The Seven-Day-a-Week Church by Lyle Schaller.
Lyle Schaller has been a mentor of mine for many years. Through his many books I’ve learned a great deal about church healthy and local church leadership. I had the privilege years ago to talk to him one-on-one for twenty minutes. In my mind his two most influential books are The Interventionist, about church consulting, and The Seven-Day-a-Week Church his book on mega-churches. First published in 1992 it holds up well and is still timely in its wisdom. Schaller foresaw the explosion of what he labeled 7 day-a-week churches offering multiple services and ministries designed to meet needs and reach people seven days a week. According to Schaller these churches would offer several services each week. He believed their key would be the strength and vitality of the senior teaching pastor.
Although Schaller did not predict the use of technology in churches or the growing multi-site movement. He did predict the rise of these mega churches and the two keys to their growth: worship & programming. He decries the lack of passion and emphasis on the transformational gospel in American mainline churches that drove its conservative members into evangelical churches. In a striking phrase he calls effective worship “good theater.”
Programming however was the other key ingredient in the growth of the seven-day-a-week church. Schaller was one of the first observers in the North American church to talk about the role of executive pastors. He identified the qualities of an effective Executive Pastor:
• An unreserved Christian commitment
• Character
• Loyalty
• Confidentiality
• Administrative skills
• Ability to oversee staff
• Competence in church finances
• Compatibility with church & community context
• Productivity
• Accountability
• Ability to implement goals
• Credibility (earned)
• Strong but not necessarily big, ego.
Not only is this classic worth a second look, it should be on your bookshelf.
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