Renovation of the Church: What Happens When a Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual Formation [Paperback]

Kent Carlson (Author), Mike Lueken (Author), Dallas Willard (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2011

2012 Book Award winner!

2011 Top Book of the Year!

Copastors Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken tell the story of how God took their thriving, consumer-oriented church and transformed it into a modest congregation of unformed believers committed to the growth of the spirit--even when it meant a decline in numbers.

As Kent and Mike found out, a decade of major change is not easy on a church. Oak Hills Church, from the pastoral staff to the congregation, had to confront addiction to personal ambition, resist consumerism and reorient their lives around the teachings of Jesus. Their renewed focus on spiritual formation over numerical growth triggered major changes in the content of their sermons, the tenor of their worship services, and the reason for their outreach. They lost members.

But the health and spiritual depth of their church today is a testimony of God's transforming work and enduring faithfulness to the people he loves.

Honest and humble, this is Kent and Mike's story of a church they love, written to inspire and challenge other churches to let God rewrite their stories as well. Read it for the church you love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I do not know of a church that has more thoroughly applied what Renovaré cares about to an entire congregation than Oak Hills Church in Folsom, California. Read this book to help your church catalyze the kingdom life of God that is within us and between us." (Lyle Smith Graybeal, coordinator, Renovaré USA)

"The honest story of two courageous pastors who dared to change the ethos of their church from a membership focus to a discipleship focus, from catering to consumers to creating Christ-followers. Their story will inspire you." (James Bryan Smith, author of The Good and Beautiful God)

"Bold, courageous, humorous and refreshingly honest! Carlson and Lueken invite us into a journey that few churches would ever attempt--shifting their church from a 'consumer driven' church model to a 'disciple-making' church model (a novel idea!). Renovation of the Church is a must-read for every pastor, church leader or seminarian who longs to see the church fulfill the heart of its mission!" (Keith J. Matthews, professor, Graduate School of Theology, Azusa Pacific University)

"This book is a breath of fresh air that brings with it the aroma of hope--hope that maybe, just maybe, there's a different way to do this thing we call church. But more than just a different way, Mike and Kent began with a different desire--a desire to be part of a community of faith that was characterized by something beyond success, a community that would actually begin to resemble the character and fragrance of Christ. Their journey toward fulfilling that desire has been a long and difficult one--costly too! But if you're like me, you'll find it full . . . of hope." (David Johnson, senior pastor, Church of the Open Door)

"The release of Renovation of the Church is a bright day for the church. Carlson and Lueken offer a wonderfully candid, bold book about the journey of a church that stopped appealing to religious consumers and started producing disciples of Jesus." (Gary W. Moon, executive director of the Renovaré Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation)

"The Western church desperately needs conversations around what local church activities look like in light of the gospel of the kingdom: pastoring, outreach, worship, teaching and forming people spiritually. Kent and Mike have done the hard work of thinking about and living these things, helping the rest of us know where to start and what to do." (Jan Johnson, author of Spiritual Disciplines Companion and Invitation to the Jesus Life)

"Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken love the church--not an abstract one, but the one that meets: here and there, down on the corner, or in a warehouse. They love their church. . . . Please read this book and creatively apply it to your situation, with The Teacher beside you. You don't need more money or new facilities. Just begin where you are and all else will take care of itself. No, God will take care of it." (From the foreword by Dallas Willard)

Product Details

• Paperback: 185 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (April 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830835466
• ISBN-13: 978-0830835461
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Renovation Can Happen In Your Church Too May 19, 2011

By Keith Meyer

Format:Paperback

Hey...okay, so I have known these guys for a while.

And they are the real deal - their story is one that will give you hope in the midst of the big pile of books out there today suggesting what might grow "your" church - so this book is not another "how to" but a faithful witness to what happens when a church team asks Jesus, not current religious culture, to be their teacher. And that same renovation can happen to your church too.

I first heard their story as part of a small group of church leadership teams that had been directly influenced by Dallas Willard and his teaching. Along with Kent and Mike's team, we were privileged to have Dallas with us in these meetings over several years and the story in this book is a invitation for your team to embark on that same journey. Although their journey is from a "Seeker" church beginning, our group of churches came from many different beginnings: "Recovery" church, "Traditional mainline", "Inner city-Justice", "Emergent" and "Bible" church types...and as this book will attest - without Jesus as teacher, and our church's "brand" as the attraction - church becomes more an extension of our egos and not so much Christ's Kingdom.

So no matter what kind of church you have, Mike and Kent's story is a map that leads any church from any background to the ONE CENTER of transformation in Jesus and life together in the Kingdom.

