Activating The Passive Church Paper

Has your church fallen into a predictable routine? Is it drifting without purpose or resolve? Put an end to that by using Lyle E. Schaller's potent prescription for passive churches.

Written for both lay and ordained congregational leaders, this timely book diagnoses the causes of church passivity, and formulates a method for combatting the problem. Dr. Schaller classifies churches according to their internal dynamics (rather than denomination or geographical location), and demonstrates how many have overcome the "twenty-year syndrome" - that awkward time when relatively new churches tend to lose their sense of direction. He also shows how churches can make a smooth transition from one pastor to another, and how new members can be used in establishing an effective church program.

The cumulative result of twenty years of experience in parish trouble-shooting, Dr. Schaller's new book will be welcomed by church leaders everywhere who face the dreaded spectre of church passivity.

Lyle E. Schaller was the country's leading interpreter of congregational systems and their vitality. He was the author of dozens of books, including From Geography to Affinity, also published by Abingdon Press. He lived in Naperville, Illinois.