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Do Something Else: The Road Ahead for the Mainline Church
Do Something Else is meant to encourage faith communities and their leaders to reconsider "church as usual" reengage Spirit-led entrepreneurialism, and reimagine new models of ministry bubbling up in their midst. Many churches and leaders are already setting the pace. They are establishing new gatherings in old buildings and using new building to do old things. They are emphasizing diversity, welcome, and friendship. If these stories are hidden from view, they shouldn't be. These pages will uncover how new expressions get started, how they are led, how they struggle, and how they are sustained. Do Something Else will encourage candidates for ministry who see limited options, ministers who wonder about staying in ministry, clergy call-seekers trying to find hope in a desolate career landscape, and churches attempting to manage staffs with limited resources. It will also offer permission to small churches resigned to be "without a pastor" larger churches looking to do a new thing in an unorthodox way, and middle governing bodies who need promising examples of working models in order to take the risk on new opportunities.
152 pages, Paperback
Published February 5, 2016
9 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 1, 2018
I'm not unbiased. Nate Phillips is the pastor of my church. When I read his book, my brain translates it into his voice. I'd say we are lucky to have him at our church, but, you know, this is about religion, so I'll thank God that Nate has landed with us in Michigan, complete with our potholes and April snow.
We have a book club at our church. Actually, we have two. One is led by Pastor Nate and is called Books & Bible, and the other one is a plain old book club held at lunch time once a month. Sometimes we read something religious, sometimes we read plain old fiction - we just love reading. Our lunch group picked this book to read, and I'm so happy we did, because I didn't know Pastor Nate wrote a book, and after reading it, I'm even happier that he is leading our church. In times of declining church attendance, sometimes we need to start thinking about what it means to have a church and how we fit in the community.
One of the first things he charges us with is the words of a Maine pastor: "God didn't put us here to die, so do things." After being told that if he could do something else, do it, Nate chose to believe that the advice wasn't to do something else outside of the church, but "inside of church ministry, do something else." We have a great message, but our ways of presenting it are not working like it used to. The ways we do things can change - centuries ago, there weren't printing presses, and people weren't literate. We changed the way we do church since that changed. Now we have internet and social media, and the ways that people come together have changed. For example, streaming services ... at first it may have seemed like just a lazy thing that let people stay home, but now we've realized that there are a lot of homebound people that love it, no matter if they don't come to church because of illness, age, bad weather, discomfort in going to a formal church... The world is different, and while the message is the same, the delivery may sometimes be different. Yes, we are Christ's letter to the world, but these days, that might be Christ's email to the world.
I wish I could have written a better review, because I haven't done the book justice. I'm glad I've read it, and I'm happy that I live with a church community that tries to live what it preaches. And, off I go this afternoon to tutor kids... because that's one of the things our church does.
We have a book club at our church. Actually, we have two. One is led by Pastor Nate and is called Books & Bible, and the other one is a plain old book club held at lunch time once a month. Sometimes we read something religious, sometimes we read plain old fiction - we just love reading. Our lunch group picked this book to read, and I'm so happy we did, because I didn't know Pastor Nate wrote a book, and after reading it, I'm even happier that he is leading our church. In times of declining church attendance, sometimes we need to start thinking about what it means to have a church and how we fit in the community.
One of the first things he charges us with is the words of a Maine pastor: "God didn't put us here to die, so do things." After being told that if he could do something else, do it, Nate chose to believe that the advice wasn't to do something else outside of the church, but "inside of church ministry, do something else." We have a great message, but our ways of presenting it are not working like it used to. The ways we do things can change - centuries ago, there weren't printing presses, and people weren't literate. We changed the way we do church since that changed. Now we have internet and social media, and the ways that people come together have changed. For example, streaming services ... at first it may have seemed like just a lazy thing that let people stay home, but now we've realized that there are a lot of homebound people that love it, no matter if they don't come to church because of illness, age, bad weather, discomfort in going to a formal church... The world is different, and while the message is the same, the delivery may sometimes be different. Yes, we are Christ's letter to the world, but these days, that might be Christ's email to the world.
I wish I could have written a better review, because I haven't done the book justice. I'm glad I've read it, and I'm happy that I live with a church community that tries to live what it preaches. And, off I go this afternoon to tutor kids... because that's one of the things our church does.
June 11, 2017
This book describes the decline of the institution of "church" as we know it and gives possible alternatives that are working in communities throughout the U.S. Why keep doing and insisting on the same format of worship if attendance is in decline throughout traditional churches? This may be a better read for a minister than a lay person.
December 19, 2017
The subtitle reads “The Road Ahead for the Mainline Church”. Even if you aren’t a “mainline” church, I think this book is an encouragement for the possibilities that are available for the body of Christ right here, right now. Imaginative. Keep on moving. Transform. Be still within the ongoing evolution of what church, what faith is, can become.
April 17, 2018
An excellent book for people involved in churches that are rooted in tradition but are looking to see how that tradition thrives in today's world. Lots of great examples are shared to motivate the reader and the church to dream big. This would make a great book for a small group and I'd love to see the next edition include study questions.
November 28, 2017
Examples of how the church can thrive in its call by "practicing creative deviance on the frontline." Gets one thinking...
December 7, 2019
The title says it all. Just try something other than what you’re doing now, church, ‘cause God knows it’s no longer working.
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February 21, 2016An excellent resource for those of us struggling with what the church will look like next month, next year, in 10 or 20 years. Not prescriptive, but descriptive. Reading this, I had hope.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews