Ignite: How to Spark Immediate Growth in Your Church [Paperback]

Nelson Searcy (Author), Jennifer Dykes Henson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Ignite is the ultimate how-to book for church leaders who want to reach more people for Jesus Christ. Pastor and founder of Church Leader Insights, Nelson Searcy, will provide practical, inventive guidelines for bringing first-time guests through the doors.
This book sets forth a step-by-step, biblically grounded, proven plan for creating immediate church growth by utilizing a "Big Day" to mobilize the church for evangelism. This user-friendly guide will show church leaders what they need to do to reach the unchurched in their communities and break through the debilitating growth barriers that are holding them back.

Through the inspiration of testimonies and stories, combined with the down-to-earth, applicable teaching that Searcy readers have come to expect and appreciate, Ignite will give church leaders the tools they desperately need to reach and keep modern-minded, unchurched people to create and sustain growth momentum.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The ultimate how-to book for reaching more people for Jesus Christ

Ignite sets forth a step-by-step, biblically grounded, proven plan for creating immediate church growth by utilizing a "Big Day" to mobilize the church for evangelism. This user-friendly guide will show you how to reach the unchurched in your community and break through the debilitating growth barriers that are holding your church back.

You can reach--and keep--modern-minded, unchurched people to create and sustain growth momentum. Ignite shows you how it's done.


"Searcy brings the unique frontline perspective of a pastor who is in the trenches week after week, figuring out how to effectively reach people with the gospel. Ignite is a very practical manual for any church trying to break through the next barrier to transforming their city for Christ."--Geoff Surratt, pastor of ministries, Seacoast Church

"Ignite will help you see things in a clearer, simpler way. It will help you see what's important and what's not in our mission to serve others by giving them hope in Jesus."--Dino Rizzo, founding pastor, Healing Place Church; author, Servolution

"There's a big difference between working hard and working smart. In this dynamic new book, Searcy helps readers be good stewards of their valuable time. I was underlining on every page."--Charles Arn, president, Church Growth, Inc.


Nelson Searcy served as the director of The Purpose Driven Community at Saddleback Church before starting The Journey Church of the City in New York City in 2002. He and his 1,200-member church appear routinely on lists such as "The 50 Most Influential Churches" and "The 25 Most Innovative Leaders."

Jennifer Dykes Henson is a freelance writer based in New York City. Prior to moving to New York, Jennifer worked with Dr. Charles Stanley as the manager of marketing communications for In Touch Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

About the Author

Nelson Searcy served as the director of The Purpose Driven Community at Saddleback Church before starting The Journey Church of the City in New York City in 2002. He and his 1200-member church appear routinely on lists such as The 50 Most Influential Churches and The 25 Most Innovative Leaders. His newsletter for pastors and church leaders, Church Leader Insights, now reaches more than 40,000 subscribers and continues to grow by hundreds each month. Searcy lives in New York City.

Jennifer Dykes Henson is a freelance writer based in New York City. She has served as a writer/producer and ministry consultant to organizations across the east coast. Prior to moving to New York, Jennifer worked with Dr. Charles Stanley as the manager of marketing communications for In Touch Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. Jennifer and her husband are members of The Journey Church of the City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801072166
• ISBN-13: 978-0801072161
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.6 x 5.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Reaching the Unchurced November 24, 2009

By Gerald Peterson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is very practical in providing ways to reach the unchurched. It is a companion book to Nelson's book 'Fusion.' An excellent book on how to invite and encourage others to church. Here are 10 key points that I am hoping to personally apply from this book:

1. Schedule 4 Big days for the next 12 months, such as Christmas, mid-February, Easter and mid-September
2. Utilize a preaching calendar in order to give members the opportunities to invite for new series.
3. Prepare invitation cards for the Big Day events
4. Build some intentional relationships with unchurched in order to be able to make a list of 10 unchurched people, pray for and invite
5. Plan for growth rather than control
6. Provide simple tools for members that include a deadline to invite.
7. Start using the 5 Tool Time suggestions
8. Provide brief training during our Sunday worship
9. Plan with leadership to offer mass promotion. Need to decide what vehicle to use
10. Prepare, in writing, the evangelism system for my church. Make sure that I have ready `What to do for a new believer within an hour, day, week month and future.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Caution suggested for this practical guide to doing big days to grow your church June 13, 2010

By Laurence T. Baxter VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The approach described in this book "Ignite" is to have a series of 'big days' in your church to spark growth, and double the size of your church. The method is very practical, has been used in Searcy's own church, and lays out its rationale very clearly. The book is fairly well written, and will be of use to many churches who are healthy but stuck at a size barrier and wishing to break through.

I have enjoyed Searcy's other books like Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups, Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church, and Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch, which are also very pragmatic books seeking to help leaders do a good job with their systems for small groups, first impressions, and church planting. Searcy is definitely a 'systems thinker.' What I like about the other books is that they give very practical tips about implementing things that are very healthy and appropriate for most churches.

