Synopsis
When God Changes a Church!
When God changes a church, it transitions to become
a church for the un-churched.
Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church is a church with a rich historic past. It has maintained a presence within the community of Birmingham, Alabama, for 123 years. The past twenty-nine years has seen the church move through several distinctive periods. The eighties were a decade of decline, when the church's public presence almost disappeared from the radar screen. The nineties was a period of maintenance, and gave hints of renewal. The first decade of the new century the church was transitioning away from being an inwardly focused, traditional Baptist church, which had lost its evangelistic and missionary zeal. Well now into this second decade of the new century, the church has become an outwardly focused church, with an increased evangelistic heart for people who are marginally churched, and those who are un-churched. Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church is now poised to reach people both locally and globally. We have become a megachurch that desires to be known more for its sending power than its seating capacity.
The genesis of this book was as a doctoral dissertation, completed for requirements at Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary in 2006. The first edition of this book, published in 2010, chronicled the gradual but major intervention, designed to shift the thinking, understanding, and practices of Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. This second edition includes updates and offers greater clarity on the impact and progress of the research offered in the pages to follow. We trust that it will positively influence current and future leaders and laity alike.
The information contained here has already been proven and has propelled Greater Shiloh far out into a new future of community and global ministry. When applied, the principles discussed in this book, guided by the Holy Spirit, have the capacity to cause similar or even greater change in the life of most any church.
Review
Reaching the Un-churched is more than a how-to book or a blueprint. It is a book of dreams, visions, blessings, travesties, and courage. Above all, it is about one church with unfathomable faith in a God who always shows up at Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a story of a church where people recognize that the faithful hand of God is upon them. Dr. Michael Wesley is a gifted leader, pastor, writer, and family man. It has been my distinct honor to partner with this great church, and work alongside this godly pastor, who today I call friend. Before you read Reaching the Un-churched, prepare yourself. Get ready to shout, to cry, to dance, and to shout Hallelujah! Bob Farris, President The Relevant Group, Atlanta, Georgia As a young pastor walking down a similar trail that Dr. Michael Wesley blazed several years ago, I must admit that Reaching the Un-churched has been an instrumental tool in my ministry. I am the fourth pastor of New Rising Star Baptist Church in the Eastlake community of Birmingham. My grandfather, Dr. Tommy Chappell, was the third pastor with the longest tenure of thirty-five years, serving as pastor from 1975 to 2010. When God Changes a Church has helped our church transition well. Dr. Wesley tells of Greater Shiloh's journey as he transitioned from predecessor to successor. This is a recommended read for any pastor, especially those who are in transition. Change is physical, but transition is mental. Even after a physical change in pastoral leadership, it often takes more than a few years for the mindset of a church to catch up to the change that has already taken place. This book is for any pastor who has ever wondered, How do I build the future without tearing up the past? It is for any pastor who has ever questioned, How do I reach out to the world while reaching in to take care of the current congregation at the same time? How do I communicate the differences of the past without making the past seem deficient? Reaching the Un-churched is a mentoring tool for every pastor. Mentorship accelerates time. What should take years is often able to happen sooner when people have mentors from whom they can glean. This book is filled with personal experiences from the heart, mind, and soul of Dr. Michael Wesley, as well as helpful research data and statistics. It gives hope to every pastor that dry bones in the valley can live again. It shows how God can change a church from just surviving, to striving for the future, to thriving. Lastly, this book is a major investment in the future of the local church. One of the major values of this book lies in the reality that it gives the experience of an associate minister, who became senior pastor of the church where he served. Wesley's experience gives dual perspectives: the associate minister and the senior pastor. Many associate ministers learn to be great preachers and orators of the Gospel but have no biblical model to follow for leading a church. This book adds value for leading a church. It blesses associate ministers by granting them valuable insights on church leadership prior to being lead pastors and senior pastors, by granting direction for those who may need to turn around, and confirmation for those who are on the right path. Dr. Thomas Beavers Pastor, New Rising Star Baptist Church Birmingham, Alabama
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