Book Review: I Am a Church Member by Thom Rainer

Church membership is vital to the health of a church and the health of the member. Understanding what Scripture says about membership is the foundation of how we are to function as the body of Christ to each other and the world. This not only applies to the lay member but also the the church leadership and staff. Leaders are members just like non-leaders. So any teaching that addresses church membership must address all aspects of people attending church which includes leaders. Teaching that leaves out leadership from the equation is incomplete at best and harmful at worst. Unfortunately "I Am a Church Member" by Thom Rainer is such a book.

Rainer addresses multiple aspects to being a church member from being a unifying presence to a functioning member, from treasuring the church to praying for the leaders. He also writes that we should lay our preferences aside to maintain unity. Great concepts for members to understand yet Rainer only addresses them from the aspect of the non-leader member. He fails to apply them to leadership. It's as if there is a dichotomy between leaders and non-leaders, one which is foreign to Scripture. Membership applies equally to all in the church. Rainer's book does not.

An equally important discussion that needed to be addressed was how to live out these ideas in an unhealthy church, or worse yet a church going down a path that is unbiblical. Since churches are full of sinners these issues will arise and need to be addressed with equal weight as those in this book.

To ask people to stay in environments, particularly church environments, that are unhealthy, that are damaging to the soul is irresponsible and I would argue unbiblical (Romans 16:17; Titus 3:10; Ephesians 5:11). Being a healthy church member requires us to speak against such leadership. Church leaders, particularly those that are authors, so very often fail to address failings in church leadership and only want to write about and discuss failings in non-leaders. Books that teach on church membership and don't address this should be avoided at all costs.

Book Review: Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

Every so often I come across a book that stays with me. The nuggets I find in them I think about for days and weeks after I finish the book. Tish Harrison Warren has written such a book, “Liturgy of the Ordinary.” I can’t recommend this book enough.

Warren takes an ordinary day and breaks it down into our daily routine. As with our day the book begins with waking, followed by making our bed, brushing our teeth, etc. She takes these ordinary human routines and relates them to spiritual practices. She shows us how in the ordinary moments in our day how we can meet with God and grow in our holiness.

The chapter that had the most impact on me is when she discussed eating leftovers for lunch. While we may not remember the warmed over food we had for lunch it did sustain us until our next meal. It is important even if it’s unmemorable. She relates it to our worship services, our Bible reading, and prayers that we may not “get anything from” yet, like leftovers, help sustain us spiritually.

Warren writes from experience. She doesn’t come across as “holier than thou”. She has the same struggles we all do and wants to encounter God every moment of her day. As you read you will be moved, laugh, and most importantly, desire to see God in the ordinary.

Book Review: Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

Struggle is real. No matter your walk of life, struggle will come. Often it comes with deep pain, anguish, and isolation. God is leading me out of such a season. To help guide me through those rugged waters He led me to a book by Rachel Held Evans titled “Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church.” A book that addressed many of the issues I was dealing with in a way that was honest, direct, and full of hope.

To begin, there are some conclusions that Rachel arrives at that I can’t get to but that didn’t distract me from the overall message of her work.

She opens with giving a brief personal biography and doesn’t sugar coat her story. Which is refreshing because many in the church hide or run away from their past and that is harmful to the church. We need more members to be open about the junk that they have gone through so that they can help others go through the same.

So much of what the church is about, while good intentioned, is misguided, and ultimately harmful to those in their congregations. Church leaders look to church growth “experts” to point them to the latest greatest fad to draw people into their buildings. Evans points out that millennials (and other adults alike in my opinion) are “tired of the culture wars, tired of Christianity getting entangled with party politics and power. Millennials want to be known by what we are for... not just what we’re against. We... long for our churches to be safe places to doubt, to ask questions, and to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.”

Evans also addresses how many churches approach programs. Most programs are “family” oriented. This can be problematic for those who are not married or don’t have children. We have built programs around categories while alienating those that don’t belong. In other words, we need to build programs around people, not categories.

Her striking critique of worship trends was spot on. Church leaders believe that if worship sounds “hip” or if they have a trendy coffee shop or the worship leader wears skinny jeans then those who have left the church will come back. As I have always said, and Evans says so well in this book, people will see through the charade and be turned away all the more. People, me included, are looking for authenticity, truth, and real relational Christianity. A Christianity that gives us Jesus “in bread, in wine, in baptism, in the Word, in suffering, in community, and among the least of these.” She states later in the book that year after year of youth events with light shows, contemporary bands and books, popular speakers, that many leave wanting more. Something real. Somewhere safe. A place to be vulnerable. Sanctuary.

