Growth and Change: The danger and necessity of a passion for church growth
Growth and Change: The danger and necessity of a passion for church growth
For many years, evangelical church leaders have been told that the key to seeing gospel growth is to “just be faithful”. In Growth and Change, Andrew Heard challenges this misconception head-on with wisdom from decades of ministry experience and deep theological reflection.
Richly biblical and heartfelt, this ground-breaking book confronts sacred cows, rejects easy answers and addresses the tensions felt by every leader who wants to proactively work for change while remaining absolutely committed to the word of God.
Andrew Heard is a leader's leader, with years of experience in the trenches of the most dynamic and challenging environment - that of church planting.
He writes from a place of deep conviction and lived experience to address the problems and sketch out potential solutions by applying a kingdom lens to how to manage the tension of having a passion for growth yet recognising the challenges of leading change.
The topics are dressed in a sequential and logical order to build a case for the why, what and how of growth and change.
Written from the perspective of a Pauline apostle, he recognises the importance of cultural engagement and contexulisation in implementing any new initiative that will involve change.
Where the book would have benefited from further content is in the area of what is world's best practice in leading organic growth in organisations and change management.
There is a wealth of content on how to do both in the marketplace which is closely aligned to kingdom philosophy and principles that can be engaged with and adopted.
That acknowledged, this a book worth engaging with and for leadership teams to work through as small group.
It will encourage you to wrestle with the issues and provide you with an interpretive lens to consider how to best make progress wherever you are on the growth and change journey.
