I’m going to something that I’ve not had to do since graduate school. I’m going to review a few books that I read during my blogging sabbatical. I’m not a professional book critic and I’m not doing this because I have a desire to dissect a book to its bare skeletal framework. I’m doing this because, for the three of you that read this blog, I want you to know that there are some really great books out there right now. These books are thought provoking and offer the reader a chance to engage the author in thought rather than simply flipping on the TV and watching a show. Obviously I cannot review ever new book that comes on the market (I’ll let the pros do that). I’ve picked these books because I think that they present topics that are relevant to where I’m at in life right now. These books are book that I have looked at in the bookstore for several weeks. Each time I looked at these books I had the thought of buying them, but something stopped me (mainly money). The first book I’m going to review is entitled Franchising McChurch: Feeding Our Obsession with Easy Christianity, by Thomas White and John M. Yeats. Both White and Yeats are professors at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth , TX. While their areas of expertise differ (Thomas is an Associate Professor of Church History and Yeats is the VP of Student Service and Communication and an Associate Professor of Systematic Theology) the two work well in presenting a glance into the such issues as
- “the blurry line between entertainment and evangelism”
- “a marketing approach to ministry”
- “the warped yardstick for measuring church growth”
- “feel good messages that avoid truth”
The book begins by staring the story of the Dick and Mac McDonald who owned a small burger shop in San Bernardino, Ca in the 1950’s. The McDonald brothers made milkshakes and used an invention called the multimixer. A guy selling multimixers, by the name of Ray Kroc found out that the McDonald’s used eight multimixers at their burger shop and he had to go meet them. The rest is history; McDonald’s was born. The thing about McDonald’s franchising is that you come to expect certain things. You can eat at a Mickey D’s in a terminal at LAX and the fries will be look, taste and small as a McDonald’s in Brooklyn, NY. The shakes, the Big Macs, and the items on the dollar menu will taste the same in Dallas as they do in Sioux Falls, SD.
Thomas and Yeats’approach in the book deals with the danger of “franchising” the local church and thus taking away from the individual work of a church; the work that God has specifically designed for the people in the community where the church is located? The writers explore the various topics. Chapter One really stuck with me (not because it was simply chapter one). This chapter dealt with efficiantcy vs. effectiveness. Aspects of an efficient churches can be both positive and negative. Positive in that the efficient use of space can aid people as they move from a time of Bible study into a cooperate worship service. Traffic flow, parking, helpful directional signs all provide a positive for an efficient church. Thomas and Yeats write:
“Efficient organizations work toward obtaining results. Their production results that reflect the aims, goals and mission of the organization. The difference is that where the effective organization works together as a whole to achieve the stated goal, the efficient organization strives for rapid obtainment of the goals, sometimes at the expense of the totality of the organization.”
Effective churches strive to accomplish the work of God in their communities without making efficiency the ruling aspect of the congregation. Is there a place for efficiency in the church? Yes; when dealing with budgets, schedules and individuals. Efficiency should not; however, be the rule when dealing with development of spiritual maturity. I believe that it you should have a picture or idea of what you desire your congragation to look like spiritually. When I design a program or event in my ministry, I ask myself if this program or event will help people grow to be more spiritually mature. I have a goal to help parents and children become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. I have to realize that the goal is not to move families from one program to another and in affect, work efficiently. I’ll take working effectively any day of the week.
I think that Thomas and Yeats delivered a super-sized home run with this book. The topics of discussion were well thought out and were written in such a way as to allow the reader to think through various points of view. In no way did Thomas and Yeats bash any particular church, rather they presented concern over some perceived weakness and problems in church methodology; they simply opened the lines of communication for a debate. This book is very appropriate in this day in church history. At the end of each chapter there is a summery of main thoughts and questions that can be helpful though provokers. For a great book review that takes a differant approach to the book other than the one I’m offering, read the book review by Tim Rogers.
