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Outgrowing the Ingrown Church
This is a book for pacesetters -- church leaders who desire to help their churches break free of the things that turn them in on themselves and keep them from being outward-looking and outward-moving communities of Jesus Christ. The ingrown church is a common phenomenon. It is the "norm" for contemporary evangelical and Protestant churches. But ingrownness is a pathology. It can destroy the vital spiritual health of a church. It must, therefore, be combated with the norms of Scripture. And that is why this book was written. Outgrowing the Ingrown Church is a masterful mix of biblical principle, objective analysis, and personal experience. It traces the author's own growing awareness of the problem of ingrownness in his calling as a pastor, seminary professor, and evangelist/missionary. In his own discovery of the power and presence of God he discovered the tendency of the church to live by its own power and resources. This is a book written to help change churches by changing the individuals who read it. It offers one an unparalleled challenge to be evaluated, revitalized, and then used by God for the work of ministry. Thus it is a book not merely for pastors, but for the whole body of Christ. "I have never been as excited about any book concerning church growth as when I read this book . . . . (His biblical) principles, if followed, transform individual lives and then lead to a movement within a church to change the whole congregation," writes John Guest in the foreword.
176 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 1986
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243 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 9, 2023
Written in the 80’s, but feels like it could have been written yesterday.
July 30, 2022
This is a brilliant book on how a church should be led. The author encourages us to be full of the gospel, good doctrine, faith, prayer, evangelism, social actions, and ultimately, be risk takers. Calling for complete obedience and humility, this is a daring and dangerous book!
December 31, 2011
Very dated. Felt like I was in the middle of all the exciting church discussions in the 80's. But some helpful, practical, and inspiring advice and stories throughout.
July 28, 2009
Diagnosis: excellent. Prognosis: okay
February 23, 2020
Jack Miller’s Outgrowing the Ingrown Church is a book that I think every Christian can benefit from reading, but I would especially recommend it to pastors or other ministry workers. In it, Miller applies biblical principles to the problem of churches that are “introverted”, not in the personality sense, but in the strictly inward-looking and ignoring the outsider sense. The tools that Miller prescribes are simple: repentance, prayer and hospitality. The pastor as a pacesetter must lead by example by repenting of his lack of faith that God will build His church.
~
In ministry, it is way too easy for pastors and church members to spend all of our time devoting ourselves to the maintenance of church structures. Miller’s encouragement to those who are in that position is to go back to the gospel and recount the grace that God has shown each one of us in salvation, and to have God’s glory as our motivation as we help one another grow in the faith and draw those who are far off into the family of God. He gets extremely practical and sets a high standard for pastors, that requires them to depend not on their own gifts and abilities, but the power of the Holy Spirit to live up to all that God requires of His undershepherds in Scripture (1 Tim 3:1-7).
~
What I really love about this book is how Miller sneaks in autobiographical anecdotes on how he has applied the disciplines of prayer, hospitality and repentance in the church that he pastors. He tells the story about how he killed the church’s prayer meeting, and how God resurrected it. Miller isn’t the hero in his stories, God is, and I deeply admire the way that he constantly reminds the reader of their own need for grace.
~
If you’re looking for a brand-new book on church growth strategies, this isn’t what you’re looking for. But if you need a shot of inspiration in your local church context, I think you would appreciate this book!
March 30, 2024
This is a helpful and practical book regarding pacesetting leadership in developing a Church ministry which is actively pursuing the fulfillment of the Great Commission. I highly recommend this book, and have studied it with the leadership of the Church I am serving.
February 18, 2017
In my Top #3 on Practical Ecclesiology. Great insights here.
October 20, 2019
There are moments when this book reminds me of reading a spiritual classic. It is surprising for its emphasis on repentance, on prayer, on being committed to preaching and meditating on God’s word. It is quite a fervent book. There was a time in my life when I would not have given a book like this a second glance, mostly because it is a book about wanting more. That is no longer the case. I have been forced to read the literature written for pastors, after years of attending seminary, at last, because I find myself in a difficult pastoral situation. I still wish it were more challenging reading, but I understand better why they don’t want to make it very challenging: that literature is aimed at situations that are already challenging.
This book, from what I gather mostly indirectly, is a book with a reputation in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Its author used to be part of it, and moved away as he outgrew what he calls the ingrown church, and on top of that was quite successful; so one can see there would be feelings. I wonder also if this is the reason you see literature praising the ordinary, as another form of resistance.
The OPC, if I may point this out, preserves a peculiar, old disagreement. It was that which according to Darryl Hart originally split the few Presbyterians in the Colonies from 1741-1758. That is the controversy between the new side and those who resisted them, the old. The tension centered on the phenomenon of the Great Awakening, of which the new side were approving and the old side suspicious. One of the things that American Presbyterians achieved in 1729 was the Adopting Act, which was a settlement about confessional subscription and church polity. It regulated Presbyterian church life, providing a directory for worship, discipline and church government, achieving a new uniformity.
