Church Development

These resources have grown out of thirty years of consultation with churches of all kinds. I have worked across traditions: Mainline Protestant, Evangelical Protestant, Roman Catholic, Easter Orthodox, and Pentecostal. And across cultures: Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian. And internationally: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Western Europe, and elsewhere. And across geographies: urban core, urban, exurban, suburban, small town, rural, and remote. And across church sizes: mega and micro; large, medium, and small churches. 

Kicking Habits

My first book, and foundational to my thinking. The language of corporate addiction helps explain the situation of all church institutions I've encountered. No matter how vital they might be when they start, they soon develop self-destructive habits that leaders and members chronically deny. The recognition of these habits ... and learning how to change these habits ... and discovering what healthy and faithful habits look like ... is the challenge for the church in our time. 

This is the groundbreaking book on systemic change that has literally birthed new congregations, rejuevenated tired leaders, and transformed declinging churches. It provides the big picture of thriving church life in the postmodern world.

Part of the "Church Transformation series with Coming Clean and Facing Reality

Moving Off the Map

Like any good "field guide", this is a practical book for Christian leaders in the midst of change. It demonstrates systems analysis, and helps leaders assess the current state of their church. It helps them build trust around shared core values, bedrock beliefs, motivating vision, and strategic mission that are the basic boundaries of congregational life. And it helps them draw a ministry map to guide them into the unknown, marking the topography of opportunity, benchmarks for excellence, contours of culture, and hidden hazards along the way.

Where do we begin? How do we go about change? These are the questions leaders ask in the bewildering world and changing communities that surround them. It may not be possible to make ten-year strategic plans anymore, but it is possible to build confidence and set out in the right direction.

"Tom Bandy is one of today's deepest thinkers and pratitioners in the field of congregational intervention. The world is richer now that he has strted writing for the public." - Bill Easum

Growing Spiritual Redwoods

Bill Easum and I wrote this book to describe the fluid (versus solid) system of the organic church. The metaphor of the Redwood tree helps leaders understand the true nature of vision, and the concept of "DNA" in congregational life as an internal connection between participants that share common values and convictions, all of which are the foundation for high accountability for leaders and members. We explore the cellular nature of true teams as opposed to hierarchies and committees; and how mission emerges "bottom up" for the vital spiritual lives of leaders. It's a jungle out there ... but this book helps leaders find their way to effective ministry.

"Every passage of this book contains spiritual nuggets of truth that can help your church to grow healthy and strong." - Rick Warren

"An epoch-marking - if not epoch-making 0 book. For a church living off of checks that reality won't cash, this book is like an acid-bath accounting from the bank examiners. There is no better audit of the collapse of the Christendom era, and no better audition for hotw to do ministry in the new world, than this one." - Leonard Sweet

"This may be the most sifnificant study book for congregational leaders published in this century". - Lyle Schaller