28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ChurchNext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry, January 26, 2001
This review is from: ChurchNext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry (Paperback)
Perceiving that a generation of under-thirty-five-year-olds is turning away from institutional expressions of Christianity to opting to define their own spiritual journey, Dr. Eddie Gibbs, a seasoned scholar of church growth, suggests a nine key area in which churches need to undergo transforming transitions in our days of cultural shifts. This book is highly recommend for pastor and church leaders who are ministering to people groups or individuals with a variety of traditional, modern, or postmodern worldviews in our pluralist society. The nine key areas for which the author provides both insightful theory and practical application include, "From Market Driven to Mission Oriented," "From Attracting the Crowd to Seeking the Lost," and "From Belonging to Believing."
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dealing with Chaos by Changing to Mission Church, March 5, 2003
This review is from: ChurchNext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry (Paperback)
The more I read, the more I became interested in what Gibbs had to say. In fact, it wasn't until the final chapter where he tends to put it all back together again that I saw where he was going.
He aptly describes the chaos of culture by one that is wavering between modern and post-modern, a world without a center or a circumference. As he writes: "a balkanized world of warring factions." To this disjointed complexity, add five generational groups: builders, silent ones, boomers, GenX, and bemused millennials.
Previous attempts, visions, strategies, programs, traditions are inadequate in themselves to deal with such quantum change and choas. What is needed the book suggests is a whole new outlook and orientation: one that basically (in author's view) returns to first century apostolic church which was driven by small group of believers committed to Lord that replicated themselves throughout the world. Appointed and empowered by apostles, they were not influential or socially prominent, but operated on the margins and infiltrated all society and turned their world upside down with the gospel.
He offers many compelling critiques of previous church growth strategy, but never totally dismisses them as unbiblical, but primarily as pragmatically not working.
He replaces such with "a mission orientation" which is faith led, and not a paradigm per se to be copied in detail, step-by-step, but contexualizing its principles of quick striking, infiltrating and making the gospel relevant to changing cultural setting.
Much is to be challenged of this, e.g. his fine reference points for the missional church - faithful to the gospel, inspired by the hope of Christ's return, informed and enriched by heritage are softened in this reader's mind by the addition of: "relevant to its ministry setting." He does unload this by explaining it as finding ways to get the gospel across in terms and language culture will accept as relevant. The problem with this is that doctrine is separated from the practice thereof, allowing and glorifying in permiscuity doctrinally speaking. As one astute observer wrote: "It is when the church begins to accomodate theology to the culture in which it exists that the church loses its moorings and begins to drift away from the truth."
He to his credit critiques much of what is wrong with worship these days, however in some cases places too much on work of people in worhsip, rather than God's work to people.
I was torn between three and four stars, so really 3.5. Worth reading and continuing thought about what he offers. Much of analaysis that is helpful to the church, and some fine challenges to all branches. What lacks is Biblical talk about apostasy in the end times and growing tendency to not tolerate sound doctrine but seek and demand teachers who tickle their consumer, individual, rights demanding ears.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very academic... but worth the read., December 13, 2005
This review is from: ChurchNext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry (Paperback)
Eddie Gibbs distinguishes himself and his writing in a genre that is already burgeoning with repetitive and less-than-helpful texts as he takes a hard look at the dominant expressions of Christianity in the postmodern transitional period of the past forty years and then proceeds to evaluate them from a missiological perspective.
The academic credibility of Gibbs findings are complimented by his wide-angle approach to the issues, which leave the reader with a solid and well-rounded analysis of the issues concerning the emergence of the next generation church. Gibbs divides his work into nine major sections, with each exploring a polarizing concept critical to the shaping of the postmodern church.
Although I cannot fully agree with all of Gibbs conclusions, he does an excellent job of presenting the issues and suggesting the dominant themes of transition for the North American church. These themes deserve a greater investigation in a theological sense, but to do so (for the most part) would be out of place in this book, which finds its primary purpose in defining the catalyzing issues of 21st century christian-spirituality.
I personally have found myself enriched by Gibbs' in-depth and thoughtful analysis on the implications of pursuing authenticity in the context of leadership, structure, and spiritual experience; these themes, finding their apex in chapters 3-5 are quite possibly the crown of Gibbs work in this book. They reflect an honest personal search on behalf of the author, and offer truly relevant points for consideration.
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