The Great Awakening in many ways was a change in decorum, and this discomfited some—and scholarly inquiry and reevaluation of all this interests me. The OPC has, it seems to me—though I’ve only been in it at the lowest level, as a member of two local congregations—preserved that suspicion of the Great Awakening (Darryl Hart would I think quite willingly raise his hand at this point, if asked). But it also has moderates, those who think the emphasis on order and the ordinary is a good servant but a bad master. From what I understand, these are quiet readers and admirers in many cases of this book.
There is a lot of Whitefield in this book. There is a surprising lot of Spurgeon. Those are seem to be the outsized influences: Experimental Calvinism, and not of a particularly Presbyterian variety. This book is actually experimental Calvinism from 1986, influenced by Edmund Clowney, and does not seem to be aware of the distinction that Iain Murray makes between the two Great Awakenings, between revival and revivalism. It has interesting anecdotes that describe altar calls, testimony times, and even a quite maudlin appeal from a pastor to a congregation that is an embarrassment to its argument. It is decidedly of the new side and even goes so far that in some of its citations and examples the New School emerges.
With the added corrective that Iain Murray elsewhere offered long after this book was published, however, I think the book would reflect a position amenable to most conservative, Calvinistic evangelicalis. The argument it makes is at heart an appeal to Scripture. I still wonder, because of my natural sympathy for the old side, whether it is a full enough appeal—but that is always going to be the concern of the more confessional edge of the spectrum. But it argues that evangelism doesn’t require programs and gimmicks; that it requires clarity about what the Gospel truly is, consistency in proclaiming it, faith in its power, prayer and earnest longing for its triumph, and hospitality and sacrifice for its spread. It is hard to object to that.
I suggest you read it. It will read like some of Tozer, it will read like parts of Spurgeon, it will read like Jonathan Edwards, William Law, and Thomas a Kempis. That is what I found remarkable about something written in 1986. And it will read like 1986 at times! Even if only to disagree with, and I am not suggesting that’s the only thing it is good for, but even if only to disagree with, it is worthwhile.
This book, from what I gather mostly indirectly, is a book with a reputation in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Its author used to be part of it, and moved away as he outgrew what he calls the ingrown church, and on top of that was quite successful; so one can see there would be feelings. I wonder also if this is the reason you see literature praising the ordinary, as another form of resistance.
The OPC, if I may point this out, preserves a peculiar, old disagreement. It was that which according to Darryl Hart originally split the few Presbyterians in the Colonies from 1741-1758. That is the controversy between the new side and those who resisted them, the old. The tension centered on the phenomenon of the Great Awakening, of which the new side were approving and the old side suspicious. One of the things that American Presbyterians achieved in 1729 was the Adopting Act, which was a settlement about confessional subscription and church polity. It regulated Presbyterian church life, providing a directory for worship, discipline and church government, achieving a new uniformity.
The Great Awakening in many ways was a change in decorum, and this discomfited some—and scholarly inquiry and reevaluation of all this interests me. The OPC has, it seems to me—though I’ve only been in it at the lowest level, as a member of two local congregations—preserved that suspicion of the Great Awakening (Darryl Hart would I think quite willingly raise his hand at this point, if asked). But it also has moderates, those who think the emphasis on order and the ordinary is a good servant but a bad master. From what I understand, these are quiet readers and admirers in many cases of this book.
There is a lot of Whitefield in this book. There is a surprising lot of Spurgeon. Those are seem to be the outsized influences: Experimental Calvinism, and not of a particularly Presbyterian variety. This book is actually experimental Calvinism from 1986, influenced by Edmund Clowney, and does not seem to be aware of the distinction that Iain Murray makes between the two Great Awakenings, between revival and revivalism. It has interesting anecdotes that describe altar calls, testimony times, and even a quite maudlin appeal from a pastor to a congregation that is an embarrassment to its argument. It is decidedly of the new side and even goes so far that in some of its citations and examples the New School emerges.
With the added corrective that Iain Murray elsewhere offered long after this book was published, however, I think the book would reflect a position amenable to most conservative, Calvinistic evangelicalis. The argument it makes is at heart an appeal to Scripture. I still wonder, because of my natural sympathy for the old side, whether it is a full enough appeal—but that is always going to be the concern of the more confessional edge of the spectrum. But it argues that evangelism doesn’t require programs and gimmicks; that it requires clarity about what the Gospel truly is, consistency in proclaiming it, faith in its power, prayer and earnest longing for its triumph, and hospitality and sacrifice for its spread. It is hard to object to that.