One last aspect of her book that I want to address is how communion was such a vital event in the early church worship service but is lacking in worship services today. Evans quotes from NT Wright the following, “When (Jesus) wanted fully to explain what his forthcoming death was all about, he didn’t give a theory. He didn’t even give them a set of scriptural texts. He gave them a meal.” Is it any wonder why church members are so uninformed in the death of Christ when they partake of His sacred meal so infrequently, if ever?

As I said at the start not all of Rachel’s conclusions I agree with. What I did served me so well, aiding me through the tsunami that this past year was for me. Maybe it will be for you also.

Book Review: Surprised by God by Chris Green

The Christian faith is a deep faith. A faith that we could contemplate a lifetime and never grasp all that she is. Especially what we think about God himself. Our thoughts about God will shape our view of all things and how we are to live in light of who God is. This is what Chris Green digs into in his wonderful book “Surprised by God: How and Why What We Think about the Divine Matters.”

In this short book (86 pages) Green challenged my ways of thinking about God in new and fresh ways. We are to be a people of action but our action flows from our thoughts (Romans 12:1). Proper thoughts about God will result in proper action. This is the idea that Green is trying to get across to us and he does so successfully.

When I read this book I had to take it in small chunks, pausing often to contemplate the material. Green is an intellectual and writes as such but don’t let that stop you from reading this book. You will be blessed if you do.

Book Review: Autopsy of a Deceased Church by Thom Rainer

It is no secret that church attendance is dwindling. Compared to the church of yesterday we are seeing less people attend than I can remember. Growth churches do experience usually come from those who have moved from another church, not from new converts. This problem is across denominations. And churches are dying as a result. Thom Rainer, President and CEO of Lifeway, researched churches that died and wrote a helpful book discussing his results titled, “Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive.”

Without delving into each of the twelve areas he addresses, I want to write about a few that spoke most to me. The first being that the erosion happens slowly. As with all areas of life, most decay happens slowly, and typically goes unnoticed. Common areas of dying churches where slow decline occurred in the prayer lives of its members, a lack of focus, no hopes and dreams of the members, and a loss of connection to the community the church is part of.

The next cause of death in the churches Rainer analyzed that I will mention is that these churches had their past as their hero. They kept pointing to and standing on how things used to be and fighting for the church to get back to that way of life. What areas of the past were they clinging on to? The areas that focused on their own needs and not the needs of others. They became self-focused instead of outward-focused.

Thirdly, the budget moved inwardly. The main area was with pastoral ministry. The church “pays the pastor to visit” people and they will keep paying him to do so as long as they don’t have to. The result is that the laity forget that the Great Commission is for them also, not just the pastor. One person can’t do it all, yet these churches expect the pastor to because they pay him to do it.

Another aspect of the finances of dying churches is that they accumulated large savings accounts for a “rainy day” while neglecting to meet the needs of their members. People were hurting and in need while the church’s bank account grew. It isn’t difficult to see why this would cause a church to slowly die away.

A natural flow from finances is that these churches lost focus on what it means to be a Great Commission church. All moneys and programs were inwardly focused. They chose comfort over reaching the lost. And when new people visited they were only welcomed if they were like members of the church and wanted to do church their way. Rainer says it this way, “Members of dying churches really didn’t want growth unless the growth met their preferences and allowed them to remain comfortable.” Comfort is one of the main idols in the American church today.

The fifth reason why these churches died that stood out to me is that these churches were preference-driven. They wanted music their way. Programs their way. Carpet color their way. Building design their way. Ministers ministering their way. Rainer put it this way, “My, my, my.” Like in life when someone won’t budge you typically don’t want anything to do with what they are selling.

Rainer also noticed that the closer to death these churches got the, “intensity of their arguments and demands for their preferences grew.” In other words, they dug in their heels.

Another symptom of dying churches is that they rarely prayed together. Not just prayer but meaningful prayer. Most churches use prayer to bookend the service when all that she does should be covered in prayer. Prayer isn’t a last resort it is a first priority.

These churches also had no clear purpose. People got into ruts. Doing things just to do them. They couldn’t explain why they had their programs other than that is the way it has always been done so we keep on doing it that way.

The last area I want to mention is that these dying churches became obsessed over facilities. Should churches be beautiful? Of course. But to be obsessed over them when discipleship is non-existent, when people are hurting and are left to suffer, isn’t what the church should be about. And she will die if she doesn’t change course.

There were other causes of church death that Rainer mentions that I didn’t discuss here but are just as problematic.

If you are in church leadership I would consider this book a must. If you are “just” a member I would read this book and do your part to keep the heartbeat of the church pumping. We all play a part in keeping the church vital and alive. We all also can play a part in causing her death. Which do you choose?