Adventures in Churchland: Finding Jesus in the Mess of Organized Religion

by Dan Kimball

Would Jesus Attend Church Today?  Among the top ten trends that are changing American life, Time magazine recently listed a rising dissatisfaction with organized religion . Though many people today like Jesus, they are growing tired of traditional religious institutions. Even those who follow Jesus aren't so sure they always like what Christianity and the church represent. For many years, Dan Kimball would have agreed, until an encounter with a small group of Jesus followers in London started him on a journey that challenged him to rethink everything he had ever assumed about the church and Christianity.                                                                                In Adventures in Finding Jesus In The Mess Of Organized Religion , you will learn what the Bible really says about what "church" is and  why it is impossible to "go to church" theologically. You will be reminded that it's more than just buildings and institutions, it's a beautiful mess of broken people learning to follow Jesus together. If you are tired of being embarrassed about how church and Christians are often known as judgmental, you will learn ways of how to respond to these understandable impressions. As you journey with Dan, you'll be challenged not to give up on the church, but to join in and make change to the church. To be the church as Jesus intended it to a community of forgiven misfits coming together to serve the world around them with passion, creativity, innovation, and grace. 

Genres: Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian, Religion, Theology

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2011

About the author

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dankimball
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dankimball
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dankimball

Dan is the author of several books on leadership, church, and culture. He was one of the founders of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California where he still serves on staff. He is also a faculty member at Western Seminary and leads the ReGeneration Project, which exists to equip and encourage new generations to think theologically and participate in the mission of the church. He is married to Becky and has two daughters, Katie and Claire. His passion is to see Christians follow and represent Jesus in the world with love, intelligence, and creativity.

He has a master’s degree from Western Seminary and a doctorate degree from George Fox University.

He enjoys comic art, punk and rockabilly music, big band jazz, pre-1960 gospel roots music, Ludwig drums and Zildjian cymbals, Ford Mustangs, bowling, Sun Records and 1930’s though 50’s Universal Monster Movies.

Reviews

[Laura-Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a younger person, Dan Kimball found himself strangely drawn to the person of Jesus Christ but at the same time had a strong distaste for organized religion. His sporadic encounters with evangelical Christians continued to accentuate these negative opinions, but at the same time left him contemplating who Jesus really was. He ultimately became a follower of Jesus Christ, joined a local church and found himself immersed in the evangelical Christian culture, which he refers to as "Churchland".

This is the basis for his book, Adventurers in Churchland, which is part autobiography, part historical treatise on the early church as originally conceived by Jesus. Kimball attempts to encourage those of like mind who feel like misfits in the Church, while reaching out to those who have never set foot in the church by urging them to look past evangelical stereotypes and their own distaste for organized religion. Attempts and miserably fails at!

Where do I even begin with this review?! I suppose I should start by saying that I could relate to Kimball's attitude because I also grew up outside of Churchland and found it quite a shock when I became a Born Again Christian and was suddenly thrust into this subculture. Assuming that it would be as close to Heaven on Earth as a person could find, I was actually in for a very rude awakening. I spent my first years sometimes stunned, sometimes appalled by Christian behaviour. How many times did I think to myself, “And they dare to call themselves a Christian!” I took my exasperation to the Lord and He encouraged me to stay in the congregation of Believers I was in. I decided to stay and help change attitudes, misconceptions, and beliefs and that would affect a change. So I do understand Dan Kimball’s point of view and desires. However, his own disdain for Churchland and arrogance outweighs even my own.

Let me give you the example that he himself uses at the very beginning of the book in the Foreword. He relays a personal anecdote, which I think he believes is humorous, where he tells the story of participating in a Christmas pageant while he is the Youth Pastor of a church. He is so “intensely embarrassed” by the poor performances, bad music, and homemade costumes that when the curtain goes up he dives to the floor and spends the entire thing hiding behind the fifty person choir. He admits that everyone was trying their best and it was enjoyed by both those performing it and the audience. But instead of having a self-deprecating attitude for his actions he takes on the attitude of, “Those poor people. They just didn’t realize how awful they were” In fact, I had to read it several times because I was sure I must have misinterpreted his intentions or misunderstood what he was saying. Which would have been easy because he is not a very good writer.

