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Everyday Church: Gospel Communities on Mission
Christians are increasingly aware that we live in a post-Christian culture. We recognize the need to adapt, but are unsure of the way forward. This book offers practical ideas for engaging with secularized society and does so in a way that is enfranchising, helping churches rely on their members instead of one leader with a dynamic personality or specialist skills. Chester and Timmis contend that the solution is an "everyday church" doing everyday mission with no signage except our lives. They organize the book around a missional reading of 1 Peter, since Peter's first-century readers faced a similar situation as aliens and strangers. Gifted communicators and experienced pastors, these authors have proven their ability to be winsome and enlightening, especially in view of their success with Total Church and You Can Change.
173 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
116 people are currently reading
1080 people want to read
About the author
Tim Chester
149 books185 followersDr Tim Chester is involved in The Crowded House, a church planting initiative in Sheffield, UK. He was previously Research & Policy Director for Tearfund UK, and has been published widely on prayer, mission, social issues and theology. He is married to Helen and has two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
September 20, 2017
A fine, slim book by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, two British church leaders. Organized loosely (and I can't emphasize the 'loosely' enough here) around 1 Peter, Chester and Timmis paint a persuasive picture of both the socially marginal station of today's church and also the way in which 'church' is a reality meant to be lived in everyday life, not merely occasional settings like Sunday worship or in extraordinary displays.
The call is to move from "attractional events" to an "attractional community," yet "we will only attract people through gospel distinctiveness. We become relevant to our world only by being gospel centered" (49). Worth revisiting again soon.
The call is to move from "attractional events" to an "attractional community," yet "we will only attract people through gospel distinctiveness. We become relevant to our world only by being gospel centered" (49). Worth revisiting again soon.
July 10, 2013
I have read a number of "missional" books and have been struggling to do it for years. I read Missional Church, Tangible Kingdom, Breaking the Missional Code, Planting Missional Churches, sections of Launching Missional Communities, attended conferences and all the rest. I have grown tired of it because in the end I wasn't sure how to actually do it and these guys just must be more gifted and sanctified than me. Center Church is the only exception and that is an exceptional book but more for the Elder/Pastor level than lay level.
This is the most accessible and theologically well rounded, even handed, and basic of the bunch. If you want to do it, it as always won't be a how to model, but it will give basic every day principles to put into practice. It was a great reminder of the basics that make any good church do what God intended - focus on Jesus, walk in the Spirit, be diligent in prayer and the scriptures, and love people. This is also the only one, apart from Keller's Center Church that does not use the "incarnational" language. As Keller said, this is probably the best book to equip your people with basic every day missional principles without getting all weird theologically.
If it has a downside, the structure of the book make it appear as though it would be good to be paired with a walk through 1 Peter. It reflects on 1 Peter often and cites Volf's "soft difference" article often. But 1 Peter serves as the background or foundation for the book. So this won't serve as a "study guide" but as a companion for creative reflection on how principles in 1 Peter may be fleshed out today.
This is the most accessible and theologically well rounded, even handed, and basic of the bunch. If you want to do it, it as always won't be a how to model, but it will give basic every day principles to put into practice. It was a great reminder of the basics that make any good church do what God intended - focus on Jesus, walk in the Spirit, be diligent in prayer and the scriptures, and love people. This is also the only one, apart from Keller's Center Church that does not use the "incarnational" language. As Keller said, this is probably the best book to equip your people with basic every day missional principles without getting all weird theologically.
If it has a downside, the structure of the book make it appear as though it would be good to be paired with a walk through 1 Peter. It reflects on 1 Peter often and cites Volf's "soft difference" article often. But 1 Peter serves as the background or foundation for the book. So this won't serve as a "study guide" but as a companion for creative reflection on how principles in 1 Peter may be fleshed out today.
June 20, 2022
A good read, though a bit longer than I think it needed to be (a bit repetitive). Nevertheless, the main themes were very clear and strong. I appreciated the emphasis on becoming "attractional communities" rather than trying to create "attractional events" (worship services). I think that's a very important distinction that doesn't remove the need to make the service intelligible, but redirects the focus of much of our energy into what we do the other 6 days of the week. Sunday corporate worship is special and important but is not the only thing we need to be concerned about. In fact, we probably give it more prominence at the expense of emphasizing our every day calling as church community (lots of room for discussion here!)
