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Power Surge: Six Marks of Discipleship for a Changing Church

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It was especially meaningful to note that this book was written by a Lutheran pastor. Power Surge is nothing less than a down-to-earth primer on how to go about becoming the kind of church Jesus had in mind. As a lifelong Lutheran who has found it difficult to watch his denomination in continual decline, Mike Foss' book provides a heartfelt glimmer of hope. It may not be too late for the mainline Protestant churches after all.

Power Surge discusses the church's decline, describes where we've been and explains why the old church membership model was doomed to fall short. Based on the practical, successful pastoral and discipleship experiences of the author, Power Surge outlines a dynamic and Biblical discipleship paradigm for the church. The essential aspects of leadership are explained, and the marks of individual and corporate discipleship are revealed and supported.

Power Surge moves beyond the theoretical, focusing on how to implement this fundamental shift within the life of a congregation, including the challenges and pitfalls to be encountered along the way.

In addition to presenting a needed discipleship vision for the church, each chapter provides questions for prayerful reflection. Power Surge works to renew the discipleship of each individual reader as well as each congregation.

A must read for every church leader!

In a nutshell: Ever since the church received state sanction under the Emperor Constantine, Westerners became members largely because they were citizens in a Christian society. As Western civilization grew, so did the church. This membership mindset, according to Foss, is no longer viable in our post-Christian society. No longer does the church enjoy state, or even social sanction. And today, membership in organizations implies dues-paying for the purpose of receiving a benefit at best, and passivity at worst. Foss' answer is to replace our membership mindset with a discipleship mindset. While membership churches will lose steam in the decades ahead, discipleship churches will thrive. Foss then shares six marks he believes are central to discipleship.

This book is excellent because Foss puts clear words to the feelings that many of us have in our gut. I am using his book as the basis for a challenging Lenten sermon series in my congregation. My opening statement, "What if tomorrow we abolished the concept of membership at our church?" grabbed their attention and it has been held ever since. A large percentage of my congregation has purchased this book and is now reading it during our Lenten journey. I have received tons of positive feedback, and there is now a visible surge of passion for our congregation's future!

This is a very insitefull book that discuses the realities of membership vs discipleship from all angles from the pulpit to the door! It not only raises the issues but it gives both logical and spiritual recomendations on how to address them. I feel blessed and relieved after reading this book.

Michael Foss has the unique ability to communicate the scope and sequence of church growth principles effectively. A must read book for pastors and lay leaders.

Great book with concrete suggestions for turning church members into disciples. Definitely worth owning as a pastor or lay person.

Discipleship - what the church has been missing for way too many years. Pastor Foss does a great job outlining what Discipleship is about and gives a great example of how one church can remember and live Christian Discipleship. I think the key from this book is rediscovering Discipleship and then creatively teaching Discipleship in one's own ministry.

Rev. Foss critiques traditional congregations for not changing to fit our changing culture.

Foss contends that congregations can have a "power surge", that is, multiply the amount of ministry occurring, if they are restructured so that lay people have the power to get things done without having to attend endless board meetings. Pastors can not do most of the ministry. Instead, they must inspire their lay members to do ministry so that ministry can multiply.

While most pastors will agree that lay people should be serving their fellow Christians and those outside the church, many lay people see the pastor as the one that they have hired to do the ministry. Convincing lay people to share in the ministry is not as easy as Foss makes it appear in this book. Most of his suggestions could only be implemented by a very charismatic (not necessarily Pentecostal) pastor.

Finally, none of his suggestions will be new to anyone with any familiarity with the Church Growth Movement. If you have never read anything on Church Growth, this is as good a place to start as any.

If you know someone in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, ask him/her for a copy of "Everyone a Minister" by Oscar Feucht. It came out in 1974, contains very similar ideas and there are thousands of old copies filling up church basements.

Very inspiring and instructive for those who are keen on being Christ's followers in the west where the church is under attack from postmodernism.

Power Surge by Mike Foss an ELCA pastor is a way for congregation that is serious about going from a membership model (read entitlement) to a discipleship model. This is not a silver bullet or a quick fix figure a minimum of 5 years.

I'VE PARTIALLY READ THE BOOK ...POWER SURGE:6 MARKS OF DISCIPLESHIP FOR A CHANGING CHURCH....WHAT A POWERFUL BOOK IT KEEPS YOU THINKING AS YOU READ IT....THANK YOU M FOSS FOR SUCH AN INSPIRATIONAL PIECE OF READING