From that moment on the rest of the book was tainted for me. The whole thing is filled with Christian bashing, although Kimball does it as if he is one of us and is saying all of these things for the good of the Church. I could barely believe that it was published by Zondervan, which is such a reputable Christian publisher. (How did they let this one get away from them?) I started out feeling sorry for Dan Kimball. Then I felt sorry for those who would read his books (for he has written many). Then I felt sorry for the Churches that he was, AND IS, a Pastor at. And now, … I want to give him a good bop in the nose! As if he had just called my little sister a "bag" and my mother a "cow", I don't like it when my family members are trounced on. I suppose I’m one of those evangelicals that he is so embarrassed by.

There is one redeeming quality to this book. Kimball distinguishes between Jesus and the church. Telling us not to dismiss Jesus simply because we don’t like Christians, evangelicals or organized religion. That Jesus is worthy to be sought after no matter how His followers behave.

Kimball writes as if he is one of us and is always using the pronoun, “we”, but then goes on page after page to list and dissect all our problems, mistakes, and sins. I can’t imagine what he was thinking when he wrote this, but I can surmise why he wrote it. He used to be part of a rock band in London, which he states repeatedly, while consistently name-dropping some of the biggest names in American music. He also had Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Wanda Jackson, write a Foreword. I think he is trying to make the statement that even though he may be an evangelical Christian, he is still one of the “cool kids” (whatever he perceives that to be).

I could go on for much longer, but I’ll spare you and hopefully my review will spare you the ordeal of reading this book. Because, unless you are equally embarrassed by your fellow evangelicals, this book will not appeal to you. In fact, the only people I can imagine who will want to read it are the non-Christians who "have never set foot in a church" which is the people Kimball says he has written the book for and wishes to change. However, instead of helping them see past our problems and see Jesus, he has just given them a lot more ammunition for their beliefs. With his writing and reminiscing and publicly displaying everything wrong we do without showing all the truly great things that Christians have done that reflects Jesus, he will only entrench them even more in their beliefs. I can't even be hopeful that they will come across a Bible verse that "will not return void" because, even though Kimball has many Bible references, they are in one big list at the end of the book. This book was not an adventure. It's just a bad trip!

And if you know the Lord at all, you can probably guess what happened to me when I “stuck it out” in my local church in my early Christian days. The attitude that Jesus changed was mine. And the change affected was in my own pompous, self-righteous heart as I consistently failed, fell and sinned but was still loved and accepted by the same Brothers and Sisters I was originally so keen to judge.
“Thank you, Lord, for the gift of public humiliation. May you send this same blessing to Dan Kimball. Amen”

Thank you for reading another one of my reviews.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee (Was Here)

[Bob Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book after Dan's other book "They Like Jesus but not the Church." I wish he would have kept more with his experiences and less with the "basics of faith". At times Dan seemed to force basic teachings as if almost an evangelistic ploy. It took away from some of the great personal illustrations that only Dan could share. I kept feeling throughout that some editor was asking him to be "more evangelical" or more mainstream for the sake of appeasing their readers. I personally don't need Dan to prove his theological positions - I need him to be more of a guide and less about worn out evangelical stories and catch phrases. Throughout the book there were "nuggets" of wisdom, that were genuine Dan, but too much lacked the heart and impact of his other work. I appreciate Dan and his ministry, but this book lacked.

[Stephen Boutry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had two extremely formative experiences as a college student. My involvement with campus ministry through the InterVarsity chapter at Pacific forever altered the trajectory of my life. That is where Jesus found me and got a hold of my life.

The other experience(s) occurred in the form a monthly (sometimes more frequent) pilgrimage over the hill to Santa Cruz to a place called Graceland. Graceland started off as Santa Cruz Bible Church's college and young adult ministry, then became a "church within a church," and then eventually the leadership launched out on their own.

