“11 Innovations in the Local Church”

By Elmer Towns, Ed Stetzer, and Warren Bird

August 2011

Book Summary

This book[1] takes a look at 11 types of innovations drawing from various churches across America. Functions are constant but forms and methods vary; the issue is to look to Jesus, “is God in the model?”  

Chapter one, “Organic House Churches” are small gatherings around the life of Jesus Christ, where real life happens. It is a home-based church that is missional rather than attractional and is a decentralized growth away from the institutionalized church. They are koinos churches that function completely by face-to-face relationship and intentionally remain small and share things in common. House churches are communities of convictions, learning, faith-formation, value-formation, mentoring agents, belonging communities, and give self-identity. There are five types: separatists, anti-establishment, deeper understanding, expositional/issue group, and spontaneous.

Chapter two, “Recovery Churches” is simply hurting people helping other hurting people—one of God’s central values. The recovery ministry is centered on Jesus’ teaching, applying eight recovery principles—the Beatitudes—and the twelve steps of Alcoholic Anonymous. The recovery is not restricted to drug abuse but extends to such things as overeating, sexual abuse, anger, codependency, gambling, overspending, fear, anxiety, grief, divorce, guilt, insecurity, hurtful relationships, etc…It starts with belonging then believing.

Chapter three, “Multi-site Churches” is a single church that has many venues and locations, but all share the same values, mission, administration, and budget. Churches go multi-site because of the evangelistic outreach impact. It could be on-campus and is referred to as “video venue.” Off-site campus approach involves on-site worship, coordination by an on-site campus pastor, and teaching (pre-recorded or live) by videocast. The low-risk model involves low cost in all aspects of expenditure. The partnership model involves a local church and a community establishing more than a simple rental arrangement; each contributes to the other’s goals such as church on college campus. A teaching-team multi-site church where the location is rented, a lead pastor speaks to the congregation. There are many variations like satellite campus, regional campus, extension site, video café, and video venue. There are five key personnel in multi-site churches: multi-site director, campus pastor, worship director, children/youth ministry, and small groups/spiritual life/discipleship director.

Chapter four, “Ancient-Future Churches” draw on traditions and practices that connect to the past but are relevant today, such as candles, Ash Wednesday, lent, rituals, Nicene Creed, hymns, cross symbol, and stained glasses. The return to the past is some kind of longing for spiritual roots and worship that engages the mind and emotions. The benefits are the use of visuals to illustrate the gospel and multi-sensory experience to engage people.

Chapter five, “City-Reaching Churches” was first initiated as a strategy by Jerry Falwell (1969) whose heart was set on reaching his city for Christ through saturation evangelism and super-aggressive evangelism. The vision developed into reaching the city by Nollen Rollins through the planting of new churches forming alliances with like-minded churches with circles of accountability. A city-reaching vision aims at saturating cities with a self-sustaining church-planting ministry that seeks to transform those communities for Christ. Ed Silvoso suggested six steps for capturing the city for Christ: find a faithful remnant; destroy arguments in prayers; prayer walks to launch spiritual attacks on evil forces; prayer cells throughout the city to weaken Satan’s control; spiritual confrontation to bind and cast down powers that rule the region; and loot the enemy’s camp through conversion. The challenges are related to how to reach the city; therefore, one must have a passion for the city, get to know other leaders relationally, and be kingdom-focused.

Chapter six, “Community Transformation Churches” are likened to a church that combines Billy Graham and Mother Teresa, in other words, evangelistic preaching and servant evangelism. Transformation of communities includes deeds of compassion in response to social needs that make a loud evangelistic statement of the gospel message. However, the gospel must not be lost in methodology or compromised theology, nor turned into a social gospel where needs are served without serving salvation.

Chapter seven, “Cyber-Enhanced Churches” uses the internet for online teaching, training, classes, worship, baptisms, small groups, sharing, confession, counseling, prayer, spiritual information, online donations, streaming live transmissions, internet campus, etc…Using the internet saves time and money for many who could not attend church or related events, enables online learning and sharing, and empowers people spiritually. Alpha Church—www.alphachurch.org—is an online cyber church that operates as a normal church in terms of functions and ministries. The internet was also used for cyber outreach, podcasting and blogging for Jesus, and to make disciples; however, it lacks commitment because of anonymity.

Chapter eight, “Nickelodeon-Style Children-Focused Churches” explains the new face of Sunday School. It is neither Sesame Street approach—cognitive education—nor Disney approach—entertainment. This new face appeals to a multi-sensory teaching to communicate the gospel and for students to acquire attitudes, values, and built-in applications; it couples fun with highly experiential education. Children learn through a simulated biblical environment, computer-generated programs, and teachers as actors which is informative, motivational, and persuasive. Parents are highly involved with children in the family learning experience and reinstate with their children the bottom line point learnt in Sunday School throughout the week; it is evangelistic to both parents and children.

