Frank Viola, Finding Organic Church: A Comprehensive Guide to Staring and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities. David C. Cook Publishing, 2009.
Prequels:
Sequels:
Referenced in: Missional Communties – Organic Church
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Finding Organic Church is the fourth installment in Viola’s six-part “ReChurch Library.” It is the sequel to the controversial two-volume series Pagan Christianity and Reimagining Church, and the missional theology, From Eternity to Here. (See links above) Like most other Viola volumes, it has been an Amazon bestseller, reaching #12 among all books.
In Viola’s own words, Finding Organic Church “is a biblical treatise showing how the first-century churches were planted on nothing but a revelation of Jesus Christ.” It also is a practical guide to actually “doing” the organic church model by planting a church. The publisher’s summary below represents the content quite well. For those interested in the organic model, this is an excellent guide, incorporating Viola’s decades of experience. Bear in mind this volume operates exclusively from the “ReChurch” philosophy, and is not a guide to church planting in general.
From the Publisher
From the author of Reimagining Church comes an essential guide that provides practical, effective tools for finding vibrant Christian communities. Driven by a passion for the body of Christ, Frank Viola has written some of today’s most authoritative and celebrated works on the growing home, organic, and missional church movements. Now Viola shares practical keys to a healthy and successful church plant. Viola contends that many congregations today are struggling to survive, not because of bad planning, but poor planting. He presents an essential guide for starting and nourishing organic churches in any culture. Drawing from both Scripture and a wealth of experience, Viola offers real-world tools, insights, and practical suggestions so churches won’t just grow, but thrive.
The book answers the following questions and more:
- Where do I find the kind of church life you describe in your other books — namely, Pagan Christianity, Reimagining Church, From Eternity to Here, and The Untold Story of the New Testament Church?
- How does one plant an organic church — a Christ-centered community that expresses God’s kingdom and fufills God’s eternal purpose and grand mission?
- How are organic churches nurtured and sustained?
- In an organic church, how are children, giving (money), Bible study, evangelism, prayer, etc. all handled?
- What are the stages of development that an organic church passes through?
- What are the diseases, preventions, and treatments for organic churches?
- What are the bibilcal principles for organic church planting?
- If I’m a leader in an institutional church and I want to transition to an organic church, how do I go about doing that?
About the Author
Frank Viola is a Christian author, speaker and church planter. He is a prominent advocate and influential leader in the house church, missional church, and organic church movements.
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