The “Book of the Month Club” allows its members to dialogue with Dr. Lawless and other club members about certain books that Dr. Lawless chooses.  Dr. Lawless will post his review of the book, and the page will be open for comments by club members. Only club members may post comments, so in order to join please email bgsinfo@sbts.edu.

The American Church in Crisis by David Olson

After reading The American Church in Crisis, I am struck by three questions that I would like for us to consider:

1. Do you think Olson’s evaluation of the American church is too bleak? Too optimistic? I’ll give my opinion, but I’d like to hear others first.

2. Olson states that a healthy church is built around the components of his “stool model” (pp. 136ff). He argues that pastors of a healthy church most often know how to lead authentically in the areas of spirituality, chemistry, and strategy. In fact, he contends that laity can seldom compensate for a pastor who is weak in any of these areas. Do you agree with him? If the effectiveness of the American church rests on leaders, how would you prepare them to lead?

3. Would you add anything to Olson’s list of “Ten Necessary Changes for the American Church to Have a Bright Future”? I would ….

I look forward to the dialogue.   CL

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