Yet I don't feel the same enthusiasm for Ignite. While he does not intentionally minimize the role of the Holy Spirit, and notes that God wants to reach people far more than we do, the book still comes across as a paint-by-numbers approach to manufacturing growth by human means. He says that both attractional and incarnational approaches to outreach work well and that he advocates doing both, this is a 100% come-to-us approach to evangelism.... The material really isn't that new if you're already familiar with the purpose driven church model and the teaching of Rick Warren (which also thinks highly of big days). One issue I have with this book's approach is that it really has a goal of growth, as opposed to a goal of health. In every discussion of big days and church growth I've heard from Saddleback it's been very clear that the goal is church health, and the natural result (if your structure doesn't interfere) is growth - but you never make growth itself your target. When the table of contents talks about equipping the people for evangelism and giving them the tools they need to succeed, I was hoping for more than 'invite postcards'.

The book describes how big days and the buzz and momentum that come from it can attract more visitors. What is not discussed at all are the reasons why the people would choose to stay. For your limited budget and energy, do you want to invest in mailings and big events and attendance numbers, or do you want to invest in people and disciple-making that show the difference it makes to be a fully devoted follower of Christ. (If you're doing the latter well and want to know how to do the former, this book is for you.) Again, the book and methods aren't bad in themselves - if read and followed with a great attitude seeking to honor God, reach the lost, and be a part of God building a healthy church, then your church may find benefit from this. But more likely the church that is "stuck" and not growing may have a deeper and more spiritual reason that is not best addressed by Ignite. Read more ›

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A step-by-step guide to rapid church growth December 4, 2009

By John Gibbs TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Any book that starts with the question, "What if your church could double in one day?" is likely to be of great interest to pastors around the world, and it is perhaps not surprising that Nelson Searcy's book shot onto Amazon's best seller list when it was released.

Searcy knows how to create a buzz when selling books, and he applies many of the same types of techniques to growing a church. He recommends that you put on "big days" to reach new people. Christmas and Easter are natural big days, and you should schedule a few others at strategic times. Get your church involved in the build-up to the big day, praying, fasting and inviting their friends. If everyone brings someone else, then the number of people in your church can double in one day.

I learned some useful new things from Searcy's previous books on assimilation and small groups, but I did not find much new content in this book, given that I have previously read "The Purpose Driven Church" and a lot of other church growth books. Nevertheless, it is written in an engaging style (thanks, presumably, to the literary expertise of the co-author Jennifer Dykes Henson) and it contains most of what you need to know if you subscribe to Searcy's Sunday-event-driven church growth model. If you are more a believer in an emerging church / missional community model, this book is not for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fired up! November 19, 2009

By Alan G. Howe

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been reading many books these past 4 years since spending time with Nelson Searcy in a Coaching Network. What Nelson has done in this book is to organize some of his best ideas, practices and learnings into a coherent and useful tool for those who are trying to figure out how to work in the church in the current environment. I do best when I try to find my top learnings from a book so here are the things that hit me the most in this read.
There is plenty here to keep you thinking and doing for quite a while if you put what you find most challenging into practice in your context.
1. I was struck by the Easter survey. To get a test of where people are in their spiritual journey - follower, 1st. time commitment, considering and don't believe. P. 148 What a great way to know if you are connecting people to Christ or not.
2. The follow up process for new believers - knowing myself what I would want them to do in 1st. hour, day, week, month is a great possibility for following up with people who take the first step. p 156
3. "Next steps for Your Journey" read and should devise my own plan (or use much of this one) p. 155 This piece is one of the benefits of buying the book and going to the book's website. more info for free!
4. Jason Eason's 6000 minutes of prayer - just saying things in this way is an awesome thing. I could adapt for our people 2000 minutes of prayer for an event. P.154 It sounds bigger and it is powerful.
5. When the Spirit of God prompts someone to attend church for the first time or for the first time in a long long time what will make them think of us? p 131 Have they seen or heard from us 7 times?... This book made me think if what my church is doing to be on the minds of people in the community for that time when they decide it is time to cross the church door threshold in some way.
6. Are we risking enough to put it all on the line to reach people for Jesus Christ? Most of the UMC is not into risk. Are we at our church taking risks for the Kingdom work? p. 125
7. Empower people by expecting and challenging them to give their best .... AND challenging the Staff to do same. P74 I must be more bold.
8. Most likely to see new people in Feb,, Easter and one month after school begins. Pps. 70, 71 (for us it is also Christmas Eve) I am ramping up for this right now.
9. Pastor's primary role is to keep the evangelism temperature RED HOT! p. 53 which means that the evangelism buck stops with me. Ouch, think I just got burnt.
10. Big day, big Day, big day... do it! And something to offer to help them want to come back again the next week. (Most wars are won in the training of the troops) Read more ›