InterVarsity gave me the space to explore Jesus and my first halting attempts at leadership and ministry, and Graceland sparked my imagination for what a church could look like.

In particular, Dan Kimball, the lead pastor, taught interesting sermons, had interesting hair, and new all of the bands that I liked (back when I was a music snob). He is also an introvert and a deep thinker who wears black jeans all the time and his example was extremely helpful to me at that point in my life and journey towards full-time ministry.

For the last ten years I have read his books and blog and followed the Vintage Faith story from a distance. His most recent work is also his most personal: Adventures in Churchland. Dan has written an apologetic for the church, something desperately needed in a time when the church fails to capture the imaginations of so many in our culture.

Dan tells some hilarious stories as he outlines his personal journey from totally secular rocker to lead pastor and church apologist. He also spends a good part of the middle of the book reframing a couple of popular misconceptions about the church. Both are strong aspects of the book.

But where Dan really hits his stride is near the end, where he invites us to fully commit to this messy, beautiful thing called church. He compares the church to a mosh pit, this thing that is supposed to be fun and passionate but all too often leads to cuts and bruises. When this happens to us we almost always bail, in search of something better, more perfect. Instead of searching for perfection we should ask: "What mess will I choose to be in? And even more important, How might God use me to help clean up this mess?"

Finally, Dan describes individuals as God's poema: a work of art, a work of a master craftsman. This individual work only becomes complete when part of a whole. "Without your contribution, the church is missing something that only you can bring."

Which is exactly right: sometimes we fail to get involved out of fear (this might hurt me), sometimes we refuse to get involved (because of a bad experience), sometimes we hold back (if I get rejected at least I didn't give my best), and in each case everyone loses.

Everyone wins though when we lay down our agendas and roll up our sleeves and join in with God and others in the work he is doing. Dan's journey from churchland to graceland is a beautiful story and I hope many people rediscover the good news that comes through being involved in a local church as a result of reading this book.

[Stina Johansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who has a love/hate relationship with The Church and its Christians, I was attracted to the idea that the author Dan Kimball was going to address some of the issues and experiences that turn many of us away. But I didn't expect that it was going to be such a FUNNY and ENJOYABLE read as well!

The stories that Dan tells about his spiritual journey were hilarious and touching at the same time. I laughed as I recognized myself in what he was saying. But it wasn't a mean-spirited laughter because he writes with a gentleness that I haven't experienced before with this subject matter; no bitterness or anger are in his words. Instead, BOTH "sides" of society - the people on the INSIDE of Christian churches AND the people on the OUTSIDE - are acknowledged as valuable, respectable people with the best of intentions. The author is like a warm, funny mediator who is resolving an old cantankerous conflict.
For people who have been disgusted, turned away or hurt by The Church this book addresses:
-- The feeling that Christians are "judgmental and Negative"
-- The idea that "organized religion" is something to stay away from
-- The observation that the way Christians act and talk are strange to outsiders
For people who belong to The Church this book addresses:
--The concept that there is a subculture in the Church that can seem strange to outsiders
--Who we are supposed to be judging and how
--Who is the church - not "what" or "where" is the church
--What is the Church's purpose?

One of the best points that is made in this book is "Messy people; messy church." I had to stop and think about my own misconceptions about what The Church is and in the midst of enjoying the stories and the images, I came away changed a little bit inside.

[Nini Lettner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, making sense of the mess of organized religion doesn't seem so overwhelming and pointless!

This book is SO good. I laughed (OUT LOUD - quite a few times), I cried, I was CHALLENGED and INSPIRED. Dan Kimball did a fantastic job sharing his own journey through the quirky-ness of 'Churchland' and what it is like to wade through the waters of cultural church tradition that can sometimes be very confusing, and let's be honest, sometimes downright repelling. I am able to relate to SO many of the things that are touched on in this book as I did not grow up in the church, came to know Jesus in a personal way twenty five years ago, and have served on staff at a few churches. The reader (hopefully YOU) is challenged to ask questions, dig deeper into Scripture, stop assuming you know what to expect from church, and most importantly, look to Jesus and what He believes church is and should be.

