This book is invaluable for anyone in leadership in the established institutional churches. It made me squirm more than once, but it also gave me the clearest picture of why the mainline churches are in decline I've gotten from any source. Bandy uses a narrative of a young couple who are church shopping to illustrate his points, and it hits very close to home. You'll recognize it all.

The title, incidentally, is a bit too narrow for the topic -- this is a work about change in every system of church life.

Everyone who wonders what the heck has happened to make churches that used to work in the 50s fall into irrelevance and decline should read this book.

This book is a must for any believer, but specially leaders. You will see, in a very compeling and "oiled" way the reality of the pathetic present system of "church as usual". You will see that we, the church at large, are designed as a franchise of boredom and institutionalism. It is not a book for those who love the "status quo" and are controling freaks. Is not a book for people who seek accomodations and think that being a good christian means going to Sunday school for a thousand years and never graduating. It is a great book and everyone in the new church we are starting is reading it. The book, above all, calls you to be true and vibrant with the message of Jesus and not with the carpet in the fellowship-hall.

Easum and Bandy make excellent points regarding the difficulties of traditional churches. Who can argue with the reality of decline; the substitution for institutional maintenance for evangelism? Unfortunately their response to the challenge is gimmicky and shallow. For example, they envision "worship" consisting of chats with a holographic Jesus and Mary on the challenges of family life. Is such a retreat into entertainment the only way to reach today's generation? Is it even possible for such entertainment to be authentic worship, or have we settled for a Disneyland version of reality? The authors don't consider such questions, nor do they address the question of resources, envisioning the megachurch, with its wealth, to be the only option for the future. Current trends indicate the future is not quite so monolithic. There are other books tackling these issues with far more practical advice.

Authors Easum and Bandy suggest methods and concepts for the growth of churches of the future using the organic metaphor of the redwood tree. The contemporary language used is user-friendly and potentially mentally stimulating. It reflects the author's in-depth knowledge of the most recent cultural changes affecting, to varying degrees, each church. The approach is outreach oriented while suggesting that spiritual redwoods are not born or built but grown. Far and away the best, and longest, chapter of the book is the author's discussion of indigenous worship and the role such worship plays in church growth. I suggest purchasing the book because of this chapter. Unfortunately the authors' suggestions and analysis are often simplistic. While they say they value diversity and a multiplicity of options for growing churches, apparently not included in either are the practices and conceptuality of what they label "declining" (read "traditional") churches. They also pit spirituality, experience, and communities as the positive polar opposites of that which they label as negative: dogma, understanding, and institutions. Do these have to be opposites? Are the latter negative? A wise philosopher once said, "It is more important that a proposition be interesting than it be true....but truth adds interest." The insights which emerge out of this interesting book may allow the reader to discover truths the authors have either overlooked or dismissed in addition to those that have been plainly presented.

I picked up "Growing Spiritual Redwoods" not long after reading Bill Easum's "...Gourmet Burgers". Bandy and Easum continue his analysis of the problems dragging down "traditional" churches as they encounter the new century. Bandy adds a "nuts and bolts" element that was missing in "Burgers". Traditional churches have let spirituality slip while they pursue better ways of doing church work on a corporate model. The authors want us to return the focus of the church to worship and specifically "indigenous worship"... matching worship style to the community-especially the unchurched community. Many churches are surrounded by spiritual searchers who feel alienated by the "old-fashioned" music and liturgies of traditional worship. Some of their suggestions for styles and environments are hard for me to swallow, but they do encourage thoughtful consideration of how our worship styles have become as dated as knickers. I am not sure that the overwhelming sensual assault of much of modern culture is absolutely necessary to relate to the Under-30 crowd, but I can see where it could provide a way to communicate the transformative power of Jesus to the MTV generation. Beyond worship, they advocate building strong, spiritual individuals to replace the ineffective and energy wasting committee structures of the past. Church leaders become coachs, inspiring rather than directing each individual's ministry. Teams of desciples coalescing around natural leaders who share their vision will do the work of Jesus, rather than the work of the church. This is not a book of instructions, but it does point out the elements necessary to make the kind of transformation they feel is required for the survival of the larger church in the post-Christendom, pre-Christian era. Even if you disagree with the methods that Bandy and Easum suggest, this book will stimulate serious thought and conversation with others in your church community about how we do the work of our Lord.