Autopsy of a Deceased Church is a small but practical book written by Thom Rainer, current president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. If you’ve been in church ministry for any length of time, you probably know of Mr. Rainer from one of his twenty-something books or via his blog, ThomRainer.com, which deals with such subjects as leadership and the local church.
The book, which is barely over 100 pages, is a glimpse into Rainer’s visits of fourteen different churches, all but one already having closed their doors. Rainer talks about these churches and points out ten characteristics – rather, warning signs – of a dying church.
For me, Autopsy of a Deceased Church brought back specific instances of my time as a pastor on staff at, what I would call, a dying church. I couldn’t help but think, “Yeah, that’s true. Oh, I can relate to that…” and so on.
As one commenter wrote, “This book isn’t a solutions guide. It’s a wake-up call.” And I very much agree. Rainer’s take, from my understanding of working with pastors who have experienced such situations first hand, is spot on. I don’t think another person could’ve written this book or given it the treatment it deserved, other than Rainer.
However, this being my sole issue with the book, I don’t think the right people are going to read it. Yes, pastors and church leaders should definitely read this book, as well as elders and deacons. In fact, I’d encourage church leadership to read through each of the characteristics of these dying churches together, and walk through how their church could benefit from taking Rainer’s advice. But, at the end of the day, I’m not quite sure those who really need to read the book actually will.
Nevertheless, the book was solid, and I’d encourage anyone in active and non-active ministry to read and heed the advice given.