How easy is it to implement the planning process presented in the book?

ISRAEL: Well, I suppose that depends. It’s not rocket science, but it isn’t necessarily easy either. Marty’s chapter on how to bring about change from a former (programmatic) way of doing Christian education and embracing a community of faith approach hints that, for one thing, change can be a slow, if not difficult, process to bring about under certain conditions. The book lays out the process clearly enough, but every congregation will need to adopt the model to its context and to its own capacity to make changes.

MARTY: That's right, Israel! Planning is not an easy process. It takes time and involves consistent, hard work. But it's worth it! Israel It is essential for the team to study the content in the book and work slowly to understand and implement the approach. The team will be tempted to “do something quickly.” It is best, however, to resist this temptation. The book includes an appendix that presents a formal startup plan. The plan may be modified based on the culture of the congregation. Some congregations may be able to skip some steps that other congregations will not be able to do. So the ease or difficulty of implementing this approach will be different for each church.