Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can Too

I am not normally a fan of church growth books. Too many times I think they are all about marketing, making church about product placement and promotion instead of loving God and loving people. I have come away from some books on church growth convinced that it could all be done without reference to or dependence upon God at all. It was with this skepticism that I came to Stetzer's and Dodson's Comeback Churches. I was pleasantly surprised to read a book that pointed toward the biblical foundations of the church and biblical patterns for its growth. The book is a great encouragement that churches in decline can be revitalized. The reader will be challenged but at the same time stories of leaders and churches sprinkled through the book give the reader hope. I believe that leaders who take the message of this book to heart will be used by God to increase the numbers of Comeback Churches all over the world.

This is a great book written by an author who has the experience and research to back up what he is saying. If your church is going through a rough time, this book will give you Biblical advice to turn it around. I must read for any church in decline or transition.

Comeback Churches is an excellent resource for those eighty to ninety percent of churches that are plateaued or declining. In my eleven years of pastoral ministry I have served three churches in this category of needing to make a comeback and have read many books on the subject, and this is the best I have read. There are some books on this subject that are written from the perspective of how one pastor led his church to change and growth, and that is inspiring, but that isn't necessarily going to help me. This book is grounded in reality since the authors are both pastors, so they aren't just researching the subject, they are living it; and they studied 324 churches that have successfully made the comeback. These churches came from ten different denominations, of different sizes, locations and histories. Because of that broad background, the principles can be applied to most any church in need of a comeback. The book is thorough; covering a number of subjects from worship to finances to evangelism to what books these comeback pastors are reading; as well as factors that hinder the comeback and how to address those. Comeback Churches is a great textbook on how to lead a church from a position of plateau or decline to growth, and it is also a great book on leadership. After reading the book it is not at all surprising that it is recommended by Rick Warren, Thom Rainer, Elmer Towns, Leonard Sweet, Jack Hayfard and Gary McIntosh.

It's no secret that most American Evangelical churches are in plateau and decline, but what can anyone do about it? Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson have developed a good book for helping these churches recapture their sense of calling and vision and get them back on the road to church health in the book "Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can, Too" The book is based on Dodson's thinking and work in his doctoral thesis "An Analysis of Factors Leading to the Revitalization of Comeback Churches". I like this book because it doesn't give what most are looking for-a cookbook of programs to try to use in church planning. Too many ministry leaders want pat answers and canned resources they hope exist that will automate growth. The mistake I see churches making is too they often choose expediency and pragmatism rather than principles and healthy practices. The "method" Stetzer and Dodson recommend is to practice sound missiology. The fact is the belief in programs as a solution for church growth is false. What churches need is more than promotional packaging that makes them "seem" more relevant, they need to "become" relevant by putting into practice good missional thinking. There is no short-cut to missional ministry.

I very informative book that really causes you to look at your own church and realize the changes that need to take place. I would recommend this book to anyone in church leadership. I'm not finished with the book yet and already it has made a change in me and our church. I know I will refer to this book often.