Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read!, August 7, 2003
Frank Tillapaugh hit a home run with this book. First, he reasons that the church must abandon its fortress mentality and get its people actively involved in ministry to a hurting world. He severely criticizes the church, and rightly so, for its rural middle class mind-set and value system which prevents it from reaching those who need salvation the most. Despite the failure of the church to reach strategic populations, Tillapaugh does not give up on the church as an instrument that God has chosen to reach these population groups for Christ.Although it's strength is in the fact that Tillapaugh is solidly sold on the church as the instrument God has ordained to win the world to Christ. I enjoyed his recommendation that the church not be shy about borrowing from the para-church organizations. Why, he reasons, should we reinvent the wheel? His advice that the church streamline its decision making process is worth the price of the book. Like Bill Hull's Can We Save the Evangelical Church, Tillapaugh sees the strangle hold that bureaucratic red tape has no the church. The slowness (like a mighty glacier moves the church of God!) adds to the public's perception that the church is out of date, and on top of that, it also discourages willing workers. There were a few areas of weakness. Pastoring in a small rural church, I am acutely aware that rural churches are also in need of renewal. Although I realize that he is writing for an urban audience, the same rural traditions that are killing urban churches are strangling our rural churches. Since ninety percent of churches are rural, the church is in danger of extinction unless we can bring renewal to rural churches as well.
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8 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FOCUS OF EACH BELIEVER ON MINISTRY OUTSIDE THE CHURCH., September 30, 1999
By A Customer
FORTRESS MENTALITY CONSENTRATES UPON THE CHURCH BUILDING AND ALL OF ITS INTERNAL PROGRAMS INTENDED TO GET PEOPLE TO COME TO CHURCH. MOST PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH DO NOT FEEL CAPEABLE OF MINISTRING TO ANOTHER, AND THEY DEPEND UPON THE PASTOR TO DO ALL THE WORK OF MINISTRY. RURAL VALUES CLASH WITH URBAN. RURAL ATTITUDE IS STATUS QUO PREVAILS,AND NOT MUCH CHANGES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. IN THE URBAN AREAS. MANY CHANGES OCCUR,AND USUALLY THE POWER STRUCTURE AND MONEY IN CHURCHES ARE CONTROLLED BY THE FEW. THE FORTRESS MENTALITY, RESISTS DIVERSITY,THUS ONLY A CHOICE FEW GET TO MINISTER. THE UNLEASHED CHURCH MINISTERS TO ALL ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY. NEED FOR INTEGRATION OF PARA-CHURCH MINISTRIES INTO THE CHURCH TO WORK AS A TEAM FOR SAKE OF THOSE WHO ARE LOST AND NEEDING CHRIST'S MINISTRY. ALSO, THE UNLEASHED CHURCH NEEDS TO HELP THOSE IN VALUE VACUUMS. THE FORTRESS CHURCH HAS BEEN ON THE DEFENSIVE FOR TOO LONG. THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY ARE GREAT, AND THERE IS A NEED WITHIN THE CHURCH TO KEEP THE STRUCTURE SIMPLE,SO THAT REAL NEEDS DO NOT GET SWAMPED BY RED TAPE. PASTORS AND TEACHERS ARE TO TRAIN THE LAITY TO DO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY(EPH.4:11--12) SPIRIT AND STRUCTURE MUST BE BALANCED. THE SPIRIT OF GOD MUST LEAD THE WAY,WITH STRUCTURE ENABLING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MINISTRY. THE FORTRESS CHURCH WANTS TO KEEP ITS MINISTRY WITHIN THE CHURCH BUILDING,WHEREAS THE UNLEASHED CHURCH IS EAGER TO RELEASE ITS MINISTRY WHEREVER POSSIBLE SUCH AS RESTAURANTS ,HOMES, THEATRES ETC. THEY ARE GOOD VENUES FOR TARGET MINISTRY TO TEENS, ELDERLY OR SINGLES,OR STREETPEOPLE..MOST OF ALL,LOVE MUST PREVAIL,AND A SINCERE DESIRE TO MINISTER TO ALL LEVELS OF SOCIETY,AND BRING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE TO ALL.THE UNLEASHED CHURCH AND ITS PASTORATE MUST ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LEAD,AND THEY MUST ALWAYS STAY UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES.THE BODY OF CHRIST IS MADE UP OF BLOODWASHED INDIVIDUALS,WITH EACH PERSON HAVING A MINISTRY GIFT. I'M GLAD PEOPLE ARE STILL TURNING TO THE CHURCH FOR HEALING. THE UNLEASHED CHURCH IS ONE IN WHICH ALL PEOPLE OF WHATEVER CATEGORY,WHETHER RICH OR POOR, YOUNG OR OLD, SINGLE OR MARRIED, HEALTHY OR UNHEALTHY ,CAN DISCOVER WARMTH OF ACCEPTANCE,AND A LISTENING EAR.TO RECEIVE WISE COUNSEL BASED UPON THE PRINCIPLES THAT CHRIST TAUGHT. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK,HOWEVER THE CHANGES HE ESPOUSES ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE,AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE FORCED UPON CONGREGATIONS. PEOPLE NEED TO CAPTURE THIS VISION FOR THEMSELVES. OH THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO INSTITUTE FRANK TILLAPAUGH'S IDEAS EVERYWHERE.
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by Ray Bakke
by C. Peter Wagner
by Paul David Tripp
