Escape from Church, Inc.

Rating:
Summary: Short on Scripture, Simplistic on Shepherding
Review: As a pastor of twenty years and a student of church health, I was disappointed with this volume. Obviously the author has been burned by the abuse of church growth/health principles, and now swings the pendulum in excess to the opposite direction. He makes a sharp distinction between pastors who use a shepherding model and pastors who use a corporate model. The idea that the two both may be used together apparently never occurs to him.

Wagner hammers again and again on his point that the people of God throughout the Bible are depicted as a diverse flock with the pastor as the shepherd. Each sheep is in need of one-on-one ministry. He is certainly correct, but he omits Paul's analogy of the people of God as one body. Wagner gives no attention here to the corporate (gasp) need of the body, or of the flock as a whole, to receive loving care and nurture.

With all of its shortcomings, I still give this book two stars because it provides a good critique of church growth/health principles. It also emphasizes something modern pastors must never forget: according to God's Word, we ARE undershepherds to the great Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rating:
Summary: Wagner Hits Home with Biblical Insights
Review: If you've read Fresh Faith by Cymbala and felt something stir in your pastor's heart, if you agreed with his assessment of church consultants and experts, then this book should be next on your "to read" list.

Wagner challenges the last 20+ years of pastoral training and modeling. He claims that the CEO/leadership model is not the biblical model of pastoring, and backs up his claim convincingly. Nowhere in the scriptures does God use the metaphor of king, ruler or leader for pastors. He repeatedly uses the metaphor of shepherd. Wagner sees significance in the repeated use of this term, event to Peter, who would have related to a fishing metaphor better.

I highly recommend this book to all pastors, seminary students and professors and those who are otherwise closely involved with ministry. It may challenge you, it may cast serious doubts on your current methodolgy and theology of the pastorate. If nothing else, it will cause you to examine your own pastoral theology and decide whether it is of this world or of God's design.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Hits Home With A Punch!
Review: One day, about 4 years ago, a pastor friend called me with a broken voice. He had been crying. He was trying to tell me about this new book he just read, "Escape From Church, Inc." Short time later he spent more money than he could afford to purchase copies for all of his pastor friends that he thought would be interested. I do not know how many copies he gave out, but one of them came to me.

This book is fascinating! It is true that Wagner is so passionate he tips the scale a bit too far in the other direction. Yet, so many people bought into the CEO mindset, that he needed to make his voice loud and passionate.

Give this book a try.