Magnify Your Vision for the Small Church

Rating:
Summary: One of the most thought-provoking mission books in years.
Review: I found this book to be one of the most thought-provoking mission books I've read in the last several years. Not only does it tell the amazing story of how God used a small church that stepped out in faith, but it spells out the biblical principles behind the story. It repeatedly drives home the point that "It is not the size of our resource pool, but the limits of our faith and our vision that determines our impact for the kingdom of God." While this goes totally contrary to our American "bigger is better" mentality,it is a message that the North American evangelical church needs to hear.

"Magnify Your Vision For The Small Church" should be read by the pastor/leadership/missions team of every small church and also by the leadership of every mission agency. I believe God can use this book to unleash what is undoubtedly the greatest untapped resource for the cause of world evangelization - the small local church.

Rating:
Summary: HOPE FOR THE SMALL CHURCH
Review: In this day when the emphasis is bigger and better, sadly, the same attitude has hit the small church. As one who visits nationally with pastors and missions committees of these churches who mostly are under 200 in membership, I often get the sense these small churches feel their worthlessness and insignificance in the Kingdom of God. As a result, they feel the need to trust what little they are willing to do into the hands of the "professionals", those who they feel are better equipped to work in the international arena.

John Rowell's book gives hope and shines fresh light on how a small church can do great exploits for God. And really this is not a new concept. Going back to the church in Antioch which sent out Barnabas, Paul and John Mark, Rowell shows God is still perfectly capable of using anyone, or in this case, any church He desires. And it still is true, availability is far more important to God than is ability.

The case study in this book is the Northside Church's involvement in Kosovo, an area where most churches in the US would never ever launch a work. Yet Kosovo is exactly where they sense God's leading. And they are quick to try and find the indigenous church to work with and partner alongside them. I personally find this most refreshing that his church is not trying to "reinvent the wheel" and compete with the established chruch but to come along side it and become an Aaron/Hur type ministry.

Frankly, this book should be required reading of every pastor and of every seminary student and of course for everyone interested in missions. Were Rowell's principles to be seriously considered, who knows how much more could be accomplished in the Kingdom of God using the current amount of money and manpower we now have available. (Not to mention how involving church members in the pews would bring even more in churches into the mission fields.)

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Summary: Story shows great faith but...
Review: While I enjoyed reading the recounting of Northsides faith journey into missions I found the rest of the book to be of little importance to a small church leader. It seems to me to be an opportunity for Rowell to carry on about how bad mega-churches, seminaries, and traditional mission agencies are. This applies to the small church leader how?

Don't get me wrong I believe all small churches need to raise their vision for mission in the world and I believe God will equip small churches who are faithful for reaching the lost however and this book raises that vision but most of the book is unnecessary for small church leaders. Instead I would recommend Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby as a better book about increasing faith and vision.

Lastly Rowell tries to pass off his church as a "small church" however it was a church plant begun with a vision for missions from the get-go. It is not a surprise that the church grew quickly under their vision, but how is an established church without a clear vision for missions going to apply this book (and I purposefully don't say principles because Rowell falls short in this)?

If you are a small church pastor/leader think twice about this book. If you are a denominational leader get this book because it will reform your priorities about the small church and about developing leadership for the future.