Review: Growing God's Church by Gary McIntosh

Growing God's church is the culmination of a 10 year research project to see how people were coming to Christ in an effort to update, correct and re-validate older research. Overall I found the information very interesting and informative but did feel the book may have been longer than needed. After laying out the background and methodology for the study, McIntosh spends the first half of the book re-framing the Great Commission for the Church today. It would be good for those who perhaps need a good reminder of what the church is to be. Overall the first part was something that one would expect to find in any decent book about the mission and purpose of the church. It was well written and the questions at the end of every chapter were helpful but overall I wouldn't say there was anything really new this first part.

The second part of the book however is where McIntosh begins to delve into the findings of his study. Each chapter has a short little fictional narrative introducing us to the topic followed by lots of stats and charts and wrapping up with a conclusion and some questions to help you think though your own context.

The research he presents is interesting and helpful. A few of the points that I took particular note of were 1) the increased role of pastors in leading people to faith (though family/friends were still the #1 way) 2) when people are seeking they won't travel too far to find a church and 3) a churches name had virtually no impact on people who were seeking. I take this to mean as churches we should be focusing on a defined area and building a good reputation in our area and be ready to welcome and engage those who come through our doors.

I would recommend this as a good read if you feel you need a good refocusing of what the church should be doing. If you are simply interested in the changing trends of how people are coming to Christ the latter half of the book could mostly stand on its own.


(I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own)

Review - What We Believe: Understanding and Confessing the Apostles' Creed by R. C. Sproul

I'll be honest, I haven't finished this one. Though usually I can get through a book, even heavy ones, quickly, this is one I having to take my time with to savoir and ponder. This is apparently the 4th edition of this book where Sproul walks us through the ancient confession of faith we call the Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' creed is on of the oldest and most widely agreed upon creeds of the Christian faith. It spans centuries of the church as a most basic confession of what we believe. I've had the privilege of standing in the room where one of the councils that discussed the creed met and I felt a connection with those church leaders wrestling through what it meant to believe.

Though the creed seems simple enough in its brevity, every word in it was carefully discussed, debated and chosen. Sproul walks us through the creed in great detail, going over each phrase in detail. It is this level of detail that is making me take my time to digest each section. When one considers the painstaking work it was to put the creed together, I believe one should put the effort into digesting it properly.

I'm sure that the earlier editions were just as deep but what is obvious in this 4th edition is that Sproul has taken the time to update his illustrations and examples. As he communicates the meaning of the creed using language and examples are clearly appropriate to a 2015 audience. This is refreshing as too often I find later editions make very few changes are not completely current in the way they read.

I am enjoying my slow journey through the creed in this book and will continue to do so. If you are wanting to really understand what we believe through the lens of the Apostles' Creed I highly recommend you get this book and go through it yourself, or even better with others. The creed was worked out in community and really should continue to be worked out in community.

(I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own)

Review: The New Pastor's Handbook by Jason Helopoulos

Its funny, this is a book I started writing to myself about a year into my first pastorate. Of course it wasn't this very book but I realized one day, that if I could go back a year and have a chat with myself, I had a lot to say. Seminary was great and I felt well equipped. Growing up in the church, I thought I was ready for full-time church life. I knew I would still have some growing and learning to do but there were things I never saw coming. 

There were situations (which I would never discuss in a public forum such as this) I never thought I'd have to walk people through in my first year. There was a new normal to life and ministry that I wasn't really ready for. I think all of us who have stepped into pastoral life have similar experiences. Jason Helopoulos has taken those experiences and the lessons learned and put together the book that I wish I'd read my first year.

The book itself is made up of nearly 50 short chapters covering a broad range of topics. The chapters are short, most only 3-4 pages, covering one single topic. These short chapters are easy to read and digest in short blocks of time making the book very accessible. Reading through it there were things that surprised me and things that didn't. There were issues I hadn't faced and some I did.

Beyond the issues covered in the book, the suggested reading in the appendix will help you grow in many of those areas. I found that I had already read most of them and they were all ones I'd recommend.  

I do think this would be a good read for anyone who is, or is about to be, a new pastor. The wisdom found in these pages will make your early days a little smoother.

(I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own)

Whatever happens tomorrow...

By this time tomorrow we should know the results of our 42nd federal election. The outcome is uncertain, the polls say what they say but the only one that matters is the final ballot count. No matter the result there will be winners and losers, those rejoicing, those commiserating. 

This election showed how deeply divided our country is in some regards. There was more vilifying the other guy and little talk about working together. Many people have trouble cutting through the noise and figuring out who to cast their vote for. Many are voting simply for change or because of a single issue. Regardless of who any one person votes for and why, when the votes are tallied, we will have our answer. What should our reaction be to the outcome? 

As people of faith, we must look to scripture for guidance to our reaction to the final outcome. We must understand that there is no party that is God's divine choice and no party that is devil incarnate. No matter who is elected they will do things we agree with and don't agree with. We must also recognize that we cannot legislate morality. The right laws will not usher in God's kingdom, or bring His divine favour upon us. We are far beyond the days of being a Christian nation, if we ever truly were. We are a minority but that's not a bad thing, it actually puts the verses below closer to our present context.

1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. -1 Timothy 2:1-3

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. - 1 Peter 2:13-14

These two passages tell us to pray for and submit to the rulers over us. 1 Timothy 2 tells us to pray for those over authority over us so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and holiness. We are to pray for our leaders not so they implement the policies we want them to but so that we might live in an ordered and peaceful society, so we can live our lives in ways others see our lives and may be saved. 

