The Prospering Parachurch

        

PIC No. 118: Pails in Comparison (July 27, 2026)

• Title: The Prospering Parachurch: Enlarging the Boundaries of God‘s Kingdom
• Authors: Wesley K. Willmer and J. David Schmidt, with Martyn Smith
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers (Oct. 30, 1998, 232 pages)
• Management Bucket #2 of 20: The Customer Bucket

Welcome to Issue No. 118 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system. 

5 Reasons to Read This Book Again!

Why am I recommending The Prospering Parachurch—now almost 30 years after it was published? C.S. Lewis wrote, "It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between."

The Prospering Parachurch was published in 1998 and, at the time, I was privileged to serve as the CEO of Christian Management Association (now CLA). Wes Willmer and David Schmidt invited me to endorse the book—and here’s what I said:

"I've spent practically my entire career working for parachurch organizations. I consider The Prospering Parachurch a 'must read' for parachurch presidents, board members, staff, and those serious practitioners that need to understand the revolutionary transformation caused by the parachurch movement.”

Back in 1998, while I was reading and reviewing books in CMA publications and elsewhere, I was not yet posting reviews on Amazon. (Amazon launched in 1995.) So…last week I looked for any reviews I had written about this important book. No luck—so I asked AI for help. (Reminder: I’m writing this in 2026!) And while I thoroughly read every book I review, I don’t ask AI to write my reviews. But last week, I did. And the AI version is so much better than what I would write—so I’m sharing my edited version with you. (You’re welcome!)

REASON #1: Why You Should Read This Book Again (or for the first time)
Sometimes a book is important not because it predicts the future—but because it explains the present.

That's how I felt when I pulled The Prospering Parachurch off the shelf nearly three decades after it was published. Wes Willmer, David Schmidt, and Martyn Smith weren't merely describing a growing collection of nonprofit ministries. They were documenting a major shift in how God was advancing His Kingdom.

Today, that shift seems obvious. In 1998, it wasn't.

The authors argued that alongside hundreds of thousands of local churches, tens of thousands of Christian organizations—mission agencies, camps, colleges, rescue missions, media ministries, relief organizations, schools, evangelistic associations, and countless others—had become indispensable partners in Kingdom work. Rather than viewing parachurch organizations as competitors to the local church, they challenged readers to see them as complementary expressions of Christ's mission.

That insight has aged remarkably well.

REASON #2: My Favorite Takeaways Then and Now

What impressed me then—and still impresses me today—is the authors' refusal to romanticize parachurch ministries.

They celebrate the movement, but they also acknowledge its unique challenges: Who owns a parachurch ministry? Who determines its mission? How should boards govern organizations that depend on donors instead of members? How do leaders balance ministry effectiveness with financial stewardship?

Those questions remain just as relevant for today's CEOs, board chairs, and senior leadership teams as they were in 1998.

The book also reminds readers that Christian organizations serve an unusually complex group of stakeholders: donors, volunteers, staff members, board members, churches, beneficiaries, and ultimately the Lord Himself. That reality demands leadership skills that often differ from those required in either business or congregational ministry.

REASON #3: Looking Back with 2026 Eyes
Re-reading this book today is fascinating because so much of what the authors anticipated has happened.

Many Christ-followers now receive much of their discipleship through podcasts, conferences, publishing ministries, camps, universities, online resources, mission organizations, and specialized ministries. Churches continue to play their irreplaceable biblical role, yet they increasingly partner with organizations possessing specialized expertise.

The authors saw this coming—except for the innovation of podcasts! 

[2026 PLUG]: check out the growing list of AI-generated podcasts at John Pearson’s Buckets Podcasts, including Podcast #22, “Future-Ready Church.” 

   

That doesn't mean every prediction proved perfect. Technology, globalization, artificial intelligence, and digital communication have reshaped ministry in ways few could have imagined in 1998.

But their central thesis—that God uses both churches and parachurch ministries to enlarge His Kingdom—still rings true. (See Jerry White's book below and also the book by Angie Ward: two books on the church and parachurch conversation.)

REASON #4: We Still Need a Better Understanding of Kingdom Partnerships
If you're a pastor, don't skip this book because you assume it's only for nonprofit executives.

If you're a parachurch leader, read the book to understand what’s it’s like to walk a mile in a pastor’s shoes (or whatever footwear they’re sporting on Sunday morning!).

[Another 2026 Plug]: Check out Saints and Sneakers.

Read it to better understand the remarkable ecosystem God has built through churches, ministries, schools, camps, relief agencies, and evangelistic organizations working together rather than independently.

