Nearly eighty percent of all new churches fail, leaving countless discouraged church planters wondering why. Ben Arment answers their question with Church in the Making by identifying and expanding on three God ordained conditions that make for a successful church plant even before the doors open:Good Ground – just as Jesus based his ministry on the openness of people’s hearts, we must gauge the spiritual receptivity of our community before planting a church. If the people are not yet open to the Gospel, the first step is to cultivate their hearts.Rolling Rocks – momentum is also key to the success of new churches. If God truly builds his church, then our job is not to start from scratch, but rather to identify where he is already bringing people, funds, and other resources together for his purposes.Deep Roots – wherever there’s a church in the making, God provides a group of leaders who can align people and resources in order to achieve and sustain the church’s mission. Lone planters have a much less hope of succeeding, let alone surviving.
Church in the Making
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About the Author
Ben Arment is the founder of several popular ventures in ministry, including the STORY Conference in Chicago, The Whiteboard Sessions, and Dream Year. He is the former director of Catalyst West Coast and the author of Church in the Making: What Makes or Breaks a New Church Before it Starts. He and his wife, Ainsley, live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with their three boys. Ben blogs daily at BenArment.com.
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More About the Author
Ben Arment is a former church planter and the founder of Historytellers Productions, which creates short films, resources and conferences. Two of those events include the STORY conference in Chicago and The Whiteboard Sessions, a one-day exchange of ministry ideas. He and his wife Ainsley live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and have three sons, Wyatt and Dylan, and Cody. He blogs daily at www.BenArment.com.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There are plenty of books that explain the benefits and challenges of starting new churches and different techniques which can be used, sometimes in great detail, but until now I have not found any that answers my most pressing question: where, if the new church is "successful", will all the people come from? Ben Arment answers that question in this amazingly helpful book.
Frustratingly, most leaders of "successful" churches are unable to articulate the reasons why people are flocking to their churches, other than by saying "God is just blessing us." Successful churches normally have great preaching and high quality music, but those things do not guarantee success, and many churches are successful without them. Some experts advocate conducting community surveys, while others advocate community service outreach activities; these techniques can be helpful, but they do not explain why people come to church.
The reasons for church success have to do with the spiritual fertility of the "soil" in which the church is planted, methods of cultivation, tapping into social networks, and creating and sustaining momentum. You will need to read the book to find out how these factors work together. As a former professional copywriter, the author has an attractive writing style, and the book displays a significant depth of insight. I highly recommend it to any church leader who wishes to be more effective in reaching his or her local community.
Frustratingly, most leaders of "successful" churches are unable to articulate the reasons why people are flocking to their churches, other than by saying "God is just blessing us." Successful churches normally have great preaching and high quality music, but those things do not guarantee success, and many churches are successful without them. Some experts advocate conducting community surveys, while others advocate community service outreach activities; these techniques can be helpful, but they do not explain why people come to church.
The reasons for church success have to do with the spiritual fertility of the "soil" in which the church is planted, methods of cultivation, tapping into social networks, and creating and sustaining momentum. You will need to read the book to find out how these factors work together. As a former professional copywriter, the author has an attractive writing style, and the book displays a significant depth of insight. I highly recommend it to any church leader who wishes to be more effective in reaching his or her local community.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By C. McAlister
Format:Hardcover
A few quotes, a few thoughts, and them some implications.
Quotes to stir things up:
When a new church struggles year after year to see fruit from its activity, we should assume it's not quite time to plant. Instead, there is tilling, watering, and cultivating to be done. pg 27
...I'm not saying that ministry is easy. We will be under constant spiritual attack when we're trying to further the kingdom of God. But growing churches is God's job. That's not our burden to bear. pg 43
It doesn't matter how good your service, your worship, or your preaching, your church is ultimately judged by social network. pg 81
Thoughts:
The way Ben focuses the content around 3 big ideas of Good Ground, Rolling Rocks, and Deep Roots makes it easy to add a sociological filter to church start, growth, and development.
We're comfortable with a theological filter, leadership filter, and even economic filters in the church but not with a sociological filter. Ben's arguments from Scripture are exegetically sound and left me saying, "How have I missed this?"
This book will give you practical guidance on how to recognize and cooperate with God's work among people around you.
I read it as a pastor and leader of a church that is over 60 years old and about to re-launch. Still, it was as applicable to me as I imagine it would be for a church planter.
Implications:
Ministry leadership has to learn from Jesus as a model and become as adept at finding good soil as we are at studying theology or being informed of the general culture.
Pastors have to learn to acknowledge the sociological factors when recounting their stories of God working in their midst. It will help the hearts of so many leaders and give those leaders permission to follow the work of God in their context.
