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44 Questions for Church Planters
Answers the question "Why start new churches?" and shows how to reverse the decline of new church development. Schaller offers tested advice based on more than thirty years of working with leaders responsible for developing new churches.
196 pages, Paperback
First published January 19, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 31, 2021
Though the book appears small and easy to read, Lyle Schaller is far from concise. You can really judge this book by its cover. Where many would ask a church planter a few questions, Schaller asks 44. Mountains of statistics and anecdotal evidence leads the reader to continually skim and search for that "nugget" of useful information. Perhaps it's there; happy searching! This book will find its spot on my bookshelf, but when I need answers, I'll turn to a book that doesn't ask the questions.
April 9, 2011
This book is one of the 60+ recommended titles by Redeemer's (NYC) church planting network.
Schaller published this book in 1991 so there are some outdated things here. He writes from a traditional denominational perspective and doesn't tip his hand much theologically, other than the occasional reference to the priority of the Great Commission.
It's a very realistic, numbers and market driven book about church planting. If you're looking for something practical, this (in company with more current books) would be a good place to begin. He does not talk about prayer and character, just broad tendencies about what does and does not work in church planting.
The most important variables in planting successfully are:
- The planter
- The vision
- The leadership structure/team behind the planter.
Other key points:
- Seminary is going to be of minimal help for a planter.
- Denominations are likely to be unwieldy and will probably struggle to get on mission.
- Location: Don't rent to begin in a place where you wouldn't buy.
- Don't be naive about the homogenous unit principle - it is a real thing.
- Get a good team together and keep thinking ahead to future plants. Don't get ingrown.
Schaller recommends a big market driven launch and says that one of the best ways to ensure a small church is to start small in your first service.
Overall, helpful and practical even though I disagreed with some of his basic assumptions.
Schaller published this book in 1991 so there are some outdated things here. He writes from a traditional denominational perspective and doesn't tip his hand much theologically, other than the occasional reference to the priority of the Great Commission.
It's a very realistic, numbers and market driven book about church planting. If you're looking for something practical, this (in company with more current books) would be a good place to begin. He does not talk about prayer and character, just broad tendencies about what does and does not work in church planting.
The most important variables in planting successfully are:
- The planter
- The vision
- The leadership structure/team behind the planter.
Other key points:
- Seminary is going to be of minimal help for a planter.
- Denominations are likely to be unwieldy and will probably struggle to get on mission.
- Location: Don't rent to begin in a place where you wouldn't buy.
- Don't be naive about the homogenous unit principle - it is a real thing.
- Get a good team together and keep thinking ahead to future plants. Don't get ingrown.
Schaller recommends a big market driven launch and says that one of the best ways to ensure a small church is to start small in your first service.
Overall, helpful and practical even though I disagreed with some of his basic assumptions.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews