Customer Reviews

The Passionate Church (Lifeshapes)

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This book presents a balanced form of life for Christians. It talks about the situation today where we have a disoriented and fearful generation without an identity and what we, the church, must do to disciple this generation. The authors presents it through LifeShapes, where shapes are used to help us see and understand what and how to apply these principles.

1. Circle - it talks about the process of repentance (observe, reflect and discuss) on the downward slope of the circle, and believe (plan, account, and act) on the upward slope of the circle).

2. Semi-circle - it talks about the pendulum swing between rest and work. Here presents a very interesting and needful concept that we work from our rest. Man was created on the 6th day, and on the 7th was the rest day, so the first thing that man knew was rest, before work. In this swing, we also vary from pruning vs. growing, and abiding vs. fruitfulness.

3. Triangle - this shows the balanced life where the 3 points of the triangle represent "out" and "in" (for the base) and the 3rd point being "up". We have to reach in, reach out, and reach up. In it, it also represents Mal 6:6 to act justly (out), love mercy (in) and walk humbly with God (up). This model helps us to balance life.

4. Square - this is my favourite section of the book where I personally feel that this portion alone is worth the price of the book. It shows different discipleship styles and the associate leadership styles that should be employed. The 4 sides of the square each represent a part of the life and growth of a disciple, ministry or church.

a. D1 - Confident and Incompetant / L1 - Directive

b. D2 - Unenthusiastic and Incompetant / L2 - Visionary/Coach

c. D3 - Growing Confidence / L3 - Pastoral Consensus

d. D4 - The end is in sight / L4 - Delegation

This section also helps you evaluate where you are and show a pathway to where you should head for next.

5. Pentagon - this section talks about the 5 fold ministry of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher, and has test at the back of the book to help you see where your ministry gifting lies. I did that test and found it to be accurate for my life.

6. Hexagon - this section uses the Lord's prayer to show the 6 portion to that prayer, i.e. (i) The Father's Character, (ii) The Father's Kingdom, (iii) The Father's Provision, (iv) The Father's Forgiveness, (v) The Father's Guidance, and (vi) The Father's Protection.

7. Heptagon - this section explains the 7 principles to a vital life and is acronymed MRS GREN (Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, and Nutrition).

8. Octagon - the octagon talks about living a mission-minded life representated with 8 P's beginning from a (i) man of peace, (ii) God's presence, (iii) passing relationships, (iv) permanant relationships, (v) proclamation, (vi) preparation, (vii) power, and (viii) perception.

This book has answered one of the big questions for me in working with many people who are post-literate (can read, but don't): How do we develop a simple, reproducible approach to discipleship, one that connects with a visual culture?

I believe that Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad have done exactly this. The LifeShapes are simple, memorable, and can be easily reproduced on the back of a napkin. I have started using the shapes in one-on-one discipling, and found that people not only quickly grasp the material, but that they can also quickly teach it to others. The shapes are easy "memory pegs."

Some of the shapes are less helpful than others. The heptagon (practicing the principles of a vital life) and the octagon (living a life of outreach) are definitely weaker in content than the other shapes. But the circle, semi-circle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, and square are all very strong.

One theological note: the authors' take on Ephesians 4 is each believer has one of the five gifts/roles mentioned (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher) in the text. This is different than the traditional view that these are equipping gifts given to church leaders. The biblical text allows the author's view; they just build a stronger case on this than I would.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. We plan to adopt it as a discipling model in our new church plant. Companion resources (journal, DVD-based small group curriculum) are on the way, but the concepts are simple enough that these look more like a way to generate income for the publisher. My fear is that churches could easily turn LifeShapes into a program rather than a simple, biblical and reproducible approach to discipling.

Rev. Mike Breen has delivered a very timely book to help those of us who are struggling to move from the inherited church of the 20th century to the emerging church of the 21st century. This is NOT a "10 steps to church growth" type book. It does not communicate a program of any kind. This book helps us church leaders understand the difference between "doing" church and "being" the church. Life Shapes is a tool for inviting people to live into the Kingdom of Heaven, which Jesus says is "at hand". I've ordered some for my entire staff and can't wait to apply these principles in our church setting.

There is always the danger in the church that we teach salvation is by grace, but that discipleship and growth depend on our hard-work, plans, strivings and strategies. Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad return our focus to how Jesus made disciples and how he equipped them to, in turn, go and make other disciples, dependent upon God's grace and initiative. This book provides simple-yet-powerful tools to embed and infuse biblical principles of 'disciple making' into the daily walk of all believers. If, as a church leader, you long to see your congregation go deeper as Christ's disciples and are willing to release them into being church to those around them, this book is for you.

In May 2004 I visited Sheffield, England with a handful of church leaders led by Dr. Kent Hunter and organized through the Church Growth Center, based on Walt Kallestad's recommendation. Over dinner in an English pub, Mike Breen and his wife explained the Lifeshapes concept and a bit of the local church history. I was preparing to launch a new mission congregation and I was sure that I wanted to incorporate much of the model that Mike had developed. I came home with passion and a folder full of notes, but I lacked some key pieces for explaining the model to others. This book (and the Passionate Life companion book) are the requisite tools to make this model accessible to the innumerable churches in desperate need of a new way to function healthily. Plus, you save the cost of transatlantic airfare!

Thank you Mike and Walt (and Kent)!

Mike Breen came and spoke at our Church a few years ago. Our church is a House Church/Cell Church based church in Oklahoma City. This book sums up much of what he shared.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in House Churchs or those that are interested in stripping The Church down to its bare essentials and moving forward.

As far as the shapes are concerned, they are simple to understand but are profound and enriching in practice.