August 25, 2016
The times they are a changin’. If America ever was a Christian nation, it certainly isn’t one now. It would do us good, therefore, to listen to conservative Christians whose nation is much further down the secularizing road we’re on. Tim Chester and Steve Timmis are two such men from one such nation: Britain. And they are here to tell their fellow Brits—and warn their brothers in America—that old methods of outreach which traded on the social cachet of the church will bring diminishing returns over time.
But this book is not an apologia for more seeker-sensitive, church growth outreach models. At its heart, is quite old-fashioned. As in 2,000-years-old-fashioned.
Simply put, the lost will not come to our churches in this post-Christian culture. We must go to them. “Sunday morning in church is the one place where evangelism cannot take place in our generation, because the lost are not there.”* We are missionaries to a foreign culture in our own land.
It does no good whining about our loss of cultural influence:
The changed cultural situation makes the New Testament epistle of 1 Peter peculiarly appropriate for modern Western Christians. The marginalization and suffering faced by Peter’s readers is already here, though in less violent doses than in Peter’s day (equally violent in the case in the majority world). So Chester and Timmis’ book is structured around an exposition of 1 Peter, an intriguing idea that does yield many insights.
And the authors’ recommendations are a direct application of Peter’s. They tell us that “mission takes places not through attractional events, but through attractional communities.”
The authors proceed to recommend various ways in which we can use our normal, daily routines to make natural connections with the lost (and saved) people in our communities. And various ways in which we can set up our communities to facilitate and create such opportunities.
The authors are not under any illusions that a new method will solve all the difficulties in evangelism. But they do offer much wisdom about how to handle those difficulties.
They give humorous examples of such gear changes (“So you are watching [soccer] and you resort to saying things like, ‘At last a substitution. Did you know that Jesus could be your substitute?’ ‘Great goal. What about you? What’s the goal of your life?’ ‘Come on referee! That was never a penalty! Did you know Jesus paid the penalty for our sin?’"), and then they make the simple suggestion that the way to avoid them is not necessarily to learn better gospel pick-up lines but to 1) have the kind of love and 2) practice the kind of good works that get you a hearing.
People may not come to you to ask you a reason for the hope that is in you. And, increasingly, they won't come to church to see the show you put on. They've got TV. But the church does have something to offer the watching world, something the world (and especially TV) doesn't have: a harmonious community of love. Christians collectively can cause people to question the reason for our hope.
The book ends with suggestions on how to turn a church whose sole focus is Sunday services into a church which functions every day as a community.
Evaluation
The authors are not "emergent." They are not opposed to monological preaching or to teaching authority. They don't say anything about soul patches. They are clearly theologically conservative. They also make good use of the resources of biblical scholarship in their handling of Scripture. And they don't write with the kind of pride that true innovations (emphasis on the nov-) can bring, but rather with the kind of confidence brought about by a recovery of scriptural emphases. And it's understandable that such a recovery might be taking place now, because our cultural circumstances have moved Westerners closer to those faced by Peter's readers. That insight alone was likely worth the price of the book, and it's one I'll explore as I read Peter's book in the future.
I did feel at a few points that I was losing the 1 Peter thread, that he was trotted in when helpful and trotted back to the sidelines when not needed. But this is a relatively minor criticism; the book is not a formal exposition.
My only other complaints center around a (very) few of the recommended activities for sharing life with non-Christians (and other Christians). The television shows they mention watching and at least one of the venues they recommend using for evangelism (namely a pub) seem to run counter to gospel purposes. The medium is the message, and those choices would, I believe, send a mixed one.
And one last minor, quasi-complaint: It's a little difficult for me, having read the authors' first book, Total Church, to distinguish their two works. Their newer work seems to be rehashing a lot of the same themes. It was, perhaps, a bit less punchy. But a bit more convincing—largely because it made such insightful use of 1 Peter.
I believe that Chester and Timmis have hit upon a vein of truth that we in our post-Christendom era would do well to mine.
*Sorry, no page numbers. I read this book on my Kindle in a galley provided by Crossway through NetGalley.
But this book is not an apologia for more seeker-sensitive, church growth outreach models. At its heart, is quite old-fashioned. As in 2,000-years-old-fashioned.
