This
is my fourth post in a series on best books about church. The links for the
others are below.
Extreme Church Makeover: A Biblical
Plan to Help Your Church Achieve Unity and Freedom in Christ by Neil T.
Anderson is an excellent book about how to achieve church unity. Anderson describes a biblical plan involving corporate
repentance that will lead to freedom and unity in Christ. Anderson’s thoughts on spiritual warfare and overcoming
historic baggage in a church, ring true to me as a clinical social worker and
as a church member.
Anderson says “If the [church] leadership lacks
an adequate theology of resolution, they either lower their standards and
expectations or live in denial and continue to muddle along with business as
usual. We have learned that Individual freedom must come to the leadership
before organizational freedom can be accomplished. The church Body cannot rise
above its leadership.” (pg12)
This dynamic book can help
transform and unite church leadership and the church as a whole.
The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for
Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives by Peter Scazzero describes the ingredients for a church to be
authentic and healthy. The book is in four sections - Discipleship’s Missing
Link, Biblical Basis for a New Paradigm of Discipleship, Seven Principles of an
Emotionally Healthy Church and Where Do We Go from Here? Scazzero presents a
brilliant and needed strategy for life changing discipleship.
I have seen many churches copying
each other, attempting to be like the well known mega-churches. So I especially
liked this comment:
“It takes great maturity for
a church to identify opportunities and to choose not to take advantage of them.
Each church, like each small group, ministry, and individual, has God-given
limits. How many services should we have on Sunday? What about a Saturday night
service? Others are doing it successfully and growing. If we are two hundred
people, why not become four hundred or eight hundred, or ten thousand? I always
assumed continued numerical growth for every local church was God’s will. It is
not.” Pg 141
Christian leaders and laymen should read this book.
The Gospel as Center:
Renewing Our Faith and Reforming Our Ministry Practices, edited by D.A.
Carson & Timothy Keller, features chapters by influential Christian leaders
from a variety of denominations. Their purpose is to clarify, unify and
strengthen the gospel message in the church today. Their hope is that this will
stem the tide of cultural in roads into our faith and practice. It's an
excellent resource book for concerned Christians.
“On this Rock I will build my church.”
Matt.16:18
Blessings, Dottie
See
previous links to Best Books About Church:
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