Billy Graham's endorsement on the cover was well deserved. He called the book "a marvelous job of capturing the essence of this movement." Nearly thirty years later, I'd say history has largely confirmed his assessment.

REASON #5: Savvy Wisdom on Building an Effective Board
Noting the challenges of parachurch governing boards, Chapter 6, “Building an Effective Christian Board,” is helpful and covers the authors’ list of four distinctives of parachurch boards:
   1) Common Christian Faith
   2) Christian Worldview
   3) Doctrinal and Behavioral Standards
   4) Accountability to God

The authors then add 11 responsibilities of a parachurch board:
   1) Govern Through Policy
   2) Select Quality Board Members
   3) Ensure Vision and Clarity of Mission
   4) Provide Spiritual Leadership and Prayer Support
   5) Organize the Board for Effectiveness
   6) Appoint, Empower, Support, and Evaluate the CEO
   7) Facilitate a Strategic Plan
   8) Oversee Financial Resources and Their Management
   9) Serve as Final Arbitrator
 10) Evaluate the Board and the Organization
 11) Represent the Organization to the Public

Note: Now almost 30 years later, you’ll still find alignment with the board governance literature (including organizations that are not faith-based). See my blog, “18 Best Board Books.”

PAILS IN COMPARISON QUESTIONS:
Oh, my. Imagine sitting in a circle today—in a mountain retreat center—with a small group of pastors and parachurch leaders. Plus the authors! I’ll provide the questions and you can jump in with the stimulating conversations (and maybe even disagreements).

   1) Has the relationship between churches and parachurch ministries become healthier—or more complicated—since 1998?
   2) If this book were rewritten today, what new chapter would be absolutely essential?
   3) Is your church or organization intentionally partnering with the broader Kingdom—or merely protecting its own turf?

Note: At your retreat, invite leaders to each give a 10-minute review (“compare and contrast”) of the books noted below. (Rules: 5-minute summary and 5-minutes Q&A.)

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of the Customer Bucket and other must-read books in the 20 Management Buckets organizing system.

[   ] New! Beyond Church and Parachurch: From Competition to Missional Extension, by Angie Ward (May 13, 2025) - Order from Amazon. (Watch for my review.)

[   ] The Church & the Parachurch: An Uneasy Marriage, by Jerry White (1983) – Order from Amazon (Read my review.)

[   ] Revolution in Generosity: Transforming Stewards To Be Rich Toward God, by Wesley K. Willmer, Editor – foreword by Charles Colson (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] Wisdom from Lyle E. Schaller: The Elder Statesman of Church Leadership, by Warren Bird, Editor – (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders, by Daniel Yang, Adelle M. Banks, and Warren Bird (Read my review. View the "explainer video" on YouTube.)

[   ] Next Sunday: An Honest Dialogue About the Future of the Church, by Nancy Beach and Samantha Beach Kiley (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] Effectiveness By The Numbers: Counting What Counts in the Church, by William R. Hoyt (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] What's Gone Wrong With the Harvest?: A Communication Strategy for the Church and World Evangelism, by James F. Engel and Wilbert Norton (Order from Amazon.) Note: For more on this book and the “Engel Scale,” read Chapter 2, The Customer Bucket in Mastering the Management Buckets.

TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for The Prospering Parachurch: Enlarging the Boundaries of God‘s Kingdom, by Wesley K. Willmer and J. David Schmidt, with Martyn Smith.

 MORE RESOURCES:

   • John Pearson’s Buckets Blog
   • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews
   • John Pearson’s book reviews on Amazon
   • Management Buckets website
   • Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Blog
   • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast (YouTube)

NOTE: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Pails in Comparison Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 100+ blogs posted (between 2022 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month. 

© 2026 John W. Pearson. All rights reserved. New blogs for Pails in Comparison are posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. 

God The Science The Evidence

       

PIC No. 110: Pails in Comparison (Dec. 3, 2025)

• Title: GOD: The Science, The Evidence—The Dawn of a Revolution
• Authors: Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies
• Publisher: Palomar (Oct. 14, 2025, 562 pages)
• Management Bucket #2 of 20: The Customer Bucket

Welcome to Pails in Comparison, the sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—short reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system. 

"A Lot of Sadness for Atheists"

Oh, my. Where to start? At 562 pages, any serious book reviewer would need at least five or six pages (single-spaced) to give justice to this extraordinary book. You can thank me now—this will be shorter. 

In Chapter 1, “The Dawn of a Revolution,” Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies write, “Never before have so many spectacular scientific discoveries emerged in such a short period of time. These discoveries have overturned our view of the cosmos and forcefully put the question of the existence of a creator God back on the table.”

