Gathered Together: The beauty of living as God's church

by Karl Deenick

time for church. Do you feel eager anticipation? Or has life or weariness turned church into a dutiful habit? Either way, it’s useful to pause and What is church, and what’s it for? Why do we go? What does God expect us to do when we’re together? What gifts does God give to his church, and why? How does our time together influence our time apart? Long-time pastor and theologian Karl Deenick has thought deeply about these questions and has years of experience in living out the answers. In Gathered Together, Karl helps us to reflect on our relationship with church. This book is clear, biblical, honest, timely and wise. It’s essential reading for everyone who wants to enjoy being part of God’s people, God’s way.

Genres: Christian, Church, Ecclesiology

144 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2022

About the author

Karl Deenick (PhD, Ridley College, Melbourne) is senior pastor of the Branch Christian Church, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. He is also a guest lecturer at the Reformed Theological College, Melbourne.

Reviews

[Suzanne Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little book on the church— easy to read, clear, and a great way to reorient our understanding of what the church was designed to be and what Jesus intends for it to do!

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong 4; a concise but really helpful book exploring the nature of what it means to be the Christian church, what its purpose is, and what is done when the church meets together. Deenick also explores other helpful ideas (e.g. living as God's scattered church during the week, gifts given to the church for equipping and service, and rest). He also explores the zeitgeist of the post-COVID era in a helpful way, examining the strengths and limitations of church meetings during that time and what we can learn from them. One limitation I experienced were the summaries at the end of chapters: often they restated a long string of ideas raised during the chapter, but I would have found it more helpful to streamline into a big idea or utilise another memorable way to take away the key points. Recommended reading for anyone who is a Christian and wants to reflect on the importance of membership to a local church!

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, taking us back to the basics of church. I found it helpful:

1) to think about the 'scattered church' - we gather together for about 3% of our waking hours, but we're scattered for the other 97%. Deenick takes us back to the reformation rediscovery of the 'priesthood of all believers' and emphasizes that service wasn't only to be for the 3%, but for the Christians' whole life. (Chapter 5).

2) to think about the gifts God gives. Gifts are given for the building up of the church. "[Gifts are] not first and foremost about me and my ministry area, but about the church and the growth of Jesus' body" (p. 114). Deenick also reflects on the fact that being gifted in a certain area isn't about something being easy - even Paul speaks of the hard ministry he engages in 2 Cor 4:7-9 - for "no ministry will be without some form of suffering" (p. 119-121).

3) to be encouraged to rest. Deenick provides a whole chapter on the importance of rest in our productivity focused lives. He highlights, "God is really, really big on rest - extravagantly so" (p. 125). Deenick encourages us to consider a simpler form of church that will be more restful that our sometimes polished and performance based churches. Deenick provocatively asks, " What if, instead of ministering out of hours of practice (i.e. spending hours practicing for music before the service), we ministered out of a lifetime of being shaped by God's word and prayer?" (p. 132).

On top of all this, Deenick sets a solid biblical basis for the church which inspires the reader to invest in and love the church.

[Tim Goldsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about the who, what and why of church! Karl grounds a number of the basic realities, such as what does the bible mean when it speaks of the church & what is the expectation of what the church does? That said, Karl then jumps out to some bigger realities. Expectations as the church gathers, but also who and what we are when we scatter (he has a great analogy about the 3% of time we spend in "church" and the 97% of our lives that are spent "in the world").
Karl also explores the gifts that God gives the church and how we use them, as well as a subject I don't remember thinking about before, namely the meeting of God's people on the sabbath and the relationship between the church and rest.
It was an enjoyable & thoughtful book, simple and easy to understand, so possibly a good starting book for a new christian.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good establishment of what church is, but felt dated by covid references

[Jonathan Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple and strong introduction to the church. Deenick walks us through multiple passages of the Bible to show us 'the beauty of living as God's church.' And it certainly is a beautiful vision!

Although only 141 pages long, and avoiding all unnecessary theological jargon, there is loads of encouragement and challenge in this book.

I certainly came across things I had never thought about before, and re-appraised other things in light of his thoughts. Whilst I didn't agree with everything he said - it was all helpful.

This is a good book for church members and leaders.

[Annaleise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, really encouraging read. It felt like we weren't just seeing inside the author's life, but that he'd walked in lots of our shoes and then pointed me to the Bible. I would have enjoyed more on the ground examples but also appreciated that it's not the kind of book that is pushing a particular church structure or program (!) so I was also pleased that it didn't. It felt like a healthy read and I'm glad I read it

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is an easy to read case for why the church matters and how it carries out God's purposes in its gathering and scattering. I intend to make use of this in membership class material. I also think it would be a helpful book to read through with nominal Christians who don't have a meaningful church affiliation.

[Luke Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s refreshing to have an Australian who knows the cultural and sub cultural issues in the context of the Australian church. This is a short read but it doesn’t skimp on biblical study or direct applications. The problem is clear, and the solution is lovingly and biblically presented with pastorally rich insight and wisdom.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid, clear and biblical look at what the church is and does. Very helpful. I particularly appreciated the grounds for physically gathering and the chapter on ‘church and rest’. This would be a great book for any (and every) Christian to read.

[Kelloggs101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the many books on church I have read this year, and the one that has most challenged me to change actions/attitudes. The chapter on The Church and Rest is most particularly welcomed (& pretty unique in books on church).

[Christine Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't seem one that I would enjoy but I was wrong. It is clear, and simple, and relevant. A book that asks good questions and gives clear answers. It raises questions about church and its purpose and made me think. Recommended.

[Andrew Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A back to basics for What Church is and what its to do. It covers several important aspects of Church. I did find that there was little new information but really enjoyed that it was not trying to reinvent Church.
I did find that the many references to covid dated the book.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some deeply profound and thought provoking insights.