Don't be fooled into thinking that this book is for Christians alone - it is a must read for everyone, especially if you have ever felt judged, out of place, and/or have sworn off ever setting foot in a church building. I plan on sending a copy to each of my five siblings and my parents who are among the many that have preconceived notions of what 'Churchland' is and should be.

Read. This. Now.

[Nerdbilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventures in Churchland is Dan Kimball's personal memoir of faith and his journey from a college student in a punk band to church leader. He tells his story with humility, humor and passion, encouraging readers to look through the eyes of one who has never been a part of a church to see how many of the traditions of organized Christianity may appear absolutely foreign and weird. Some of his early experiences in church read like scenes in an unaired Curb Your Enthusiam episode, where Kimball is Larry David stuck in an uncomfortable situation trying to figure out how to fit in. He tells of his time kibitzing in Israel, and of when a well intentioned church leader made him lop off his trademark coiffure to his humiliation.

That would be reason enough to check out the book, but Kimball is a thinker and his conviction that there must be answers about God drives him to search, through conversations with people and study of the bible, thinking through hard questions and coming to the conclusion that God has a place for everyone. And the group of people who follow Jesus -- the church -- is that place.

[Ian Johnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have know Dan for about 17 years and I'm stoked to be a part of the community he had vision to create at Vintage Faith. I also love his new book "Adventures In Churchland". In this new book Dan is vulnerable, hilarious and passionate.

[Josh Wilbur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book perfectly balances Dan's previous writings directed more towards Church Leadership. With humor, engaging story-telling, and beautiful insights, Dan reaches the rest of his audience. I would recommend this book with confidence to anyone.

[Karna Bosman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sort of meanders through Dan Kimball’s life and the different church circumstances he has been exposed to. In the meantime he has advice for the Christian , the seeker, and the church. A refreshing look at what church looks like to a young man who Jesus chose to be his messenger, but who didn’t grow up in the church. We can look pretty strange.

Admonitions that: There is a difference between church land and grace land.
It is the church’s job to love people, not to judge them.
Missional adventure of breaking negative stereo types of the church.
Let’s not allow the church to keep people from being able to meet Jesus.
And don't give up on the church.

We need to stop “going to church” and start being the church.
Stresses that ministry is not just for paid church staff….it is for all of us.

The target audience is both Christians and seekers.
He has an interpretation of Jesus and the money changers that I didn’t quite understand - I’m going to need to go back and figure that one out.

[Rex Libris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kimball gives an excellent critique of the church from the perspective of an outsider looking in. While not an atheist, Kimball was never in a church as a child, and was into the punk and rockabilly scene. In his 20's he decided maybe this religion stuff is important, and started looking at churches. The first part of this book gives his account of what it was like looking at Christian churches de novo.

In the second part of the book Kimball, now a youth pastor, discusses what churches need to do to be a real church as described in the early Letters, as opposed to the "institutional church" it has become today.

This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the life of the church and what can be done to make the church a better place, and to live so he or she has a better relationship with the church and the world around him or her.

[Jamie Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and quick read. I liked how Dan used his own experiences of finding his faith woven into the mess of churches

[Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not feel that the author had a lot of adventures.

[Chrysolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Kimball broke down and wept in his car.

He had begun following Jesus a short time previously while living in London and playing in a rock band. Having stumbled into small bible study populated by elderly people, Dan became friends with the old man leading the study and though their conversations began to grapple with Jesus for the first time.

Now back home in the US, Dan (left) had decided to become consistently involved in a church for the first time in his life. He settled in nicely and was asked to become involved with leading the youth ministry.

He excitedly agreed to do so.

Before he had a chance to do any youth work, though, the church pastor told him that - in order to work with teenagers in the church - Dan needed to get his hair cut short and replace his unique clothing style with something more generic and ordinary. Dan acceded to this request and moved from looking like a trendy rockabilly to appearing like a straight-laced church person.