 “ULO!” Two hosts of a French Muslim radio station welcomed the authors to their “book club” broadcast and portrayed this book as an “Unidentified Literary Object (ULO)!” The hosts described it as “the publishing sensation of the year’s end” that became “the number one bestselling non-fiction book in France.” One host commented:

“God is selling, after all! They approach the topic from a deist perspective. I really liked this book. But I also felt a lot of sadness while reading it. A lot of sadness for atheists.”

Top-10 Reasons to Order 2 Copies!

#1. INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: 400,000 copies sold! Just published in English in October 2025, “the book everyone is talking about” features a diverse collection of endorsers: “15 personalities from all walks of life.” 

Authors Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies note that “To our knowledge, no other book like the one you are holding in your hands exists. We have aimed to make it easy and enjoyable to read for all, while ensuring accuracy. The chapters are independent, so readers can approach them in any order of their choice. We have done our best; we leave the rest to your free judgment.”

With their permission, I then bounced around the two major sections: “Evidence Within the Sciences” and “Evidence From Outside the Sciences.” (You should see my marked-up copy! And I’m not a science guy—or an apologetics geek.)

#2. THE PURPOSE. “To make our intentions perfectly clear from the outset, the purpose of this book is not to militate for a particular religion, much less to engage in an analysis of the nature of God or his attributes. The goal of this book is to gather into one volume the most up-to-date rational arguments for the possible existence of a Creator God.”

#3. WIGGLE ROOM? The authors (who write in an enjoyable and non-technical style) are generous with presenting all sides to the key issues of science and evidence. (Example: Chapter 17: “The Humanly Inaccessible Truths of the Bible.”) The book employs a unique color-coding approach (blue ink) when quoting experts—which makes for much smoother reading.

The authors ask, “What can we conclude about these truths? Did they fall from the sky?” Read this: “Of all the ancient sacred texts known to us, [the Bible] is the only one that does not place the Sun and Moon on a divine pedestal.” And what inspired the Hebrews “to adopt a way of life different to that of their neighbors”? (Examples: no human sacrifice, better conditions for women, “and the condemnation of astrology and superstition.”)

So Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies lay out their arguments for the existence of a creator God, and quote Robert Wilson (1978 Nobel Prize in Physics), “Certainly if you are religious, I can’t think of a better theory of the origin of the universe to match with Genesis.” Then they challenge us:

“Now it is up to you, the reader, to judge this anomaly and form an opinion.
There is not much wiggle room between two alternatives: it is either the result of pure chance or of a divine revelation.”

#4. “THE ALLEGED ERRORS OF THE BIBLE, WHICH ARE NOT ERRORS.” That’s the title of Chapter 18, a must-read that covers the errors most commonly ascribed to the Bible. The authors give an amazing amount of equal time to naysayers (in blue ink!), such as the section, “The Stupidities of the Bible: Error No. 2: The Earth existed before the stars.”

A fourth “error” is noted: “The Bible teaches that the earth is flat.” Did you know this? “Let us make it clear from the outset. This regularly repeated accusation is really surprising because there isn't any passage in the Bible which teaches that the Earth is flat.” 

#5. YOU’RE ON THE JURY! In Chapter 19, the authors begin: “No one has the right to dismiss this question: ‘Who could Jesus be?’” They discuss “four astonishing or inexplicable facts that demand our attention.” Most of the chapter focuses on the fourth fact.

“Fact 4: Jesus asked his followers, and through them, indirectly asks us, an unsettling question: ‘But you, who do you say that I am?’  At first glance this question, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ (Matthew 16:15), seems simple, harmless, and open-ended, but it will actually end in a problem of implacable logic. But we soon find that there are very few logical ways to answer it. Moreover, we have enough information to eliminate most of the alternatives.”

So the authors give “seven answers that have been given historically and which are the only logical answers to the question ‘Who could Jesus be? (They’ve tried it all!).”
   • He didn’t exist, he is a myth created later on.
   • He was a great sage.
   • He was a madman.
   • He was a failed opportunist.
   • He was a prophet.
   • He was the Messiah and an extraordinary man, but only a man.
   • He was the Messiah and God made man.

Next…the authors invite us into a courtroom hearing with this: “…in this chapter, everyone can come to his own conclusion. No one can claim ignorance when asked the question, ‘Who could he be?’ We ask you to accompany us actively in each step of this chapter.

“Dear reader, take your seat among the jurors
—the hearing is about to start.”

The authors add, “Each of these seven possibilities will now be subject to a thorough scrutiny, and we will call reason, history, the Bible, and most importantly, the testimony of Jesus’ enemies to the witness stand.”