This book's account is important because it shows that there is a cost to intentional corporate discipleship and it is not about reading a few books by Dallas Willard or a formation sermon series or hiring a staff member to "do spiritual formation" for the church in a boutique program for a few.... This book will show you what such a endeavor involves - a repentance or change of mind about everything the church is supposed to be about - God's Kingdom, not ours. But you will also find helpful examples of how God led them to invite their people into the life God was calling them to live together in their programs too - from how they did worship to sermons to small groups and even their leadership roles.

Mike and Kent's account is essential reading for any church or staff that would attempt such a renovation...which means you need to be willing to "lose one kind of corporate life together for another one" and be ready to admit your failures along the way and thank God for what succeeds. And that losing... of one corporate life for another, may and most likely will mean... 1) losing some people (this seems to happen and did to John the Baptist and Jesus, when people finally realize what such a life will cost) and 2) making some mistakes that reflect your own stumbling towards formation. But Kent and Mike's story and that of Oak Hills as well as other churches crazy enough to trust God and follow Him into his Kingdom dream for the church and the world is not so crazy once you live it.

It is life as God meant it to be and once you start on this journey, you can't go back. Thanks Mike and Kent for taking the trouble and time to write up what God has done in you and through you and your church.

This review was unsolicited by IVP or the authors,
Keith Meyer

(for more help in what it looks like for Jesus to be your church's teacher, see two books: The Kingdom Life: A Practical Theology of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation and Whole Life Transformation: Becoming the Change Your Church Needs) Read more ›

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Confusing, at Best December 17, 2011

By Benjamin A. Simpson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken desire to lead a church where people are becoming like Jesus. As co-pastors of Oak Hills Church in Folsom, California, Mr. Lueken and Mr. Carlson have been on a journey. After founding Oak Hills in 1984, Mr. Carlson adopted many of the principles of Willow Creek in leading his church to become a growing, seeker-sensitive congregation. But over time, Mr. Carlson and his staff began to become uncomfortable with the witness, methodology, and philosophy of ministry that prevailed at their church. A change was needed. Rather than being consumer driven and seeker oriented, the leadership felt called to be Kingdom driven and discipleship oriented, and as a result of this new vision, everything changed. The authors describe this as a transition to making "spiritual formation", rather than numerical growth, their primary orientation.

And while this may sound inspiring, this reshaping of vision came with a cost. Mr. Carlson and Mr. Lueken recast worship, abandoned the "show", and watched the church dwindle numerically. After being held up as a beacon of success as a Willow Creek style congregation, the bright perception that came with high numbers began to dim. Mr. Lueken and Mr. Carlson tell their story in this book of making a radical shift in philosophy of ministry--one that they believe in--and invite other leaders to reconsider their models, their language, their discourse, and their method for making disciples of Jesus Christ.

As a leadership tale, this sounds good.

But then why three stars? This may strike some as odd. Why would you assign a book a three star rating if the book is confusing, at best?

Simple. This book contains very high highs and very low lows.... And as both take root, the ensuing result is a mudding of the waters. Christianity, being a deep well, contains a rich, nourishing tradition that delivers salvation, nurtures the soul, and fosters union with God. The church is called to present the water contained within that deep well, the Water of Life, Jesus Christ himself, in a manner that is compelling and clear and faithful to the biblical witness. I contend that Mr. Carlson and Mr. Lueken, while well intentioned, do not describe a church that accomplishes this aim. The gospel of the Kingdom, which they strive to announce, is muddled and unclear. The switch from consumer, seeker sensitive church to contemplative, spiritual formation church is strange. And the tale of their move from a numerically thriving church to a church with dwindling attendance and paring back to establish a culture that better forms people to actually follow Jesus is puzzling--in many aspects I found it to be more tragic than heroic--and this is not because I do not agree with the aim of helping people to follow Jesus, it is because of the method employed to get there. I found myself wondering if there was any other way to move the church from here to there without crushing the spirit of so many people, without altering worship so radically as to drive so many people away, and without having to rail against the congregation for their consumer mentality in such forthright and grating ways. Is slowness not an aspect of spiritual formation and growth? Is patience not a primary Christian virtue?

I offer two additional critiques.

First, in this book Mr. Lueken and Mr. Carlson fail to make clear distinctions between "the church" and "the staff and elders" when they tell their tale of change. In describing their reorientation of the church around notions of Kingdom and spiritual formation, they should be saying, "the staff and elders". If the church was truly moving that direction, then they would not have lost so many members upon making their shift. This is a top down change, not a bottom up change, and should be read as such.