I suggest you read it. It will read like some of Tozer, it will read like parts of Spurgeon, it will read like Jonathan Edwards, William Law, and Thomas a Kempis. That is what I found remarkable about something written in 1986. And it will read like 1986 at times! Even if only to disagree with, and I am not suggesting that’s the only thing it is good for, but even if only to disagree with, it is worthwhile.
December 25, 2013
OUTGROWING THE INGROWN CHURCH
Outgrowing the Ingrown Church is a book for church leaders who are willing to do whatever it takes to see their church thrive in devotion to Christ and his mission. Like many pastors and lay leaders, Miller once reached a point where he was burnt out on the church. After pouring his life into his church for many years he became disgusted with the apparent apathy and love of comfort saturating the church culture. He was particularly discouraged over the lack of fruit and effective witness in his own church. Full of cynicism and despair, Miller resigned his pastorate. Soon after however, he began to be convicted that the primary failure was on his part, not on the part of the church (21). Miller began an extended season of repentance, surrender, and Bible study on the outpouring of the Spirit. In the midst of this time Miller discovered that the power of the Spirit in the life of the believer is connected to ongoing, daily belief in the gospel (23). This truth revolutionized his life, leadership, and his ministry. Miller returned to the pastorate with fresh vision and went on to not only successfully plant and pastor several churches, but also establish the mission agency, World Harvest Mission.
Summary
Outgrowing the Ingrown Church is intended to help the reader become a “pacesetter” for the rest of the church. “Pacesetters are people who motivate an ingrown church to outreach by setting the example of a renewed leadership, people of faith who know God’s will and are willing to make every sacrifice in order to fulfill it” (15). Miller is right in observing that many churches have become immobilized by unbelief. In surrendering to “comfortable religion” these churches have lost touch with the Risen Christ. Miller argues that the majority of local American congregations say “no” to God’s will by simply ignoring it (16). Too often it has become the norm for churches to regularly renew their member’s sense of well being without ever pushing them toward an encounter with the Living God (22). Miller summarizes the threat to the modern congregation as “…its tendency to despair and defeat because it has redirected its faith toward its past or human resources, rather than to the promises of God with their focus on the power of the Spirit to revive us” (24). Furthermore, he suggests that ingrown churches typically share the following characteristics:
1. Tunnel vision that limits potential ministries to those that can be accomplished by the
visible, human resources at hand.
2. A shared sense of group superiority that tends to exaggerate the positive qualities that
they possess.
3. Extreme sensitivity to negative human opinion.
4. A shared desire to be seen as “nice.”
5. A Christian “soap opera culture” characterized by gossip and series of endlessly repeated
conversations.
6. Confusion about leadership roles within the church.
7. Misdirected purpose that focuses on survival rather than growth through conversion of
the lost. (29-36)
Miller’s antidote to the sickness of the ingrown church is the pacesetter–a leader who moves ahead of the pack and sets the example that gets others moving. The pacesetter is a person of faith, empowered by the Spirit, willing to make any sacrifice to fulfill God’s mission. Such an individual, Miller argues, can be used by God to bring new life to a stagnant congregation. Pacesetters are the key to church transformation.
Critical Evaluation
Miller’s pacesetter concept is presented in the first chapter and then the remainder of the book explores how someone fulfilling the pacesetter role should view various aspects of church life. Issues of missionary motive and identity are covered before visiting practical issues like preaching, service, and small groups. One of the more intriguing aspects of the book was reading a Presbyterian pastor and teacher passionately proclaiming the need for Spirit-empowerment. Miller writes about how his turning point came when he recognized “Christ’s willingness to give the Holy Spirit on an ongoing basis to us now, as we in our weakness claim the promises in prayer” (24). The filling of the Spirit is seen to be directly tied to Christ’s mission. Miller focuses on the fact that Christ has become ‘a life-giving Spirit’ (1 Cor. 15:45), a glorified Christ imparting ‘rivers of living water’ (John 7:37-39), ‘an abounding spring of life’ (John 4:10), and an abiding missionary presence ‘to the very end of the age’ (Matt. 28:20) (55-56). To experience renewal and empowerment Miller advises that a church must “…direct their faith toward the promises of God with their focus on the power of the Spirit to revive us” (24). Such a robust view of Spirit’s empowering presence is rare in most evangelical books on church growth. Obviously Pentecostal or Charismatic authors will rarely neglect the theme of Spirit-empowerment, but too often it seems that church growth books heavily focus on human effort while merely giving lip service to the role of the Spirit. Miller passionately presents the need for the presence and power of the Spirit, but at times his approach can seem overly simplistic. Miller testifies that he experienced a dramatic filling and renewal of the Spirit in the midst of a multi-month sabbatical in Spain. One is encouraged by his testimony but ultimately only the Spirit can decide when and where to bring renewal, whether individual or corporate. At the risk of being cynical, one can ponder whether more leaders might not experience Spirit-empowerment and renewal if they too were afforded the opportunity for an extended season of rest, study, and prayer in a foreign country far removed from the demands of ministry and daily life. Along these lines, Miller’s testimony and personal experience might lead some to become impatient or discouraged if they do not experience the same results from their own pacesetting efforts in their local church. To be fair Miller shares both successes and failures, but he doe not devote much attention to the topic of perseverance. He does however provide the leader with four practical steps to renewal:
