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Ken Can Help
Kennon Callahan is one of the most prolific authors and sought after consultants in the country in the area of church programming. Callahan has a PhD in systematic theology, but he has not lost sight of the church’s mission and the practical issues involved. In fact, mission is a key concept in all of Callahan’s works. He has years of experience in various sizes of churches along with his academic preparation. He led churches in Ohio, Texas, and Georgia and has taught at Emory University.
Callahan’s flagship book is Twelve Keys to an Effective Church. Along with its accompanying workbooks, this book would assist any congregation in crafting and executing a strategic plan. Callahan’s books involve the reader in completing assessments and measuring their particular church against the benchmarks provided. There are various formulas to determine exactly where your congregation is and what it needs to do. The "twelve keys" include specific, concrete missional objectives; significant relational groups; streamlined structure and solid, participatory decision making; open accessibility; and many others.
While Callahan’s background is mainline Protestant—Methodist to be specific—his principles transcend denominational affiliation, size of congregation, and style of worship. His services have been utilized by many different kinds of churches and church groups. While this book is not the newest in the field, it still provides a valid and useful approach. The book originally appeared under the HarperCollins label, but is now published by Jossey-Bass.
Callahan has endeavored to write separate books that more fully develop some of the twelve keys. One example is Effective Church Finances, also published by Jossey-Bass. This book deals with fund raising and budgeting issues. While these are separate skills, Callahan weaves them together through the concept of mission. People should be motivated to support the church’s mission, not just the institution of the church. The church’s budget itself should be planned around mission. The church following these prescriptions will benefit from Callahan’s plea that we move away from being concerned just about survival and be more concerned about service.
Another example of Callahan expanding on the twelve keys is his book Preaching Grace. This book looks at how preaching intersects with and sustains the other aspects of church development. The title indicates a major emphasis of Callahan’s—that preaching should draw people closer to the grace of God. Here again we see the emphasis on mission.
This does not mean preaching the same kind of sermon or the same topic each week. Callahan advises a sense of balance in preaching between styles and content. This book deals with various aspects of preaching, including the impact of delivery. Even here we see a key concept that is found in all of Callahan’s writings, "Seek progress, not perfection."
The Callahan quiver includes books that deal with worship, church leadership, building programs, and visitation for the new millennium. You will not resonate with everything in these books, but Callahan’s approach is practical while connecting itself to our biblical mandate and our theology.
Mike Shannon is dean at Cincinnati (Ohio) Bible Seminary.
PREVIOUS COLUMNS:
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