Chapter nine, “Intentionally Multicultural Churches,” model racial reconciliation and build skills of cross-cultural understanding, appreciation, and communication among God’s people. Believers, in such churches, are of all colors and cultures living and worshipping God together in unity of love to reach their community for Christ. Multi-cultural emphasizes racial groups with distinct cultures translated through multiple choirs with different styles, rotated preachers, intentional multi-cultural staff, classes in cross-cultural ministry, bilingual worship, and multi-congregational facility usage. The church in Antioch-Syria in Acts 11 is an example of an ethnically and economically diverse local church.

Chapter ten, “Decision-Journey Churches” or “Faith-Journey Church” put far less emphasis on a one-time decision and far more on the journey connected to a person’s decision to follow Christ. The church is rooted in the theology of salvation; and their programs and methodology are influenced by their view of conversion. Ferguson summarized the journey to God in 3Cs: celebrate—worship, connect—be part of a small group where decision to be a Christ follower is made, and contribute—minister to others; in other words, belong then believe. Decision-Journey churches welcome unbelievers to be in partnership with believers which imposes more challenge on believers to live a Christ-like life and be a living epistle.

Chapter eleven, “Attractional Churches” meet legitimate needs as a way to win a hearing for the gospel. It is a church built around the concept of “come and see;” the hook used to attract people ranges from size to quality to worship to teaching to children. Such churches with conviction lead the uncommitted consumer to become a committed disciple and have a dynamic teaching pastor who is a good communicator.

The Conclusion summarizes 11 truths about the 11 innovations and emphasizes that we are to contend for our faith (Jude 3) in terms of theological, moral, spiritual, and communal issues and we are to contextualize our message and innovate church (1 Cor. 9). Church matters to God’s mission because missio ecclesia is to fulfill missio dei which is much larger and every innovation will help the church accomplish its mission. The appendix briefly mentioned some extreme churches with their website addresses, such as the actor’s church, cowboy church, drive-in church, hip-hop church, motorboat church, outdoor church, prison church, skate church, surfer church, theater church, underground church

Critical Evaluation

The book investigates 11 types of innovations in church in North America. It is meant to deepen faith and empower to make changes to reach the lost and incorporate them in the church. The author’s working definition of church is “an assembly of professing believers, uniquely indwelt by Jesus Christ, under the discipline of the Word of God, administering the ordinances and led by spiritually gifted leaders.” The function will remain constant but the forms are impacted by the “who,” “when,” and “where” of culture; the issue is to look to Jesus, “is God in the model?” Learn what innovative churches are doing, discern scriptural bases, and move ahead with whatever God guides you to do with your church.

The accountability issue (p. 44) in organic house churches is not developed in terms of criteria for the how, who, etc…Also the house church as a mentoring agent (p. 40), what are the criteria and qualifications of mentoring? Accountability and mentoring have to be defined, studied, and taught as concepts to be applied in order to gain effectiveness.

In line with the author’s argument (p.59), the recovery church is far greater than a recovery movement that admits that we are powerless over our addiction; the real addiction is the independent life lived apart from and in hostility to God. The answer to struggles and problems is God in Christ, not some “higher power.” Churches need to recognize and include recovery ministry because most people have deep-seated hurts, challenges and needs.  Some are not even aware that they have addictions such as anger, codependency, fear, anxiety, etc…Churches ought to administer pulpit teaching on the Christ-centered recovery ministry.

The author argues that multi-site churches (p. 69) are an effective evangelistic outreach tool; leaders will no longer be confined to geography but mission will be the determining factor. In my opinion, they are a sign of growing churches that gain numerical growth, but what about conversion and internal growth? These multi-sites if turned to church planting will be better able to deliver a contextualized message that speaks to its community in a particular multi-ethnic geographical context and to witness by servant evangelism, as the author encouraged the theme as an effective way of church planting (p. 75). Another alternative to multi-site is the live broadcast on the internet where organic house-churches can meet and receive sound doctrine from qualified pastors/teachers and operate as mini home-sites spread throughout! Though multi-site approach has many advantages, the author had many concerns with which I agree: lack of religious memory for those attracted by multi-site, lack of contextualized message to various cultural backgrounds, live pastoral acts missing, decrease in teachers platform, appeal to consumer mentality, and lack of discipleship reproduction. Therefore, I highly encourage turning multi-sites to live biblical contextual churches—i.e. church planting—because the issue is encountering Jesus who transforms lives and post-conversion quality growth and discipleship multiplication. The trend is towards back-to-basics contextual biblical churches where organism and organization merge to honor God.