1. Develop an openness to God’s vision for the local church.
2. Work to develop an honesty about your sins and weaknesses that leads to change.
3. Personalize your relationship with Christ (and be motivated by Christ’s glory).
4. Commit yourself to express God’s glory in every part of your life and service. (72-77)
Interestingly enough, these practical steps resemble those given by Pentecostal or Charismatic churches to those who desire to be baptized (or filled) with the Holy Spirit. Once again, this may seem somewhat surprising considering Miller’s role not only as a Presbyterian pastor, but also his additional role of professor at a conservative Presbyterian seminary.
Another interesting aspect of Miller’s book is his emphasis on small groups. Currently small groups dominate the landscape of the evangelical church, but that was not the case when Miller was writing. Most of Miller’s ministry was done in a time when the congregation was encouraged to meet mid-week at the church for a service or prayer meeting. Yet as Miller began to explore effective programs for mission in the local church, he went back to Whitefield and Wesley and discovered the effectiveness of their small groups. For Wesley in particular small group were an effective way not only to disciple believers, but to mobilize those believers for outreach. Miller cites Wesley’s belief that no Christian should be allowed to think of himself or herself as “a passive observer, a non-worker in the harvest” (165). He recalls how Wesley effectively used “cell ministry” to renew the life-strength and witness of multitudes of people who were poorly paid, poorly housed, and poorly fed (166). For church leaders who feel like they are pulling teeth just to get their members to show up on Sunday, this approach may sound too good to be true! However, Miller follows in Wesley’s footsteps by asserting that small groups can be used to renew the faith of contemporary believers and mobilize them for service and witness. The reader cannot help but wonder to what degree Miller’s “rediscovery” of small groups has contributed to their current prevalence in American churches.
Conclusion
It is hard to imagine a church leader reading Outgrowing the Ingrown Church without being challenged and encouraged. Miller not only paints a picture of what gospel-centered, Spirit-empowered, mission-focused ministry might look, he also casts a compelling vision for how one individual can be used by God to bring about change in a local church. He avoids making the pacesetter role sound like a bed of roses but he also shows why fulfilling this role is worth the cost. Reading this book left me with an increased dissatisfaction for just doing church “like normal.” Instead, as I finished the book I found myself hungry to experience the love and presence of Christ in a way that might compels me to take greater risks for the sake of his mission and also help others do the same.
Outgrowing the Ingrown Church is a book for church leaders who are willing to do whatever it takes to see their church thrive in devotion to Christ and his mission. Like many pastors and lay leaders, Miller once reached a point where he was burnt out on the church. After pouring his life into his church for many years he became disgusted with the apparent apathy and love of comfort saturating the church culture. He was particularly discouraged over the lack of fruit and effective witness in his own church. Full of cynicism and despair, Miller resigned his pastorate. Soon after however, he began to be convicted that the primary failure was on his part, not on the part of the church (21). Miller began an extended season of repentance, surrender, and Bible study on the outpouring of the Spirit. In the midst of this time Miller discovered that the power of the Spirit in the life of the believer is connected to ongoing, daily belief in the gospel (23). This truth revolutionized his life, leadership, and his ministry. Miller returned to the pastorate with fresh vision and went on to not only successfully plant and pastor several churches, but also establish the mission agency, World Harvest Mission.
Summary
Outgrowing the Ingrown Church is intended to help the reader become a “pacesetter” for the rest of the church. “Pacesetters are people who motivate an ingrown church to outreach by setting the example of a renewed leadership, people of faith who know God’s will and are willing to make every sacrifice in order to fulfill it” (15). Miller is right in observing that many churches have become immobilized by unbelief. In surrendering to “comfortable religion” these churches have lost touch with the Risen Christ. Miller argues that the majority of local American congregations say “no” to God’s will by simply ignoring it (16). Too often it has become the norm for churches to regularly renew their member’s sense of well being without ever pushing them toward an encounter with the Living God (22). Miller summarizes the threat to the modern congregation as “…its tendency to despair and defeat because it has redirected its faith toward its past or human resources, rather than to the promises of God with their focus on the power of the Spirit to revive us” (24). Furthermore, he suggests that ingrown churches typically share the following characteristics:
1. Tunnel vision that limits potential ministries to those that can be accomplished by the
visible, human resources at hand.
