Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive by Thom S. Rainer

Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive Reviews

• 
  Brian

  This book makes some good, commonsense observations and points. But I don't think it is a good book, or a book that will ultimately be helpful to most pastors or church members. There are several problems with it: 1) Lack of a clear definition of what a healthy church is. The author seems to be using the usual metrics: numerical growth, budget, outreach to community, etc. But there is no clear definition of what a healthy church is, and still worse, very little interaction with the Scriptural teaching on the nature, governance, priorities, and doctrine of the church. 2) Flawed research methodology: from what I can tell, the observations in this book are based on research on a relatively brief sampling of churches that shut their doors. Sure, there were some common factors present in all of these churches, such as the loss of an outward focus, but the number of churches surveyed was so limited and there were so many factors not even mentioned (such as: other sociological conditions in the communities of the churches that were surveyed, or even more importantly, declining doctrinal convictions and fidelity to the gospel) that I find it hard to take this research seriously. 3) Inadequate interaction with biblical texts and flawed exegesis: The use of Scripture is very anecdotal. In the one passage where the author does attempt to do a little bit of exegetical work, he gets the exegesis wrong. But more seriously, there is no clear biblical definition of a healthy church and no serious interaction with the New Testament letters that were addressed to churches in various states of health. All in all, this is a fairly shallow book that at best will have only very limited value to churches in decline. Reading this book and then forming conclusions about one's particular church problems would be like someone going to the doctor, complaining of shortness of breath and chest pain, and then the doctor, with no further conversation or testing, informing the patient that he or she has heart disease, simply because the doctor knows of 10 patients who displayed these symptoms and then died of a heart attack.
• 
  Kathleen

  4.5 stars
  Our group of ten met weekly to read and discuss a chapter in this small well written book. Each of the 14 chapters had Scripture reference, three questions, and a short related prayer which we prayed throughout that week. The book was very meaningful and led to thoughtful reflection and prayers along with sharing of ideas and plans for ways our church can reach out to the community. We decided that we do not have a dying church, but we do need to continue to be prayerful and share the love of Jesus to all.
• 
  Kim

  This is a very small book; however, the author is candid and does not mince words. The topic, though unpleasant, is managed well. It has given me much food for thought, meditation and prayer. Every person who holds membership in a church should read this, in order gauge not only where your church is, but where you are in your personal ministry to the world. This book transcends cultures and denominations- these truths are equal for all churches and people.
• 
  Rosie

  This book discusses the causes of death among churches. Some of the causes are external, such as the church not reaching out to their community, while other causes of death are internal, such as the facilities and culture within the church. The chapters are fairly short, making this an easy read. Each chapter contains prayer commitments and questions for discussion on the chapter's topic. My church used this book during our Sunday evening services, but it can be used for personal or group reading.
• 
  Nathan Hildenbrandt

  While still a short book (coming in at 102 pages), this book feels like it could have remained as a blog post, which the author notes is how the idea for the book began. While relatively high on examples, it was low on application, and I feel as though not many practical pieces of advice were given that could help a church leader bring health to a sick or dying church. The solutions that were offered were almost an afterthought at the end of the chapters.
  
  Ultimately, Rainer offers this takeaway from the extensive research he has completed. Sick and dying churches must become healthy through:
  
  1) prioritizing prayer
  2) humbly accepting the need to change
  3) shifting focus from “in” to “out”
  4) simplifying ministry
• 
  Chris Kidwell

  Outstanding. A must-read work for preachers and elders and a great read for most members.
• 
  Camille Stouffer

  Contains nuggets of truth, but this book is written under the presupposition that church government (or lack thereof) is such that members can vote out pastors whenever they want. Though many churches are used to this way of functioning, it’s extremely problematic and it is unfortunate that Rainer did not touch on the subject of poor leadership/government as a significant reason for poor health in many churches.
• 
  Travis

  Even before he led Lifeway Christian Resources, Thom Rainer spent years as a pastor, seminary professor, and church consultant. In those roles, Dr. Rainer gained a great deal of experience in balancing statistical analysis with real-life, anecdotal evidence to form solid conclusions about what is happening in the church and why. In Autopsy of a Deceased Church, Dr. Rainer puts these skills to good use, helping pastors and church leaders to think about the kinds of symptoms that they need to look out for in order to help their churches avoid dangerous decline or even death.
  
  For his latest book, Dr. Rainer looked at multiple churches that died. He analyzes their stories and shares with us a set of twelve common traits that he found in nearly every one of those churches. Those 12 traits are the things that church leaders want to learn to recognize and defend against as they work to serve their churches well.
  
  I won’t spoil the book by listing the 12 traits here, but I will give a bit of simple praise. The things that Dr. Rainer has seen in the deceased churches he studied are very real, very dangerous tendencies that can crop up in the local church. One example would be an over-fascination with nostalgia. Many now dead churches went through a period of time where the people in the body pined for some period of strength in the church’s past rather than working to improve the present or press toward the future. Longing for the “good old days” is very easy, but it can be blinding, calcifying, and deadly.
  
