A comprehesive review by Clair Musters
If you are part of a small to medium-sized local church set within a local community, then this book will be a great encouragement (as well as a challenge) to you. Respected church expert Sam Rainer (from Church Answers) is convinced that there has been a shift away from mega churches to people wanting to attend churches much closer to home, where there are opportunities for real connection as well as serving opportunities. He begins by saying, ‘Your church is located right where God wants it,’ and goes on to reiterate how local church is the way we reach those who live in its vicinity.
Sam clarifies his definition of a neighbourhood church as ‘one that is surrounded by residences within the recognized boundaries of a specific neighborhood. Suburban subdivisions can be neighborhoods. Enclaves within a small town can be neighborhoods. Boroughs of large cities can contain many neighborhoods … A neighborhood is a place, but also a social attachment.’ He explains that neighbourhood churches are culturally woven into the fabric of their communities – that a local church should exist for the community as well as being within it. But often a typical church isn’t primed for this – or for growth.
Sam peppers the book with real-life examples, including some of his own personal experiences as well as of churches that were on the verge of closure but a shift in mindset and approach have brought them back to life. That is the point though: the bringing back to life part involves hard work and will not happen automatically.
This is a US-based book, but there is much that translates into a UK context. Sam begins by examining the mission of neighbourhood churches and how and why so many have declined, reminding us of the Great Commission to love our neighbours – however we feel about them. He then charts the history of neighbourhood churches – how they experienced a boom following the Second World War, but the rise of the mega church in the 1970s to early 2000s (as growing churches moved outside neighbourhoods to build large campuses) impacted many. However, a lot of those mega churches are now moving to multisite models, and many millennials are moving out to suburban neighbourhoods from central cities, raising families and often working from home now too – and they want a vibrant local church to be a part of. Many of the local churches are smaller than they used to be because of the pandemic, but Sam believes now is the time for them to grab hold of the emerging opportunities he believes exist (including demonstrating true, sacrificial hospitality, which is in short supply in our societies today).
In chapter 3 he unpacks the marks of a healthy neighbourhood church, how it needs to know the hallmarks of its immediate community as it is there to create ministries specifically tailored to those in that community – rather than seeing them as simply potential numbers to add to the church membership. He says leaders need to be connected into the community, as well as with other local churches, and understand the potential the church has to impact those around it. Sam then goes on to set out a new framework for neighbourhood churches, one in which the perspectives of both the church and the community are utilised and harnessed together, where the congregation is viewing the church as a vehicle to send people into the neighbourhood and where there is more than just one-off engagement with the community.
Next, Sam says that too many church leaders assume their church’s potential for impact is limited. He acknowledges, and looks at, some of the problems local churches can face, but says they are not insurmountable and can be reframed – such as a landlocked campus being seen as an asset rather than a limitation. He gives the example of a pastor who chose not to relocate simply because it could make things easier, as he acknowledged that wasn’t relying on God, but who instead opened up more local and cross-cultural ministry, recognising a shift in the congregation to being more ethnically diverse. Sam debunks myths about neighbourhood churches, such as: a church should grow exponentially every year; limited parking limits growth; small church means small influence; the most capable pastors lead the largest churches.
Of course, growth and influence require change, and so chapter 6 looks at the current challenges, why too many neighbourhood churches are unhealthy and what needs to change in order to create space for them to reach their potential (such as tweaking systems and structures that were built for maintenance not growth, and challenging mindsets stuck in the past). The following chapter evaluates the best way to facilitate that change, with Sam saying that trust is more important than vision and that there needs to be a shift from everything being run by the pastor, or one or two families. He stresses how important it is for bridges to be built and an understanding of how best to bring in change (sometimes utilising what is already there but helping the church to transition to a better alternative over time – he provides some great examples). Sam explains that leaders who implement cultural change spend time asking a lot of questions – and therefore listening too. He says one of the best questions to ask is, ‘What gets your church most excited?’ as it reveals passion, priorities and perspective as well as the church’s unique personality.
Chapter 8 focuses on effective ways to reach a church’s neighbourhood, with much of it able to be utilised without too much cost, as well as how churches grow by connecting more deeply with local communities in a genuine, authentic way. Getting to know people, praying for them (through initiatives such as prayer walks), going out to where they are but also inviting them in, are all well-known and probably tried approaches, but Sam believes too many leaders are overthinking their strategies and need to get back to these simple ways of engagement. He also introduces the idea of church ‘adoption’ and ‘fostering’ as helpful ways forward if done for the right reasons (‘adoption’ being the process of blending two congregations into one family and ‘fostering’ being one church sending people and resources to a struggling church for a set period of time). The following chapter looks at the global mandate each church has been given, and why this stops an inward-looking perspective, but is challenging as too many people want the privileges of being part of God’s family without the responsibility of reaching out to the nations.
Sam concludes with a summary of the content, emphasising what he thinks will help make the comeback of neighbourhood churches a reality. There is a lot of challenge throughout, which makes the reader question their heart motivations: are you putting your own desires above other people’s salvation, for example, or are you willing to surrender your time and convenience to God’s mission for your local church? While a lot of it isn’t new information, it is really helpful to be reminded and reassured as well as stirred to take a fresh look at why we do the things we do – and whether we have remembered what our local church is there for. I would encourage church leaders, and anyone else interested in ensuring their local church flourishes in its mission, to take a look.
Together Magazine
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