Simply put, the lost will not come to our churches in this post-Christian culture. We must go to them. “Sunday morning in church is the one place where evangelism cannot take place in our generation, because the lost are not there.”* We are missionaries to a foreign culture in our own land.
It does no good whining about our loss of cultural influence:
Often Christians complain about the treatment of Christianity in the wider culture. They bemoan legislation that does not reflect Christian values. They lament the representation of Christianity in the media. They decry politicians who profess themselves atheists. We do not welcome any of these things, but none of them surprise us. We cannot expect the world to be like us. Indeed we are surprised whenever we do see the culture conforming to Christian values or reacting positively to the church. The tradition of nonconformist dissent has been replaced by middleclass conformity. We need to discover or recover the sense that if this year we are not imprisoned, then it has been a good year in which by the grace of God we have gotten off lightly.
The changed cultural situation makes the New Testament epistle of 1 Peter peculiarly appropriate for modern Western Christians. The marginalization and suffering faced by Peter’s readers is already here, though in less violent doses than in Peter’s day (equally violent in the case in the majority world). So Chester and Timmis’ book is structured around an exposition of 1 Peter, an intriguing idea that does yield many insights.
And the authors’ recommendations are a direct application of Peter’s. They tell us that “mission takes places not through attractional events, but through attractional communities.”
This calling on God’s people to attract the world to God through the quality of their life is precisely how Peter goes on to apply his allusions to the Old Testament: “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Pet. 2:11–12)…. This does not mean that good works on their own are sufficient. Proclamation matters. We are called to “declare” God’s praises (1 Pet. 2:9). We are to be ready to give “an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that [we] have” (1 Pet. 3:15). The gospel is a word, but the primary context in which that word is proclaimed is everyday life.
The authors proceed to recommend various ways in which we can use our normal, daily routines to make natural connections with the lost (and saved) people in our communities. And various ways in which we can set up our communities to facilitate and create such opportunities.
The authors are not under any illusions that a new method will solve all the difficulties in evangelism. But they do offer much wisdom about how to handle those difficulties.
Enthusiasm for evangelism does not begin with evangelism at all. Exhortations to evangelize just leave us feeling useless. Driven by guilt we try turning the conversation at work around to spiritual things with horrible, crunching gear changes, or we knock on a few doors to little effect. So we give up. Again. And feel guilty. Again.
They give humorous examples of such gear changes (“So you are watching [soccer] and you resort to saying things like, ‘At last a substitution. Did you know that Jesus could be your substitute?’ ‘Great goal. What about you? What’s the goal of your life?’ ‘Come on referee! That was never a penalty! Did you know Jesus paid the penalty for our sin?’"), and then they make the simple suggestion that the way to avoid them is not necessarily to learn better gospel pick-up lines but to 1) have the kind of love and 2) practice the kind of good works that get you a hearing.
People may not come to you to ask you a reason for the hope that is in you. And, increasingly, they won't come to church to see the show you put on. They've got TV. But the church does have something to offer the watching world, something the world (and especially TV) doesn't have: a harmonious community of love. Christians collectively can cause people to question the reason for our hope.
The book ends with suggestions on how to turn a church whose sole focus is Sunday services into a church which functions every day as a community.
Evaluation
The authors are not "emergent." They are not opposed to monological preaching or to teaching authority. They don't say anything about soul patches. They are clearly theologically conservative. They also make good use of the resources of biblical scholarship in their handling of Scripture. And they don't write with the kind of pride that true innovations (emphasis on the nov-) can bring, but rather with the kind of confidence brought about by a recovery of scriptural emphases. And it's understandable that such a recovery might be taking place now, because our cultural circumstances have moved Westerners closer to those faced by Peter's readers. That insight alone was likely worth the price of the book, and it's one I'll explore as I read Peter's book in the future.
I did feel at a few points that I was losing the 1 Peter thread, that he was trotted in when helpful and trotted back to the sidelines when not needed. But this is a relatively minor criticism; the book is not a formal exposition.
My only other complaints center around a (very) few of the recommended activities for sharing life with non-Christians (and other Christians). The television shows they mention watching and at least one of the venues they recommend using for evangelism (namely a pub) seem to run counter to gospel purposes. The medium is the message, and those choices would, I believe, send a mixed one.
