Those who still go to church in Europe do not usually go there to find out what God requires of them. One report from Italy says: “Italians tailor their religion to fit their lifestyles.” One sociologist there says: “We take from the pope whatever suits us.” The same might be said of Catholics in Spain, where religiosity has been replaced with consumerism and the search for an economic paradise—here and now.
These trends stand in stark contrast with the Christianity that Christ and his followers taught and practiced. Jesus did not offer “cafeteria” or “buffet” religion, where you pick and choose what you like and reject what you don’t like. He stated: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake day after day and follow me continually.” Jesus taught people that the Christian way of life was one of personal sacrifice and effort.—Luke 9:23.

Commenting on this trend, the religion correspondent for London’s Daily Telegraph wrote: “All the main denominations, from the Church of England and the Roman Catholics to the Methodist and United Reformed Churches, are suffering from long-term decline.” He said concerning one report: “Britain’s Churches will be well on the way to extinction by 2040 with just two per cent of the population attending Sunday services.” Similar statements have been made about religion in the Netherlands.

Some churches study business methods to learn how better to “market” their religious services. Congregations pay thousands of dollars to hire church consulting firms. “It was a great investment,” said one satisfied pastor, according to a report on such firms. Megachurches, with congregation members numbering into the thousands, do so well financially that they draw the attention of business publications, such as The Wall Street Journal and The Economist. These report that megachurches typically offer “‘one-stop shopping’ for body and soul.” Church complexes may include restaurants, cafés, beauty salons, saunas, and sports facilities. Attractions include theater, visiting celebrities, and contemporary music. But what do the preachers teach?

s a pastor it’s not always easy to invest in the church’s leaders as much as I would like to. Sending the team to a yearly conference may ease that guilty conscience a little, but does have very little, long term impact on the lives of the leaders or on their ministry in the church.

Participating this year in Back to Summit has made a huge difference in our church! Instead of being a great motivating talk from some of the world’s best leaders, we were able to make each message applicable to our personal walk with God and to shape and strengthen our church for the future.

Working with Joel has greatly increased my effectiveness as a leader in the local church. Through our times together prepping for the Back to Summit sessions, he has been able to help me develop my ministry goals and strategies in order to bring the session alive for my leaders. I’m a better pastor because of Back to Summit.

After going through Back to Summit with my team, I wouldn’t be able to attend the Willow Creek Leadership Summit without this follow-up ever again. The combination of the conference and the coaching is by far, the best bang for our ministry dollars and a fantastic tool for building up the local church!

I’d hear it every year. “Amazing teaching and leadership concepts! I feel like I’ve sat with a tiny cup under a fire hose. How can we unpack this to get the most of what we’ve learned?” Back to Summit has been the answer for us. Once a month on a Saturday morning, the Leadership Team at Highview, unpacked the concepts first heard at Summit, then sought to develop concrete applications and action steps for our ministry. Through reviewing the talks on DVD, then being led in group discussion and personal reflections, we have been able to assimilate far more of the values and ideas presented last August. Joel’s long term understanding of the local church, combined with many years of association with Willow, made him the perfect catalyst to lead this unique and exceedingly helpful series of sessions for our leaders. I can’t imagine doing Summit without Back to Summit anymore.

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• church leadership
  
• church consulting training
  
• church membership software
  
• donor management software
  
• non profit software
  
• church membership
  
• donor management
  
• non profit
  
• church consulting
  
• church leadership training
  
• church transformation
  
• church leadership
  
• church consulting training
  
• church membership software
  
• donor management software
  
• non profit software
  
• church membership
  
• donor management
  
• non profit
  
• church consulting
  
• church leadership training