Do you remember when you had to arrive early to get a seat? When the church was a beehive of happy activity? When baptisms occurred regularly? When the church seemed alive with the Spirit? Is your church still like that today? Or has attendance dwindled? Are the glory days a distant memory? If so, then this book is for you.
The average life span of a church is about 70 years. Every new church takes on the characteristics of the generation that planted it. Over time, fewer and fewer people relate to those values, and the church slowly loses touch with the world around it. The result is decay and decline.
Some churches never make it to 70. They plateau at only 15 years of age - the same age when most humans stop growing.
Eighty percent of all Adventist churches in North America have plateaued or are declining. But just as the sick can regain their health through diet and exercise, so feeble congregations can, by taking radical action, begin to grow again. There is a price to pay, but the rewards are great. Church growth expert Russell Burrill explain how Laodicea can be born again. He diagnoses the diseases that cause premature hardening of the attitudes, and prescribes restorative therapy. For churches willing to get off the plateau and aim for the summit, here is the way back to vibrancy.
The author concludes with an enlightening section on worship renewal and contemporary Christian music.