And one last minor, quasi-complaint: It's a little difficult for me, having read the authors' first book, Total Church, to distinguish their two works. Their newer work seems to be rehashing a lot of the same themes. It was, perhaps, a bit less punchy. But a bit more convincing—largely because it made such insightful use of 1 Peter.
I believe that Chester and Timmis have hit upon a vein of truth that we in our post-Christendom era would do well to mine.
*Sorry, no page numbers. I read this book on my Kindle in a galley provided by Crossway through NetGalley.
May 27, 2021
Really good read, especially since it's basically the model for summit college. Loosely based on 1 Peter. Rating just because I think his discussion on sharing in everyday conversation could be more direct and seems a little vague in light of calling people to a response.
March 22, 2024
Such a great reminder on how to be the Church outside of church!
December 4, 2014
Thought-provoking. Effectively inspires vision for being the church (growing and going, together) rather than merely attending events that bless or equip. Other books with this emphasis sometimes come across as reactionary or elevate a specific model. That is decidedly not the tone or emphasis here. Authors are not anti-big church, anti-sermon. They promote spiritual communities on mission as the most effective way to engage unbelieving culture. Everyday Church is permeated by the language and pastoral emphasis of 1 Peter. Richly gospel-centered. Well-written. Immensely practical at times. A very helpful book.
July 25, 2018
The basic premise of this book is that the way the western church operates is not the best way nor necessarily the biblical way to carry out the mission of the church. The concept that we live in a post-Christendom world is something I have understood vaguely for awhile now, although it hasn’t been defined with that term until reading this book. The effort and energy that I spent and others have spent in attempting to get back what we once had in the western church, a culture with an alliance of sorts between church and state in which most people have at least a vague acceptance and understanding of the basic tenets of Christianity, is not our primary calling as the people of God.
I have been uncomfortable with the term “persecution” when referring to the trials we as Christians undergo in our culture since it seems to trivialize the sort of persecution that many throughout the world endure. However, the authors’ use of the term “marginalized” sums it up very well, I think. No longer can we expect to be afforded any special treatment by the culture. In fact, it is more normative that the church has been on the fringes.
Another idea that I understood in a vague way but that was more fully explained throughout the book is the concept that we cannot expect the world to be like us or to care about the things of God. The authors write, “A Christendom mentality expects the world to be like us and share our values, and it protests when the world is not like us.” (Chester and Timmis, 2012). Again, this is an attitude I have had in my own life and have seen in many others. Striving to change the culture to be more moral is not our calling.
I have never felt that church only takes place in church. I have always understood that one-on-one personal relationships are more important for the church’s mission and for evangelism than events. I understand there can be a place for loud, flashy events and that God can and does use them but I don’t see that as the norm and feel it often pushes people away more than draws them.
The book raised a lot of questions in my own mind. First, the ideas he talks about seem to be mainly applicable to a city community. Since our church is in a rural area with one town in the center, it is harder for me to apply the concept of church community as part of a neighborhood or town. I personally live 12 miles from the church and I don’t know of anyone who is part of the church who lives near me. I do understand, and the authors state, that community isn’t necessarily geographical. But the ideas he proposes about “dropping in” on one another and even working together to influence your particular area don’t seem to fit with our particular situation.
Another question that occurs to me is always my biggest question: How? The authors make it a point to say that programs should not drive the church and that community cannot be forced. Practically, I don’t know how to start. I understand that programs are not “bad” per se. It is a “program” of sorts that was the impetus for reading this book, after all. However, it is not necessarily “natural”. To start living this way may be unnatural at the start.
The “how” is difficult to overcome because of many of the reasons stated by the authors. The independence and self-sufficiency that is culturally wired into us, and along with that comes pride, lead me to think I can and should be able to do it on my own, even though I know this isn’t the case. Fear of imposition is a huge hindrance. Excuses abound as well, such as working hours, husband’s schedule, and not wanting to impose.
The book was a fairly easy read and incorporated a lot of good concepts. I do see a lot of this already happening in our church and other churches in the area. It helped me get a grasp on some vague notions I had and defined some new terms for me, which was helpful in clarifying my understanding.
I have been uncomfortable with the term “persecution” when referring to the trials we as Christians undergo in our culture since it seems to trivialize the sort of persecution that many throughout the world endure. However, the authors’ use of the term “marginalized” sums it up very well, I think. No longer can we expect to be afforded any special treatment by the culture. In fact, it is more normative that the church has been on the fringes.
