Excellent book with keen insight. Thom Rainer allows us to see past the research and find trends and change taking place.
There have been two books which have transformed my thinking of how church should be done. This book and The Disciple Making Church by Glenn McDonald. Each book shows that being a disciple is not about creating innovative programming but, instead, making disciples. When the church loses its focus from what Jesus asked of us to do (make disciples) and becomes a consumer-based organization attempting to bring in a crowd it is no better than the local Wal-Mart.
Both books, in different ways, bring the focus back to living the life of a disciple. If people really want to change the world for the better it will be through discipleship and not through the creation of the latest and greatest self-serving programs.