Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw, The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church for the Community. Jossey-Bass, 2010.
Referenced in:
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This text addresses two situations. One is when church leaders become energized by Externally Focused Church and need to facilitate change in congregational belief systems and structures to coordinate their efforts. Another is when leaders want their churches to become more externally focused, but need help in motivating, equipping, and realigning the work of the congregation toward that end. These are tasks of leadership/administration.
The text lays out the ten changes congregations must adopt as they move from being less internally focused and more oriented toward the world around them. It is not simply a list of motivational ideas and short-term projects, but educates on how to make the changes in congregational DNA that are necessary to initiate and sustain such a shift. For example, it discusses the difference between an attractional church that strives to offer the best set of religious goods and services in the community, over against the missional church that strives to be the best church for the community.
Table of Contents:
- What Kind of Day Is Today?
- Focus: They Choose the Window Seat, Not the Aisle Seat
- Purpose: They Practice Weight Training, Not Bodybuilding
- Story: They Live in the Kingdom Story, Not a Church Story
- Missions: The Few Send the Many Not the Many Send the Few
- Partnering: They Build Wells, Not Walls
- Systems: They Create Paradigms, Not Programs
- Evangelism: They Deploy Kingdom Laborers, Not Just Community Volunteers
- Creativity: They Innovate, Not Replicate
- Outcomes: It’s About the Game, Not the Pregame Talk
About the Authors
Rick Rusaw is the senior pastor at LifeBridge Christian Church and an innovative leader, speaker, author, and trainer. With Eric he is the cofounder of the Externally Focused Network.
Eric Swanson is a missional leadership specialist with Leadership Network, leading initiatives with externally focused churches that are missionally engaging their communities, cities, and the world. With Rick Rusaw he is the cofounder of the Externally Focused Network.
Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw are coauthors of The Externally Focused Church and The Externally Focused Life. They frequently speak and train at seminars and conferences on missional/externally focused churches.
***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.***
See Other Resource Guides on Christian Social Ministry:
- Social Ministry, Introduction
- Theological and Philosophical Foundations of Social Ministry
- Spirituality for Ministry of Social Compassion and Justice
- Strategies For Christian Social Ministry
- Perspectives and Strategies For Social Ministry Among the Urban Poor, Urban Ministry
- Christian Perspectives on Political Theory and Church-State Relations
- Christian Perspectives on Economics and Public Policy
- Evangelism