Paul Wilkes, Excellent Protestant Congregations: The Guide to Best Places and Practices. Westminster/John Knox, 2004.
Referenced in: Research and Case Studies on Effective Churches
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is the result of researching over 300 Protestant congregations that fit certain criteria for effectiveness. Nine of them are profiled in the book. One criteria was to find churches that embodied a kind of “reproducible excellence,” or approaches and programs that could be replicated in other places. These are highlighted in the three “Points of Excellence” summarized at the end of each profile. Although the research is more than a decade old, and is focused on Protestant churches, the findings provide some interesting benchmarks that may help congregations of all faith traditions.
From the Publisher
While many individuals might seek after an assortment of spiritual practices and approaches, the local congregation still remains the place where most Christians turn for religious education, nurture, ritual, and a sense of community. Yet many congregations struggle to respond to the spiritual needs of new faces in their pews.
In Excellent Protestant Congregations, respected religious journalist Paul Wilkes profiles eight dynamic, geographically and denominationally diverse congregations that have a distinct ability to create a vibrant community of worship. Wilkes draws out the “points of excellence” that lie beneath each congregation’s success and vitality. From hosting luncheons after funerals to organizing powerful life-changing retreats, from developing a capital campaign to getting volunteers to cheerfully do work for the church, Excellent Protestant Congregations provides real-world insights that are both inspiring and applicable in a local congregation. The geographic listing of over 300 excellent Protestant congregations and an index guiding readers to specific topics such as stewardship, bereavement, and how to reach Gen Xers, make Excellent Protestant Congregations an invaluable resource for church life.
About the Author
Paul Wilkes is author of over a dozen books, including Beyond the Walls: Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life (Doubleday, 1999); The Good Enough Catholic: A Guide for the Perplexed (Ballantine, 1996); And They Shall Be My People: An American Rabbi and His Congregation (Ballantine, 1994). Producer of two series (“Merton” and “Six American Families”) for PBS. Articles in The New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, The Nation, Commonweal.
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