Book Review :The Attractional Church by Billy Hornsby

This was another "religious" book that Dad was very interested in, so I let him take it when it came in to read and review. So today's review will be courtesy of Dad!

Synopsis: Every church leader and church member want their church to grow. The promise of THE ATTRACTIONAL CHURCH is that if a church experience is positive, the lost, absent, and unfilled will come and complacent people in the pew will have their faith renewed. Author Billy Hornsby says that what keeps most churches from growing are the "methods" they choose for their outreach efforts. The local church must ensure visitors and members alike a good and lasting impression of their experience in church, especially the worship service.

"You must get the first impression right!" Hornsby insists. From the website, Facebook page, Twitter accounts, leadership blogs, and parking lot to the worship facility and worship service: the total church experience must speak to people's emotions and be relational and relevant.

THE ATTRACTIONAL CHURCH is both motivational and practical with guidance on how to accomplish this transformation, and also presents case studies of some of the fastest-growing and most innovative churches in America. Here is a fresh vision for what the church can be.

You can read an excerpt here on Google.

About the Author: Billy Hornsby has worked for more than thirty years with national and international church leaders. Billy is an assisting pastor and staff coach for Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama. Billy and his wife, Charlene, have been married for more than forty years. Check out Hornsby's website for more info.

Review: Does your church seem to have a few empty pews, maybe a fair amount of empty pews, or maybe does your church look down right empty on Sunday mornings? Mr. Hornsby takes us through many ways of bringing the flock back to church or getting new members to our church.

He tells us right from the beginning that a first impression is just that “FIRST”. If we don’t make a good first impression on someone coming into our church for the first time, it will be their last time to come to our church! He gives us many ways to make that good first impression. Happy greeters, name tags for ushers, who and what they are. Make the folks feel at home, like it has been their home all along.

As people keep coming back, get them involved with other folks. Find out their interests, and try and match them, so to speak with the people that have been there a long time. Make them feel like part of the family (just don't overwhelm them, aka throw off everything on an interested volunteer).

If you find out that they have been having problems, do all you can to help. If you can’t solve their problem, be prepared to find someone of some outside agency, that can help. Never send anyone away with a problem. You may never see them again.

The pastors must speak at everyone’s level and he must pick hymns that everyone can enjoy and sing to. These and many other ideas are listed in Mr. Hornsby’s book to make anyone’s church more attractive for both old and new members to come and hear the word of God. I recommend it as valuable reading to all pastors and vestries/church boards!



Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, free of charge, from Hachette Publishing, via their Faith Words Imprint, via bookblogs,ning! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.