Into the Future: Turning Today's Church Trends Into Tomorrow's Opportunities [Paperback]

Elmer L. Towns (Author), Warren Bird (Author), Leith Anderson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2000

A hands-on workbook that shows what your church will look like in twenty years and how to get there

Your church is ministering in an era of rapid changeif you sit still, youll lose ground. Your congregation must be proactive, turning todays church trends into opportunities for more effective ministry.

Church researchers Elmer Towns and Warren Bird go beyond identifying the major trends impacting most churches today to explore the practical implications for the future. After pinpointing fourteen crucial issues, they walk you through a workable action plan for each. Every chapter bursts with real-life examples taken directly from experts such as Bill Hybels, George Barna, Chuck Colson, Ravi Zacharias, Rick Warren, and Henry Blackaby.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Each chapter is a rich stewpot, chock full of assorted anecdotes, statistics, quotations, lists, and insights, which provide taste-tests of a variety of evangelical authors and thinkers. -- Marshall Shelley, executive editor, Leadership

I love this book because it looks at all the new things God is doing from the new apostolic churches over to traditional mainland churches, and then shows how each of these trends can be applied to traditional churches. -- C. Peter Wagner, Colorado Springs, Colorado

In my judgment this is one of the best books on church health I have seen and I love its practical and biblical emphasis." -- Howard G. Hendricks, Distinguished Professor; Chairman, Center for Christian Leadership; Dallas Theological Seminary, in a letter to Towns on 5/19/00

Into the Future ... deserves our attention. This book is full of insights that will help American churches minister more effectively in the twenty-first century. -- Franklin Graham, president, Samaritans Purse

Some of the most useful church leadership information Ive read in years.... This is a truly marvelous bookI want my whole staff to read it. -- Ted Haggard, senior pastor, New Life Church

This excellent book is a must-read for those who are committed to seeing the church continue its relevancy in this new century. The authors have given us not only their thorough research but also resources that will facilitate healthy discussion. -- Robert H. Schuller, Crystal Cathedral Ministries

Towns and Bird have given a panoramic view of the various ministries God is blessing in the twenty-first century. This is a must-read book for pastors wanting to keep abreast of cutting edge ministries. The brief case studies of fourteen growing and reproducing congregations in the United States and Canada plus the fourteen expert commentators make this book a top-shelf resource for growth-oriented pastors and church leaders. -- Dr. Ray Ellis, senior pastor, Willow Vale Community Church; president, American Society for Church Growth 1999-2000

About the Author

Elmer Towns is dean of Liberty School of Religion in Lynchburg, Virginia, and has written more than fifty books. He is a recognized authority on church growth and church health. Warren Bird has written books with several pacesetting church leaders, including Carl George and Dale Galloway.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800757254
• ISBN-13: 978-0800757250
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,572,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)