2. A shared sense of group superiority that tends to exaggerate the positive qualities that
they possess.
3. Extreme sensitivity to negative human opinion.
4. A shared desire to be seen as “nice.”
5. A Christian “soap opera culture” characterized by gossip and series of endlessly repeated
conversations.
6. Confusion about leadership roles within the church.
7. Misdirected purpose that focuses on survival rather than growth through conversion of
the lost. (29-36)
Miller’s antidote to the sickness of the ingrown church is the pacesetter–a leader who moves ahead of the pack and sets the example that gets others moving. The pacesetter is a person of faith, empowered by the Spirit, willing to make any sacrifice to fulfill God’s mission. Such an individual, Miller argues, can be used by God to bring new life to a stagnant congregation. Pacesetters are the key to church transformation.
Critical Evaluation
Miller’s pacesetter concept is presented in the first chapter and then the remainder of the book explores how someone fulfilling the pacesetter role should view various aspects of church life. Issues of missionary motive and identity are covered before visiting practical issues like preaching, service, and small groups. One of the more intriguing aspects of the book was reading a Presbyterian pastor and teacher passionately proclaiming the need for Spirit-empowerment. Miller writes about how his turning point came when he recognized “Christ’s willingness to give the Holy Spirit on an ongoing basis to us now, as we in our weakness claim the promises in prayer” (24). The filling of the Spirit is seen to be directly tied to Christ’s mission. Miller focuses on the fact that Christ has become ‘a life-giving Spirit’ (1 Cor. 15:45), a glorified Christ imparting ‘rivers of living water’ (John 7:37-39), ‘an abounding spring of life’ (John 4:10), and an abiding missionary presence ‘to the very end of the age’ (Matt. 28:20) (55-56). To experience renewal and empowerment Miller advises that a church must “…direct their faith toward the promises of God with their focus on the power of the Spirit to revive us” (24). Such a robust view of Spirit’s empowering presence is rare in most evangelical books on church growth. Obviously Pentecostal or Charismatic authors will rarely neglect the theme of Spirit-empowerment, but too often it seems that church growth books heavily focus on human effort while merely giving lip service to the role of the Spirit. Miller passionately presents the need for the presence and power of the Spirit, but at times his approach can seem overly simplistic. Miller testifies that he experienced a dramatic filling and renewal of the Spirit in the midst of a multi-month sabbatical in Spain. One is encouraged by his testimony but ultimately only the Spirit can decide when and where to bring renewal, whether individual or corporate. At the risk of being cynical, one can ponder whether more leaders might not experience Spirit-empowerment and renewal if they too were afforded the opportunity for an extended season of rest, study, and prayer in a foreign country far removed from the demands of ministry and daily life. Along these lines, Miller’s testimony and personal experience might lead some to become impatient or discouraged if they do not experience the same results from their own pacesetting efforts in their local church. To be fair Miller shares both successes and failures, but he doe not devote much attention to the topic of perseverance. He does however provide the leader with four practical steps to renewal:
1. Develop an openness to God’s vision for the local church.
2. Work to develop an honesty about your sins and weaknesses that leads to change.
3. Personalize your relationship with Christ (and be motivated by Christ’s glory).
4. Commit yourself to express God’s glory in every part of your life and service. (72-77)
Interestingly enough, these practical steps resemble those given by Pentecostal or Charismatic churches to those who desire to be baptized (or filled) with the Holy Spirit. Once again, this may seem somewhat surprising considering Miller’s role not only as a Presbyterian pastor, but also his additional role of professor at a conservative Presbyterian seminary.
Another interesting aspect of Miller’s book is his emphasis on small groups. Currently small groups dominate the landscape of the evangelical church, but that was not the case when Miller was writing. Most of Miller’s ministry was done in a time when the congregation was encouraged to meet mid-week at the church for a service or prayer meeting. Yet as Miller began to explore effective programs for mission in the local church, he went back to Whitefield and Wesley and discovered the effectiveness of their small groups. For Wesley in particular small group were an effective way not only to disciple believers, but to mobilize those believers for outreach. Miller cites Wesley’s belief that no Christian should be allowed to think of himself or herself as “a passive observer, a non-worker in the harvest” (165). He recalls how Wesley effectively used “cell ministry” to renew the life-strength and witness of multitudes of people who were poorly paid, poorly housed, and poorly fed (166). For church leaders who feel like they are pulling teeth just to get their members to show up on Sunday, this approach may sound too good to be true! However, Miller follows in Wesley’s footsteps by asserting that small groups can be used to renew the faith of contemporary believers and mobilize them for service and witness. The reader cannot help but wonder to what degree Miller’s “rediscovery” of small groups has contributed to their current prevalence in American churches.
