Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can Too
B & H Publishing, 2007, 226 pp., $17.99 www.broadmanholman.com
Can the estimated 340,000 declining and/ or plateaued churches in America rebound from their malaise? Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson each have led the way for “comeback churches,” which have been restored to health after years of decline. They also have researched some 324 other successful rebounds (from 10 evangelical denominations—the book admittedly is not as accessible for those in mainline churches).
While the statistics drawn from their research can be wearying at times, the conclusions they draw are solid, biblical and missional. For those mired in a stagnant church, this book provides hope, if only to know that hundreds of others have come through similar struggles. It is a good resource for everyone involved in a revitalization process—laity and clergy alike.
—Review by Paul Randall