Another idea that I understood in a vague way but that was more fully explained throughout the book is the concept that we cannot expect the world to be like us or to care about the things of God. The authors write, “A Christendom mentality expects the world to be like us and share our values, and it protests when the world is not like us.” (Chester and Timmis, 2012). Again, this is an attitude I have had in my own life and have seen in many others. Striving to change the culture to be more moral is not our calling.
I have never felt that church only takes place in church. I have always understood that one-on-one personal relationships are more important for the church’s mission and for evangelism than events. I understand there can be a place for loud, flashy events and that God can and does use them but I don’t see that as the norm and feel it often pushes people away more than draws them.
The book raised a lot of questions in my own mind. First, the ideas he talks about seem to be mainly applicable to a city community. Since our church is in a rural area with one town in the center, it is harder for me to apply the concept of church community as part of a neighborhood or town. I personally live 12 miles from the church and I don’t know of anyone who is part of the church who lives near me. I do understand, and the authors state, that community isn’t necessarily geographical. But the ideas he proposes about “dropping in” on one another and even working together to influence your particular area don’t seem to fit with our particular situation.
Another question that occurs to me is always my biggest question: How? The authors make it a point to say that programs should not drive the church and that community cannot be forced. Practically, I don’t know how to start. I understand that programs are not “bad” per se. It is a “program” of sorts that was the impetus for reading this book, after all. However, it is not necessarily “natural”. To start living this way may be unnatural at the start.
The “how” is difficult to overcome because of many of the reasons stated by the authors. The independence and self-sufficiency that is culturally wired into us, and along with that comes pride, lead me to think I can and should be able to do it on my own, even though I know this isn’t the case. Fear of imposition is a huge hindrance. Excuses abound as well, such as working hours, husband’s schedule, and not wanting to impose.
The book was a fairly easy read and incorporated a lot of good concepts. I do see a lot of this already happening in our church and other churches in the area. It helped me get a grasp on some vague notions I had and defined some new terms for me, which was helpful in clarifying my understanding.
December 5, 2017
As an American Christian, I confess to being overly comfortable with my culture and overly sensitive to perceived threats to religious liberty and biblical values. In light of recent hostility by the U. S. Government toward Christian institutions (through mandated provision of contraceptive and abortifacient drugs for employees) and the apparent confirmation of these policies through the reelection of politicians who champion them, it is easy to see the Church’s influence waning in our society and be tempted to anger or despair.
In that frustration, Everyday Church was an excellent wake-up call, breathing Gospel life back into my understanding and expectations of the Church and its relation to culture. Timmis and Chester both serve as pastors in the United Kingdom, a country whose Christian heritage has all but disappeared, so their sound scriptural advice is also given the weight of experience.
The authors’ premise is that the West is no longer “Christendom” but has become the mission field. Though this cliché has been around for many years, they argue that churches can no longer do evangelism and outreach in the West from the assumption that people have a basic knowledge of the Christian story and jargon. Instead, they propose treating the West as the mission field it is, adopting the methods and perseverance of pioneer missionaries who devote themselves to learning the values, habits, and language of the people they are called to in order to find out how best to reach them with the Gospel story.
Over six chapters, Timmis and Chester build their case (mostly through an exposition of 1 Peter), showing how believers can reach their neighbors through engaging in the rhythms of their local communities and seeking to plant, water, and reap Gospel seed through living intentionally “as aliens and strangers” among their neighbors.
They exhort churches to take their focus from programs and projects that consume all their members’ time (operating from an “if you build it they will come” approach to evangelism) and working instead to equip believers to reach their neighborhoods through plugging in to existing social structures. They remind readers frequently that ostracism and persecution are the norm for most Christians around the world (and throughout history), and that Westerners need to rediscover the faithfulness and boldness that comes from this.
In particular, their chapter on "everyday evangelism" is a powerful encouragement to Gospel faithfulness. Rather than offering a "how-to" on presenting a spiritualized Gospel message to unbelievers, the authors recognize that those outside the church are often found somewhere along a continuum from complete lack of knowledge and interest in Christ to healthy skepticism on the verge of conversion. They suggest engaging a person at whatever point they find themselves along that line, listening well, asking pointed questions, and naturally exposing them to the true Gospel to help move them closer to Christ--this changes the goal from programmatically "sealing the deal" of their salvation to actually loving them and modeling Christ to them to make them a disciple.
