ABAWFAY is short for “A Book A Week For A Year”. Read this post to find out more and to suggest the next book I read.

By the way, I am using a new method for reviewing books which helps me extrapolate principles which lead to changed thinking and action.

For more info and for a free template, go here.

Quick Summary

Brandon J. O’Brien urges pastors to rethink what success in ministry really looks like. He asserts that small churches can become successful when they function as “strategically small”. He defines this throughout the book but in short, it is when a small church shifts their perspective from one of lack to one of abundance. He argues that the characteristics of a small church are what make it unique to meet needs that may be overlooked or even out of reach of larger churches. Yet, this book is challenging for pastors/leaders who lead churches of various shapes and sizes.

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So, my wife Hannah and I talked about this after Carlos Whittaker wrote the following blog post earlier this week:

Title: Big Church or Little Church

Post: Big Church or Little Church…and why? – Los

(yes, that is the whole post)

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ABAWFAY is short for “A Book A Week For A Year”. Read this post to find out more and to suggest the next book I read.

Is it possible that we focus too much on what we can start doing to grow our church? Geoff Surratt thinks so.

In his book, Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches From Growing, he takes a humorous and unique approach to a quickly populating genre of books that espouse to help churches grow.

Instead of focusing on what new initiatives and programs can be started, he challenges leaders to ask what are we currently doing that is a mistake (i love the concept).

Using personal experience (he calls himself a “stupid pastor”, which is refreshing amidst a generation of people that refer to themselves as experts) and leveraging his relationships with great leaders such as Dino Rizzo and Craig Groeschel to offer a carefully curated book of the worst practices of ministry (and how to avoid them).

There is only one thing better than learning from your own mistakes and it is learning from someone else’s mistakes!

My Rating: 9.8/10

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