Most of us have prodigals in our lives

whether a child, brother, sister, husband, wife, or friend. The ache for these dear ones is like no other. They may hurt us and disappoint us, but somehow we cannot stop loving them. And yet we cannot live their lives for them.

The Prodigal-Friendly Church

looks at why people leave the church, how we can retain them, how we can reach those who have already gone, and how we can help those who return feel like they belong. Jeff Lucas offers no easy recipes for success, but plenty of truthtelling, hope, and encouragement.

Principles of the Prodigal-Friendly Church

• Reach: How do we reach those who’ve already left the church?

• Return: How do we help people return to the church?

• Retain: How do we retain the people we’ve worked so hard to reach?

Ultimately we are called to bring our prodigals to the cross of Christ, for there we find the mingling of our own utter helplessness and God’s total power to intervene and save. When the Father’s house is filled with the Father’s love, there is hope that the prodigals will come home.