And this was why he was crying. Following his pastor's instructions had led him to suppress his own personality and he was losing all sense of who he was.

Soon after, Dan realised that Jesus didn't have the same dress requirements as his pastor and so he decided to grow his hair again and abandon the drab sartorial style in favor of his previous look.


Dan tells this and many similar stories in his new book Adventures in Churchland (right), which is aimed at people who feel intrigued by Jesus but perturbed by their perceptions or experiences of church. He tackles two huge objections he frequently encounters in conversation with people outside the faith, namely that "the church is judgmental and negative" and "the church is an organized religion that controls people".

It would be easy for a book like this to fall into the twin traps of either giving simplistic/saccharine answers or fueling the cynicism of its readers. Somehow Adventures in Churchland treads a line between the two and is both deeply empathetic of bad church experiences but also - in the end - leaves the reader with a sense that church can not only be tolerable but also something wonderful.

He does this by being very frank about the failures of many churches and Christians, but not allowing these stories to define 'church'. Instead he examines how Jesus and his first followers actually understood 'church' and asks that we redefine our own understanding accordingly. He uses Jesus' saying of "you have heard it said... but I tell you" as a model for challenging assumptions about the true nature of church. He also tells stories from his own life about experiencing church as "an organized community that serves people" rather than "an organized religion", and "a positive agent for change" rather than something "judgemental and negative".

Ultimately, Dan believes that Jesus loves the church in all its messiness and that God is frequently at work in and through it. He insists that it is inadequate to say that we like Jesus while at the same time standing at a distance from the church. Part of loving Jesus entails loving the things he loves and if he loves the church we must do so too.

It's well worth a read as it addresses a major issue which few other Christian apologists seem to tackle at length.

(Review by Luke Cawley)

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of Evangelical Christian subculture through the author's life story and experiences.

The author presents his themes according to his experiences from an "unchurched" lifestyle among many who were hostile to Evangelical Christianity toward becoming a Christian and a minister himself. Through his own story he explains the challenges often posed by Evangelical subculture which he subsumes under the rubric of "churchland." He also highlights the positives and great experiences he shared with others in the faith, subsumed under the rubric of "graceland" based upon the idea of God's grace in action.

Through this contrast the author explores many subjects relating to Christianity: level of comfort/acceptance of others with whom Evangelicals may disagree, judgmentalism regarding matters of importance and unimportance, the nature of Christianity, salvation, the church, and the faith, along with a thoroughgoing critique of Evangelical subculture and its challenges.

While there are the standard challenges present with all books written by Evangelicals with this work, the author nevertheless writes in a winsome and engaging manner, highlighting his points and critiques with his own experiences as well as the experiences of others, and unlike many other such writers maintains a charitable attitude toward those with whom he had challenges for whatever reason, seeking to see the best intentions in them even though the end result may not have been as productive.

A major critique of the author might involve his view of the role of the church, which he says is not for itself but for the benefit of others, whereas Paul declares that the church is to build itself up in love, and by building itself up it can empower its individual members to be of service and benefit to others so those "others" may be led to God in Christ and thus become part of the Body (Acts 2:42-48, Ephesians 4:11-16). Otherwise much of the author's critiques of Evangelical subculture are spot on, and many of his theological emphases are important to consider in terms of what the Scriptures teach and how the faith should be practiced and communicated in the twenty-first century.

Not a hard-hitting theological treatise by any means but a good book for Christians to consider, especially those who have become so thoroughly enmeshed in Christian subculture that they do not seem able to effectively communicate with those outside that realm.

