Mainline denominations in the United States are in crisis. These institutions-created in and for modernity-are now facing a changed, postmodern culture. Hamm faces the crisis, examining its origins, and offers sound advice on how to lead to church to make the adaptive changes needed to thrive in postmodern times…. More >>
Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age
Tags: Church, Leadership, Postmodern, Recreating
#1 by Amanda Hamm on April 6, 2010 - 12:55 pm
I need to begin this review with two admissions. The first is that I don’t read a lot of nonfiction. This book is one that I would likely never have picked up if I was not related to the author. Which brings me to the second admission, the author is my father-in-law. I’ll start with the negative. The main reason I subtracted a star is a style issue and may not even bother others. I felt there was a consistent overuse of quotation marks and italic print to emphasize words and phrases, which I found distracting. In a well-written argument, the reader can easily pick out which words are important without a neon sign around each one. And this book is full of well-written arguments.
As former General Minister and President of his denomination, the author is abundantly qualified to make these arguments. I especially enjoyed the discussions stemming from both sides of his role as GMP, the administrative and the spiritual. I believe all pastors face a little of this duality, this business of church. They must balance the will of God with the Earthly needs of the people for the church to thrive. No one would argue that the will of God is not the more important of the two, but since very few pastors have a direct line to God and most congregations do have a direct line to their pastor, the balance can be difficult to achieve.
I applaud that there is no whining in this book. It’s not just a laundry list of what’s wrong with churches these days, but gives specific reasons why something is wrong and details about how we can go about improving it. I would recommend this book to anyone in a position of church leadership, or those who seek to be. I believe you will find something of value in here, whether you belong to the mainline or not.
Rating: 4 / 5
#2 by William Rose Heim on April 6, 2010 - 1:46 pm
Here is another helpful resource for anyone who works with churches and church organizations in this rapidly changing context.
Hamm is a credible coach with decades of celebrated investment in all facets of church life. Those of us who have worked with Dick know him as a gifted leader and a serious disciple of Jesus Christ.
What makes this book so particularly useful is the way it reads. If you ever enjoyed viewing Rick Steves’ Europe on PBS, you’ll enjoy reading Hamm’s foray into leadership for the post-modern age.
Our mid-level judicatory pastoral staff is reading the book. The conversations it generates are well worth the price of purchasing extra copies to go around.
Bill Rose-Heim
NW Area Pastor
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Mid-America
811 S. Walnut
Cameron, MO 64429
http://www.nwareacc.org
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by George Bullard on April 6, 2010 - 4:32 pm
Dick Hamm has written an informative, insightful, and inspirational book on congregational transformation for mainline Protestant congregations. With Dick’s experience in the Christian Church [Disciples of Christ] as a pastor and denominational leader, he understands the dilemma faced by many mainline congregations. In this volume he effectively communications a pathway for these congregations to experience being recreated.
His efforts at applying the work of leadership guru Ron Heifetz on adaptive change versus technical change are powerful for many congregations. He effectively weaves the concept of the perfect storm to show how congregations in many mainline denominations have been hit by a perfect storm which makes it difficult for them to transform.
Coupled with three other resources, this book makes a great guide for congregations to use to engage in a transformational journey. These resources are,
Renew Your Congregation: Healing the Sick, Raising the Dead (TCP Leadership Series)
Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential of Your Congregation (TCP Leadership Series)
Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60: Being Church for All Generations (TCP Leadership Series)
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Martha Grace Reese on April 6, 2010 - 5:53 pm
Richard Hamm understands church leadership from the inside out. He currently serves as the first executive leader for the broadest-based ecumenical collaboration in the US, Christian Churches Together. Before that, he was the General Minister and President of a mainline denomination. Before that, he served as a regional minister (a middle judicatory pastor, a bishop), and before that as a gifted congregational pastor and a new church planter. Dr. Hamm understands churches. He understands leadership. And he knows what makes people tick.
This book reveals both Hamm’s incisive perception and his love for the church. It will be most helpful for established church leaders (both clergy and lay) who are trying to make effective shifts in the current, chaotic cultural climate. Hamm’s perceptions will enrich your understanding. Recreating the Church will give you hope and help you start taking steps toward transformation.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Dan P. Moseley on April 6, 2010 - 7:10 pm
This excellent resource for ministry in congregatons covers the bases. It is a book about context. The context for congregational ministries both empowers and limits the work of a congegation. Dr. Hamm has offered dozens of ways of analyzing the context for mainline congregations in this first part of the 21st Century. His writing is both informational and inspirational. He helps people in congregations understand the cultural and social changes that have reshaped the context for congregational ministry. When congregations use this book to understand the world in which they do ministry, they will be much better equipped to alter what they are doing to be more effective. I highly recommend this book for pastors and lay leaders in congregations. It will serve as a great conversation partner as you imagine new ways to be church in the North American context in the 21st Century.
Dan Moseley, Professor of Practical Parish Ministry
Rating: 5 / 5