City-Reaching Churches and Community Transformation Churches should merge together as one because the concept is closely related and for a greater impact in the community. The city reaching prayer evangelism coupled with community transformation evangelistic preaching and servant evangelism will have a super-aggressive saturation outreach effect in terms of “trickle down” (up-down) and “bubble up” (down-up) strategies).

Also multi-site churches and cyber-churches could merge together for a greater impact and use of information technology network. Though cyber-churches and the digital revolution have presented unprecedented opportunities of doing evangelism, discipleship, and outreach, they lack of a face-to-face relationship, live encounters through a common shared Christian life, and accountability which is a means of growth. The truth remains that God has designed His Church as a living organism—different members united in one Body tied with a covenant—that represents God on earth. Cyber-churches, however bliss, cannot replace God’s original design, but is an innovation that we cannot deny. I strongly refute Reuters’ erroneous report which contends (p. 155) that “millions will eventually abandon their physical churches to join online spiritual communities.” The church will remain a uniquely irreplaceable living design, “this is a profound mystery—Christ and His Church” (Eph. 5:32).

In line with the author regarding multi-cultural multi-ethnic churches (p. 196), “there is no greater witness than God’s people from every ‘tribe, language, nation, and race’ reaching out to add others to the mosaic that is the kingdom of God.”  It is the fulfillment of Christ’s prayer in John 17, “that they may be one.”

Personal Application

Multi-cultural churches are a real challenge to me. However hard as it takes time and commitment to give up and team up, but it is worthwhile to live the Church united in love that God has designed. As I was reading that chapter, I stopped to meditate on mega-churches that are multi-cultural and multi-ethnic. Then I looked to my church and prayed for unity among various social classes and different worship styles. Though the challenges are few because we are all of one dominant race and one culture, yet unity seems so hard. May Christ’s prayer for unity in John 17 be fulfilled to the extent God wills for His Church. This chapter on multi-cultural multi-ethnic churches challenged my will, emotions, and intellect to be reunited to my church, however, hard and consuming but I must do it. I have been trying but maybe I did not do my utmost to seek that unity.

Organic house-churches are another challenge to such a time in which we are living here in Egypt, my home country. Churches are/will be for corporate worship but the real growth and learning will be in those little communities of faith and sharing. This is another issue I have to pray for because I have been severely hurt from the small group I was leading. Two years have gone by and I am not able to think of coming anywhere near small groups or house churches. Such commitments cannot be taken lightly and I am not sure how such small groups and house-churches are surviving or growing. How healthy are they growing? What are the accountability criteria? How is mentoring taking place? What about the teaching? Many issues need to be settled clearly before I can take any step in this regard. Cyber-churches are not an option for me because in my understanding they can never replace God’s original design; however, they are a powerful evangelistic outreach arm.

The Decision-Journey Church awakened the queries and struggle within me and which I contended for. Unlike Charles Finney and Billy Graham, I do not believe in the one-second or one-sermon decision taken to follow Christ. In line with the author, prospects to be Christ-followers could be introduced in a community of believers—a safe environment—where they can make their decision after learning the cost of following The Way—belonging then believing. It is about serious well-informed decision that produces serious disciples; and it takes time, effort, and honesty to reach for a serious commitment. I will no longer push people to make decisions, instead I will follow Stetzer evangelism journey (p. 212). He proposes to raise awareness of the true God, the Son of God, the gospel implications, and personal needs and give time for people to experience in a safe environment their intellect, emotions, and will in order to reach for a decision.  They also have the right to refuse Christ without being persecuted for their decision.

This book is another precious book that has challenged my intellect, emotions, and will. It taught me how much God is innovative; how much He loves His Church; how much He witnesses for Himself. It also taught me that every innovation has its weaknesses and strengths, we only have to discern if God is in the model or not and move ahead with whatever is scripturally appropriate to our church without compromising the basic faith. I will never part away with this book; but I will definitely disseminate the knowledge and buy extra copies—if I can—to give it away to those whose heart are set on learning and growing “for a discerning heart seeks knowledge.” (Prov. 15:14)

The appendix and the list of other books suggested with their cover page are useful and helpful for further suggested readings. The churches mentioned with the ministries and their website addresses were obliging in the sense that one was compelled to look up such addresses and to check the endnotes. I did not want to finish reading the book and I even read some chapters twice and went back for a third time to reread some parts. The amount of knowledge on innovations was surprising and pleasing.  I was humbled to see how God is at work in other parts of the world and could not help but praise God and bless such innovations hoping they will be disseminated and applied with discernment and wisdom.

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[1] Elmers Towns, Ed Stetzer, and Warren Bird, 11 Innovations in the Local Church, (Ventura, California: Regal Books, 2007).