**--book received as part of early review program

[Mitch Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Kimball shares his personal journey to faith in Jesus Christ in a humble and humorous way. Starting as a completely "unchurched" teen and his first encounter with a stranger who scared him into a "sinners prayer" at a NJ Mall to his days as an uncomfortable misfit in a Christian subculture. Many times he shares how God pursued him through people or circumstances that kept him from fleeing organized religion altogether. Kimball approaches the reader without assuming that you understand or can relate to the buzzwords, lingo or nuances of evangelical Christianity and plainly addresses both the good side and bad side of "the church". He challenges those that claim to be followers of Jesus Christ not to just "do church" but to "be the church" as Christ has plainly outlined in the Bible. His burning desire is that those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ would be more active in dismantling the stereotypes or caricatures that the world at large has accepted as the norm for defining the church. For someone who has been hurt by, become disillusioned with organized religion, or just searching for answers about what the church should really be about I would recommend this book. Kimball's writing style is very conversational, and you can envision yourself sitting at your local Starbucks as he shares his story and challenges you to consider how you should respond.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventures in Churchland' is a thoughtful look at what we call 'church', including the author's own experiences with some most unhelpful Christians and church styles. He contrasts what he calls 'Churchland' (the typical culture and traditions that often go with church congregations) with 'Graceland', the ideal church as Body of Christ.

He writes with clarity and honesty about the horrors of judgemental and rigid church leaders, of the rejection of those who are perceived as 'different', of the worst kind of controlling religious stereotypes who may be rare, but, alas, do exist. He also writes of his warm welcome by a small group in London. He began to relate to people very different from himself, who encouraged him to ask questions and didn't criticise the way he dressed or the habits he indulged in, but offered him love and acceptance as a person made in God's image.

I don't know that it's particularly helpful for followers of Jesus who are currently 'called out' of the local structured church. But it's a thought-provoking book, which could be useful for anyone who has been hurt or attacked by Christians, or who had one bad experience with a local congregation and then reject them all (understandably) in reaction. I thought it very readable and it certainly made me think.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Aud) As (at best) an agnostic, I began listening to this book with all my defences up; however, I've got to tell you, Kimball gets it, he touches on most of the reasons why the version of Christianity that developed in the centuries after Jesus lived did so much damage to the message that historical Jesus apparently taught. He doesn't try and downplay them, but he also doesn't go on an all-out attack on the Roman Catholic Church (and the rest) as he so easily could have. He gives his opinion, he does his proselytizing as his belief requires and he avoids, mostly, from being too preachy. It was entertaining in many parts and while I don't necessarily agree with his interpretation of some areas of the bible that's ok - I support his right to proclaim his beliefs. I think he'd be a really interesting dude to sit down and talk to.

[Faire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book. Story of a rockabilly musician in his early twenties meeting Christianity in extreme forms. Very refreshing to see how can people from outside, being not raised in that specific culture, can be baffled at the message church can give unknowingly.

The book is written in a very simple manner but still well able to deliver the message without being shallow or too directional. Refreshing, inspiring, sometimes awaking. A must for pastors dealing with youth and very recommended to be read aloud in every church that starts serving itself more then the people outside.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

you think church is full of a bunch sincere, weird out of date hypocrits? this is your book, might even get you back among us.
however if you are one of those out of date, sincere people, like strange music and strange food and are a hypocrite and believe in the church catholic then you'll probably find this book a bit distasteful and ugly.

on the plus side i bought it because Wanda Jackson wrote the intro!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard Dan tell these stories and teach much of this material over the years... but I appreciate it being put together in one place. He has such a gracious heart & a passion to help people experience the grace of Jesus Christ and that comes through strongly here.

[Brenda Seefeldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth recommending. Instead of just another rant against the Church, this book gives a real response. I particularly liked the chapters on judgment. The Church thais often accused of being judgemental, this is a great exegesis of what that really is.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat simplistic recounting of the author's faith journey and subsequent misadventures in the church. The narration got a little boring at times, but the foundational ideas and reinterpretation of the church is solid.

['Jj]

What do I think? I'm still thinking…

[Jess Legacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a gentle reminder and an enthusiastic push. Clear, well organized, and filled with sense and love.

[Jon Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the strengths and weaknesses of American churchianity. Very gracious, and full of truth.