A Surprise. Broken for Blessing released on Amazon last week, and to my surprise and joy, it has remained thus far as the #1 best-selling new release in the category for "Christian Church Growth."
You can purchase it here. Thank you so much to those of you who have already supported it by purchasing it. If you read it and enjoy it, I would so appreciate it if you would consider reviewing it. That really helps people who do not know the author or the story behind the book, to consider giving it a read.
A Commendation. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I say it takes a church to write a book. At least it did for this book. Brett McCracken and Jon Marshall did great content editorial work, Sarah Jane Stone (and my sister, Joanne) did excellent general editorial work, Jeremy Hamman and Rob Scott were superb on the design and layout side. This is all appropriate because this book is essentially the story of Southlands Church and its multiplying history, which in my friend Todd Proctors' words, is one of those best kept secrets that needs to be told. I think perhaps that's because it is so believable. Here is Todd's commendation, not so much of the book but of the church behind the book.
"In Orange County, where I have lived and pastored for over two decades, there is no shortage of notable churches. The OC has been fertile Kingdom soil, giving birth to communities that have become mega and movemental in ways that have dramatically changed the world. Yet, if I were to point to a local church that I see showcasing the fullness of what is most needed for our county, it would be Southlands. Across many chapters and challenges, Southlands stands strong and uniquely compelling in a landscape of many thriving communities. I have experienced Southlands as a place where:
• Guests are called beyond the Sunday seat to sit at the family table
• Strategic “hows” are unquestionably anchored in Biblical “whys”
• Prophetic expectancy assumes gathered
moments will be infused with God’s presence and power
• Spiritual sons and daughters become fathers and mothers in a culture that equips and empowers the natural resource of the next generation
• The best is given away—choosing again and again to prepare and plant communities for other frontiers, even at the cost of the home base momentum and stability
What’s remarkable about this legacy is that it was not produced out of a mega model. Though limited in size and resource compared to many peer communities, Southlands has had sustained, measurable impact beyond most churches I know.
As I meet with young pastors across the nation and listen to their dreams toward the future, I sense it is the chance to be a part of something like Southlands that stirs their hearts. Very few of those who will be shaping the future Church seem compelled by the vision of buildings and budgets to accommodate thousands. Instead, a multiplying family of mid-sized churches is increasingly held as
the horizon in view.
That is why this book seems timely. I am grateful for long hours of thought, prayer and skillful labor my friend Alan has invested in scribing the Southlands story. It is a humble, honest take from a gifted apostolic leader who received the baton mid-race and is running his lap very well. Alan has, in both practical and prophetic ways, captured learnings that will serve church leaders at every at stage of the journey. I count myself to be one of them. After 20 years of pastoring in the context of mega, and now back in the trenches of planting a new OC community, I draw convictions and courage from these pages to move from recycling what has been to an expectant reimagining of what could be."
Todd Proctor
Founder and former Lead Pastor of Rock Harbor Church, Co-Pastor of Canopy Church in Costa Mesa, California and Strategic Church Networks Director of Alpha USA
Thank you Todd, for you kind words.
An Invitation. To celebrate the release of the book we would love to invite you all to our book launch party at Southlands Church from 6-8pm on Saturday, August the 17th. The address is 2950 E. Imperial Avenue, Brea. We will serve appetizers and refreshments. To RSVP please email katrin@southlands.net.
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