Conclusion
It is hard to imagine a church leader reading Outgrowing the Ingrown Church without being challenged and encouraged. Miller not only paints a picture of what gospel-centered, Spirit-empowered, mission-focused ministry might look, he also casts a compelling vision for how one individual can be used by God to bring about change in a local church. He avoids making the pacesetter role sound like a bed of roses but he also shows why fulfilling this role is worth the cost. Reading this book left me with an increased dissatisfaction for just doing church “like normal.” Instead, as I finished the book I found myself hungry to experience the love and presence of Christ in a way that might compels me to take greater risks for the sake of his mission and also help others do the same.
February 13, 2020
Miller, John C. Outgrowing the Ingrown Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986, 1999.
Where’s the focus of your church? A church’s gaze matters. Is your church an inwardly or outwardly focused church? The focus of your church ultimately ends up shaping the character, identity, and mission of the church.
Identity shapes mission (42). This is essential. If we are the redeemed, accepted, and separated people of God then we are created for a purpose. Who we are shapes what we do. Our missionary (outward) mandate flows out of our missionary identity. We are a commissioned people (52) empowered by a “commissioning Spirit” (56). We must become a praying, welcoming, hospitable people. We need to have an intentionally outward focused face toward the world (91).
What’s greatly lacking in the church today is faith (57). Faith in who God has called us to be, faith in what God has called us to do, and faith in how God has empowered us to do it. We need to recover our faith in God, the power of his Gospel, and the missionary task he has assigned to us. Church leaders must become pacesetters (109), setting the agenda through faithful proclamation of Scripture and through their own lives. We are at war and our lives must reflect such war time mentality.
While a bit dated, Miller’s book remains a helpful and needed call back to a big God. It’s a call to renewed faith. Our gaze of faith will shape our future. We will either pursue risk or we will rust (175). We will either look outwardly, faithfully living out God’s missionary mandate or we will turn inwardly calcifying into irrelevance.
Where’s the focus of your church? A church’s gaze matters. Is your church an inwardly or outwardly focused church? The focus of your church ultimately ends up shaping the character, identity, and mission of the church.
Identity shapes mission (42). This is essential. If we are the redeemed, accepted, and separated people of God then we are created for a purpose. Who we are shapes what we do. Our missionary (outward) mandate flows out of our missionary identity. We are a commissioned people (52) empowered by a “commissioning Spirit” (56). We must become a praying, welcoming, hospitable people. We need to have an intentionally outward focused face toward the world (91).
What’s greatly lacking in the church today is faith (57). Faith in who God has called us to be, faith in what God has called us to do, and faith in how God has empowered us to do it. We need to recover our faith in God, the power of his Gospel, and the missionary task he has assigned to us. Church leaders must become pacesetters (109), setting the agenda through faithful proclamation of Scripture and through their own lives. We are at war and our lives must reflect such war time mentality.
While a bit dated, Miller’s book remains a helpful and needed call back to a big God. It’s a call to renewed faith. Our gaze of faith will shape our future. We will either pursue risk or we will rust (175). We will either look outwardly, faithfully living out God’s missionary mandate or we will turn inwardly calcifying into irrelevance.
September 25, 2024
Although this book has been around for a while, I just read it over the last 2 weeks in September 2024. I had heard of this book from a church planter who started a presbyterian church in town and his review of it was good.
This book is convicting. It is NOT the typical church-growth schlock but it may have helped to foster it.
Miller pushes churches and church leaders to repent of the sinful "introverted" church and move to a "outward facing" church that, unlike the church growth movement, is convicted about the lost going to hell and willing to focus all we do in life to "make disciples as we are going." His emphasis is on his own brokenness, need for repentance and forgiveness (again, NOT a part of the contemporary church growth movement strategies), having church leaders as "pacesetters" (i.e., exemplars who live out the gospel and their own need for grace and forgiveness) and equipping church members to be hospitable, praying, finding ways to tangibly show the gospel, and to be a part of a church that comes EXPECTING the gospel to change lives (our own and others). The expectation of having God answer prayer and having the gospel change lives is something rare to be around--even today. The book is worth the read because it is not the pretentious, high SEC church-analysis-for-growth book but one that says trust God and trust His Word (preached, taught, and lived out) to change us all.
This book is convicting. It is NOT the typical church-growth schlock but it may have helped to foster it.
