New Church Growth Book Offers A Viable Alternative Midway Between the Overzealous Church Growth Movement Right and the Declining Traditional Church Left.

Built By The Owner's Design offers a practical, workable plan for growth that those on the right and the left can embrace. No other book is more biblically based, structurally sound, and power-packed.

Every church needs to reach out and bring in new members in order to remain a living, vital entity — yet there are many different ideas about what is the best way for Christian congregations to foster real growth. In recent years, what has been termed the Church Growth Movement" (as exemplified in such best-selling books as The Purpose Driven Church and The Habits Of Highly Effective Churches) has come to the forefront with its agenda of meeting felt needs and targeting specific audiences. At the same time, there has been a less-publicized but pointed reaction to what some perceive as the church growth movements misdirected zeal. And while the church growth movement has been very successful with new churches, its methods often fall short of satisfying the growth needs of established congregations.

In Built By The Owners Design, Danny Von Kanel invites you into the drawing room of the Master Designer to examine His blueprints for evangelism and church growth. Employing the plumb line of Gods Word, he makes it clear that Gods way of growth and outreach is most effective. Von Kanel draws on a careful analysis of more than 50 churches in the Southern Baptist, United Methodist, and Presbyterian (USA) denominations to offer a viable alternative that charts a middle ground between overzealousness and declining attendance, identifying a proven framework that can support lasting growth in diverse situations. Several checklists are included that help you systematically evaluate your own congregation and develop a tailor-made growth plan based on your specific circumstances. Grounded in solid research, Built By The Owners Design is an immensely practical resource that belongs in every pastors and lay leaders library.

Danny Von Kanel wants to reach people for Christ! He has little patience with marketing gimmicks or shallow programs, and he is not afraid to take issue with some contemporary ways of doing church while suggesting what he thinks is a more biblical pattern. Built By The Owners Design offers planks" on which to build solid church growth, and includes surveys on evangelism, discipleship, teaching, and spiritual growth. This book will help churches rethink their outreach methods and redouble their efforts.
   Don M. Aycock
   Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church
   Palatka, Florida

Danny Von Kanel has been involved in ministry, freelance writing, and church growth consulting for more than 20 years. He has served congregations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Illinois, and is currently the Minister of Music and Education at First Baptist Church in Franklinton, Louisiana. Von Kanels articles have appeared in numerous church leadership magazines, including Growing Churches, Church Administration, Todays Christian Preacher, Ministries Today, and many others. He is a graduate of William Carey College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

ISBN 0-7880-1952-X   
$14.95
130 pages   5.5 x 8.5   softcover (perfect binding)
January 2, 2003 release