Real Good Church

Real Good Church offers a look at everything First Church Somerville UCC, a progressive Christian church in the shadow of Harvard, MIT and Tufts Universities, did to reverse their death spiral and become the healthy, stable, spirited and robust community it is today. The triumphant renewal is highly visible in the large percentage of children and young adults in the church, a sixfold increase in pledged giving in the last decade, and most importantly in the spirit of joy that pervades the community. The strategies they used can work in any church, in any setting: regardless of denomination, demographics, or political landscape. The book addresses topics like outreach and growth strategies, finances and giving, creative worship including the central place of personal testimony and corporate prayer practices, church conflict and change, anxiety and laughter, and much more -- all treated with humor and offering real, practical, immediate steps for getting started.