Change the World: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus [Paperback]

Mike Slaughter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Something is not working. Despite the church's place of prominence in American culture and the ubiquity of the church in every American town, misconceptions about the faith of Jesus Christ run rampant today. Christians are known more for exclusivity than for love, more for potlucks than for solving world hunger.

It's time for churches to get over the cruise-ship mentality of being a program provider, and reconnect with the true message and mission of Jesus: to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the oppressed. 

Pastor Mike Slaughter challenges church leaders to look at the future of their congregations and make tough but necessary choices. 

• Will you send the church out into the world?
• Will you focus on building disciples or tallying decisions?
• Will you multiply your impact or expand your facilities?
• Will you step out in courage or comply with the status quo?

The answers to these and other questions determine how your church will focus its time, its energy, and its budget to work for real change in a hurting world. 

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For more info, visit www.ChangeTheWorld.Cokesbury.com    

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a time when the congregations of many mainline churches are ebbing in the U.S., the success of a booming multi-campus congregation in the Rust Belt is certainly worthy of analysis. In this provocative, passionate and often critical book, Slaughter, lead pastor at Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church, takes a hard look at the seeker-sensitive, attendance-focused strategies that have driven the church growth movement for the past 20 years-and finds them severely lacking. "Let's quit worrying about numbers in the pews," asserts Slaughter, "and begin to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our homes, our communities, and the outermost places of the world." In such chapters as "Disciples vs. Decisions," the author describes the mission-driven, locally-focused and challenging philosophy of congregational life that's made a significant impact in places like Darfur, Sudan. It has also, ironically enough, fueled growth in the Ginghamsburg congregations. Chapters conclude with questions for individuals and congregations. Because he writes chiefly from his own experience, and doesn't draw a lot on that of other congregations, readers are mostly going to have to figure out how to apply Slaughter's ideas to their own church communities. END

About the Author

Mike Slaughter, lead pastor at Ginghamsburg Church, is the three-decade dreamer of Ginghamsburg Church and spiritual entrepreneur of ministry marketplace innovations. His life-long passion to reach the lost and set the oppressed free has made him a tireless and leading advocate for the displaced children, women and men of Darfur, Sudan, named by the U.N. as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. Under Mike’s leadership, Ginghamsburg Church has become known as an early innovator of small group ministry, the Church “media reformation” and cyber-ministry, with the Ginghamsburg website averaging 50,000 visits monthly from around the world. Since initiating The Sudan Project in January 2005, Ginghamsburg has invested over $5 million into humanitarian relief in Darfur. Mike is the author of multiple books for church leaders including Change the World, A Different Kind of Christmas, Spiritual Entrepreneurs, Real Followers, Momentum for Life, UnLearning Church, and Upside Living in a Downside Economy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 121 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426702973
• ISBN-13: 978-1426702976
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

About Mike Slaughter

Mike Slaughter is Lead Pastor and Chief Dreamer of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio. Located in the struggling "rust belt," Ginghamsburg strives to be the hands and feet of Jesus, serving those in need from Dayton to Darfur. Under Mike's leadership, the church has grown from 90 worshipers a week to over 5,000. Mike's books include "Christmas Is Not Your Birthday," "Change the World," "Spiritual Entrepreneurs," "Real Followers," "Momentum for Life," "UnLearning Church," and "Upside Living in a Downside Economy."

Learn more about Mike Slaughter at http://mikeslaughter.com/

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what the church SHOULD be February 10, 2010

By J. Miller

Format:Paperback

If you ever feel frustrated with the American church today, like it is a far cry from what Jesus was all about--read this book. Way more than an idealistic guilt trip, this book has real, applicable ideas for how Jesus' people can make a difference for hurting, needy people in the world today.

If you're a fan of Jim Wallis (who wrote the foreward to this book, by the way) but finish his books saying "ok, but how?" you need to read Mike Slaughter.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Intro to Missional Conversation March 19, 2010

By Brian V. Miller

Format:Paperback

The missional church movement returns to the mainline church in Mike Slaughter's Change the World. Using straightforward comparisons, Slaughter challenges the assumptions of mission, ministry, and success as defined by most mainline churches. At the same time, an alternative picture is painted of a church more interested in others than self. Drawing on work from missional movement leaders, such as Alan Hirsch, Slaughter uses his own experiences to propose a more faithful way of being the church.

Grounded in Scripture and theology, Slaughter exposes the shortcomings of current church values, writing "Our churches reflect the economic homogeneity of our culture more than they do the priorities of the kingdom." Slaughter makes clear that the people of God are intended to be agents of transformation who are sent to specific peoples for the purpose of multiplying movements of courageous disciples. This is in contrast to the church being seen as a place where special and similar people gather.

Slaughter saves some of his most direct discourse for the discussion of "Mission vs. Mortar" in chapter 6, where he laments the importance of buildings to the way the church currently functions. Facilities, their cost and prominence, drive how and why church is done. "Inflexible capital structures create systems that necessitate strategies of `bringing the world to church' rather than the `church going to the world.'" While his words are tough, the experiences of churches who are in debt during the current economic downturn seem to lend affirmation.

Short on how-to and high on passion, Change the World presents an important contribution to the missional church movement. By virtue of the author's experience, the book brings built in credibility for mainline denominations.... Slaughter is the lead pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, where he grew the congregation from averaging 90 on a Sunday to a current attendance of over 4,000. Change the World makes the missional movement more accessible to mainline churches and denominations.

Slaughter's experience also raises questions, though. For example, readers may experience a disconnect as the pastor of a 4,000 antendee church decries attractional evangelism. While that possibility exists, Slaughter's framework gives no impression that he is interested in keeping one foot in the mega church world and one foot in the missional church movement. In fact, his commitment to this transition may be communicated when he writes, "Faith is not the absence of fear. Faith is feeling the fear & then acting on the promises & purposes of God anyway." Read more ›

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great reminder of what a Christian should look like February 10, 2010

By P. Parker

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading this book. After receiving this book I could not but it down. It is a great read for everyone. A great reminder of what a Christan should look like and what we should be doing in this world each and everyday.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!!! May 13, 2011

By Carol/NC

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great book for churches and individuals that desire to follow Jesus' example of reaching the world. I read it first on my Kindle and then ordered 4 copies of the paper back to share.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars change the world December 19, 2010

By Barry Saunders

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Outstanding! Anyone involved in Christian education should read this, especially those who think their congregation (or church!) seems to be drifting. ('drifting': going nowhere!)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book! October 9, 2010

By Glen H. Haworth

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great book! Helpful for churches to realize the changes needed. I'm using the book with all of the small groups in my little United Methodist Church and people are catching on!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Change March 11, 2010

By Elizabeth Hutchison

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

When people hear the word "change" they run the other way, ask why, everythings going good and what's in it for me? Reading this book will help you uncover why it is so important for us to continue to challenge ourselves to grow as christians. Everything around us changes; work, children grow up, we grow older, seasons change but as christians we stay still. Reading this book you will understand why it is so important to continue to grow in your faith.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Vital info for any church that wants to connect to its community March 17, 2010

By Jennifer Rodia

Format:Paperback

This book speaks about the church beyond the Sunday morning experience. It demonstrates how the church that embraces Jesus true mission to meet the needs of those arouund him will be transformed into a vital ministry of the community. This is a pastor must read book!