Miller pushes churches and church leaders to repent of the sinful "introverted" church and move to a "outward facing" church that, unlike the church growth movement, is convicted about the lost going to hell and willing to focus all we do in life to "make disciples as we are going." His emphasis is on his own brokenness, need for repentance and forgiveness (again, NOT a part of the contemporary church growth movement strategies), having church leaders as "pacesetters" (i.e., exemplars who live out the gospel and their own need for grace and forgiveness) and equipping church members to be hospitable, praying, finding ways to tangibly show the gospel, and to be a part of a church that comes EXPECTING the gospel to change lives (our own and others). The expectation of having God answer prayer and having the gospel change lives is something rare to be around--even today. The book is worth the read because it is not the pretentious, high SEC church-analysis-for-growth book but one that says trust God and trust His Word (preached, taught, and lived out) to change us all.
March 27, 2023
Very convicting book in many ways. Miller's main argument is that churches turn inward and do not operate in obedience to the Great Commission because they do not recognize and seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Chapter unpack the mission call of the church and the role of church leadership, particularly that of the pastor in creating a church culture in which there is eager expectation for the Spirit to work.
Miller raises many important concern that are important for churches and church leaders to think and pray about. Two critiques I have is that Miller sometimes seems tunnel visioned by implying that it is unbelief in the work of the Spirit that keeps churches from growing. Tied to that, the book sometimes seems programatic. Miller sometimes suggests that all a church has to do is prayer a certain way or believe a certain way and that church will start seeing converts.
That being said, this is certainly an important book that church leaders should read and reflect on. Miller is not merely a theoretician, he's a practitioner. This is evident in that there are action steps at the end of each chapter that help apply the principles communicated in that chapter. This is certainly a positive feature of this book.
Miller raises many important concern that are important for churches and church leaders to think and pray about. Two critiques I have is that Miller sometimes seems tunnel visioned by implying that it is unbelief in the work of the Spirit that keeps churches from growing. Tied to that, the book sometimes seems programatic. Miller sometimes suggests that all a church has to do is prayer a certain way or believe a certain way and that church will start seeing converts.
That being said, this is certainly an important book that church leaders should read and reflect on. Miller is not merely a theoretician, he's a practitioner. This is evident in that there are action steps at the end of each chapter that help apply the principles communicated in that chapter. This is certainly a positive feature of this book.
July 28, 2021
This is a book that was a part of the "church growth" movement, but it clearly runs afoul of that category. I wish I had read this book a decade ago. It's like reading John Piper without the verbosity or morbidity. Jack Miller is all about a fixation upon God's glory and depending upon God's Word and biblical methods for ministry in a self-forgetful way.
I think this book would still be relevant for many church leaders today, especially where a church is resting upon its laurels, whether in a change-or-die scenario or if the coffers are padded and things are comfortable.
A few things haven't aged well, but it doesn't diminish its value.
I think this book would still be relevant for many church leaders today, especially where a church is resting upon its laurels, whether in a change-or-die scenario or if the coffers are padded and things are comfortable.
A few things haven't aged well, but it doesn't diminish its value.
March 20, 2017
While keeping in mind that there are some leanings and influences that come out in this book which I suspect I would have disagreements with when fleshed out in more detail, I have to say that this book has really stimulated my thinking in a lot of ways. If we want to be a part of church that isn't a navel gazing church, it's not knowing the things to do that are so hard, it's actually getting down the business of living a life of faith that isn't scared to take some risks for the sake of showing love to others.
April 28, 2024
The strength of this book is how Miller addresses the hearts of pastors and other church leaders with the gospel of Jesus Christ to become proclaimers of this good news. The challenge of this book is it written from the church growth perspective that dominated the 1970s - 1990s. I would strongly recommend the reading of this book with the planned intention of looking past the church growth mindset to see the amazing value of Miller’s teaching on the “pastor as pacesetter”, prayer, hospitality and deacon ministry through small groups. This is a gem!
August 14, 2025
A bold call to take hold of the gospel and heed the Great Commission. Jack Millers work has had a great impact on my life and I was again challenged by his call to live in the gospel and then go out. His personal stories of transformation and ministry were encouraging to read.
While written for pastors, any engaged lay member is benefited from his words—whether to be a greater part of one’s own church ministry or to know how to encourage pastors in their work.
While written for pastors, any engaged lay member is benefited from his words—whether to be a greater part of one’s own church ministry or to know how to encourage pastors in their work.
February 2, 2018
If you’re thinking about this book, don’t.
Just get it and Thank me later!
Great book! I wished I had read this before so many other books on church leadership and structure. Seriously, might be the best, short book on the subject. I also see where Keller and others have been influenced by one as unassuming as Miller.
Just get it and Thank me later!
Great book! I wished I had read this before so many other books on church leadership and structure. Seriously, might be the best, short book on the subject. I also see where Keller and others have been influenced by one as unassuming as Miller.