The authors’ compelling call and their practical discussion of what church life, pastoral care, mission, and evangelism look like when the Church has moved from the center of culture to the margins make Everyday Church required reading for Western Christians. It is time for us to recognize that Christianity has been pushed aside from its favored place in society and to begin discovering how to be faithful witnesses for the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ in this new reality.
In that frustration, Everyday Church was an excellent wake-up call, breathing Gospel life back into my understanding and expectations of the Church and its relation to culture. Timmis and Chester both serve as pastors in the United Kingdom, a country whose Christian heritage has all but disappeared, so their sound scriptural advice is also given the weight of experience.
The authors’ premise is that the West is no longer “Christendom” but has become the mission field. Though this cliché has been around for many years, they argue that churches can no longer do evangelism and outreach in the West from the assumption that people have a basic knowledge of the Christian story and jargon. Instead, they propose treating the West as the mission field it is, adopting the methods and perseverance of pioneer missionaries who devote themselves to learning the values, habits, and language of the people they are called to in order to find out how best to reach them with the Gospel story.
Over six chapters, Timmis and Chester build their case (mostly through an exposition of 1 Peter), showing how believers can reach their neighbors through engaging in the rhythms of their local communities and seeking to plant, water, and reap Gospel seed through living intentionally “as aliens and strangers” among their neighbors.
They exhort churches to take their focus from programs and projects that consume all their members’ time (operating from an “if you build it they will come” approach to evangelism) and working instead to equip believers to reach their neighborhoods through plugging in to existing social structures. They remind readers frequently that ostracism and persecution are the norm for most Christians around the world (and throughout history), and that Westerners need to rediscover the faithfulness and boldness that comes from this.
In particular, their chapter on "everyday evangelism" is a powerful encouragement to Gospel faithfulness. Rather than offering a "how-to" on presenting a spiritualized Gospel message to unbelievers, the authors recognize that those outside the church are often found somewhere along a continuum from complete lack of knowledge and interest in Christ to healthy skepticism on the verge of conversion. They suggest engaging a person at whatever point they find themselves along that line, listening well, asking pointed questions, and naturally exposing them to the true Gospel to help move them closer to Christ--this changes the goal from programmatically "sealing the deal" of their salvation to actually loving them and modeling Christ to them to make them a disciple.
The authors’ compelling call and their practical discussion of what church life, pastoral care, mission, and evangelism look like when the Church has moved from the center of culture to the margins make Everyday Church required reading for Western Christians. It is time for us to recognize that Christianity has been pushed aside from its favored place in society and to begin discovering how to be faithful witnesses for the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ in this new reality.
August 3, 2016
Very profitable book. Has 1 Peter running all through it, and makes connections between the situation of the exiles in the first century and the situation of Christians in the UK and (a few years behind) in the US. Their contention is that event based come-to-church evangelism works best when a culture that respects the church, and that we've lost that cultural moment. In it's place, the authors argue for "everyday church", thinking of and living as Christians in ordinary relationships with neighbors and friends. The challenge is for Christians to see themselves as the primary agents of mission, rather than the pastor or the guest speaker at a big event. The necessary foundation for this type of ministry is an active community life where the gospel is being lived out: sin-confession-forgiveness, praying together, studying the Bible together, serving others together.
Although they disclaim to be proposing a model for doing church, their low-church impulses and consistent downplaying of the role of gathered worship swallow at least one star. I agree with much of what they say, but I'd argue that community and mission flow out of worship, rather than worship helping the cause of communities on mission. I want "everyday church" and a worship service, too!
Although they disclaim to be proposing a model for doing church, their low-church impulses and consistent downplaying of the role of gathered worship swallow at least one star. I agree with much of what they say, but I'd argue that community and mission flow out of worship, rather than worship helping the cause of communities on mission. I want "everyday church" and a worship service, too!
June 4, 2016
I made an agreement with myself to not use the public library this summer, but to read through the 20+ unread books that had gathered in stacks around my house the last couple of years. Several of the unread books -- like this title -- fall under the category of "how to be the Church now that no one goes to church", which I typically approach with a fair amount of skepticism and a dash of hope.
