Dr. Wayne Cordeiro - The Irresistible Church: 12 Traits of a Church Heaven Applauds

The Irresistible Church

Copyright 2011 by Wayne Cordeiro

Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

E-book edition created 2011

Ebook corrections 4.19.2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-3225-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Emphasis in Scripture shown by italics is the authors.

Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations identified NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Scripture quotations identified ASV are from the American Standard Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations indentified NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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This book is dedicated to two brides:

One is my dear wife, Anna, who for more than thirty-five years

has always reminded me that it is only through love

that lives are changedmine included.

The other is the bride of Christ, the church...

one expression in particular, New Hope Oahu

a network of radiant and joyful servants who embody

the definition of grace and beauty in the islands of Hawaii.

Ive always been captivated by the vision of what a church can bean authentic community of faith that reaches increasing numbers of lost people and helps them grow into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Yet sometimes churches do not reach their full redemptive potential. They motor along year after year, well entrenched in programs and traditions, but ineffective in their main calling.

My hope is that churches across the world will make regular, strategic adjustments toward finding and following our true calling of reaching people with the gospel. Any time we can become more effective in this task it is well worth the effort.

Think of this book as a strategic tool. The big idea of this book is not that we need to shine ourselves up in order to receive Christs blessing, but rather that we will adjust our course to follow the whispers of His leading. We want to become churches that people love to attend and that God uses to advance His kingdom. We want to live the words of 2 Corinthians 5:9, both individually and as churches: We make it our goal to please him.

Why are the concepts presented in this book so important? The older I get, the more aware I am that I only have this day until my final day to get the word of Christ out to as many people as possible. Since the day I became a Christian on a Wisconsin hillside, when I was seventeen, Ive wanted everyone I meet to experience the saving grace found in Jesus Christ. My aim is to rid myself of lifes superfluous activities and take the transforming message of saving grace to everyone Im able. As my days get fewer, my sense of urgency for the sake of the kingdom is going up, not down.

I believe that through Jesus Christ, the church is the hope of the world, and we as Christians need not make any apologies for wanting to get better at what we are called to do. We must be dead serious about helping people come to know Christ and about helping Christians grow to be Christ centered.

No matter whether youre a pastor, a layleader, or a congregant, this book contains well-proven principles that when applied will become breakthrough ideas to take your church to the next level of effectiveness.

Bill Hybels, senior pastor
Willow Creek Community Church

Irresistible. Right from the start, lets define this word and how it will be used within the context of this book. When something is irresistible, its alluring, magnetic, relentless in its persuasion. Something is irresistible when it cant be refused. The word connotes an incredibly strong draw. Its a banquet that you cant walk past without tasting its choicest fare.

The title of this book, at first glance, implies that a church can become irresistible to people. When certain initiatives are undertaken, a church becomes irresistibly inviting, and people cant help but be drawn to this church. I have no doubt that when the initiatives set forth in this book are followed, that sort of irresistibility will happen. When a church displays these qualities, the people will shout Encore! because they want it to continue and never end.

But becoming a church thats irresistible to people is not primarily what this book is about. That is actually the by-product of this books premise. Heres the twist.

This is actually a book about becoming a church that is irresistible to heaven.

This book is about a church that heaven cant help but be deeply involved with, a church that God cant help but bless and use for His eternal purposes. Its a church that makes the angels shout Encore!

We are often apt to forget that the local church belongs to Jesus, not us. She is, or rather we are, His bride, and if we adorn ourselves for Him, His eyes will be on us for good. Forget this, and we begin to market ourselves for more members rather than posture ourselves for His manifest presence.

Success for a church may include marketing, facilities, and programs, but that is not what exclusively determines success. It is credited more to what I call the Hand of God factor. For more than thirty-six years (the time Ive been in pastoral ministry), Ive been an avid student of the Hand of God. Over the years, Ive seen the Hand of God bless a church so that there is a favored season that lasts for decades. Ive also witnessed other times when Gods hand was on a ministry for the first several years and then lifted. Ive observed this with church after church. During this process, Ive collected principles to keep us postured for His grace and to rectify things when His hand seems to be lifting.

An irresistible church is not a perfect church. Rather it is one that is constantly aligning itself to pleasing God. It is a people who position their hearts carefully and deliberately with the tenets of the kingdom so that God is pleased to work in unrestricted ways. God is irresistibly drawn to a church where every activity, every plan, and every leadership decision clearly displays His heart.