Customer Reviews

An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I must admit, it has taken me three years to pick up this book. I have heard Erwin speak numerously on church and leadership. However, this is a must read for anyone who has a passion for the local church. Erwin masterfully weaves a vision for the church that may restore it to the influential cultural epicenter it once was.
McMannus is not interested in style or look. Instead he spends all 224 pages discussing the power and importance of a unstoppable ethos that church leaders should create in their churches.

I am a pastor at CedarCreek Church, www.aroundthecreek.com. I am twenty-four and this will be a staple in my leadership library.

I am not a pastor but this book still managed to change my life. It challenged me to rethink the way we do church and now I am striving to follow what I feel is God's will for his church. When we rely on outdated traditions, everyone suffers. Erwin offers a fresh look at how church is done and I feel he is right on the mark. Read it!

I This book was hard to read. After reading his other two books, I could understand some of what he was saying. It is also hard to read because so few churches are using the power that God has given us.

Like all of his books, it is challenging. It is best read by church leaders, who have the authority to make the changes that he suggests.

If you've never read a church renewal book, this is an OK place to start. If you cut to the core though, it's like most change management books...identify what's wrong, establish a super-ordinate goal, address problems objectively, then zero base and check everything you do against that goal. If you're looking for a Biblical basis for what a church should be, despite lots of Bible quotes, this isn't it. McManus believes a church should be overwhelmingly engaged in sacrifical service and obedience to Christ, but addresses those concepts without specifics.

An Unstoppable Force is a loosely structured, passionate, anecdotal critique of and challenge to institutional churches. It is loaded with stories, accusations, admonitions, unusual metaphors and strong assertions. Some are intuitively appealing and convicting, others might be offensive or inaccurate; nothing is substantiated in any rigorous way. McManus may be the champion modern writer of pithy, quotable one-liner wisdomettes.

McManus makes it clear An Unstoppable Force isn't a handbook or methodology, though the ninth chapter offer conceptual change management advice; it's his perspectives on The Church and a story of his experience and Mosaic, an eclectic, independent ministry in Los Angeles where he is Lead Pastor and spiritual environmentalist. Based upon both the book and website, Mosaic apparently has no edifice, holding services in public buildings. It is a congregation that emphasizes diversity and active service for Jesus Christ, while rejecting - for lack of a better thought, stodgy traditions. Oddly though, neither Mosaic's nor McManus Christology is revealed in the book, or on the website. Jesus Christ is frequently mentioned, obedience to Christ as Lord is encouraged but despite many Bible verses quoted, the only characteristic of the Jesus Christ of McManus or Mosaic that is unequivocal is inclusiveness.

In his criticism of mainline churches McManus comes across as vigorous, confident and passionate. In describing his own ministry and Mosaic, he is sometimes perplexed, insecure, frustrated. He briefly aludes to two occasions where the congregation grew then divisively split with large factions departing. The dividing issues and events are not revealed.

The last chapter of the book should be a published sermon, reprinted and distributed independent of the rest of the book. McManus does an eloquent job of describing the Ten Commandments as a minimum standard, not an objective, and portrays grace in an inspiring context.

You have to work at this book to extract the substance; it's hidden in a lot of rhetoric.

If you're looking for something better suppported and more prescriptive for church growth and renewal consider Lyle Shaller's books.

An Unstoppable Force is the best book I have read on the purpose of the church. I have read the book twice in only 3 months and plan to buy a copy for all of my friends. It is required reading for anyone planning to be a part of church leadership or anyone that has a call to start a church. Be warned that the traditional views of a comfortable form of non-active Christianity will be challenged. Thank you to Erwin for a challenging and thought provoking resource.

I was hoping this book would be enlightening, but after the first two chapters I was bored stiff and only could read ramblings that went on and on. I was sadly disappointed from what I had assumed to be a great book by it's description.

Erwin has been a prophetic and inspirational church leader/visionary for some time and now we have the benefit of seeing his thought and praxis in print. Read and enjoy, read and learn, then take the leap and try some of the principles this book embodies.

In his new book, Erwin McManus shows why he is considered to be a visionary for the church. He has a unique way of getting to the heart of the matter regarding our relationship with Christ and how we do church. This book is a visionary one because it is founded on the principles of God's Word which is the ultimate visionary book. That is why it makes such an impact. McManus clarifies and points out aspects of what God's church has the potential to be through Christ. His gift is that he has a great way of demonstrating the obvious; principles that we ocassionally may miss. This book will make you a better pastor, youth leader, Sunday School teacher, and Christian. Highly recommended.

Erwin is a great public speaker so I bought the book. Honestly, I got nothing out of it. I can't really put a finger on WHY, but he didn't connect with me at all.

This is a book that needs to be read by anyone that wants to see the church become all that God has always intended it to be. We need to be out there in the world to allow out light to shine!!! We need to understand the culture so we can influence and mold it. We cannot reach out to people when we do not even understand who they are. As a Pastor of a new church that is what most would label "postmodern" I can relate 100% to what Erwin says.