I had special hope for this book because I had so much enjoyed Tim Chester's A Meal With Jesus back when we first moved to Austin in 2011. And it's not to say that I didn't like Everyday Church; it's just that I didn't find it especially unique or illuminating.
If this category of books is new to you, and you care deeply about being the Church in your everyday, walking-around, going-to-work life, then you'll probably enjoy this book and will certainly find good and helpful encouragement.
I had special hope for this book because I had so much enjoyed Tim Chester's A Meal With Jesus back when we first moved to Austin in 2011. And it's not to say that I didn't like Everyday Church; it's just that I didn't find it especially unique or illuminating.
If this category of books is new to you, and you care deeply about being the Church in your everyday, walking-around, going-to-work life, then you'll probably enjoy this book and will certainly find good and helpful encouragement.
August 2, 2020
Such a great book contextualising the ancient world of 1 Peter and showing what it looks like in today’s world to live on mission. It’s highly convicting, challenging, inspiring, and exciting!
It’s about doing the everyday stuff of life with the intentions of speaking the Gospel to believers and unbelievers.
It’s about recognising that the Christian life will be counterculture to whatever culture you live in. We can’t expect them to come to church on Sunday...which isn’t even the mission by the way. It’s about building relationships with people, loving them regardless of who they are, and being given the privilege and opportunity to speaking the truths of Jesus into their everyday problems, questions, and lives.
It’s about doing the everyday stuff of life with the intentions of speaking the Gospel to believers and unbelievers.
It’s about recognising that the Christian life will be counterculture to whatever culture you live in. We can’t expect them to come to church on Sunday...which isn’t even the mission by the way. It’s about building relationships with people, loving them regardless of who they are, and being given the privilege and opportunity to speaking the truths of Jesus into their everyday problems, questions, and lives.
January 5, 2019
I highly recommend this book to those in the church who want to understand what being a Gospel centered community looks like. I appreciate the author’s level-setting of where Christianity is in society today, and making a clear distinction between Christianity and Christendom. This book is both an exhortation and an encouragement. My one critique would be in the chapter titled “Everyday Pastoral Care” I wanted to better understand if they were discussing care between believers in the church or care by pastors. I felt that they needed to define who they were talking about a bit better as the term “pastoral” has preconceived ideas attached to it.
October 6, 2017
Maybe it was me but the book started very slowly. Probably doesn't deserve a 3 but couldn't give it a 4. I definitely found certain sections helpful (Everyday Pastoral Care, Everyday Evangelism) but it just felt like Chester & Timmis couldn't decide what they wanted the book to be: helpful tool to pastors/leaders or commentary on 1 Peter. They tried to do both and consequently ended up with sections of the book that felt extraneous. Worth the read, just wish it would have been a little more focused in some chapters.
April 20, 2015
Chester & Timmis' passion for missionally-shaped churches bleeds through each page. This book gives hands and feet to "Total Church," making missional community ideas brutally practical. Diagnostic questions add a healthy dose of introspection and prevent good information from becoming solely cerebral. Chester & Timmis want you to put these practices into action, and they provide excellent on-ramps for doing so. Most importantly, I found myself worshiping while reading. Jesus is the star of this book.
June 11, 2020
No book has changed my perspective more on what church should be. Gospel community groups living lives that naturally cultivate everyday evangelism. A community that lives life together every day of the week, eating meals together, gospelling one another, spending time with each other’s friends and family. Creating a community that just radiates the hope in Jesus.
Love church? Love the gospel? Afraid of evangelism? Read this.
Love church? Love the gospel? Afraid of evangelism? Read this.
August 22, 2019
Really great book! Not perfect but the author did an incredible job describing what gospel community is supposed to look like mainly through the lense of 1 Peter. This is such a good resource for anyone who is stuck in the only just attending a weekly gathering and wants to see what true biblical community is supposed to look like not just in Sunday’s but every day of the week!
August 29, 2021
3.5 stars. Because the book was published in 2012, the stats at the beginning were outdated and slightly out of touch. The middle to end of the book, however, was helpful, practical, and God-exalting. I love that the authors set forth a high view of God and therefore a high view of the church, we desperately need that in our western church culture.