Secondly, it is disturbing to read Mr. Carlson and Mr. Lueken describe the loss of clarity that "spiritual formation" brought to the church concerning how to invite others to participate in the life of the church, and to come a saving faith in Jesus Christ. In critiquing consumer driven gospel proclamations, they offer no alternative that can be grasped and taught to others. In my view, they have no gospel. They have Jesus as moral example, as spiritual teacher, and giver of life, but they do not have a concise and transmittable piece of "good news".

I am passionate about spiritual formation. I am passionate about the Kingdom of God. I am also passionate about seeing persons who do not believe Christianity is true discover that it is reasonable, compelling, and persuasive, and that the gospel announcement of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection contains the power to awaken the soul to a converting and transformative faith. The gospel--the announcement of the present Kingdom as evidenced in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ--itself is spiritually forming. It is the beginning of a new work. And the church is the crucible wherein the transformative results of that news are brought to bear on the life of the disciple, who is then commissioned both to go forth and serve as one changed, as well as to announce that same news that radically altered their own life.

This book is important and valuable. But I do not think Mr. Carlson and Mr. Lueken have provided a model to follow. I do believe they have given us a conversation piece. They have given us an example of a church that has attempted to be serious about discipleship and thoughtful regarding our cultural situation, rooted as we are in consumer America.

Read it, debate it, and learn from it. Just don't treat it as a gospel of the definite new way of being church. Otherwise, you will have swung the pendulum too far. Read more ›

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars timely, transparent, and transformational April 28, 2011

By Jeffrey Borden VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This book showed up on my radar a few weeks back with an advanced reading copy (bound transcript form) from InterVarsity Press. At the time I had quite a few books that were on my "to read" least that preceded Renovation of the Church, so I skimmed it, made a few notes, and put it aside for later reading.

One of the reasons that I have "quite a few books" on my reading list is the season of my spiritual journey. The past couple of years have been rather intense with the direction that I have sensed God leading me, and my quest for answers and guidance has resulted in much reading, listening, and prayerful contemplation. Skimming through Renovation gave me the impression that I had already gleaned the information that it offered to me. That was presumptuous of me.

A couple days ago I saw a brief review on a popular blogsite I frequent of Carlson and Lueken's book and was reminded of my transcript copy. I went to my bookshelf and retrieved the book with the intentions of reading the highlighted chapters noted in the review. Coincidentally, a few hours later this same day, a fully edited copy of Renovation of the Church arrived on my doorstep for review. I thought; "Maybe I should read the whole book." I sat down this morning and read Renovation from cover to cover.
To say that this book was a timely read for me would be an understatement. As I mentioned earlier, I have been on a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts for the past couple of years (I am a pastor) trying to redefine the ministry of helping to "make disciples" as Jesus has instructed us.... I resigned from my pastoral position almost a year ago because of a sense of disconnect over issues of spiritual formation in my local church setting; the subtitle of Renovation of the Church is "What happens when a seeker church discovers spiritual formation." It was with this frame of mind that I sat down read the book.

The first few chapters of the book provide some needed back-story, but transitions quickly to the meat of the story and the mission shift of Oak Hills Church. I found my own journey intersecting with the journeys of the authors repeatedly and received affirmation and encouragement in the direction and path I have taken in the past year or so. I needed this book.

I was also very encouraged with the transparency of the retelling of the Oak Hills transformation. The impression I got of the authors was one of humility and genuine love for the Church. I appreciated the honesty in the stories shared. Significant challenges were discussed and reviewed from a "real-time" perspective as well as reflective assessment. These challenges were the transition process itself, rethinking the gospel, and some of the logistical and organizational difficulties encountered in the existing structures and programs. Chapters nine through eleven discussed and shared some of the implementation and tangible practices the Oak Hills community experienced in pursuing their transformation from an attractional model church to a formational-missional community. These experiences were very insightful to me and will prove themselves to be invaluable I am sure. The final chapter, twelve, was a reflection of mistakes and "what we might have done better" review. This might be one of the most beneficial and humble expressions in the book. I found myself becoming convicted and exposed for making some of the same mistakes in dealing with people and transitional situations. I am hopeful that my heart might be healed and humbled to the same degree that I sense has occurred with the authors, Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken. I am thankful for the Oak Hills Church and their pastors for sharing this story. I am also thankful for the providence of being offered this book for review from the publicity department of IVP. This is an important book for the church in America at this moment. I am hopeful she will have ears to hear. My recommendation: a must read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Intervarsity Press to read and post a review on my site. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." Read more ›