Breakthrough

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Who knew a little church that sat in downtown Odessa, Texas for over a hundred years would end up being the model for what church should look like today? But that’s exactly what happened when the congregation called two new pastors (Dawn and Joe Weaks) and followed their servant-oriented leadership not only into the community but out of that old brick building. Breakthrough: Trusting God for Big Change in Your Church shares the story both from the Weaks’ and their congregants’ perspectives, inspiring others to go and do likewise. The last 30 years of American church life have played a familiar refrain: “The church is old, out of touch, dying, and it’s too late.” Why bother? What if the church is not old enough, not out of touch enough, and not dying enough? When survival-rooted panic is supplanted with calm, spirited creativity, that may be exactly the moment your church was made for, that your community was hoping for– and that God is waiting for. First Christian Church of Odessa, Texas made a radical choice and was reborn as Connection Christian Church, with a new view on ministry and new energy. Breakthrough: Trusting God for Big Change in Your Church tells the story of what happened when this church dared to place their desperate, dying selves into the hands of a God whose middle name is “Surprise!” — and hints how readers might find that audacity in their own congregations. “This book is truly a breakthrough; a hope-filled epistle to the modern church in a rapidly changing world. “
Rev. Erin Wathen, author of Resist and Persist “When many pastors and congregations are struggling, this book is an encouraging word that will uplift, inspire, challenge, and surprise you.”
Sarah Griffith Lund, Senior Pastor and author, and national staff, United Church of Christ “The real-life story of a congregation who chose not to stay stuck, but to take a giant leap of faith.”
Rev. Kyndall Rae Rothaus, author of Thy Queendom Come “For any congregation going through a challenging time, this is the book for you.”
F. Douglas Powe, Jr., Director, Lewis Center at Wesley Theological Seminary and James C. Logan Professor of Evangelism “This book is full of practical and theological wisdom. A must-read for every dying church looking to be resurrected!”
Mike Graves, Wm. K. McElvaney Professor of Preaching and Worship emeritus, Saint Paul School of Theology and Scholar in Residence, Country Club Christian Church

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