Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens

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.

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.

Be very careful when you read this book. This is not taught in church, nor is it taught in Bible schools. It is not taught in Christian books nor is it taught any where in America. Nope, this is a revolutionary way of doing church, one that is Biblical and organic in nature. (Thus, the title). Niel Cole does an excellent job showing what the purpose of the Church truly is. He also clearly shows how the way we do church here in America is ineffective.

So beware, it will rock your world, if you let it.

It is a thought provoking book that helps you to re-evaluate what church really is and should be. It makes a great discussion starter.

Neil Cole connects with the reader in this book. He takes the fear out of experiencing the 'organic' style church. It's a good book for anyone seeking information regarding the house church movement.