Product Description

Churches have tried all kinds of ways to attract new and younger members - revised vision statements, hipper worship, contemporary music, livelier sermons, bigger and better auditoriums. But there are still so many people who aren't being reached, who don't want to come to church. And the truth is that attendance at church on Sundays does not necessarily transform lives; God's presence in our hearts is what changes us. Leaders and laypeople everywhere are realizing that they need new and more powerful ways to help them spread God's Word. According to international church starter and pastor Neil Cole, if we want to connect with young people and those who are not coming to church, we must go where people congregate. Cole shows readers how to plant the seeds of the Kingdom of God in the places where life happens and where culture is formed - restaurants, bars, coffeehouses, parks, locker rooms,and neighborhoods. Organic Church offers a hands-on guide for demystifying this new model of church and shows the practical aspects of implementing it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11714 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-08
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
"...for Christians who are asking deep questions."  (Church Times, Friday 21st December 2007)

Review
"This book is profound, practical, and a pleasure to read. It stretches our thinking and brings us to a place where we can see the Kingdom of God spread across the world in our generation. This book has come at the right time."
--John C. Maxwell, founder, INJOY, INJOY Stewardship Services and EQUIP

"My life is about seeing hundredfold results. Neil Cole’s approach helps get those kinds of results for churches by planting many new expressions of the Kingdom that reach thousands of people. One of the great joys of my life for the past six years has been to watch the dramatic growth of Awakening Chapels and the organic churches described in this work. Cole’s new book tell not only the inspiring story but also describes the principles, so you can apply these ideas."
--Bob Buford, founder and chairman, Leadership Network; author, Halftime and Finishing Well

"I always listen when Neil Cole speaks. His breadth of understanding and practice of what he preaches is right on. Everyone should know or be aware of this guy that God is using in a powerful way."
--Bob Roberts, senior pastor, NorthWood Church, Keller, Texas

"Neil Cole is one of the foremost thinkers and practitioners organic forms of church. His vision of the church is as new as it is ancient. Cole’s story as well as the philosophy of Church Multiplication Associates is paradigmatic for the church as it seeks to negotiate its way faithfully into the twenty-first century."
--Alan Hirsch, director, Forge Mission Training Network, church planter; author, The Shaping of Things to Come

"In an age where millions are saying ‘God yes, church no!’ most of us instinctively feel that church as we know it prevents church as God wants it. But where, exactly, is the catch? Where do we go from here? Neil Cole expertly places a thrilling invitation before us to join probably the most exciting spiritual pilgrimage going on today: the global migration of a church on the way back home. Come and dial in!"
--Wolfgang Simson, author, Houses that Change the World 

"Church multiplication is not likely to be the province of ivory tower theoreticians! In Organic Church  Neil Cole helps us to understand that church multiplication is never going to be a spectator sport. This is hands down the most useful and comprehensive book currently available to understanding the rapidly growing expressions of simple, organic church life around the world."
--Dr. N. A. (Tony) Dale, editor, House 2 House Magazine 

"I heartily recommend this book. It is packed with deep insights; you will find no fluff in it. Among the books on church planting, it offers a rare combination of attributes: it is biblical and well written, its model has proven effective, and it is authored by a practitioner rather than an observer or an ivory-tower theoretician."
--Curtis Sergeant, directory of church planting, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California

"It is a great joy to recommend Neil Cole’s  Organic Church. The stories and experiences in this book will encourage many to follow the Holy Spirit and go where God is leading. Neil Cole is a true pioneer in the faith and a man of great vision who has chosen to live out the things that God has poured into him. I believe this book will ignite hearts to live out their faith in organic communities across the country and around the world."
--Rev. Michael Steele, North American director, Dawn Ministries

"Neil Cole is a true trailblazer for today’s church.  His story will inspire you and equip you to experience the living Christ in community."
--Jonathan S. Campbell Ph.D., author, The Way of Jesus

From the Inside Flap
Churches have tried all kinds of ways to attract new and younger members—revised vision statements, hipper worship, contemporary music, livelier sermons, bigger and better auditoriums. But there are still so many people who aren't being reached, who don't want to come to church. And the truth is that attendance at church on Sundays does not necessarily transform lives; God's presence in our hearts is what changes us. Leaders and laypeople everywhere are realizing that they need new and more powerful ways to help them spread God's Word.

