Organic Church

As other reviews have stated this book lays out some basic principles of the simple church movement which Neil Cole is a part of. We read this book as a part of a leadership discussion/discipleship group of our church. We were all challenged. Neil Cole does a great job of addressing the problems of the current church structure without being so negative as to discourage those of us who are still involved in "traditional" churches. He then gives the blueprint (DNA) for how the movement he helped begin has made disciples and reproduced so many times that he can't keep track of it. The strengths of this book are the amazing way that disciples are made and transformed into leaders so quickly. This really looks like the Bible! Secondly, the missional focus of Neil Cole and his group is truly the root of all the multiplication. There mission and built in DNA is to reproduce themselves and this helps prevent stagnant groups to develop. Thirdly he has a great chapter on the mistakes they made and how to deal with failure. Up until that point it almost seems like everything goes perfect but this chapter gives a clear clue to the fact that they were so dedicated to reaching the harvest that they were willing to "fall with style" rather than not try anything at all. The results speak for themselves. Read this book to get challenged to get out of your comfort zone and to allow your mind and heart to see that the Church of Jesus is more than you ever thought it could be!

This is the most practical book on starting new churches I have found to date. Neil looks at the basic DNA of the church--what Jesus intended church to be and to become. The answer for the church to become relevant in the current culture and impact the future is to get back to the ancient model that the first believers adopted. It is simple, reproducable, and transferable across any culture. A blueprint for Church the way it was menat to be. After reading George Barna's "Revolution", Reggie McNeal's "The Present Future", and Tony and Felicity Dale's "Simply Church" I am convinced that the traditional church model in America is not "getting the job done", and will increasingly have less and less impact on the culture. I say this as a 20+ veteran of local church ministry. What we have created is NOT what Jesus had in mind. Neil Cole gives a very practical guide that is easy to follow if we have the courage. Without the need to invest huge amounts of money in buildings and paid professional staff, churches will be able to use their financail gifts to do practical ministray and need-meeting in their communities and around the world. I highly recommend this book. I feel in many ways it points to the solution for the problems with the Western church. The original model of church life which was inaugurated in the 1st century will become the most effective model for church multiplication in the 21st century. A MUST READ for anyone serious about planting healthy, growing and reproducing churches.

This book is an easy read and the most relevant book so far on the organic/simple church movement. I highly recommend this book especially for those in the millenial generation (born 1981 and after) this is the kind of church this generation is looking for. Ron Luce and Josh Mcdowell did a research reporting that the generation born after 1981 is only 4% Bible believing Christians. This tells us that the way we have been doing "church" in North America isn't somehow reaching the youth. Organic Church is something that will challenge us to rethink the wineskin and challenge us to stop trying to bring this geneartion to church (which isn't working) and instead bring Church or God's kingdom to them. This book is a must read if you want to reach the future!

What Neil describes in this book is what we all long for - it's what we know ought to be happening - it's what makes us want to be missionaries to China - it's what makes our heart beat fast when we read the book of Acts, but we don't see often enough. It's a description of the Great Commission being lived out in pure and simple faith in - believe it or not - the USA! I'm making my small group read it now and we're having the best discussions ever. Don't read this book if you don't want to be inspired to try something new.

"Organic Church" is the new gold standard for understanding simple/house church movements that are rapidly developing around the world. If the new church movements in North America are characterized by the DNA that Neil Cole describes in this book, namely: Divine Truth/Nuturing Relationships/Apostolic Mission, then the church is indeed moving in the right direction. This is a must read for those wanting to understand currently emerging house church movements.