February 22, 2019
From the outside, this looks like a run of the mill church growth book. But open it up and you'll find a fantastic read about church revitalization and looking outward with the power of the gospel to change peoples' lives. A bit dated at times, but Jack Miller's writing style is engaging and invigorating.
February 10, 2021
This is really a great book for church leaders to read to consider God's missionary call to his people. I know some of the examples and the challenges faced are perhaps outdated, but the overall approach recommended is simply biblical Christianity. Three chapter on preaching was especially helpful and convicting.
June 9, 2025
This is another wonderfully convicting book by Jack Miller. This time he focused on urging leaders in the Church to evangelism in it's many possible iterations. I recommend this book for anyone who desires to see new growth in their own church or want to stave off possible stagnation, so long as they are willing to implement any of the solutions provided by the author.
March 21, 2022
I loved this. Jack Miller is one of my biggest heroes so I am biased. But in all seriousness, if I were told I could only keep 10 books other than my Bible with me for the rest of my life in ministry this would make it in the top 10.
March 29, 2023
At times it’s a little dated, and a little American but it’s pointed and Christ filled throughout. A challenging and disrupting (in the best sense) book. Highly recommended to church leaders especially.
September 21, 2023
Really helpful book about leading your church to be missional. Miller was missional before it was cool! 😂 Honestly some of it is dated (but in a heartwarming way), most of this is still highly applicable and helpful. Recommend.
September 27, 2018
We read this as a core group 15 years ago when we were planting our first church. It helped us set the pace for being a church that existed for the city and not for ourselves.
June 14, 2021
Very inspiring book with good mix of theological content and very actionable, practical suggestions.
June 5, 2023
For me a high impact book
December 19, 2024
A surprisingly good book and critical reflection on some of the key problems causing churches to become insular and stagnant.
May 24, 2021
A practical and yet deeply spiritual diagnosis and prescription for a congregation that has become too inwardly focused. Faith and repentance, Miller says, are the foundation for a church's outward orientation. I have been reading through Jack Miller's books and am sorry to have finished the last one on my list. His emphasis on repentance and our internal spiritual condition is so on point and needed for the church today.
December 7, 2010
Jack Miller is writing a book to inform pastors on how they can reorient a dying or stagnating church outward and instead toward the world. Many churches have become so focused on themselves, that they have failed to realize that the world is in need of solid churches that will win people to Christ. Jack’s main proposal for this change comes through the motivation of pacesetters or people in the church that will lead the church congregation with strong leadership, faith, and sacrifice. The main goal is for these leaders to encourage others in the church to follow their lead, eventually leading to a whole church that is healthy and vibrant. As always, Jack uses principles from the bible along with his own experience of both successes and failures to convey this message.
Jack’s book is very informative and an enjoyable read. He provides a healthy mix of biblical principle and personal experience. His critique of the ingrown church is very true and his solution to the problem is viable. His addition of questions and action steps at the end of each chapter are also valuable.
Quote
“In running back and forth you run from your duty given you by God, to make your faith powerful, so when the call comes you can go out and say to them, ‘Yes, he is dead, but you will see him again in Heaven. Yes, you suffer, but you must love your pain because it is Christ’s pain.’ When on Sunday morning then, when we go before their faces, we must walk up not worn out with misery but full of Christ, hot”—he clenches his hairy fists—“with Christ, on fire: burn them with the forces of our belief. That is why they come. Why else would they pay us?” p.126, 127
Jack’s book is very informative and an enjoyable read. He provides a healthy mix of biblical principle and personal experience. His critique of the ingrown church is very true and his solution to the problem is viable. His addition of questions and action steps at the end of each chapter are also valuable.
Quote
“In running back and forth you run from your duty given you by God, to make your faith powerful, so when the call comes you can go out and say to them, ‘Yes, he is dead, but you will see him again in Heaven. Yes, you suffer, but you must love your pain because it is Christ’s pain.’ When on Sunday morning then, when we go before their faces, we must walk up not worn out with misery but full of Christ, hot”—he clenches his hairy fists—“with Christ, on fire: burn them with the forces of our belief. That is why they come. Why else would they pay us?” p.126, 127
September 29, 2013
This book is intended for pastors and church leadership but is a great read for anyone in an American church. He calls an ingrown church a "membership club" for those believers with the right spiritual credentials. How true this analogy is! The author did not come at this as one who was passing judgement on the church but rather as one who made these mistakes himself, became convicted of his errant thinking, and sought God's wisdom to change. He lays out some very practical ways to shift focus with examples from his own life and ministry that provide relevant illustrations. This book has invigorated me with a hope for how God can use the church in His world.
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