This book is a different kind of book for this specific issue related to recruiting newcomers into the church. It takes a completely different approach than other books that are dedicated to recruiting members to Christ's community, which, in the past, have seemed to focus more on the individual plight. What is so great about this book is that it challenges members of the church to take a more active role in the mission of reaching out to others for the sake of the church and the mission of Christ's word. While it is definitely inspiring, it is also, at the same time, a bit intimidating because we, as people and as church members, are used to placing the duty solely in the hands of the leaders of the church. This book is saying that it is not just the leaders' jobs, but it takes the whole church. This book can help a minister or other types of church leaders to motivate their members and showing them the importance of working as a team. The metaphor of the track and field relay race is a good way to explain how the church should be working as the analogy is quite easy for any individual to comprehend.
The book is also quite informative and could be of great help in understanding the newcomers' quest for a church that they can call their own. Those who are looking for a church need to feel welcomed...
Newcomers want to be identified as individuals and they want to feel that their presence in the church is deeply desired by the entire church community. These things are not difficult to understand, but sometimes it is difficult for people to reach out in such an honest and open way (for whatever reasons). This book is great because it gives both church leaders and members of the church the tools to help reach out to newcomers in an easy and step-by-step way. If we can learn to think of the church as a system of people as opposed to merely individuals, then we may have an easier time reaching out in the way that Christ desired. The church should be thought of as a group of people with likewise beliefs and they all want the church to succeed, but the church can only succeed if people show up.
Coyner and Anderson (2004) do a wonderful job of elucidating on the importance of reaching out and they do show (through their stories incorporated throughout the book) that success can be found if we are to follow their simple rules for helping build a solid church of Christ's people.
Reference:
Coyner, M.J. & Anderson, D.T. (2004). The race to reach out: Connecting newcomers to Christ in a new century. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
