Book Focuses on the U-Turn Church

Written by two Reformed Church in America pastors, the popular,  2011 book The U-Turn Church is coming out soon in a $2.99 e-book version.

The book from Baker Publishing Group details how the two pastors — one in rural Michigan and the other in suburban Chicago — had been able over a period of several years to reverse the trend of stagnation that many churches in North America face today.

The authors are Kevin G. Harney, who led Corinth Reformed Church in Byron Center, Mich. through a U-Turn experience from 1993-2006, and Bob Bouwer who has been guiding Faith Church in South Holland, Illinois/Dyer, Ind. through a similar experience from 1990 to the present.

The U-Turn Church: New Direction for Health and Growth looks at common roadblocks preventing a church from prospering, and it leads readers through a practical process by which they can overcome obstacles and bring the church back to health.

Addressed to anyone interested in restoring health to their church, the book tells the stories of the two congregations — both of which had strong, traditional roots when the pastors arrived — and the challenges they faced.

“We tell how we had moments of great discouragement and frustration and tears and struggle,” said Harney. “We also had moments of joy and elation to see God working in ways we didn’t dream.”

Bouwer says the book looks at how things they tried sometimes worked at one church and yet not at the other.

In the introduction, the authors write: "If you look at your church and have a deep sense that something fresh and new needs to happen, you are not alone.

“If your church has hit a plateau or is losing ground, you are in good company. The focus of this book is to give hope as you enter a Spirit-directed U-Turn journey that will lead to a season of health, faithfulness, growth, and new vision.”

Harney is currently senior pastor of Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, Calif. He is the author of Organic Outreach for Ordinary People, Leadership from the Inside Out, Seismic Shifts, Finding a Church You Can Love, and more than 60 small group guides, as well as curriculum and numerous articles.

Bouwer is founder and executive director of U-Turn Church Ministries Inc., which holds conferences to help congregations and denominations move toward health and growth.