According to international church starter and pastor Neil Cole, if we want to connect with young people and those who are not coming to church, we must go where people congregate. Cole shows readers how to plant the seeds of the Kingdom of God in the places where life happens and where culture is formed—restaurants, bars, coffeehouses, parks, locker rooms, and neighborhoods. Organic Church offers a hands-on guide for demystifying this new model of church and shows the practical aspects of implementing it.

While it may seem revolutionary, this model of church—bringing God's message where people are rather than expecting them to show up at church—is in keeping with the message of Jesus, who lived among the people of his time. Organic Church shows how we can return to those ancient roots by letting the church be alive, organic, growing, spreading in the most likely and unlikely places.

Customer Reviews

Organic Church answers the heart-cry of a worship-hungry soul
Organic Church answers the heart-cry of a worship-hungry soul. Worship is not just about music. Worship is a life-lived in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ with a desire for others to find that same loving relations with HIM. Organic Church is a must read for those who are serious about finding "non-traditional" avenues of being CHURCH that desires to reach family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers with the Good News of Jesus. Don't read this book if you think that CHURCH must be four-walls, pews, and a pulpit. It will probably make you a little upset.
Cole speaks in simple terms without lofty theological language. His illustrations hit the mark. I liked that what Cole is doing is not just "ivory-tower" ideas, but practical teaching that he is living out daily. We can do this. Thanks Neil Cole for getting out-of-the-box, taking the risk of truly following what the Spirit led you to do, and giving us a grand example of what God can do with a man who not only desires to follow Jesus but steps-out and does it.
Personally, I am recommending this book to some of my close friends that go to church because they love Jesus, but seem to say, "There has got to be more to the Christian life and Church than this . . ." I am so sure this book is what true believers are seeking that I am not only recommending it, but have sent it to one friend as a present. I hope to send more in the near future. I am that convinced that this is the CHURCH that pleases Jesus.
What's so cool about this book is that you can take what Cole shares and start today! You don't have to wait on a MDIV, or a certificate from a Bible Correspondence course to start a church. Just do it! Get this book! Read it! And share your life and the Good News of Jesus with a friend.
Cole's Life Transformation Groups are a must for new believers, old believers, and any believer. Cole wrote that we need to read God's Word in bulk. I agree so that we will get the "big picture" and to have a better understanding of what the Bible says a whole. A 20 minute sermon once a week that is based on 1 to 4 verses is not enough Bible-intake. Also, Cole's accountability questions are painful, but so needed to keep our eyes on Jesus and to keep us clean and healthy in mind and body. Lastly, we are so convinced that we have the power to change things . . . this is so untrue. Cole emphasizes the need for prayer and dependency on God, Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit in the LTG's. Wow! What a refreshing read! I read it twice so far.
When you buy a copy, think about buying two and invest one in someone who is not totally satisfied with the "status quo" of just going to church. Give them this book and let them learn how to be CHURCH!

One of the best
I have been reading a lot of books about the organic church movement lately, and I have found that Neil Cole's is the most persuasive one. And here is the funny thing about it: he doesn't emphasize organic church being better, or more doctrinally correct than the institutional church although I would say he clearly lays out the points in the case for just that fact. However, he does so not by stating a lot of little known facts, logical statements, and I-told-you-so scripture references. Instead he explains his spiritual journey and that of many others which led him to an organic expression of the church, not because all others are wrong, but because that is what God would have them do. If you want a bunch of facts on the matter, I would recommend Frank Viola's Pagan Christianity? But when it comes to helping an institutional church member understand what the organic church is, this is definitely the first book I'll give them.

Read the first half.
I loved the first half of this book, even though my parish is running from a far more traditional model. I felt that the course this book suggested could be integrated into a more traditional church for a more balanced approach.
But the author just kept pushing the Organic idea so far that he stretched the metaphor. It got rather hard to deal with and distracting and I put the book down half way through. I'm glad for what I got out of it, but I just couldn't stomach the rest.