Visiting in an Age of Mission: A Handbook for Person-to-Person Ministry (Paperback)

by Kennon L. Callahan (Author) "Welcome. God has given us one of the richest ages for mission the Christian movement has ever seen..." (more)
Key Phrases: occasional worshipers, visiting outreach, solid marathon runners, Christmas Eve (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A practical guide to the crucial role of visiting in the life of a church--a role that has grown even more important in an age when so many do not regularly attAnd church services. Presented here are 14 different forms of visiting, to reach both within the church congregation and in the community at large.

From the Publisher
A comprehensive guide to an essential characteristic of an effective church: people-to-people contact with the community beyond the church's walls. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787938688
• ISBN-13: 978-0787938680
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #922,633 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visiting in an Age of Mission, March 30, 2000

By	Jonathan Chute (Rolling Hills Estates, California) - See all my reviews

Kennon Callahan is the most helpful consultant in the area of mission growth for churches. This introduction to visiting tackles an uncomfortable subject for many church people, and offers a number of nonthreatening, helpful ways to meet and serve people in the community. It would be especially helpful with pastors, membership/evangelism/outreach committees, and visiting teams. Callahan helps visiting to seem like something fun you've always wanted to do, rather than something dreadful you feel you have to do anyway. Enjoy!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Introduction to Visitation Ministry, September 13, 2007

By	Matthew Gunia (Justice, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kennon Callahan, a consultant for local parishes and author of many church-leadership books, provides guide to visitation in "Visiting in an Age of Mission," although the book is more accurately described by the subtitle, "A Handbook for Person-to-Person Ministry."

Having, in his previous book, "12 Keys for an Effective Church" identified effective visitation as the #2 most important characteristic of an effective church (clearly defined and lived-out mission is number one), Callahan provides helpful advice and motivation for making a local congregation more effective.

Callahan argues that effective, purposeful visitation makes a church effective for a number of reasons. Among these are visitation's increase the local population's awareness of the congregation, its tendency to cause neighbors to have a positive view of the congregation, its ability to connect the pastor with the hurts and hopes of people inside and outside his congregation, the fact that it forces the congregation to be externally focused as opposed to bogged down with internal institutional maintenance, and it reduces bickering within a congregation.

Because a congregation benefits so greatly from visitation and because each congregation is unique in its size, location, membership, and personality, Callahan provides simple, easily adaptable advice. He continually emphasizes creative solutions, building on congregational strengths, and personal relationships (as opposed to coldly advertising an institution). He also builds upon his experience as a church consultant to warn the reader of common pitfalls such as beginning a program that's so big that it leads to quick burn-out and refusing to give breaks to those who are effective visitors. In all this, Callahan maintains an upbeat, encouraging tone.

Two aspects of "Visiting in an Age of Mission" this reader finds especially helpful are Callahan's categorization of various types of visitees and his breakdown of types of personal visits. Personal visits may include, but does not necessarily require a face-to-face visit at the home of another person. Callahan encourages this type of visit, but also encourages the reader to send short letters or make quick, friendly phone calls, all with an emphasis on relationship building. His categorization of types of visitees not only encourages the reader to think of person he would not normally consider visiting, but Callahan also advises the reader as to how difficult these various persons might be to visit.

One problem this reader has with Callahan's book is the order in which the various chapters are presented. He begins with an analysis of whom to visit; followed by how visitation works; effective timing; a strength analysis of the church member visiting, and finally the Church's motivation for visiting. While I understand that Callahan structured this book as he did in order to place a heavy emphasis on the person-to-person contact (not the rationale behind it), the books does not "flow" in the way other books of this genre do.

In all, Callahan does provide a thoughtful and easily adaptable introduction to visiting. Any pastor or lay person would do well to read it, meditate on it, and take his advice to heart.