thirteenth book, Thom Rainer offers fresh research into the elements of change that contributed to the successful reversal of mediocrity at thirteen turnaround churches. Although stressing that his research does not offer a systematic approach to church greatness (p. 198), he addressed this book to those who want to see their church stimulated toward it (p. 17). He provides practical principles for leaders longing to see their church move forward. He gives actual insights that his research team gleaned from leaders in breakout churches. These churches formerly struggled to maintain worship attendance but eventually experienced remarkable growth. This study identified the relevant factors involved in turning them around.

Rainer is president of LifeWay Christian Resources and is a frequent conference speaker. He has served as a pastor in twelve churches. He holds a M.Div. and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he previously served as Founding Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth. His experience and background give him credibility with those who may read this book thinking that it is just another theory-driven church growth book. It is not. It is the result of three years of intensive research.

Rainer's latest book is a church-focused sequel to Jim Collins' business bestseller Good to great: Why some companies make the leap... and others don't (2001, New York: Harper Business). In fact, he "borrowed the research process, the structure and outline of the book, and the architecture of its ideas" from Good to Great (p. 15-16). Rainer's devotion to Collins' work opens the possibility that he may have allowed Collins' findings to influence this study's conclusions. Nevertheless, using Collins' research methodology (p. 15) permitted him to screen over 52,000 churches in the United States to find thirteen breakout churches to examine (p. 13).

Rainer excluded churches that had never plateaued or declined as well as churches that grew after changing pastors. This research design focused on a narrow sample. It allowed the exploration of the uniqueness of a few churches that had moved beyond mediocrity to become great and growing congregations. This sharp focus contributed to high internal validity as distinctive results came from the unique sample. For comparison purposes, Rainer also selected thirty-nine other churches that had not made the leap to greatness. His research team then used both quantitative and qualitative methods as they identified the elements that led to sustained growth. They examined the five-year periods before and after the attendance breakout point for the thirteen turnaround churches (p. 16). This point was a clearly identified time when these churches began to experience lasting and significant growth. Following this point, their worship attendance increased by 71 percent while the comparison churches' attendance declined.

Rainer set the tone for the entire book in chapter 1 by stating, "It is a sin to be good if God has called us to be great" (p. 15). In this chapter, he used the example of a caterpillar that is in the process of becoming a butterfly to identify what he called "the Chrysalis Factor" (p. 24). That factor includes six major components [6] involved in a church's transformation from mediocrity to greatness. Rainer devotes at least one chapter to each element.

In chapters 2 and 3, Rainer wrote that breakout churches had [1] "Acts 6/7 Legacy Leaders" (p. 44) at the helm just as Collins' great companies were led by "level 5 leaders." Rainer noted these leaders equipped others for ministry, raised up successors, made decisions benefiting the church, accepted responsibility when things went wrong, and were generous with their praise. These leaders also displayed confident humility, deflected recognition, loved their people unconditionally and were persistent in leading progress (p. 58-60). They focused on others.

Chapter 4 found the author discussing what he called [2] the "ABC moment" (p. 69). He used this term to indicate awareness/belief/crisis. Rainer said that "the vast majority of churches ...are addicted to mediocrity" (p. 71) while "most of the ministry in the church is focused on the membership (p. 74). In contrast, the breakout churches had confronted this brutal reality and experienced their "ABC moment." Facing and understanding this reality allowed these churches to move beyond mediocrity to greatness.

Rainer discussed the third Chrysalis Factor in chapter 5. This was a phenomenon he labeled [3] the "Who/What Simultrack" (p. 92). Breakout churches worked at getting the right people on staff and the right structures in place. They often did not wait for a staff opening before bringing a new person on board (p. 92). Also, if they had the wrong person on staff, they acted quickly to make a change. Similar to Collins' findings, these churches put their best people on their biggest opportunities (p. 99). Underlying all of this was a drive shaped by purpose.

In chapter 6, Rainer discovered that vision did not seem to lead the breakout churches (p. 111). Rather, they commented that vision discovered them (p. 127). The church leaders had found the intersection of their passions, their congregation's spiritual gifts, and their community's needs (p. 114). Rainer called this junction [4] "the VIP factor" which stood for a vision intersection profile (p. 117). He found it allowed the breakout churches to focus on the few things they could do well (p.124).

Rainer noted in chapter 7 that the breakout churches had a [5] culture of excellence. They only did what they could do outstandingly (p. 132). Consequently, they appeared to display excellence in all things (p. 131). Importantly, this commitment was theologically and biblically driven. The leadership wanted to glorify God by doing their VIP factor with excellence (p. 132). Rainer reported a strong correlation between excellence and the VIP factor in these churches (p. 135). In contrast, the comparison churches lacked compelling excellence in their ministries.

Rainer discussed the final Chrysalis Factor in chapter 8. The breakout churches viewed [6] innovation as accelerators of growth and not creators of it (p. 152). In fact, they may have even appeared to be slow or plodding when dealing with innovation (p. 152). In contrast, the comparison churches seemed to chase innovation in a futile attempt to create a vision. The research team saw this approach as "the tail wagging the dog" (p. 156). It does not work.

