Purchase The Post-Quarantine Church
Greg Linscott recommends
The Post-Quarantine Church: Six Urgent Challenges and Opportunities That Will Determine the Future of Your Congregation
The “post-quarantine era is an opportunity to make the necessary positive changes to move our churches forward,” Thom Rainer says in The Post-Quarantine Church (Tyndale, 2020). “We can’t continue to ‘do church’ the way we’ve always done it and expect Great Commission results.”
The Post-Quarantine Church is filled with sensible suggestions for ministering in a changing world, based on the experiences and applications of congregations Rainer has served as a pastor and church consultant.
This concise book (128 pages) emphasizes a congregation’s outward focus, provoking readers to think creatively in their own contexts as they are exposed to ideas other churches have implemented.
Congregations are prompted to reconsider the model of the “neighborhood church”—one that is more conscious of and responsive to the immediate needs of its surrounding community—even as new priorities of increasing digital presence and proficiency are emphasized.
That’s not to say that Rainer overlooks the fellowship of the saints. A congregation’s health and connectivity rely on relationships and shared activity, and this reasoning is affirmed and encouraged with simple yet practical examples. An entire chapter of the book is devoted to “[Taking] Prayer to a New and Powerful Level.” Increased attention to corporate and personal prayer has been an encouraging development in many congregations during the pandemic, and Rainer highlights several positive examples of how such efforts have been enhanced through the harnessing of technology and a conscious effort to maintain and increase its prominence in congregational life.
The Post-Quarantine Church is targeted at pastors and leaders, and, because of its succinct nature, it does not seek to challenge readers on the finer points of ecclesiology, discipleship, or Bible exposition. However, those grounded in good theology and committed to faithful service will find Rainer’s contribution a welcome source of ideas, offering needed incentive to serve more efficiently and effectively in a world where the rules have changed.
Surrounded by the fluctuations of a new normal, churches must maintain an unwavering commitment to make disciples. This book will be a useful tool for prompting congregations to execute that mission and exalt Jesus Christ.
—Greg Linscott is pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Rochester, Minn., and a member of the GARBC Council of Eighteen
