Customer Reviews

Can We Do That? Innovative Practices that will Change the Way You Do Church

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Andy Stanley and Ed Young both pastor mega-churches, so their advice should certainly be considered. I also believe that their hearts are right and I applaud their desire to see people come to Christ and be grounded in the church. That being said, their is a subtle danger laced throughout the book and it is the false assumption that whatever works is good. The ends justify most means. One cannot escape the pragmatism in this book. Pragmatism is fine if decisions are made within the proper biblical framework, but in this case that isn't always the case. In the end, this book fosters a consumer mentality towards the church that results in lots of breadth but not as much depth. There are good practical suggestions, but not much theology, which is sorely needed.

CAN WE DO THAT is a collection of 24 suggestions from Andy Stanley and Ed Young on how to do ministry. The value of the book will be determined by how many of the suggestions could be fit into the structures of the readers' local congregations. Of the 24 practices outlined 7 of them were worth further investigation in my particular congregational sitting at this time. I consider that worth the price of the book.

One word of caution, this book is for pastors and if introduced to a local church should be introduced by the pastor, or at least with the pastor's approval. The ideas are eclectic enough that I foresee the possibility of a group of laity reading a collection of such books and randomly branching out in all directions at the same time. Ministry needs continuity, as this book highlights.

The book is broken down into 4 sections. Section #1 contains 7 suggestions on reaching out to the unchurched. My favorite example from this section is the idea to video tape testimonies for use during baptismal services. Section #2 has 7 ideas on how to minister to persons who come in your doors. This section introduces the highly successful Kidstuf program. Section #3 has 4 ideas for leadership. The idea to begin staff meetings with personal ministry stories from staff members was beneficial to me. Section # 4 rounds out the quartet with 6 ideas on preaching. The discipline of watching yourself preach on tape each week was challenging and I am sure will sharpen my communication skills. Those are only 4 of the 24. Get the book and find out what works for you.

I also liked the independence of Ed Young and Andy Stanley. They do not agree with each other on every point and plainly say so and why. This gives a broader approach. This is a highly pragmatic and useful book.

I believe this book's greatest strenght is its practicality. The Bible gives us wide latitude in the logistics and style of doing ministry and for good reason. Out of that broad latitude flows creativity to meet the needs of a changing culture. The truth does not change, but we must be willing to look at new ideas for communicating that age-old truth. And these two pastors do a great job sharing some proven ideas of what has worked well in their respective churches. Too often the church is so resitant to change that by the time it does change its strategies, it is already a half a century behind. Young and Stanley challenge us to do a better job at staying at the cutting edge of cultural needs.

Often times in church leadership one would find that there is a need for creativity and intentional planning but then the well of ideas would be dry. This book by the writers, Ed and Andy, can inspire any church leader to expand and help the ministry in their care. Its worth a read. This book may also help Sticky Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series)