If you lead 1 or 1000 you have to get this book and apply it, if you want to round out your ministry leadership with the crucial but overlooked skill of sociological discernment. Not learning to recognize the sociology as a part of God's working will cause you to overspiritualize and overagonize while missing God's leading in ministry efforts that don't gain traction. For those that gain traction, not recognizing the work of God in and through the movements of people will cause you to overestimate your part and succumb to pride.
Quotes to stir things up:
When a new church struggles year after year to see fruit from its activity, we should assume it's not quite time to plant. Instead, there is tilling, watering, and cultivating to be done. pg 27
...I'm not saying that ministry is easy. We will be under constant spiritual attack when we're trying to further the kingdom of God. But growing churches is God's job. That's not our burden to bear. pg 43
It doesn't matter how good your service, your worship, or your preaching, your church is ultimately judged by social network. pg 81
Thoughts:
The way Ben focuses the content around 3 big ideas of Good Ground, Rolling Rocks, and Deep Roots makes it easy to add a sociological filter to church start, growth, and development.
We're comfortable with a theological filter, leadership filter, and even economic filters in the church but not with a sociological filter. Ben's arguments from Scripture are exegetically sound and left me saying, "How have I missed this?"
This book will give you practical guidance on how to recognize and cooperate with God's work among people around you.
I read it as a pastor and leader of a church that is over 60 years old and about to re-launch. Still, it was as applicable to me as I imagine it would be for a church planter.
Implications:
Ministry leadership has to learn from Jesus as a model and become as adept at finding good soil as we are at studying theology or being informed of the general culture.
Pastors have to learn to acknowledge the sociological factors when recounting their stories of God working in their midst. It will help the hearts of so many leaders and give those leaders permission to follow the work of God in their context.
If you lead 1 or 1000 you have to get this book and apply it, if you want to round out your ministry leadership with the crucial but overlooked skill of sociological discernment. Not learning to recognize the sociology as a part of God's working will cause you to overspiritualize and overagonize while missing God's leading in ministry efforts that don't gain traction. For those that gain traction, not recognizing the work of God in and through the movements of people will cause you to overestimate your part and succumb to pride.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Steve Carr
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ben Arment looks at things differently. There are few people in the evangelical world that can see a singular issue from multiple perspectives. But Ben has this kind of vision and he unleashes it on the topic of church planting with his book Church in the Making.
The book reads easily, not at all like a textbook, but it could easily serve in this role. The observations offered were learned first hand from a church plant in northern Virginia. As American coastal culture eventually moves inland, so this East Coast context will soon be the norm in the midwest. As Ben describes in his tome, the "big event" launch church planting days have ended and planters will now be forced to employ new measures in order to start a church from scratch.
The most important contribution Arment offers in this book is concerning the failure of church plants. By dissecting the anatomy of some failed plants, we see that even the most talented ministers can fall short because of infertile soil.
As a church planter and adjunct professor I have already started to recommend Church in the Making to people interested in planting churches. It offers a distinctive view point of church planting in the 21st century.
The book reads easily, not at all like a textbook, but it could easily serve in this role. The observations offered were learned first hand from a church plant in northern Virginia. As American coastal culture eventually moves inland, so this East Coast context will soon be the norm in the midwest. As Ben describes in his tome, the "big event" launch church planting days have ended and planters will now be forced to employ new measures in order to start a church from scratch.
The most important contribution Arment offers in this book is concerning the failure of church plants. By dissecting the anatomy of some failed plants, we see that even the most talented ministers can fall short because of infertile soil.
As a church planter and adjunct professor I have already started to recommend Church in the Making to people interested in planting churches. It offers a distinctive view point of church planting in the 21st century.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yes, yes, yes.
Chapter five, "Exit Strategy" alone makes this a valuable book and suggested reading for all church planters and those helping church planters.
Published 1 month ago by Albert E. Compean
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and helpful...
I'm not a church planter and have no intention of becoming one, but a friend of mine recommended Ben Arment's "Church in the Making," so I decided to give it a read. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Chad Oberholtzer
3.0 out of 5 stars
So Much Potential!
After picking up this book and reading the first three chapters I thought that this must be the best book on Church Planting there is! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Charles A. Penduck
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Standout In It's Class
Buy this book! Arment has written a book that will help all churches, not just those in decline or plateau. Read more
Published 15 months ago by 5watchman5
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Unusual Approach to Church Planting that is Refreshing
Here is a book that seeks to solve the mystery of church planting -why some church plants survive and thrive or die. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Dr. Robert J. Vajko
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everyone considering a church plant should read this
Common sense practical advice and insight for anyone thinking of planting a church or anyone who has become discouraged when their attempt seemed to fail.
Published on May 13, 2010 by M. Chaplin
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