By

Bruce Kitson

Layman, Community of Hope UMC, Royal Palm Beach, FL

by

Henry Blackaby.

In this short volume (easily readable in less than two hours) Henry Blackaby outlines a portion of the life of Faith Baptist Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. What makes this an important resource on the subject of Congregational Transformation is that Faith Church finds itself in each of the five categories that we are currently considering. The story begins with Faith as a Maintaining congregation, having existed for a number of years ministering to the membership but not attracting any new people. By late in 1969, Faith’s membership had dwindled to a membership of ten people and had clearly crossed over into being a Dying congregation, no longer able to afford a pastor and actively seeking to sell the building. The ten gathered to pray, seeking confirmation from God that they should disband. As they knelt before God in prayer, He touched their hearts and told them to try one more time. They proceeded to call Henry Blackaby as pastor and he accepted, making the unlikely move from ministering in Southern California in an area with many thousands of unchurched people to return to his native Canada in relatively sparsely populated Saskatchewan.

The very first day the Blackabys arrived in Saskatoon, five (lay) men arrived in town from a city 90 miles to the north who had been convinced by God to start several ministry efforts in their city and also in other towns, villages and North American Native reserves in their region. They sensed God was leading them to Saskatoon to seek pastoral support for their ministry calling. By virtue of the decision Faith Church made to accept this spiritual challenge, they moved from Dying to Beginning as they re-launched their ministry by calling a pastor (although they passed through the Beginning category almost immediately to become both a Transforming and a Reproducing congregation virtually simultaneously.)

The congregation accepted the opportunity as a clear indication that God was obviously at work among them despite their feelings of being helpless, alone and weak. Pastor Blackaby knew that to open the eyes of his people’s to the ways of God required leading them into His Word. The people of Faith Church had to decide if they believed that God was inviting them to join Him in His work, if they were willing to adjust their lives to Him and trust God to guide and provide for them as they obeyed His call. The right question to ask is "Had God revealed His will and, if so, would we believe, obey and trust Him?"

The following is a brief summary of the book’s content using excerpts from each chapter:

Preface – When God Works

Introduction – God Speaks to His People

Chapter One – God Takes the Initiative

(These first three sections are summarized above)

Chapter Two – What Only God Can Do

The story of Faith Church would become the story of the living
Christ expressing His Presence in and through them.

Chapter Three – Seeing God Work

God showed Faith Church that He had much to do through their congregation if they were willing to hear Him, believe Him, obey Him and trust Him to provide for their needs.

Chapter Four – Hearing Him

The Spirit of God puts the people of God into the presence of God.
Each member, both existing and new, publicly commit to opening their
lives to one another as God developed them all to Christlikeness and to
being faithful to help each other in whatever needs they have.

Chapter Five – Believing Him

Each situation of need creates an opportunity to trust God and an opportunity
for God to reveal His provision. How kind and personal Faith Church found
God to be. And how they grew to know Him and love him because of it.

Chapter Six – Adjusting to Him

How does a small band of discouraged, disheartened believers become a strong,
mature, confident, faith-filled church on mission with their Lord in the world
around them? The core of the answer is this: by adjusting our lives to the presence
and activity of our Living Lord, one day at a time – to join God in His activity.

Chapter Seven – Obeying Him – And Seeing the Results

Regardless of what we say, it’s what we do that reveals what we as a church or
individually actually believe about God and His will for us. And as we obey, God
will then accomplish His purposes through us and give every person in our world 
an opportunity to hear the gospel.

The book is available at www.henryblackaby.com  for $9.99 plus shipping.