Rebuilt

Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, Making Church Matter

By: Michael White, Tom Corcoran

Narrated by: Michael White, Tom Corcoran

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Drawing on the wisdom gleaned from thriving mega-churches and innovative business leaders while anchoring their vision in the Eucharistic center of Catholic faith, Fr. Michael White and lay associate Tom Corcoran present the compelling and inspiring story to how they brought their parish back to life.

Rebuilt is a story of stopping everything and changing focus. When their parish reached a breaking point, Fr. Michael White and lay associate Tom Corcoran asked themselves how they could make the Church matter to Catholics, and they realized the answer was at the heart of the Gospel. Their faithful response not only tripled their weekend mass attendance, but also yielded increased giving, flourishing ministries, and a vibrant, solidly Catholic spiritual revival.

White and Corcoran invite all Catholic leaders to share the vision, borrow their strategies, and rebuild their own parishes. They offer a wealth of guidance for anyone with the courage to hear them.

©2017 Michael White and Tom Corcoran (P)2017 Paul Stefano

Don't Do What's Suggested Unless You Will OWN IT.

My interpretation of this book is that this pastor and youth minister took their new positions unwilling to just continue to do what was always done which wasn't working. They were willing to say basically, "I don't know. I'm open to new ideas." A Catholic priest attended an evangelical pastors' conference on church growth. As things rolled forward they found that the only changes that worked were the ones that they OWNED and weren't just performing.

This book applies to all Christian churches/communities, not just the Catholic Church in which it is lived. Many might say, "I'm not Catholic, I'm [fill in the blank]." If you are in a leadership [or are willing to be] in any faith community, there is a treasure trove of ideas and perspective worth considering.

Even mentioned was the value of integrating Dave Ramsey's [an evangelical Christian] Financial Peace University [FPU] into the congregation to help people gain financial stability which ultimately led improved quality of life and to increased giving. I'm Catholic and facilitate FPU workshops at my church. That reference struck a chord with me.

Bottom line, don't be so short-sighted, dare I say judgemental, as they are 'too liberal', 'too conservative' or even 'I'm in a Christian church not Catholic.' Don't fall into the error of thinking 'I believe in God and he thinks just like me!' Let those attitudes go [I had to too] and look for the opportunities to have more positive impact on your community and world in 'sharing the gospel.'

Motivated

Motivated me to step up and get involved. Challenged me to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Do as they say, not as they do.

Excellent food for thought. They should be praised for their boldness. However, it seems that in their zeal to seek the lost they neglected their current (or now former) parishioners. We must tend to both - no easy task. While we must attract the lost we must also lead the faithful to a deeper and more profound union with God. A must read for all pastors and ministry leaders.

Excellent resource for renewing parish life

Can’t say enough about practical and giving hope to a renewed vigorous parish and personal life!

Practical, Doable Ideas for Rebuilding Parish Culture

Lots of practical ideas that can be applied to parishes of any size or limitation. I appreciated how the authors shared not only their victories but their mistakes. Fr. Michael did a great job of narrating; his tone was conversational and passionate. In comparison, Tom was harder to listen to; his inflection and tone felt like he was disinterestedly reading a page to you. Not everyone is a professional narrator or orator, but dual authorship made dual narration kind of necessary. It’s too bad someone didn’t coach him more on narrating with more emotion and modulation. That’s why the “performance” score was lower. That being said, don’t let it dissuade you from listening. It is worth its weight in spiritual gold.

Read it

Amazing. Insightful and inspiring. Whether you’re a pastor, lay minister, or parishioner, it’s worth reading and acting upon.

Simple solutions

Loved hearing this in their own voices. Very simple solutions to complex problems- a must read

Inspirational, informative and accessible!

This book provides a hope giving awakening. As a former lay professional minister and now parishioner I appreciate tje messagr becauae it provides direction for people in the pulpit, the pews and everywhere in between. Get involved by loving God, eachother and making disciples. it invites us all to be a part of the great commission of evangelization. Thank You Fr. Mike and Tom.

Interesting for interested

It is interesting if you are interested in growing your Church. To me, it is read too slow and the authors/readers have somewhat annoying long pauses in between each words.

Authentic, Pithy, and Inspired!

I had previously read Rebuilt when it first came out and was trying to reread now, but found myself reading too sporadically. Loved this book even more hearing Tom and Fr. Michael read. They exude genuineness and sound just as they do on weekends at Nativity.

I’m on the cusp of hopefully joining the parish, having attended weekly since last September. I’m the kind of guy they’re talking about in many ways. I was born & raised Catholic—13 years of Catholic schools, altar server, lector, EM, volunteer youth minister. Yet I’d grown disenchanted in recent years and had begun to fall away. My time at Nativity these past eight months has reignited my zeal and filled me with purpose. I cannot wait all week to be back there—honestly!

As someone who truly loves the Church and its people, I have shared so many of the concerns with the practice of our faith (including the insider ushers, combative office staff, and abysmal preaching) that Fr. Michael and Tom outline. Their humility in seeking out and discerning carefully over what has worked elsewhere is evident from page one.

As an aspiring new parishioner, I found the background info here indispensable context and relish the opportunity to continue to grow in faith and love (current message series is actually called “Love Lives”) through a richer understanding of the mission that this parish has adopted: every person a minister.

Tom and Fr. Michael have really turned the conventional pessimism, that dwindling clergy has somehow foisted the terrible work of running a parish on the laity completely on its head! I’ve never been more sanguine about the future of our Church.

Thank you!!

Joe Gutberlet

Great book

Honest and insightful, packed full of fresh useful ideas. We'll done, many thanks, God Bless.