Many recent books have attempted to address the "crisis" in the mainline church. Anthony Robinson here makes a significant -- and in many ways unique -- contribution to this discussion by bringing his personal insights as a pastor to bear on the issue of renewing congregational life.

Writing from twenty-five years of experience in four congregations of differing size, location, and ethnic makeup, Robinson prescribes concrete changes in the practice of ministry that have been tried, tested, and lived out to great success. At the heart of his framework for church renewal is what he calls "cultural change." According to Robinson, technical or programmatic change is not sufficient to address the needs of the day. He argues for changing the very culture of mainline congregations, which involves recognizing and fostering their particular gifts and genius rather than trying to remake them into something they are not. His fruitful strategies for renewal touch every aspect of congregational life, from personal spiritual formation to church leadership.

The accompanying CD-ROM contains documentation, training, and a demonstration version of website building software from the folks at the Web-Empowered Church ministry.

"A first-hand account from one of the true pioneers of online ministry. Anyone interested in online ministry ought to read this book and learn from Mark's example."
Andrew Careaga
Author, eMinistry: Connecting with the Net Generation

"A clear picture on the do's and don'ts of web ministry for churches. A must read for churches who want to effectively engage in web ministry."

"Stephenson has truly unleashed the power of internet ministry for your church. If you're looking for readable and educating book on web-empowered ministry, look no further. This book is it. I can't believe how much I learned from my first reading. I will be returning to the book over and over."
Bill Easum
President, Easum, Bandy & Associates

Mark Stephenson is Director of CyberMinistry and Technology of Ginghamsburg Church, Tipp City, Ohio. He started the Ginghamsburg CyberMinistry back in 1996 as an unpaid servant. Over the years, as the ministry grew, Mark joined the Ginghamsburg staff, first part time and then full time. Currently, Ginghamsburg Church has one of the largest and most innovative church internet ministries in the world, and the ministry remains unpaid-servant based and "home grown" (no outside companies or consultants have been hired). The website has received national acclaim -- from write-ups in the Wall Street Journal to the Dallas Morning News to Christian Computing Magazine, and television stories by WBNS Channel 10 in Columbus, Ohio and on Fox News. Visionary leaders like Bill Easum and Len Sweet champion it as a must-see website.

Mark, the "Church CyberGuy," is also a well-known speaker on CyberMinistry as he conducts presentations and workshops around North America for such organizations as Leadership Network, United Methodist Communications, North American Christian Convention, Brethren in Christ Church of North America, and Miami University of Ohio. Mark has provided consulting support to numerous churches from around the world to help them develop their web ministries. His passion for helping churches led him to start and lead the Web-Empowered Church, a ministry of The Foundation for Evangelism, to develop free web-ministry software for churches and ministries worldwide.

"A Christian married couple I know of had to move out of London and leave their church to go north with the husband's job."

"Much to the surprise of some of their long-term Christian pals they began attending the little and very local Anglican church in the village to which they had moved. The Christian friends of the couple had concerns. The church was small, the teaching was not heretical but it was not great, and there was nothing there for their four children.

"It was while talking through these concerns one evening with one of their friends that the husband made a comment which was highly significant. He said, 'How could we drive past one church to go to another?' They felt, before God, they just could not do it.

"They refused to dismiss the little church because it was in a poorly state. They were more concerned to help Christ's cause there than they were for their own immediate welfare or 'enjoyment' of the ministry.

"To join a big and thriving church is not always wrong, but it is frequently the easy option. To join a little, needy congregation is not a decision to be taken lightly. It will probably require far more guts, love, resilience and spiritual exertion. But how the devil would love to herd Christians into a few big city centre churches, getting them to travel miles from their communities, and leaving vast tracts of our country with no viable witness for the gospel.

"This book is written as a plea for Christians to think again about getting involved with a small church. Ask yourself the question, 'How can we drive past one church to go to another?'"