  I’ll give just one more example. In many of the deceased churches that Dr. Rainer studied, members obsessed over the facilities. If you have been in ministry, it is probably not hard to imagine how a church might grow to be more concerned about keeping a building or even a special room in the building perfectly preserved than it is about honoring God through worship, discipleship, and evangelism. It is also not hard to see how a church that goes down that path will find itself declining as it loves its property more than its Savior.
  
  In the final chapters of the book, the author offers some suggestions for churches that find themselves in decline or near death. The advice is different depending on whether a church is a little sick, a lot sick, or about to die. However, in each, Dr. Rainer has some God-honoring and sometimes hard truth for the churches to consider.
  
  I would happily recommend this work to any pastor or church leader. Autopsy of a Deceased Church has some solid challenges and very practical advice that pastors and other leaders can and should consider. I found myself especially challenged by the chapter on prayer (it seems that dying churches stop praying together too—no surprise). This book is short, easy-to-read, and helpful.
  
• 
  Matt Allhands

  This book has great intentions and a solid premise. The Q and A and prayer sections are the best feature.
  It suffers greatly from the lack of attention concerning the identity and mission of the church according to Scripture, the respective roles between leadership (ordained or not) and their congregations, and a point of faulty exegesis.
• 
  Katerina

  Autopsy of a Deceased Church is a short, little book that describes ten characteristics of dead or dying churches. The book is valuable for helping those in a dead or dying church to recognize their church’s state. While Rainer does offer some suggestions on how dying churches might regain their health, I found these chapters to be inadequate. One can be left with the impression that addressing the symptoms will fix the problems when that is not the case. Despite this shortcoming, Rainer’s emphasis on prayer (each chapter ends with a prayerful commitment) helps overcome this, for it is through humble prayer that solutions are found.
• 
  Nate Bate

  Short, easy read. I find it to be accurate even if it is painful. It is diagnostic but sensitive. It is a must read for those who even have a hint of concern for the health of their church. Perhaps even for those who think they are a part of a healthy church so they can consider what their part is for helping it stay healthy. This book serves a narrow purpose, and it should be one diagnostic tool among many for churches.
• 
  Sarah

  This is not a book will not solve your church’s problems but it may identity some downfalls that can cause your church sickness and over many years death. I enjoyed the simple and pointed statements through the book and had many take aways. There are also great questions to ask yourself, the elders and the pastor of your church as a member or before becoming a member.
• 
  Lee M Williams

  Very helpful to see the signs of a sick and dying church before it is too late to save it.
  In a nutshell the church becomes me and us focused rather than following the great commission.
  Lookout when you become more focused on the staff than the mission of the church!
• 
  Jack Wilkie

  Another short, useful read. Gives great insight into diagnosing where church can go wrong.
• 
  Gabe Chaves

  Great eye-opening book on the state of most of today's churches. A must read for Church leaders and members.
• 
  John Brackbill

  Helpful primarily because it promotes healthy introspection.
• 
  Sonja

  Very interesting book, quick and engaging read.
• 
  Noah Nemni

  Great research presented in a quick assessable format
• 
  E.M.

  Welp, that's sobering.
• 
  Nichi Perez

  Short but powerful. We really have to analize how we are doing and pray for direction so that we may end up where God wants us and not where we might be heading.
• 
  Joshua Rodriguez

  Concise, informational, and practical. Somewhat of a sober read.
• 
  Misty Althouse

  Great book! First book I’ve actually completed in years.🙂
  All church members should read this book. Took me less than 2 hours to read, you CAN fit this in your busy schedule.
• 
  Mitch Nichols

  As individuals we all tend to struggle with being honest with ourselves and our failure to acknowledge the warning signs of spiritual decline. This is true of us as individuals, but also true of churches, their leaders and the congregation. Rainer does an excellent job of outlining the symptoms that lead to church decline and in some cases "death" of a local assembly. I believe this book is both a necessary and a timely read for every church member. The chapters are short and end with discussion questions as well as prayers for the church. We all need to stop being in denial about the spiritual health of our churches and identify the issues that hinder us from flourishing, as well as being a Gospel impact in our communities.
  
  Warning; contains "spoilers". This book was prompted by a blog post from April 2013 on the author web site. This post generated many comments and Rainer shares the common threads of 14 churches that closed their doors. Based on interviews with the former church members, Rainer found common denominators that led to their demise.
  
  1. The church refused to look like the community.
  2. The church had no community-focused ministries.
  3. Members became more focused on memorials.
  4. The percentage of the budget for members’ needs kept increasing.
  5. There were no evangelistic emphases.
  6. The members had more and more arguments about what they wanted; (e.g. preferences).
  7. With few exceptions, pastoral tenure grew shorter and shorter.
  8. The church rarely prayed together.
  9. The church had no clarity as to why it existed.
  10. The members idolized another era.
  11. The facilities continued to deteriorate.
  
  
  http://thomrainer.com/2013/04/24/auto...
• 
  Josh Miller

  Absolutely loved the start to this book...what a powerful word picture the author uses to describe what the reader comes to know as a dying church!
  
