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April 16, 2020What an absolute delight! First off, this book is a very easy read. Even during the time of pandemic and social distancing. Rather than long sentences, long paragraphs and long chapters it is set up into 100 topics (most consisting of one page of reading) that a small pastor would be interested in. This is for every clergy person that thinks they may benefit from a clergy coach – because, Dave IS a clergy coach. This is for every clergy person that thinks they DON’T need a clergy coach, as well.
Solid, common sense thoughts - that we simply hadn’t considered before. This should be a book that every small church pastor has available to them and has read. Some things as “minor” as consistently taking Sabbath Time, to things as “major” as dealing with church boards. For those new to ministry, and those in ministry for decades will find helpful thoughts and suggestions here. Communication. Sabbatical. Finances. The complainers. The (apparent!) lack of resources available. He covers it all. Simply and very straightforward.
The highlight for this reader occurred on page 182: “Reconsider Your Members Simplistic, and Often Times Naïve, Ideas about Church Growth”. One and a half pages alone make this worthy of moving to the top of your reading list.
Of particular benefit to small church pastors is his take on “Consumer Christianity”. He says, “Don’t hide behind ‘Consumer Christianity’ and fail to honestly and objectively evaluate who your church is reaching and retaining and why and who your church needs (italics added) to reach and retain and how.” Dave’s response to most “church growth” experts, conferences, reading, and suggestions are refreshing, enlightening, and hugely encouraging to small church pastors.
There are few issues within the book. Dave writes primarily from an evangelical background. His consistent male pronouns for God were to me, a bit disjarring. Some of his thoughts reflect his denominational (or lack thereof!) bias. But these are very minor issues when placed in the overall context of the book. What he says to small church clergy also applies to mid-size church clergy, and even some large church clergy.
Solid, common sense thoughts - that we simply hadn’t considered before. This should be a book that every small church pastor has available to them and has read. Some things as “minor” as consistently taking Sabbath Time, to things as “major” as dealing with church boards. For those new to ministry, and those in ministry for decades will find helpful thoughts and suggestions here. Communication. Sabbatical. Finances. The complainers. The (apparent!) lack of resources available. He covers it all. Simply and very straightforward.
The highlight for this reader occurred on page 182: “Reconsider Your Members Simplistic, and Often Times Naïve, Ideas about Church Growth”. One and a half pages alone make this worthy of moving to the top of your reading list.
Of particular benefit to small church pastors is his take on “Consumer Christianity”. He says, “Don’t hide behind ‘Consumer Christianity’ and fail to honestly and objectively evaluate who your church is reaching and retaining and why and who your church needs (italics added) to reach and retain and how.” Dave’s response to most “church growth” experts, conferences, reading, and suggestions are refreshing, enlightening, and hugely encouraging to small church pastors.
There are few issues within the book. Dave writes primarily from an evangelical background. His consistent male pronouns for God were to me, a bit disjarring. Some of his thoughts reflect his denominational (or lack thereof!) bias. But these are very minor issues when placed in the overall context of the book. What he says to small church clergy also applies to mid-size church clergy, and even some large church clergy.
May 18, 2020
When I started reading this book I immediately had to stop, grab a pen and highlighter, and start taking notes. This book is so practical and such an easy read; the 100 things are broken down into bite sized easy to read chunks. As the book promises these are things small church pastors need to reconsider, meaning think about these things from a different perspective. They might not all apply to you but many of them will be helpful to you. Two of the homer ins that spoke to me: #43 Reconsider what you would differently if you started over (that really makes you go hmmmm) and #71 Reconsider how you recruit leaders (something every small church pastor wants to do. I highly recommend this book to every small church pastor because it is like 100 little books crammed into one.
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