Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement
Mel Lawrenz
Jossey-Bass, 2009, 208 pp., $24.95,
josseybass.com
How’s this for a paradox? “Whole Church is at the same time an unattainable goal and also the only goal worth striving toward.” At least Elmbrook Church Pastor Mel Lawrenz is honest — leading a church from fragmentation to true engagement with God, others, the community and the world is an impossible job. However, the vision of the whole church empowered by God, says Lawrenz, is one you must embrace unless you settle for strife and division.
Following each of 13 chapters detailing modes of engagement and strategies for momentum and cohesion, Lawrenz proposes 25 ways to achieve the goal of whole church practically. (For example, talk about change frequently so it’s not seen as a threat.) He also packs in meaty anecdotes from real churches, including his own.
Deftly handling what could be pie-in-the-sky theory, Lawrenz reveals a doable journey from small-minded segmentation toward Christlike unity and wholeness.
