Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement

Praise for Whole Church

"Mel is a thoughtful analyst of church life today. Best of all he actually does what he writes about. This book can lead to new levels of engagement for your church."
John Ortberg, author and pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

"Mel Lawrenz′s vision of a local church that actually reflects the wholeness and beauty of God as it engages with the Lord, one another, and the community is a much–needed call back to God′s original Plan A a plan that has too often been cast aside in the name of specialization, church growth, and expediency."
Larry Osborne, North Coast Church, and author, Sticky Church and Spirituality for the Rest of Us

"Wow! This book is for every Christian leader who wants to move their church from a narrow self–focus to active engagement in the world with all the resources and possibilities of heaven."
Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church

"While Mel Lawrenz′s ′four kinds of engagement′ aims at congregational application, it also creates a template that individual Jesus–followers can use for self–evaluation of what it means to be the church today. The final ′dynamics′ section is worth the price of admission for church leaders."
Reggie McNeal, author, The Present Future and Missional Renaissance

"Having known Mel Lawrenz for thirty–five years in various capacities as student, intern, colleague, and eventual successor as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church, I can testify to his keen mind, his profound respect for and knowledge of history, his forward–looking curiosity, and his undoubted communication gifts. Add all these to his many years as a seasoned practitioner of church ministry, and the result is this very helpful book, Whole Church."
Stuart Briscoe, author, Flowing Streams and broadcaster, Telling the Truth

About Leadership Network IX

Acknowledgments XI

Part One

Whole Churches and Fragmented Churches 1

1 Fostering Whole Churches 3

2 Conflict and Fragmentation 19

3 Getting the Whole Church Engaged 29

Part two

Four Kinds of Engagement for the Twenty–First–Century Church 39

4 Engage with God

Closing the God Gap Through Worship and Teaching 41

5 Engage with God′s People

Closing the People Gap Through Real Koinonia 59

6 Engage with Your Community

More Than a Thousand Points of Light 77

7 Engage with the World

A Whole Church for the Whole World 93

Part three

The Dynamics of the Whole Church 103

8 The Dynamics of Cohesion 105

9 The Dynamics of Momentum 123

10 Creating a Culture of Change 137

11 Church Crises

The Make–or–Break Moments 153

12 Failures and Successes in Communication 161

13 Choosing Wise Leaders 173

Afterword 181

Notes 183

The Author 185

Index 187

Mel Lawrenz is senior pastor at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin. His Internet ministry, The Brook (www.ComeToTheBrook.org), offers text, audio, and video content to a general audience and to church leaders. Lawrenz is also the host of a weekly regional radio interview program, Faith Conversations, and is the author of several books.

About Leadership Network

The mission of Leadership Network identifies and connects innovative church leaders, providing them with resources in the form of new ideas, people, and tools. Contact Leadership Network at www.leadnet.org.