Thom S. Rainer - Scrappy Church: Gods Not Done Yet

Other Books by Thom S. Rainer

Becoming a Welcoming Church

We Want You Here

Who Moved My Pulpit?

I Will

Autopsy of a Deceased Church

I Am a Church Member

The Millennials *

Transformational Church *

Simple Life *

Essential Church *

Vibrant Church *

Raising Dad *

Simple Church *

The Unexpected Journey

Breakout Churches

The Unchurched Next Door

Surprising Insights from the Unchurched

Eating the Elephant (revised edition)*

High Expectations

The Every Church Guide to Growth +

The Bridger Generation

Effective Evangelistic Churches

The Church Growth Encyclopedia +

Experiencing Personal Revival *

Giant Awakenings

Biblical Standards for Evangelists *

Eating the Elephant

The Book of Church Growth

Evangelism in the Twenty-First Century +

*Coauthor

+Editor

Copyright 2018 by Thom S. Rainer

All Rights Reserved

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-5359-4581-3

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Cover illustration by Mnica de Rivas.

Dewey Decimal Classification: 254

Subject Heading: CHURCH / CHURCH ADMINISTRATION / CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 22 21 20 19 18

To

Ahkeem Abdul Morella

Your friendship defies description

And always to

Nellie Jo

My wife

My beach girl

Acknowledgments

THANK YOU. I CANT SAY IT ENOUGH. THANK YOU. FOR nearly thirty books, you readers have stayed with me. You have engaged with me. You have encouraged me. You have blessed me. I dont take you for granted. And I pray God will continue to use my books for His glory in His churches.

The great challenge of an acknowledgment section is giving credit where credit is due. And to be sure, I am part of a large team of family, friends, and coworkers. They all deserve so much more credit than I give them.

Thank you, B&H team. You are the best. You are the best Christian publisher around. I am honored to serve with you. Thank you to all the B&H team, with a specific word of gratitude to Jennifer Lyell and her leadership. Jennifer and I have worked at two organizations together. I count it all joy. Thank you also to Devin Maddox, my editor cum laude.

You probably have heard me mention Team Rainer. Many of you have come to know them from the podcasts and the ThomRainer.com blog. You remember their names: Amy Jordan, Amy Thompson, Jonathan Howe, Jana Biesecker, Julie Masson, and Bryan Underwood. I am blessed beyond measure to serve alongside these men and women.

I am likewise blessed to be a part of the ministry of LifeWay Christian Resources and our five thousand employees. Specifically, I give thanks for the leadership and friendship of LifeWays executive leadership team: Brad Waggoner, Selma Wilson, Earl Roberson, Connia Nelson, Tim Hill, and Joe Walker. You are great leaders. You are great friends.

I have been told our community, those who connect with my blogs, podcast, books, and Church Answers each year, is around fourteen million people. That blows my mind. I am so grateful for all of you. You bless me by connecting with me through my books, my blog, ThomRainer.com, my podcasts, Rainer on Leadership and Revitalize and Replant , and my subscription ministry, Church Answers. You have come to learn from me, but I have learned so much more from you.

I love my family. I really do love my family. A follower on Twitter recently told me my love for my family was the most obvious thing about me. I consider those words some of the greatest encouragement I have ever received.

You know the name and beauty of Nellie Jo, my bride for forty-one years. And you know how I thank God for my three sons and their wives: Sam and Erin, Art and Sarah, and Jess and Rachel. But you also know how blessed I am with the ten Rainer grandchildren they have given Nellie Jo and me: Canon, Maggie, Nathaniel, Will, Harper, Bren, Joshua, Collins, Joel, and James.

This book is a composite of conversations, interviews, and comments from an amalgamation of church leaders. The names have been changed and some of the details are different to protect anonymity where it was necessary. Some of the stories are individual stories; some are composite stories. But for all those who spoke with me, shared with me, laughed with me, and, on occasion, cried with methank you. This book is your story. And your story will have a profound impact on many.

You are part of the scrappy church revolution. It is a powerful story that is just beginning to unfold. Wait for it. Watch for it. And become a part of it.

See the great things our God will do.

Chapter 1

Why You Should Have Hope for Your Church

AMAZON.

The name evokes the spectrum of emotions.

For some, the name means an incredible selection of resources, unparalleled delivery, amazing customer service, and convenience not known just a decade or so ago. Amazon is whats right with the world. Its the embodiment of the future and the hope for society. If we are truly living in a material world, Amazon is king, queen, and crown prince of this world.

For others, the name evokes fear, distrust, and a disquieting sense of unfairness. You loathe Amazon, particularly if you make the fatal mistake to compete with the beast. The creature devours mom-and-pop stores. It disrupts industry after industry. It has the unfair advantage of hordes of cash and the favored status of countless government entities.

If you are in the former category, you shout exclamations of joy every time the box with the smile arrives at your porch. You celebrate one less trip and futile shopping effort to the mall. You express glee when your shipping charge is zero. Nothing. Nada. After all, you are part of the elect; you have Amazon Prime.

But if you are in the latter category, you tremble with fear with each new Amazon pronouncement. They are the modern-era Langoliers, but they consume businesses instead of time. They are relentless, uncaring, and unforgiving. If you get in their way, you will be consumed. If you are fortunate, they will purchase you at a deep market value discount. Either way, you will cease to exist.

I admit my own schizophrenia with Amazon. I have been a customer of Amazon so long, I actually received a handwritten thank you note for being such a good customer many years ago. I was a Prime member before Prime membership was cool. And, as a confessing introvert, I absolutely love shopping without people around. As a consumer, I really do like Amazon.

But I have been on the other side of Amazon. They have been my competitor. The company I have led is not that small. We have a half-billion dollars in annual revenue and 5,000 employees. But we are gnats compared to the giant. In fact, I seriously doubt Jeff Bezos knows my name or my company. I have had to lead my organization to confront the stark realities of the massive Amazon. I know the challenges. I know the angst.

Hope in the Amazon World

We all know at least parts of the story of Amazon. Jeff Bezos started the company on July 5, 1994. One day after Independence Day, he began the organization upon which many of us would pledge our dependence. At its onset, Amazon was an online bookstore. Storing books in a garage, Bezos saved us a trip to the local bookstore. In the past quarter century, Amazon has entered so many industries and offered so many services, weve lost count of them. And in an amazing turn of events, Amazon has become the largest provider of cloud computing services in the world.