The Challenge of Change
A Guide to Shaping Change and Changing the Shape of the Church
by Phil Potter
Paperback
Price: £7.99
Publisher:BRF (Bible Reading Fellowship)
Published:Spring 2009
ISBN:978-1-841-01604-7
GoodBookStall Review:
As I started to read this book it struck me that it had arrived on my desk about two years too late. I found myself thinking time and again as I read this book, “If you had told me that earlier I could have saved myself, and others, much time and trouble.”
Change is an ever present reality and the church is no more or less resistant to its pressures and enticements than any other group. Phil Potter gives pointers on how to approach change. This is not just a ‘how to’ book (though it does have some useful practical tips), it is, as the subtitle states, a guide to shaping change. In a series of easy to follow steps Potter helps the reader to assess change. He give solid guidelines on avoiding change for change’s sake but embracing it when that is what is required to fulfil God’s mission.
Potter’s approach is clear and logical (maybe a bit too logical seen from the inside of the storm that can quickly blow up around change), with a satisfying mix of the practical and the theoretical. He doesn’t lose sight of the spiritual issues involved, yet keeps his feet on the ground.
This book is not restricted to those who want to move towards a cell-church model. Anyone facing change and wondering how to steer a path through troubled waters, not just avoiding dangerous rocks but looking for opportunities to learn and grow, should take a look at this book.
Kevin Dare, Minister, Beeston Baptist Church, Nottingham
Reviewer: Guest reviewer (24/11/09)
As I started to read this book it struck me that it had arrived on my desk about two years too late. I found myself thinking time and again as I read this book, “If you had told me that earlier I could have saved myself, and others, much time and trouble.”
Change is an ever present reality and the church is no more or less resistant to its pressures and enticements than any other group. Phil Potter gives pointers on how to approach change. This is not just a ‘how to’ book (though it does have some useful practical tips), it is, as the subtitle states, a guide to shaping change. In a series of easy to follow steps Potter helps the reader to assess change. He give solid guidelines on avoiding change for change’s sake but embracing it when that is what is required to fulfil God’s mission.
Potter’s approach is clear and logical (maybe a bit too logical seen from the inside of the storm that can quickly blow up around change), with a satisfying mix of the practical and the theoretical. He doesn’t lose sight of the spiritual issues involved, yet keeps his feet on the ground.
This book is not restricted to those who want to move towards a cell-church model. Anyone facing change and wondering how to steer a path through troubled waters, not just avoiding dangerous rocks but looking for opportunities to learn and grow, should take a look at this book.
Kevin Dare, Minister, Beeston Baptist Church, Nottingham
Reviewer: Guest reviewer (24/11/09)
