From the Inside Flap
"I am sick of fragmentation. How about you? The one community that should understand wholeness—and explore it, embrace it, luxuriate in it, model it, enhance it, promote it—is the church."
—Mel Lawrenz
In this timely book Mel Lawrenz—pastor of one of the most innovative churches in America—outlines his proven model for "whole church/whole ministry." Church leaders and congregants can embrace this model to reinvigorate their mission by engaging with God, each other, their community, and the world. A "whole church" means that a local congregation believes it is called to the whole purpose of God in and through the church, rather than some narrowly defined specialization.
As Lawrenz explains, all too often the church talks about God's great provisions (grace, salvation, mercy), but they are not applied in real and practical ways in people's lives. As a result many Christians have become disengaged. Step by step, Lawrenz shows how to apply the four types of engagement that will integrate a church:
Engage with God—expand the life of worship and personal devotion
Engage with God's people—through small groups and other means
Engage with your community—become involved in meeting social needs
Engage with the world—develop an awareness and involvement in global mission
The dynamic whole church model is not merely a list of functions or stages of growth. It offers practical, down-to-earth ways to connect the church to its true mission and purpose.
From the Back Cover
Praise for Whole Church
"Mel is a thoughtful analyst of church life today. Best of all—he actually does what he writes about. This book can lead to new levels of engagement for your church."
—John Ortberg, author and pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
"Mel Lawrenz's vision of a local church that actually reflects the wholeness and beauty of God as it engages with the Lord, one another, and the community is a much-needed call back to God's original Plan A – a plan that has too often been cast aside in the name of specialization, church growth, and expediency."
—Larry Osborne, North Coast Church, and author, Sticky Church and Spirituality for the Rest of Us
"Wow! This book is for every Christian leader who wants to move their church from a narrow self-focus to active engagement in the world with all the resources and possibilities of heaven."
—Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church
"While Mel Lawrenz's 'four kinds of engagement' aims at congregational application, it also creates a template that individual Jesus-followers can use for self-evaluation of what it means to be the church today. The final 'dynamics' section is worth the price of admission for church leaders."
—Reggie McNeal, author, The Present Future and Missional Renaissance
"Having known Mel Lawrenz for thirty-five years in various capacities as student, intern, colleague, and eventual successor as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church, I can testify to his keen mind, his profound respect for and knowledge of history, his forward-looking curiosity, and his undoubted communication gifts. Add all these to his many years as a seasoned practitioner of church ministry, and the result is this very helpful book, Whole Church."
—Stuart Briscoe, author, Flowing Streams and broadcaster, Telling the Truth
