Real Good Church | How Our Church Came Back from the Dead, and Yours Can, Too (Baskette)
Now available: Real Good Church study guide (free download)
Reverse the Death Spiral of Your Church
"This is a practical manual of everything our church did," says author Molly Phinney Baskette, "to reverse our death spiral and become the healthy, stable, spirited and robust community it is today—evident in the large percentage of children and young adults in our church, and a sixfold increase in pledged giving in the last decade."
Real Good Church is a testament to Baskette's and First Church Somerville UCC's success, and a gift of hope for all churches that find themselves struggling to keep their doors open.
What makes Real Good Church unique in the field of church growth books?
It's practical. It actually tells churches what they can do ... and how to do it. It offers beginning and intermediary steps for growth and renewal. Churches, no matter what situation they're in, will be able to jump in and get to work. It has a sense of humor. Baskette's easygoing, often self-deprecating writing style and approachable strategies will empower the reader and their church to revitalize itself. (If her church could do it, we can, too!)
Praise for Real Good Church
From Brian McLaren: "OK, folks: it’s here: the practical, encouraging, field-tested book to help pastors and lay leaders turn declining churches around. Really. This is it! As a veteran pastor, I can tell you that Molly has packed these pages with the guidance you need."
From Publishers Weekly: "With down-to-earth wisdom and humor, Baskette tells how her church transformed from 35 worshippers on a financially dismal trajectory into a thriving, fiscally stable congregation four times that size in one decade. Sound, practical advice on everything from coffee hour to electronic giving. . .an invaluable, accessible resource for clergy and laity passionate about church revitalization."
From The Christian Century: "First Church in Somerville, Massachusetts, went from an attendance of 35 to 130 in ten years, with as many as 350 people showing up for Easter. In a chatty, somewhat repetitive manner, Baskette shares the many little things the church did to turn things around. Rather than focus on the congregation’s low self-esteem, she built up its 'God esteem.'"
About the Author
Molly Phinney Baskette is, in no particular order, a mother, spouse, recovering workaholic, cancer survivor, adventurous home cook, and pastor.
Paperback
ISBN 978-0-8298-2002-7
2014
