Beyond These Walls: Building the Church in a Built-Out Neighborhood (Innovators in Ministry Series)
Books / Paperback
ISBN: 0687085969 / Publisher: Abingdon Press, July 1999
Most pastors do not serve in rapidly growing communities. On the contrary, most churches are located...
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Most pastors do not serve in rapidly growing communities. On the contrary, most churches are located in neighborhoods where the population is stable. The common pattern for church life in such neighborhoods is stability or decline in membership and commitment. How does a church defeat the cycle of stagnant membership? The answer, says Dunagin, is reaching beyond the walls with bold and innovative programs and ministries that reinvigorate the spiritual life of the congregation and draw in others from around the community. Dunagin's message is simple: Numerical and spiritual stagnation is not inevitable. God's Spirit can and does blow through churches in long-established, stable communities. The task of church leaders is to discern the Spirit's leadership and follow it, even into places they might never have thought of going before.
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