Breaking "The Holy Huddle" Syndrome
"The Four Priorities" Gives New Direction for
Individuals, Small Groups and the Local Church

A new book by Dr. John Tolson and Larry Kreider provides a process for applying wellness-centered, Biblical principles that revolutionize personal life as well as the life of the local church. The book, The Four Priorities: Life is Too Short to Get It Wrong, confronts life's voids, challenges and demonstrates how to "get it right" through a personal, progressive commitment to Christ, self-valuation, relationship building and community connections. The new book hopes to bring direction and focus to thousands of churches and millions of believers across the United States. Exponential multiplication is the outcome of The Four Priorities.

"Individuals and churches are dying spiritually in "holy huddles" across the country and very few people in those churches are growing in their faith and fewer still are connecting with those outside its moat," exclaimed Dr. John Tolson, one of the authors. "Less that 5% of all Christians have ever led someone into a relationship with Jesus Christ and a mere 10% have trained another believer in the Christian faith! No wonder only 3% of all Christian churches grow through new believers and most growth in churches is from transfers from other Christians," said Tolson.

The Four Priorities uses a creative mix of real-world case studies and scriptural analogies to identify with readers. It measures your "got right" factor and forces the answers to tough questions, such as "Have you left an imprint on the lives of people and your community?" It then presents a pathway to achieving the following four priorities which characterize a successful, balanced way of life.

• Priority 1: A personal, progressive commitment to Jesus Christ
• Priority 2: A personal, progressive commitment to yourself
• Priority 3: A personal, progressive commitment to relationships
• Priority 4: A personal, progressive commitment to the work of Christ in the world

As the authors take readers through these four categories of life, they provide hands-on tools at the end of each chapter, such as a list of "Daily Reflection Questions" that can be used for individual reading or leading a small group.

There are 40 chapters with 40 topics/outlines that are designed to be read in 40 weeks or worked through in a small group. The authors intend for those who complete the material to be equipped with the Christ-centered outlook on life so that they can make the greatest impact on their family, community and the world.

"We really believe that by learning and living out these Four Priorities, people and churches can transform entire cities without one more multi-million [dollar] building project or adding a dime to the church budget. Last year the Christian church in the U.S. spent 3.2 billion dollars on building projects and saw no net growth! That is simply unacceptable. It is time for a new direction and focus", commented Tolson.

Originally created in 2003 by Tolson and Kreider, The Four Priorities was used as a study curriculum for The Gathering, a national men's outreach ministry and community service organization Tolson founded in 1978. The authors have adapted the material into its current workbook style with the objective of teaching the principles on how to become a person of high impact. The goal is for the book to be used in seminars, churches and small groups in 25 cities within the next decade.

"The bottom line is this: we are called to follow the directive of the Great Commission, to go out a make spiritually maturing, reproducing disciples of Christ. Anything short of that - the church and its members serve no greater function in the community than a local religious country club."