Many churches are striving to turn things around, to be more relevant, and to have a greater impact on the lives and communities around them. They look for a new program, better staff, a different worship style, or updated strategy, but find that these changes only seem to increase costs and frustration levels. Just as our life is in our blood, the life for Christ's body is in His blood. Changing a church is more than setting a new goal or direction. Churches need more than an organizational transition; they need a full transfusion of Jesus' blood--His life--within every disciple. Anything less will perpetuate more of the dysfunction and unhealthy church practices that have already plagued them for too long. In short, churches need the DNA of Jesus' lifeblood. Church Transfusion will help leaders of any church to discover how to release a healthy missional DNA into the hearts of its disciples.

In Church Transfusion, Neil Cole (author of Organic Church, Church 3.0, and Journeys to Significance) and his coauthor and ministry partner, Phil Helfer, first point out that change is possible with God, presenting many different examples of churches that have experienced this kind of life-giving transfusion. The second half of the book lays out some of the practical considerations for those who want to release real organic health within their churches.

Where Cole's Church 3.0 painted a broad picture of organic movements, Church Transfusion gives practical help to transfuse health and life so that a church can enter into the rapid movement that God is unleashing. The content will be helpful whether you are pastor of an established church or wanting to revitalize a network of small organic churches. Church Transfusion is a powerful, practical, and creative follow-up to the bestselling Organic Church.

Foreword xi
Dave Ferguson

Preface xiii
Neil Cole

Acknowledgments xvii

Part One: Change Is Possible-with God 1

1 So What's the Difference? 3

2 Basic Organic Principles That Work in All Contexts 13

3 No Longer Business as Usual 24

4 Churches in Transfusion 42

Part Two: Implementing Change from the Inside Out 65

5 Dying as if Your Life Depended on It 67

6 Detoxifying from Dependence 82

7 How Small People Cause Big Problems 101

8 Leadershifts 114

9 Disciples, Disciples, Disciples 129

10 Water the Green Spot 136

11 Healthy Reproduction 154

12 New Measures of Success 170

13 The Price of Transfusion 185

Conclusion: Equipping People for Ministry in the World 196

Notes 199

The Authors 205

Index 207

The Authors

NEIL COLE is an experienced and innovative church planter and pastor. He is the cofounder and executive director of Church Multiplication Associates. He is the author of Church 3.0, Organic Church, and Journeys to Significance, all from Jossey-Bass.

PHIL HELFER is the cofounder of Church Multiplication Associates and the pastor of Los Altos Grace Church. He is an expert on incorporating organic church principles into conventional churches.

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