Finding Organic Church
FINDING ORGANIC CHURCH is a comprehensive practical guide that follows all of Frank Viola’s other books on the church. It 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?
Early review:
The author of “Pagan Christianity?” (with George Barna), “Reimagining Church,” and the bestselling “From Eternity to Here” has written a detailed manual on how to start and sustain an organic church. Everything from what to do with the children, to the developmental stages of church growth, to the diseases of an organic church and their cures are all covered in this comprehensive volume. Church planting principles for organic styled churches are packed together with the author’s practical experience of living in and starting such churches. Each chapter is full of advice, outlining the unique problems that such churches will face and their solutions. Church planters of all types will benefit from this book as well as those wishing to explore an alternative way of church gathering. — Christian Book Reviews, 2009
I highly encourage to check Finding Organic Church and his other books out.
Book Review: From Eternity to Here by Frank Viola
For a couple of years I have wondered, “There has to be more to the Christian faith then showing up at church every Sunday for a hour to hour and a half and reading little biblical snipits throughout the week”. That statement is one of the main reasons why, as of the beginning of 2009, I no longer attend a traditional Sunday morning church service. And so began my journey.
I read a couple of Frank Viola’s books, “Pagan Christianity” and “Reimagining Church“, which are awesome books in their own right and serve a very important purpose. Then he came out with “From Eternity to Here“. His claim was that this is his most important piece of material he has ever written. I loved the other two books so this naturally piqued my interest. Once it was available I purchased it.
The first couple of pages contain numerous endorsements of some well-known individuals. Then came the page. It only had one sentence on it, yet, this sentence contained the thoughts that have permeated my brain for years and forefront on my journey. It states:
To every follower of Jesus who knows within their deepest parts that there must be more to the Christian faith
What Viola does in this book is bring to the forefront God’s ultimate desire, passion, and mission for the church (the bride of Christ). He splits this book into three sections; A Forgotten Woman: The Bride of Christ, An Eternal Quest: The House of God, and A New Species: The Body of Christ and the Family of God. He intricately weaves Old Testament Scripture into New Testament Scripture; tying the first two chapters of Genesis with the last two chapters of Revelation. Each chapter of this book unfolds beautifully where you can truly understand that there is more to Christianity than Sunday mornings and daily biblical snipits.
In this book he states,
When we discover that our relationship to the Father is actually Christ’s relationship to His father, it changes everything.
No longer are we saying I have to do this to be a better Christian, I’m working on that to be a better Christian, I, I, I. All about my abilities. Who is at the center of those statements, I. Instead, God is inviting you into the same relationship he has with Christ; not a separate relationship, but the same one!
This really is a must have book. This is one of those books thatI will read numerous times.
In fact, I think so highly of this book that I have decided to use it as a starting point with other believers that I have begun to gather together in community to discuss. Even before “Pagan Christianity” and “Reimagining Church“. I consider this book that important.
Book Review: Rethinking the Will of God by Frank Viola
Every now and then you come across a book by “mistake” that ends up making a profound impact on you. That just happened to me with a free ebook titled, Rethinking the Will of God by Frank Viola.
Rethinking the Will of God, challenges ones understanding of God’s Will. Typically, Christians are told that God has a perfect purpose and plan for their lives and if we miss the mark, our lives may just end up going in the dumps. What if, like in a parking lot, we had several choices and yet each of our choices would still be in God’s Will? Wouldn’t that be a little liberating? Freeing?
This quick-read ebook does just that, explains that we actually do have choices and are still in God’s Will. Some decisions may be more wise than others. For instance, it is pouring outside and you decide to park in the furthest location when a much closer spot is open. But you know, as long as you stay within the boundaries of the parking lot, you are ok; you are still in God’s Will!
I want to encourage you to take the challenge to rethink the will of God and download this incredible ebook. You will not be disappointed.
Recent Comments