  You say, "Why in the world would I want to read about dying churches?" This book is not so much about dying churches, but observations from the "autopsies" of fourteen churches who had died. Rainer describes the thought of an autopsy as disconcerting and one that no one enjoys. However, in his introduction, he makes a very poignant statement. "The trauma of observing an autopsy is only beneficial if it is received as a warning to the living." He then goes on to state that this book is not about dwelling on the past, but bearing fruit in the future.
  
  One other note worth mentioning is another truth given in the introduction as to Matthew 16:18. Too many Christians (especially leaders and pastors) hide behind the promise of this verse all the while the church they are leading is crumbling around them. Rainier rightly states the following concerning this: "Indeed the Church will never die. But churches have and are dying."
  
  And then near the end of the introduction, he makes this statement - May God gives us the courage to make the changes necessary to give new life to our churches.
  
  At the end of every chapter in this book is a reflective, prayerful commitment that Rainier challenges the reader to pray. I like this book but it is very direct. The author pulls no punches but at the same time ends with some advice at the end of the book.
  
  Although it is a scant read (102 pages), it presents some very straight forward findings from churches that have actually closed their doors never to open again. May we all learn from these facts.
• 
  Steven Hinkle

  This precise and easy-to-read exposé on how churches die provides simple insights on how to detect slow erosion. After studying similar “common threads,” Thom S. Rainer concludes that many of the churches are (to name a few) holding on to the past (the good old days) too tightly, not looking like their community, controlling an inward focused budget, forgetting about outreach, and rarely praying together.
  
  Many of these churches seemed to face a slow death because of a lack of vision and the missing component of selflessness and compassion. “Those in the church were more concerned about protecting the way they did church than reaching residents of the community.” It’s exciting when you do find a church or pastor with an outward looking passion and mission. I recently spoke to a local pastor and friend who shared with me how their church recently decided to adopt their 100 closest neighbors in loving and non-threatening ways. I’m excited to see what God does through their selfless love!
  
  18595231Some of my favorite quotes come from the chapter on prayer and the church: “Prayer was the lifeblood of the early church.” “Prayer was not an add-on to give them permission to eat a meal. It was serious stuff for a serious group of church members.” Prayer time is where the church discovers “together the question behind the question . . . they begin to understand more clearly.’
  
  This is a book I would recommend to any pastor or church serious about staying alive and making an impact in their community!B&H Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Julie D.

  This book is a sobering look at what is happening in the churches today - especially, I'm afraid, of the American churches. It's a short little book packed with tons of information. I really liked that at the end of each chapter there are questions we can ask ourselves about our church and our role in it.
  
  He starts out by sharing his diagnosis of some churches that he had tried to help and the resistance he came up against. The biggest challenge is that people don't want their church to change - they want things to remain as they always were.
  
  He gives us hints about how to diagnose problems in our church and to look honestly at ourselves and our role in our church. I also love how he challenges us to do the one thing that is most important for our church and that's to pray.
  
  Despite the soberness of this book, the author does offer us hope if our church is sick or even dying. I think this book is a must read for any pastor, elder, deacon or church member!
  
  *This book was provided to me for my honest review by B & H Publishing Group
• 
  John E.

  There may not be anyone more in touch with the state of the church in America than Thom Rainer. His podcasts, articles, and books keep urging the church toward her mission. This book, honestly, is a bit depressing. That's something he admits in the book. The information presented that clues leaders in on the symptoms that are present in dying churches - and churches that have already died. It is a very short book. There isn't enough space devoted to helping churches escape the situations that are leading to death (I am sure that's another book). I feel sure that Mr. Rainer has the knowledge and experience that could help churches, but that's not the focus of this book. I would think that 90% of the church leaders who read this book will find it a discouraging read. But I hope we all read it because we need to face up to the reality in front of us.
• 
  Rob O'Lynn

  This is a vital book that all Christian leaders should read RIGHT NOW. Rainer has discovered about 10 symptoms of dying congregations in 14 congregations that he consulted with that eventually closed their doors permanently. In response, Rainer offers 12 tactics that congregations in various stages of health (or decline, depending on your perspective) can implement in order to stay open or make a positive transition into ecclesiastical death.
  
  It is a quick read, a couple of days at the most. However the insights that Rainer offers will benefit your congregation both immediately and for the long-term. As someone who is beginning a new ministry soon, I intend on recommending that my new leadership read this book immediately. I think you should do the same in your congregation.
• 
  Melissa Andrews

  Why do churches die? Pastor Rainier lays out se points he pulled together after analyzing and doing research on 14 churches that no longer exist. The reasons are very simple. The reality that your church might be dying and you not know it is sobering. Fortunately - checking yourself against Rainier's "symptoms" may help you before you become terminal, assuming you're not already there. I'd say this book should probably be read more by members than leaders, because the actions and attitudes of a dying church are things the members are/aren't doing. It's a short book and a quick easy read.