The Other Half of Church by Michel Hendricks Summary

The Other Half of Church by Michel Hendricks and Jim Wilder explores how brain science can revolutionize spiritual growth and Christian community. The book explains why spiritual transformation often feels fleeting by examining the roles of the brain's left and right hemispheres, offering practical insights for developing vibrant, transformational communities that move beyond shallow relationships and produce lasting character change.

Michel Hendricks is a former spiritual formation pastor at Flatirons Community Church with an MDiv from Denver Seminary who has trained leaders for over 25 years. Jim Wilder is a neurotheologian with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and MA in Theology from Fuller Seminary, who has authored eighteen books and trained leaders for over 40 years as founder of Life Model Works.

The Other Half of Church is ideal for pastors, church leaders, and Christians who feel disappointed by fleeting spiritual growth or shallow community experiences. It's particularly valuable for spiritual formation leaders, small group facilitators, and anyone interested in understanding how neuroscience and brain science can enhance discipleship, character transformation, and the development of authentic Christian relationships.

The Other Half of Church offers a unique integration of neuroscience and spiritual formation that addresses common frustrations in Christian communities. By providing practical frameworks like the four ingredients of transformational community and explaining how full-brain transformation works, the book delivers actionable insights for leaders seeking to move beyond programs to genuine spiritual maturity and deeper relational connection.

Michel Hendricks and Jim Wilder demonstrate that understanding how the brain works is essential for lasting spiritual transformation. The book explains that both the left hemisphere (focused on tasks, problems, and information) and right hemisphere (focused on relationships, joy, and identity) must be engaged for full-brain transformation, revealing why cognitive-only approaches to discipleship often fail to produce character change.

The Other Half of Church identifies four essential ingredients for vibrant community:

• true joy found through connection and relationships
• hesed love of securely attached communities
• well-developed group identity based on Christ's character
• a culture of uplifting, healthy correction

These ingredients work together to create environments where lasting spiritual transformation occurs beyond superficial Christian interaction.

According to The Other Half of Church, left-brain transformation focuses on information, problem-solving, and cognitive understanding of Scripture and theology. Right-brain transformation involves relational connection, joy, emotional bonding, and identity formation. Michel Hendricks and Jim Wilder argue that most churches emphasize left-brain activities while neglecting the right-brain relational elements essential for character development and authentic community.

Michel Hendricks discovered through his partnership with Jim Wilder that spiritual transformation feels fleeting because churches typically engage only half the brain—the cognitive, task-oriented left hemisphere. Without developing the relational, joy-based capacities of the right brain through secure attachment and genuine connection, believers struggle to maintain spiritual growth, leading to disappointment and shallow community experiences that don't produce lasting change.

Hesed love in The Other Half of Church refers to the covenant love and loyal faithfulness found in securely attached Christian communities. This biblical concept describes relationships characterized by unwavering commitment, emotional safety, and mutual care that mirrors God's steadfast love. Hendricks and Wilder argue that hesed love creates the relational foundation necessary for transformational community and sustained spiritual growth.

The Other Half of Church by Michel Hendricks and Jim Wilder addresses shallow community by identifying the missing relational and neurological elements. The book explains that communities remain superficial when they focus solely on programs, information transfer, and left-brain activities while neglecting joy-based relationships, emotional attunement, and right-brain connection that build authentic bonds and foster the trust necessary for transformation.

Life Model Works is the organization founded by Jim Wilder where Michel Hendricks serves as Director of Life Model Consulting. The organization trains churches and leaders to integrate brain science with spiritual formation, bringing maturity and character transformation back to the center of Christian practice. The Other Half of Church presents the core principles and frameworks that Life Model Works uses to help communities move beyond spiritual stagnation.

The Other Half of Church equips church leaders with neuroscience-based insights to diagnose why their communities experience spiritual stagnation. By understanding full-brain transformation, leaders can design discipleship approaches that engage both cognitive learning and relational joy, implement the four ingredients of transformational community, and create cultures where character development flourishes through secure attachment rather than programs alone.