This is a book for pacesetters -- church leaders who desire to help their churches break free of the things that turn them in on themselves and keep them from being outward-looking and outward-moving communities of Jesus Christ. The ingrown church is a common phenomenon. It is the 'norm' for contemporary evangelical and Protestant churches. But ingrownness is a pathology. It can destroy the vital spiritual health of a church. It must, therefore, be combated with the norms of Scripture. And that is why this book was written. Outgrowing the Ingrown Church is a masterful mix of biblical principle, objective analysis, and personal experience. It traces the author's own growing awareness of the problem of ingrownness in his calling as a pastor, seminary professor, and evangelist/missionary. In his own discovery of the power and presence of God he discovered the tendency of the church to live by its own power and resources. This is a book written to help change churches by changing the individuals who read it. It offers one an unparalleled challenge to be evaluated, revitalized, and then used by God for the work of ministry. Thus it is a book not merely for pastors, but for the whole body of Christ. 'I have never been as excited about any book concerning church growth as when I read this book . . . . (His biblical) principles, if followed, transform individual lives and then lead to a movement within a church to change the whole congregation, ' writes John Guest in the foreword

This book began as a simple memoir for future generations of C. John Miller's family. It grew into an inspirational story of triumph of faith, in self and in God. The reader is taken on the journey that starts with an oil driller's kid born to a stark life at the depth of the Great Depression. We follow that kid to the pinnacle of accolades, selection as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the Petroleum Century, across all the hilltops and into the valleys a risky industry and a tough business climate can throw at those who try to outsmart Mother Nature to find the oil and gas we need. In the own folksy, friendly manner that is his hallmark, C. John Miller, America's most honored spokesman for the United States petroleum independents, guides us through his adventures as an oilman and as spokesman for the U.S. independent oil and natural gas exploration industry during the times of the nation's worst energy crisis to date, in the 1970s .... with cautionary words about our energy future.

In these warm, delightful reflections on his own growth as a witness to the gospel, the late "Jack" Miller tells how he learned to share the Good News, and how we can too.