Peter tells us to submit to human authority which may not be easy at times and there will certainly be times we still need to stand up for what is right, but no matter how bad we think our leader might be, we must remember the emperor of Peter's day was Nero. No matter what you think of any of our federal leaders, none of them compares to Nero. 

The truth is, we will not find salvation in the polls. Our hope is not found in the leaders of the world. Our hope is in Christ alone and until He comes to set all things right, let's remember to pray for and submit to whomever is elected tomorrow. 

A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion

I'm a big fan of history, especially history related to biblical studies. I'm also a big fan of making that history interesting and accessible. You don't need to be a scholar to really get what the Bible is saying but some background can fill in. A great resource I read recently was "A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion" by Gary Burge. By piecing together a plausible back story to story found in Matthew and Luke of Jesus healing a centurion's servant Burge gives us a window into what life was like in the first century.

Along with the main narrative, the book is filled with sidebars that provide additional insights into specific topics such as clothing, military structure, transportation and more. These helpful sidebars give the reader the opportunity to dive deeper into the background of the day. This gives the book a nice balance between novel and textbook. If you're looking for a way to get a little deeper into the background of the gospels, check out this book.

The Road to Becoming - Jenny Simmons

I received this book not knowing the author was also one of my favorite musicians. Simmons, as the lead singer of the group Addison Road has written and performed some very deep and moving songs. This book however is about how it all came undone, how it all fell apart, how a dream died and the road to coming out the other side. Too often we only see the success of those in the limelight. We hear a great song on the radio but we don't know about the year living across the street from a pimp, the endless weeks on the road, the baby's first Christmas in a Motel 6, the call that nearly everything you own is literally being scraped off the interstate because your RV blew up and burned so hot he highway patrol needed special equipment to separate the remains from the road. We don't hear about the hard times, we are left thinking those who have made it have had an easy road. Simmons' openness and honestly about the journey through success, and then having to let go and let the dream die is one of encouragement and hope.

As one who has had to watch a dream die and walk the road of unknowing and waiting to see where things will land I found this to be an incredibly encouraging read. The road to becoming who and what God is calling us to be will often not be an easy on, nor will the route be nicely mapped out for us to see but we must learn to follow where it leads and trust the One who is leading us. 

If you need hope for your journey, if you feel like your dream has died, if you are just setting out on the road towards your dream, this is a read reminder that the road way not go where we think but if we trust God for the destination and that He will carry us through every chapter of it. 

(I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own)

Review: The Irresistible Community

Community is something that we all long for. Its something that every church advertises and yet so often come up short. Community is something that should be integral to the life of the church and yet the countless volumes on this topic are a pretty good indicator of the fact we often come up short. I found myself intrigued by the title and the catalog description of “The Irresistible Community” when the publisher offered me a copy for review. I found myself engaged within the first pages as the author uses the illustration of the Last Super to show us what community was intended to be. Each chapter begins with a first person narrative from one of the 12 disciples. Donahue does a great job and drawing us into each of their stories and how they likely felt on that fateful night. This personal vignettes give us an personal and emotional connection to the various elements of community each chapter addresses.

The book itself is broken into three sections, which cover the three dimensions of community that make it irresistible. The Table is where we gather and community happens. The Towel is what we must pick up to serve each other and together serve others. The Truth which must encircle our community. I really appreciated these three dimensions as many “communities” fall short because they lack or over emphasize one. We're often good at gathering around a table but often fail to pick up the towel or we're so engrossed in serving we forget the truth, or so concerned with the truth we fail to serve.

The first section talks about the Table, how we find our place, table manners, different kinds of tables and telling our stories around the table. The truth is a lot of community happens around the table, often because food is involved, but what I appreciated most in this section was the recognition that there are different kinds of tables. Not everything can be or should be done at the dinner table. Sometimes one needs, not a family dinner, but a boardroom or a surgery. There are tables made for these different situations and it is important to recognize that community can play many different rolls including, counsel, encouragement, correction, negotiation, teaching and more. There are different kinds of tables, and recognizing which one you are at and the rules around that table is key to doing life together.

The second section deals with the Towel. Just as Jesus picked up the towel to wash the feet of His disciples, we too need to pickup the towel and serve. A community must serve those inside and outside its numbers. The author makes several good points here, including the fact that the towel will get dirty. Serving gets dirty but in the dirt, it is rewarding. A couple of helpful points in this section are in the Don't do list about how to use your towel. This included, not waiting until your exact gifts are needed to serve and don't lose the big picture. The first has to do with sitting on the sidelines because we don't think we really fit the need yet, often we can do something and may even need a little stretching. The second is that we must always keep the fact we are part of something bigger in mind and that even the smallest thing might have a major impact. Often times the big break troughs don't come from something spectacular but just from hundreds, if not thousands of cups of coffee shared in love.

The final section deals with the truth that every community must keep. This is not simply about including a Bible study in every community but letting the truth of the scripture really get inside us to transform and renew. Truth must be at the heart of community, it is only when we know and embrace the truth of who we are in Christ and to each other that we can get any depth to our relationships. The truth at times will hurt but it will also heal. When we face the truth we can truly see ourselves and others and build the kind of community we long for.

Overall I found this to be a great and accessible book and well worth the read for anyone in church leadership or simply wanting to build and be a part of an irresistible community.

(I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.)