When Church Stops Working

A Future for Your Congregation Beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation

By: Andrew Root, Blair D. Bertrand - contributor

Narrated by: Mike Lenz

What if the solution for the decline of today's church isn't more money, people, programs, innovation, or busyness?

What if the answer is to stop and wait on God?

In When Church Stops Working, ministry leaders Andrew Root and Blair Bertrand show how actively watching and listening for God can bring life out of death for churches in crisis today. Using clear steps and practices, they invite church leaders to stop the endless cycle of doing more and rather to simply "be" in God's presence. They tell the story of two congregations who did this—and found new life in the process.

When Church Stops Working distills the core themes of Root's critically acclaimed Ministry in a Secular Age series in a more accessible form. Leaders and churchgoers who are burned out and hopeless will experience affirmation, encouragement, and empowerment as Root and Bertrand turn to the book of Acts as well as examples from contemporary congregational life to show what "active" waiting looks like and the saving grace it can hold.

©2023 Andrew Root and Blair Bertrand (P)2023 eChristian

Wonderful reflection on a proper response to the changes the church is going through in the Western world.

Wonderful reflection on a proper response to the changes the church is going through in the Western world.

Met My Expectations

I appreciated this book and the focus on the church's responsibility to connect people with God. It seems that the church has lost its way. I would have liked a little more depth in the areas of connecting technology and AI into the evangelistic discipleship that we seem to push aside as well. Meeting people where they are and not where the church wants them to be is a huge missed step for us today. This is my first Andrew Root book, too. I think I will add more to my reading list when I add to the long list I am currently navigating. A good read with foundational elements, and it was also slow at times.

Shallow and boring

There were principles that seemed surface level and an attempt to make the material approachable. It left me empty, bored, and not hopeful.