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Download Sample: Introducing Essential Church 28-Page PDF

Why do so many young adults (18 to 22) leave the church, and what will it take to bring them back? This important question is examined and duly answered in Essential Church?, a follow-up to Thom S. Rainer's best-selling Simple Church cowritten this time with his son, research expert Sam Rainer.

The book is based on a study of one-thousand so-called "church dropouts" who were interviewed about why they left. Their answers are quite surprising, having less to do with "losing their religion" and more about the desire for a community that isn't made stale by simply maintaining the status quo.

In turn, the Rainers offer churches four concrete solutions toward making their worship community an essential part these young people's lives again:

Simplify - develop a clear structure and process for making disciples.

Deepen - provide strong biblical teaching and preaching.

Expect - let members know the need for commitment to the congregation.

Multiply - emphasize evangelism, outward focus, and starting new churches.

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By:  Paul Temple  From:  El Dorado Springs, MO

10/3/2008 3:49:08 PM:   Excellent!

It is a comphrensive way to simplify your church to do what it can do best. Though it is geared toward young dropouts my experience has been that many of the same arguments apply to older dropouts as well. The mechanistic machinations of Flakes formulae, Zig Ziglar sales techniques and church growth planning often do not leave room for the Holy spirit to move and energy to carry out His plans! Definite must read for burned out church growthers!

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By:  Gary Mitchell  From:  Alexandria, Louisiana

10/3/2008 8:48:18 PM:   What a great follow up from

I work for the Louisiana Baptist Convention as the Bivocational / Smaller Church Strategist in the Pastoral Leadership Team. We have about 1600 churches and 1411 of them are considered Smaller Churches (125 or less aver. worship on Sunday Morning. I have used "Simple Church" as a resource for two years, purchsed a few hundred of the books and developed a Power Point presentation from the book. Smaller churches have a problem relating to much of the materials today . . . but, they jumped on "Simple Church" right away. Now the same thing is happening with "Essential Church". Neither book is intimidating and as I go through the material, I see them nodding their heads in agreement. I have both books in a digital format and that makes it so easy to use it as a teaching resource. Thank you for making it available.

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By:  Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey  From:  Spanish Fort, Alabama

10/4/2008 2:18:29 PM:   Recommended Reading

Dr. Thom S. Rainer and Sam S. Rainer III statistically, scripturally, and sympathetically share a shocking evaluation of the situation in many church sanctuaries across the United States of America in Essential Church?: Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts. They saliently and sagely show how we can reverse trends and see a revival of the work of the Lord. I sincerely recommend it! Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor, teacher, mentor, writer, and author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice