Intentional Churches: How Implementing an Operating System Clarifies Vision, Improves Decision-Making, and Stimulates Growth

I'm so excited that Intentional Churches wrote a book about their framework, systems, and tools! I got to participate in an Intentional Churches session two years ago, where they facilitated many of the conversations discussed in the book with a local non-profit organization. As a graphic facilitator of large companies in corporate America myself, I was very impressed by their care, expertise, and professionalism. Having these tested concepts in an easy-to-consume and shareable format is a game-changer for the Church. Get out your highlighter, dig into these proven systems, and buy a copy of this book for the leaders of your church or faith-based organization. I legitimately believe that if you apply these teachings, it will help your church or organization grow, in a context and time when 80% of churches are not growing or are in a state of decline. Thank you, Bart and Doug!

Wow. There are some books that you simply read and others that you feverishly CONSUME. This book is the latter. Time and time again, I found myself having "Aha!" moments and writing notes in the margins. The content is fresh, relevant, Biblically-sound, and 100% actionable. If you love the Church, read this book!“ChurchOS is…a comprehensive set of leadership tools that have broad applications built on unifying biblical foundations. It’s a system that makes the hardware (the gospel, people, buildings, and finances) and the software (today’s and tomorrow’s ministry strategies and solutions) work together incredibly well today and tomorrow. It’s a system that eliminates the search for the next silver-bullet strategy.” (XXX)

Leaders with good intentions but no mechanisms can lead to burn out, getting stuck, or in a never ending cycle of no progress...but with plenty of work. The team at Intentional Churches have crafted an easy-to-adopt way to bring mechanisms that strategically and methodology can double your impact, and get you unstuck and moving forward!!!Tried and true processes that lead to unified vision, strategic execution and purpose to the team.Every church is different and the Intentional Churches’s process enables you to develop a strategy that works for your area of impact and the ONEs that are most likely to walk through your doors.

Instead, Gospel-centered smart bullets that get the job done. I have a shelf full of leadership book in my office. Many of these books are built on solid business wisdom... but no Gospel connection. Many of these leadership books are filled with great Biblical wisdom, but lack a solid plan of how to activate change.Intentional Churches ties both together in a powerful way.If you are looking for a Biblical leadership book for how to change your church to be more Gospel-centered and Gospel-impactful, this is the book for you!

This book has the potential to profoundly impact the Church! It's one of those essential reads for every church leader and ministry student in seminary. I haven't read this good of a book on how to lead and grow a church since Purpose Driven Church came out more than 20 years ago. Doug Parks and Bart Rendel explain in detail from Scripture the nuts and bolts of what it takes to grow a thriving community of believers driven by a passion to realize the Great Commission of Jesus. Well done!

If you are a church leader who truly wants to see your church making a difference in expanding God‘s kingdom and having great impact on your community, the principles presented in this book are for you! We had our entire Core Staff read this book before bringing Intentional Churches to our campus for a two-day intensive evaluation and planning session. We are now underway in our first year of operating these principles, and our staff is energized!

The Great Commission Engine is a game changer. It gets the church on track and helps keep us on track This book is not telling us what to do but how to look, discuss, evaluate, and plan as a team to move the church forward. Still working this new operating system into our church but really helps us creatively move forward as a Church. I recommend it for every church leader.

"A fantastic read. Very focused on why God put the church in the world and put us in the church.....to lead that one lost lamb into the fold of Gods redemptive care. Highly recommend reading it, especially pastors, elders and church leaders!!”