Brilliant! This back-and-forth reminded me of the creative “debate” that Bill Hull hosts among 10 debaters in his book, Time to Stand Up (read my review). That debate question: “Jesus is God come to earth in human flesh. Yes or No?”

#6. PODCASTS. To go deeper, you’ll appreciate these articulate podcast interviews:

“Free Expression,” from the opinion page of the Wall Street Journal. Gerry Baker, editor-at-large, interviews Michel-Yves Bolloré on the topic, “Science, Evidence, and the Existence of God.” Listen here (42 minutes). View on YouTube here (47 minutes).

Gerry Baker, editor-at-large at the WSJ, interviews Michel-Yves Bolloré on the topic, “Science, Evidence, and the Existence of God.” (47 minutes) - Follow along with the YouTube transcript.

 

 

Cardinal Timothy Dolan interviews Olivier Bonnassies about his book, God, the Science, the Evidence (14 minutes). Follow along with the YouTube transcript.

 

#7. FREE 6-PAGE GUIDE. On the book’s content-rich website, you can download the authors’ guide, “3 Scientific Breakthroughs That Offer Evidence for a Creator God” (a 6-page PDF). The breakthroughs address: 1) The Fine-Tuning of Physical Laws, 2) The Big Bang Theory, and 3) The Statistical Impossibility of Life by Chance.” Stunning!

#8. “THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE LIVES.” On the book’s website, others weigh in, including Fr. Robert Spitzer, Astrophysicist and Philosopher, and former president of Gonzaga University. “This book will change lives,” he writes.

Note: I’ve attended Father Spitzer’s lectures on The Shroud of Turin and he’s the real deal. (By the way, check out the “Ask Father Spitzer” feature when you visit The Shroud of Turin: An Immersive Experience, in Orange County, Calif.)

Read my "review" of my visit to the museum here.

#9. “PATRONIZING NONSENSE.” The authors quote from Mere Christianity, the classic book by C.S. Lewis. “You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”

#10. BIG BANG! Did you know that the phrase, “Big Bang,” was used for the first time in 1949, live on BBC radio? It was used by Fred Hoyle, then president of the Royal Astronomical Society—"and one of the staunchest opponents” of the theories of Alexander Friedmann and Georges Lemaitre (and later those of Fr. George Gamow).

Must-read: Chapter 5, “A Brief History of the Big Bang,” and Chapter 8, “The Big Bang, A Noir Thriller.” (Did I mention, I’m not a “science guy,” but this book is so well-written that I couldn’t put it down. And did I also mention, the humor is perfect? See Chapter 11, “Preliminary Conclusions: One Small Chapter for Our Book, One Giant Leap for Our Argument.”

SO…IS THERE PROOF FOR A CREATOR GOD? The authors respect your intelligence and leave the decision up to you. (And as I mentioned, order two books: one for yourself and one for a friend or family member.) This is a fascinating book—and I’ll end with this note: don’t skip the footnotes! I found this in Footnote #672 on page 531:

“We have not addressed some of the more far-fetched arguments that have been made throughout history against God's existence, such as his invisibility. Cabanis, an eighteenth century anatomical doctor, exclaimed: ‘I cannot find the soul with my scalpel!’ In a similar vein, a highly professional Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, cried out from his space vessel Vostok 1: ‘I don't see any God up here!’”

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Customer Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies. (Why the “Customer Bucket?” This book will appeal to three customers: atheists, agnostics, and believers. The authors treat each customer group with respect.)

[   ] Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis. (Order from Amazon.)

[   ] Time to Stand Up, by Bill Hull. (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] Is God Real? Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life, by Lee Strobel. (Order from Amazon. Read my short review.)

And speaking of customers:

[   ] Faith for the Curious: How an Era of Spiritual Openness Shapes the Way We Live and Help Others Follow Jesus, by Mark Matlock. (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[  ] Perhaps it might be time to pull out this book from 1975 about “The Engel Scale.” What's Gone Wrong With the Harvest?: A Communication Strategy for the Church and World Evangelism, by James F. Engel. (Order from Amazon.) See the chart in the Customer Bucket (page 53) in Mastering the Management Buckets.

TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for God, the Science, the Evidence: The Dawn of a Revolution, by Michel-Yves Bollore and Olivier Bonnassies. Listen on Libro (15 hours, 6 minutes). Listen here to the two-minute purpose of the book. 

MORE RESOURCES:
   • John Pearson’s Buckets Blog
   • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews
   • John Pearson’s book reviews on Amazon
   • Management Buckets website
   • Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Blog

Note: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Pails in Comparison Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 100+ blogs posted (between 2022 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month. 

© 2025 John W. Pearson. All rights reserved. New blogs for Pails in Comparison are posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.