Rainer, Breakout Churches

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Thom Rainer, Breakout Churches: Discover How to Make the Leap. Zondervan, 2007. 

Referenced in: Research and Case Studies on Effective Churches

LifeandLeadership.com Summary

This is another reflection on extensive research conducted by Dr. Thom Rainer and this team regarding “effective evangelistic churches.” Several of the findings were recorded in a book that was first published in 2001 and repacked in 2008, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched. Breakout Churches represents a closer look at the same data-base of churches. This time, however, the research team was looking for churches that were at one time stagnated or dying but had at some point experienced a “breakout” of revitalization while under the same pastoral leadership. For a church to be included on this list, it could not have a consistent growth history or have grown as a result of a new pastor. This was inspired by the research of Jim Collins’ business bestseller Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap, and Others Don’t. Rainer’s group duplicated Collins’ methodology to find churches that had made the “leap” to greatness after having been a so-so church for many years. They found only thirteen among the tens of thousands in their data base that actually experienced such a breakout. These churches were then compared to a control group of declining churches.

The findings were quite interesting. For example, a comparison of the two groups of churches reveals the breakout churches had a clearly defined “breakout point” (cf. Collins’ “transition point”) at which they began to experience significant growth. Also, they looked at the five years before and five years after the breakout point, and compared these to the same time frame within the comparison churches. For the five years prior, all the churches struggled to stay even in worship attendance. For the five years after, however, the comparison churches declined, but the breakout churches increased by an astounding 71%. Of course, this raises questions about the various contributors to this breakout, and whether other churches could learn from their experience.

The book reveals many other interesting features of these churches. For example, relative to leadership, most breakout leaders had been dictatorial in the past but experienced a major transformation that helped them move away from that posture. They consistently communicated their love for their congregations. They were generally thin-skinned but undeterred by criticism. Their ambitions were more focused on the good of the congregation than on personal achievement. Also, the average tenure of breakout pastors was 21 years.

Beyond the leaders themselves, the book describes the congregational cultures they create. These churches were willing to confront brutal facts about the reality of their condition. This was the ABC moment, moving from awareness, to belief, to sensing a crisis. Once they knew they needed to change, they realized the problems were complex and would take a multi-track approach of improving both staff and congregational structures simultaneously. They know the importance of passionate conviction around a biblical vision. They seek to develop a culture of excellence. They are willing to innovate. These and other factors are developed throughout the book. The last chapter suggests how these findings can be appropriated by churches seeking to enter the “breakout point” in their own churches.

Typical of Rainer, he presents solid research and surprising, fascinating findings. He allows readers to assess his research methodology in the appendix. Some may question whether the factors he identifies created the breakout growth or merely attended it alongside other more formative influences. But many of the findings are also congruent with the conclusions of seasoned consultants and other learned observers of congregations. All in all, this text presents real hope and helpful strategies to consider for any church seeking renewal.

From the Publisher

Breakout Churches … what does it take for your church to break out of mediocrity?

In search of answers, Thom Rainer and his research team conducted a landmark study on the church. Unfolding the findings of that study, Breakout Churches furnishes both principles and examples to show how you as a pastor or church leader can help your church break out of the status quo into unprecedented fruitfulness.

Of the thousands of churches examined in the study, thirteen met the criteria for a ‘breakout church.’ All of them experienced both a period of struggle and a time of sustained breakout growth under the same pastor’s leadership. Transitioning from mediocrity to excellence over several years, they grew to have an impact on the entire community.

Breakout Churches tells the story of these churches and their pastors. And, using a statistical approach, it identifies key patterns and characteristics common to churches that experienced turnarounds.

About the Author

Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the largest Christian resource companies in the world. He has consulted with more than five hundred churches, served as pastor of four churches and interim pastor in seven churches, and spoken in hundreds of venues worldwide. Among his publications are hundreds of articles and nineteen books including the national bestseller Simple Church as well as Essential Church?, Raising Dad, and The Bridger Generation. Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, have three grown sons and live in Nashville, Tennessee.


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