These six components of the Chrysalis Factor led to what Rainer labeled the "Big Mo" in chapter 9. After persistently applying the chrysalis factors, the breakout churches began to gain momentum. The researchers could not identify any one single thing that caused these churches to breakout. One observer said, "Everything stands out" (p. 166). "Big Mo" just took over. Rainer noted that comparison churches had change-resistant leadership (p. 178 ff) that blocked "Big Mo" and may be the biggest obstacle keeping ordinary churches from moving ahead.

Early in the book, Rainer stated that he thought Collins' concept of confronting the brutal facts would be found to be critical for churches that experienced an attendance breakout (p. 71). The research confirmed that statement. In fact, Rainer wrote that his "main error was underestimating how critical this factor would be" (p. 71). He seems to have discovered an important key for any church desiring a "breakout." This was valuable.

Rainer's study is valuable in helping average churches know what it takes to move ahead. His use of Collins' methodology allowed him to hone in on six key factors involved in moving a church out of mediocrity. His research design showed careful thought while his scan of 52,000 churches added much to the generalizability of the research. It was a very broad population.

Due to his methodology, it was not surprising that Rainer's six Chrysalis Factors matched very closely with Collins' conclusions. That may leave the reader thinking that something else is needed to explain the identification and emergence of breakout churches. For instance, Rainer acknowledged that numerical measures were key in the evaluation of breakout churches (p. 188). Perhaps he could have used other equally valuable measures in his search for these churches. For example, Jesus called churches principally to be faithful (Rev. 2:10, 3:11). Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8 suggest there is potential for greatness in that calling. One must consider whether a breakout church is exclusively one that demonstrates effectiveness through conversion growth. The question is whether other purposes for the church are equally great.

Rainer may have prematurely concluded that a pastor's long tenure is required for a church's turnaround (p. 58). Since this study only included churches that had the same pastor at least ten years, all thirteen churches inevitably had pastors with long tenure. In fact, the data may suggest that long-term pastorates normally do not lead to breakout growth. After all, Rainer only found 13 breakout churches out of a population of over 52,000. The data in this study does not lead to a conclusion about tenure. Other studies need to do that.

Rainer's sample of breakout churches omitted growing churches that had never experienced a period of mediocrity. It also excluded formerly mediocre churches that had recruited a new pastor and then experienced growth. That limits the study's generalizability to Rainer's apparent target audience of mediocre and average churches. Not surprisingly, that may include most churches in America.

I highly recommend this book for any pastor desiring something more than commonplace mediocrity for their church. They will benefit from the sense of optimism and expectancy it generates as well as the proven principles that move churches forward. Even ordinary churches can see remarkable change if their leaders and congregations are seeking it. Rainer's research shows that dreaming of the future means focusing on people currently outside the church. This book provides confirmed principles that can lead a church to greatness.

One of the top books on church leadership that I have read in recent years. This book confirmed a lot of what I had been thinking about "church" and the church I am currently ministering in. It was great to have such a wide variety of examples of church that had made significant changes in their impact. The principles expressed are not trying to have you jump on the latest fade, but rather has you honestly deal with your current situation and the calling God has for you and the church you are leading. It gave me hope that established churches that are experiencing decline can indeed change. The process of that change may be painful at times, but it is possible.

I couldn't get Rainer's first sentence - "It is a sin to be good if God has called us to be great." - out of my mind for several weeks after I began reading this book. While one might argue with the citeria used to select the 13 "Breakout" churches, the principles that Rainer and his team discovered in their research are practical and can be applied to churches of various sizes and types.

Rainer also brings a balanced approach to his findings. He points out that there are no quick fixes or "magic" programs that can turn a church around. Only God can do that, and while we can't limit how and where God does that, the most significant and lasting changes seem to occur where there is a long-term commitment to becoming great.

This book has been a catalyst in causing our church to look at what kind of changes we need to make to move beyond our addiction to mediocrity.

Rainer does excellent research, and this book is no exception. It will help to read Good to Great, before, after, or along with this book, because Rainer outline and insights are developed from Good to Great. The book has several good points about turn around or break out churches. The good thing is he has comparison churches to illustrate his points. The caution is that research can tell us what is but does not mean predictability (that whole correlation does not mean or imply causation). I would like Rainer to continue his research, to see if his conclusions are applicable to other churches. I always wonder about leadership issues, and would have liked a better idea of what stage the leaders were in at the break out stage. The book is well written, and should be read any interested in church growth, or turning around a church.

I enjoyed the book a lot and found it very helpful. Since i had read 'Good to Great" and liked it a lot this book was a no brainer for me to like. I bought it for my staff and we had great discussions at our meetings. It was very helpful in getting us un-stuck in some areas. If your church has been plateaued for a while or even shrinking like ours there are a lot of great helps here. Rainer wrote in a very matter of fact way with the express desire of helping churches. Written on the same basis as "good to great' it took a look at a handful of churches who had stopped growing started to wobble and then took off. Very encouraging unless you have to work your way through boards and committees to bring about change. I have recommended this to many pastor friends.