Eating the Elephant : Leading the Established Church to Growth

by Thom S. Rainer

How Does an Established Church Grow? Many church leaders have attempted the "latest" approach to growing a church, only to find the methodology is ineffective and the church members are divided. Sometimes the methodology is wrong. Sometimes the methodology is right but the pace and the timing are wrong. Internationally-recognized authorities Thom Rainer and Chuck Lawless have written Eating the Elephant to show that a church can change and grow if you move at a pace that fits the church's situation, if you eat the elephant one bite at a time. "Unfortunately," the authors write, "many 'traditional' churches have been divided and demoralized by attempts to move the church too quickly toward relevancy. Is there a way to implement change without destroying the church in the process? We believe there is." For most of America's church leaders, that's an invitation to tie on your napkin and pull up a chair.

Genres: Church

209 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers and Executive Director of Revitalize Network. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama where he received his degree in business administration. He received both the master of divinity and the Ph.D. degrees from Southern Seminary.

Dr. Rainer has served as pastor of four churches. He is the former president of Rainer
Group consulting. He served for twelve years as dean at Southern Seminary and for thirteen years as the president and CEO of LifeWay Çhristian Resources.

Dr. Rainer has authored or co-authored 33 books. Among his greatest joys are his family: his wife Nellie Jo; three sons, Sam, Art, and Jess; and eleven grandchildren.

Reviews

[James Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
"Eating the Elephant" is subtitled: Bite-Sized Steps to Achieve Long-Term Growth in Your Church. As the subtitle suggests, this book focuses on pacing church growth. Rainer’s main point is that most church growth methods move churches away from their roots. This then causes church splits and hurt feelings. He suggests that church growth methods be paced to fit the unique situation of each church. His “elephant-eating leadership style” leads the church in small but significant changes. Rainer stresses the importance of leading the church to reach a contemporary world even if that means some of your methods must change. However, you must also be willing and even eager to hold on to the traditions that really matter. "Eating the Elephant" is an excellent resource for church replanters.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read.