Church Turned Inside Out: A Guide for Designers, Refiners, and Re-Aligners [Hardcover]

Linda Bergquist (Author), Allan Karr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0470383178 | ISBN-13: 978-0470383179 | Edition: 1

A design-thinking book for planting or redesigning churches and incubating a new generation of leaders.

Written by Linda Bergquist and Allan Karr, two experienced church planters and mentors, the book is full of wisdom, practical advice, and creative counsel. Instead of a business-model-as-usual approach, the authors challenge readers to begin with the raw materials of beliefs, values, individuals, teams, and culture, and to then move outwards to draw from a rich palette of real and potential church paradigms. This book is meant to provoke church leaders to think outside of the box and to imagine how their churches might better reflect the image and the mission of God in the world. 

• Contains a wealth of illustrative examples, charts, and other visual aides
• Offers a creative practical perspective and a multi-disciplinary approach to establishing a new church or leading an existing one
• Shows how to honor a church's purpose while embracing its unique culture
• Includes important lessons for nurturing church leadership skills

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

There are no sacred models of church, no specific molds into which God pours blessings, and no special leadership styles that are holier than others. Too often, though, church leaders attempt to pattern their ministries after either tradition or the successes of a few prominent trendsetting congregations.

In Church Turned Inside Out, Linda Bergquist and Allan Karr push back on the one-size-fits-all approach. They invite leaders of all kinds of churches—new and existing, megachurches and microchurches—to walk through an inside-out design process. Instead of starting with models and methods, they insist that every sphere of church life resonates with and communicates what you really believe.

As the book unfolds, it moves from abstract concepts toward concrete suggestions. It considers the uniqueness of individual leaders, their teams, and their particular communities, cultures, and contexts while taking seriously both spiritual and practical dimensions. This process results in more potent and effectively organized churches. Perhaps more important, it helps church leaders discover ways to live and work more wholly and faithfully, according to how God created them. It really is possible for a church to be so beautifully designed that every structure, program, and relationship reflects what it intends. Sometimes this requires a whole new design, and other times it only takes re-aligning or refining what already exists. This thoughtful and systemic approach opens a wider array of possible church paradigms than most people ever imagine, but the real goal is not innovation but transformation.

Using a blend of theology, biblical imagery, and metaphors from culture and creation, Church Turned Inside Out provides respectful ways to consider adaptation and change. It offers a hopeful vision of what the church can and must become. It not only positions the church for its future mission to the twenty-first century but offers timeless principles for the church of today.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Church Turned Inside Out

"What an extremely hopeful, heart-lifting, and practical book for anyone who loves the church. We must never be afraid to look at our church from the inside out as that is where true change will happen." —Dan Kimball author, They Like Jesus but Not the Church

"I think Linda and Allan do a great job of giving an overview of our world and context. They show the different approaches to church, but they don't stop there. Instead they deal with design and what it would look like! Every church is an original, and they show how yours can be, too." —Bob Roberts Jr. author, The Multiplying Church

"In this thought-provoking and insightful book, the authors . . .provide us with useful tools that help us think strategically. They examine how God is using people to design new models and refine or re-align existing models of church, and how, working together cooperatively, these churches can reach out to . . . diverse communities surrounding them. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a culturally relevant church in today's society." —Felicity Dale author, An Army of Ordinary People, coauthor, The Rabbit and the Elephant

"This book provides a savvy challenge for design work to be taken more seriously in the quest for fresh forms of the church. The call to embody and commend the gospel and the importance of people, place, and moment are held tightly together. Church planters as well as re-aligners and refiners will benefit immensely from this book!" —George Hunsberger coordinator, the Gospel and Our Culture Network in North America, and author, Bearing the Witness of the Spirit: Lesslie Newbigin's Theology of Cultural Plurality

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (October 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470383178
• ISBN-13: 978-0470383179
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's Design Together October 12, 2009

By Kenneth A. Mccord

Format:Hardcover

My family and I live in a city where the church cannot keep up with our life or our urban pace. This book addresses why so many outsiders see the church as a bounded institution and insiders feel over taxed and detached from the world. So much of our life and resources are drained by these struggling and demanding models. Could it be that much of our problem is in our design and the loss of our center? Linda and Allan make the case that we need to design unique models for cities, people groups, and so many new realities. The pages of this book are filled with theology, history and new metaphors to consider. There is no "how to" or "silver bullet", the authors call Pastors and leaders to invite designers and re aligners to the party if they are to transition existing churches and establish new churches that are fruit bearing and release the fragrance of Christ in this amazing new world. I believe this is a pioneer book, moving us away from the dissatisfied and narcissistic dialogues. It is not a fearful and deconstructive read but one filled with resolve and hope. The authors write from practice. They are friends and peers, but also unique in their exchange. Thank you Linda and Allen for inspiring the designer in me.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Designing community around people, place and passion December 2, 2009

By Mark A. Scandrette

Format:Hardcover

"When plans for birth or change in communities of faith are hatched from strategies or models, without adequate consideration for people, place and passion, the results can be dehumanizing. In Church Inside Out, Linda Bergquist and Allan Karr help us appreciate the importance of personality, story and culture in the design of transformational communities. This book offers a holistic and organic approach to creating community, useful to both seasoned practitioners and those just beginning to dream about making a life together in the way of Jesus."Soul Graffiti: Making a Life in the Way of Jesus (Living Way: Emergent Visions)Soul Graffiti: Making a Life in the Way of Jesus (Living Way: Emergent Visions)

--Mark Scandrette, Author of SOUL GRAFFITI: Making A Life in the Way of Jesus

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stick through the beginning, you will be glad you did! November 18, 2009

By Mary Carter Keel

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great philosophical book for anyone thinking of planting a church or taking a leadership position at an existing church. In it you will see how God uses different kinds of churches to effectively reach all kinds of people. What kind of church should you be leading? Bergquist and Allan take you through a thought process which makes you examine your beliefs verses your (and/or your denomination's) practices, your giftings verses the talents demanded by your style of church, your context verses your methodologies. Though this book made me rejoice even more for the church plants completely different than the one I am involved with it, it is still a book that challenges. As Berquist and Allan say, "We were not aiming for tolerance, because tolerance means there is no real challenge." One of the statements that most spurred my thinking on the way we (Epic Church, San Francisco) will live out life as the body of Christ was the following, "A church culture begins to emerge where the fellowship of the microcommunity is only a byproduct of mission rather than something beautiful in its own right." As a big picture person, I love this big picture book. Even if you are not a big picture person, this book will make you examine what God has given you (e.g. gifting, resources, culture) and how those things can be most effectively be used to glorify God in your context.