Kevin G. Harney and Bob Bouwer, The U-Turn Church: New Direction for Health and Growth. Baker Books, 2011.
Referenced in: Research and Case Studies on Effective Churches
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
The authors address how to transition a historically traditional church that has lost its missional connection with its surrounding community and “turn” into a fully engaged kingdom presence. It is actually a case study “tale of two churches,” Fait Church in Chicago and Corinth church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both have grown from just a few hundred people to thousands in attendance.
They lay out most of the same strategies that would be found in all responsible change efforts. These include creating a sense of holy urgency, prayerfully casting a vision, affirming bedrock beliefs (what will and will not change), challenging unbiblical and ineffective traditions, empowering leaders and others to carry change to all levels, creating a high expectation culture, etc. The advantage to this book is the combination of sound leadership practices and the inspiring stories of two actual cases of success in activating those practices.
From the Publisher
Guide Your Church Into a Season of Health and Growth
If you’re a pastor, no one needs to tell you that the majority of churches in America are in a state of stagnation or decline. It’s likely that you are ministering in one right now. But there’s hope. In The U-Turn Church, two pastors who turned their churches around show you how to help usher in a new season of health, faithfulness, growth, and vision in your church.
The U-Turn Church walks you through the roadblocks of tradition, lack of vision or leadership, structural problems, and concerns about denominational distinctives to forge a new way forward into a hope-filled future. Through the stories of two churches that have experienced healthy and lasting transformation, you will see that there is not just one right way to reverse decline and move into a season of growth.
Isn’t it time to begin your own U-Turn journey? Here’s the practical help and wisdom born of experience that you have been looking for.
Endorsements
“Kevin Harney is a voice of both wisdom and experience when it comes to navigating change at a church. What a needed book!” — John Ortberg, bestselling author; senior pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, California
“Does your church need a U-Turn toward stronger health and more effective outreach? Kevin and Bob offer a practical road map on how you can move ahead with the love and message of Jesus.” — Lee Strobel, bestselling author, The Case for the Real Jesus
“Looking for a practical tool to help with church renewal? Look no further. Harney and Bouwer have each led churches through a dynamic U-Turn process, and they offer simple and transferable ideas to help your church find health and a new way forward.” — Randy Frazee, senior minister, Oak Hills Church, San Antonio, Texas; author, The Connecting Church
“A rare and remarkable book filled with great coaching from leaders who have successfully handled the dangerous curves of a turn-around church. If you are in a turn-around situation, the first thing you need to do is read The U-Turn Church.” — Dave Ferguson, lead pastor, Community Christian Church; movement leader, NewThing
About the Authors
Kevin G. Harney (MDiv, Fuller Seminary; DMin, Western Theological Seminary) led Corinth Reformed Church in Byron Center, Michigan, through a U-Turn experience from 1993-2006. He is currently senior pastor of Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, California. Harney is the author of Organic Outreach for Ordinary People, Leadership from the Inside Out, Seismic Shifts, Finding a Church You Can Love, and more than sixty small group guides, as well as curriculum and numerous articles. He also does extensive teaching and speaking both nationally and internationally. He lives in California.
Bob Bouwer (MDiv, Western Theological Seminary) has been leading Faith Church in South Holland, Illinois/Dyer, Indiana, through a U-Turn experience from 1990 to the present. Bouwer is founder and executive director of U-Turn Church Ministries Inc., which holds conferences to help congregations and denominations move toward health and growth. He speaks nationally and provides resources for churches and leaders on how to effectively walk through a turnaround process. He is also the visionary leader of The Ravines in Lowell, Indiana, a marriage hospital that creates U-Turn experiences for marriages that need to find a hope-filled way forward. He lives in Indiana.
***For additional information on this resource, including reviews, click the bookstore links. Check the reference at page top or the links below for resource guides on related topics.***
Related Areas
See Other Resources on Church Leadership and Renewal:
- Church Leadership and Renewal, Index
- Church Leadership, Theological Foundations, Ecclesiology
- Church Leadership, Philosophical Foundations – e.g. Church Growth, Missional, Emergent, and Other Missionally Responsive Trajectories
- Church Leadership, Practical Foundations – Church Dynamics and Research
- Church Leadership, Practical Foundations – Congregational Culture, Church Identity
- Church Leadership, Practical Foundations – Size Dynamics, Size Transitions
- Church Leadership, Practical Foundations – Research and Case Studies on Effective Churches
- Church Leadership, Special Situations – Small Church Development
- Church Leadership, Strategies for Renewal
See Resources on Over 100 Areas of Ministry Leadership: