Building for Effective Mission: A Complete Guide for Congregations on Bricks and Mortar Issues (Kennon Callahan Resource Library for Effective Churches) [Paperback]

Kennon L. Callahan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787938726 | ISBN-13: 978-0787938727 | Publication Date: August 21, 1997 | Edition: 1

Guides church leaders through the process of clarifying and prioritizing their mission. Kennon Callahan demonstrates how to cultivate your mission with compassion and community, as well as prayer and scripture. This guide will make any congregation's mission become a reality by matching your church's facilities with its ministry needs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An essential guide to making any congregation's mission become reality and matching a church's facilities with its ministry needs. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

"This book will help you to see all you do in mission in a new light. It will help you put your priorities into better order. It will help you maximize the effectiveness of your resources for this mission time. And it will guide you through the many decisions and choices about your space and facilities as you keep the perspective of your mission foremost." —Kennon Callahan, Building for Effective MissionHow can congregations clarify and advance their mission in the twenty-first century? And how can they maximize their resources as they reach out and serve the community? In this important addition to the Twelve Keys to an Effective Church library, Kennon Callahan guides church leaders through the process of defining and prioritizing their mission. The book begins by showing the need to develop a focused plan, build on strengths, and concentrate on specific resources available. Some congregations fail by trying to do too much. Callahan emphasizes the need to be realistic, make choices, and do what can be done best. He then presents the 'bricks and mortar' tools needed to build and grow the mission, focusing on issues such as evaluating the range of resources available, choosing the right location, doing a church site evaluation, making sure space and facilities meet the needs of the mission, and more. Callahan also addresses key issues that will ensure long life for a church's mission, such as community outreach, leadership development, and growing funds through giving. Throughout this step-by-step process, he helps congregations understand that the building is not the mission but only one of the means through which mission is carried out. To be a successful church in the twenty-first century, a congregation outlines clear mission goals and then renovates, builds, or moves in order to bring these ministries to life. This is a guide to making any congregation's mission become reality and to matching its church's facilities with its mission needs.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (August 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787938726
• ISBN-13: 978-0787938727
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,513,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kennon L. Callahan, B.A., M.Div., S.T.M., Ph.D. : researcher, professor, and pastor : is one of today's most sought-after church consultants and speakers. Author of many books, he is best known for his groundbreaking Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, which has formed the basis for the widely acclaimed Mission Growth Movement.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good planning resource for churches., October 29, 1999

By 

Bradley W. Miller "Rev. Brad Miller" (Des Moines, Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Building for Effective Mission: A Complete Guide for Congregations on Bricks and Mortar Issues (Kennon Callahan Resource Library for Effective Churches) (Paperback)

Kennon Callahan provides another powerful resource to equip church planners and leaders. The style will feel very familiar to those who have used the 12 keys, but the content is fresher and more up to date. One particularly useful aspect is the paradigms of relationship between a congregation and its current or future facility. Many churches may find that they don't quite fit the mold as they expect. As with Callahan's other resources, there is the risk of oversimplifying your circumstances to fit the listed models. (This warning applies to mis-application of the books, and is not meant to be critical of the resources themselves.) Nonetheless, the book is a substantial contribution to the field. Even if your congregation feels very comfortable in your current facility, you could still gain useful insights from a careful reading and some prayerful discernment. Peace be with you.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad advice for selecting an architect, December 10, 2002

By 

Robert H. Amor (Santa Cruz, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building for Effective Mission: A Complete Guide for Congregations on Bricks and Mortar Issues (Kennon Callahan Resource Library for Effective Churches) (Paperback)

Mr. Callahan's advice for selecting an architect is very bad advice. If a Building Committee follows his advice they will not receive the professional architectural services that they deserve. I am an architect who has specialized in designing churches for over 20 years. Mr. Callahan obviously does not understand or appreciate the full services that an architect who specializes in church architecture can provide. His suggestion to use a "architectural study process" is only going to result in participation of less qualified architects providing unsatisfactory design services. I would hope that anyone reading this book will be able to understand that this system is doomed for failure.
Robert H. Amor, Church Architect