EMQ » January–March 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 1
By Rick Richardson
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2019
288 pages
USD $13.99
Reviewed by Cory Seibel (PhD, University of Pretoria) a pastor at Central Baptist Church and adjunct professor at Taylor Seminary, both in Edmonton, Alberta.
Many North American churches today have been influenced by a “sky is falling” narrative about the attitudes of unchurched people toward the Christian faith. Richardson is convinced this is not the whole story. In this book, he sets out to provide a “counterbalancing perspective” (12).
Richardson acknowledges that churches are declining and that the number of those who are alienated from the church is growing. However, he insists, our main challenge is not posed by the culture at large. Instead, he says, “The primary problem we face is us” (8).
In making his case, Richardson reports findings from two extensive research studies conducted by the Billy Graham Center Institute, which he directs. These studies enabled Richardson’s team to identify the top ten percent of American churches currently experiencing conversion growth. Researchers interviewed pastors and previously unchurched people from these churches to learn about what they are doing.
This background enables Richardson to identify best practices from congregations with track records of effectiveness at reaching people. These practices, which also have been field tested by pastoral learning cohort participants in 182 churches across the United States, have proven to be powerful keys for helping churches recover a missional imagination.
This book is divided into three parts. In part one, Richardson unpacks several current “mistaken myths” about the receptivity of unchurched individuals and helps us see the negative consequences of these false narratives within the church. He then outlines what he describes as “a better and truer narrative.” Richardson found surprising levels of receptivity among unchurched Millennials, Nones, and the nominally religious. He concludes this section by introducing a simple “equation” for engaging those who are receptive, which he unpacks in detail in the book’s second and third sections.
In part two, Richardson delves into the cultural changes necessary for churches to become “conversion communities,” which he defines as congregations that are seeing lives changed and growing primarily through reaching new people. He emphasizes that missional-leader development is crucial; according to his research team’s findings, this accounts for one half of what stimulates revitalization within congregations. For true change to occur, leaders must lead by example.
In part three, Richardson explores core practices that can help entire congregations develop a missional culture. While the practices he surveys include belonging to and blessing the larger community, Richardson asserts that two inseparable characteristics “tower above” the others: a “culture of invitation” and a “culture of hospitality” (190).
The fact that this book’s proposals have been informed by research and tested extensively within local churches is among its greatest strengths. Richardson also shares a wealth of stories gleaned from interviewees and pastoral learning cohort members. This grounding in real-world experience enables him to present theoretical concepts in a lively, accessible fashion.
This is a worthwhile and beneficial read. Readers will be stimulated by Richardson’s empirically based challenge of the incarnational/attractional dichotomy, his emphasis on leadership, and his revelation that a “culture of hospitality” is the top factor predicting whether a church will be effective in reaching the unchurched.
For Further Reading:
Bibby, Reginald, Joel Thiessen, and Monetta Bailey. The Millennial Mosaic: How Pluralism and Choice Are Shaping Canadian Youth and the Future of Canada. Dundern Press, 2019.
Clydesdale, Tim. The Twentysomething Soul: Understanding the Religious and Secular Lives of American Young Adults. Oxford University Press, 2019.
Kinneman, David. Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon. Baker Books, 2019.