November 21, 2023
This was a quick and simple read. The focus is on church members being more mission focused everyday, rather than only Sunday. Worth the read for Christians that allow the regular meeting to be the only time they meet with other church members
December 29, 2023
This is arguably the best book on "doing church" I've ever read. Be loving, be graceful, BE with people. Every day, not just events and programs and church services. It's humble, it's biblical, and this book should be in the hands of every pastor.
July 16, 2015
A very practical and insightful book. I appreciated the provocative statements and push backs against past and current 'models' of church.
September 6, 2019
What an apt read for any Christian!
April 26, 2020
Such a great book. An excellent book if you really want to learn.
May 9, 2016
Two of My Favorite Authors
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis have probably done more than anyone else (excluding Tim Keller and Jeff Vanderstelt) to help me understand what applying the gospel to everyday life looks like. Their first book, Total Church, rocked my face off. And Everyday Church is more of the same.
What is a Missional Community anyway?
I began planting a church about two years ago, and it 19s been the hardest thing I 19ve ever done. One of the things we knew we wanted to do while planting Basileia Church was to have missional communities. But to be honest, none of us completely understood what missional communities were, we just knew they sounded awesome. Our first concept was that it was an outreach thing and a numbers thing. In other words, in our minds a missional community was a small group that tried to reach people, and it was a larger small group (20ish people instead of 10). That 19s a stupid idea I know, but that 19s what we thought.
It wasn 19t until a few of us heard Jeff Vanderstelt, Steve Timmis, and Jonathan Dodson begin explaining missional communities that we really began to understand what they were. When I read Total Church, the picture started coming together more and more. And when I finally began trying to incorporate all these ideas into the life of our church, and God began doing really cool things because we started praying more, that I really understood. Things got clearer, and they 19re still getting clearer, and we 19re still learning.
My Whole Life I 19ve Never Really Understood Healthy Evangelism
I 19ve always known and understood that evangelism is something I should do, but I 19ve never been very good at doing it. I 19ve shared the gospel a fair amount, and I 19ve seen some people follow Jesus as a result, but I 19m willing to say that at least 85% of the time evangelism felt weird and contrived. I believed what I was saying, I just never really believed that the way I was going about it was actually very effective. I lean reformed doctrinally, so I was confident that God was working everything out and would draw people to Himself, but I still felt like there was more to it. And I think there was more; it 19s this idea of missional living, missional community, and everyday church that made things feel authentic and real. Instead of evangelism being an event, it was a way of life.
I Probably Felt the Most Alive in College
In college I was part of a community of believers that really loved one another and where we honestly pushed one another towards godliness. And I 19ve got to say it was awesome; I wouldn 19t trade those years for anything. And I don 19t think it was just because it was college. It was the friendships, and the desire to see one another walk with God, and learning how to use our gifts for God, and the sense that we had real brothers and sisters in the faith who loved one another. But there was an element missing. It was mission. A lot of what we did in college was self-centered. I didn 19t even really realize it at the time. But our group never reached out very well. And we didn 19t even realize we were blowing it; we were seeking to be the best Christians that we knew how to be. Our experience in church was that evangelism was this 1Csecond or third tier 1D thing that no one really did, except occasionally. We thought God just wanted you to know His word, and sing great worship songs, and maybe go on a mission trip, and not sleep with our girlfriends / boyfriends until marriage. But everyday mission was a foreign concept. Evangelism, if we did it, was this separate event where you shared the Roman 19s Road. It definitely wasn 19t a part of everyday life. This honestly was a great community, but it wasn 19t a missional community.
Everyday Missional Living
The thing that makes evangelism feel natural is doing it all the time as part of your everyday life. It 19s learning how much you still need the gospel, and how much your buddies still need the gospel, and how much your neighbors need the gospel, and learning how to talk about the gospel and challenge yourself to put faith in Jesus all the time. Sometimes people will argue that 1Cfriendship evangelism 1D doesn 19t work; it 19s jus an excuse to be lazy. I mean you can 19t just be a designated driver for your plastered college buddies all the time, without ever sharing the message of Jesus, and expect them to come to faith. That 19s true. But missional living isn 19t friendship evangelism as I just described it. Instead, it 19s learning that you are a missionary all the time. I 19m learning to redeem every part of my day for the purposes of God. Rather than evangelism being something that I (at best) do once a week for a few hours, it 19s something I 19m trying to do all the time. And it 19s something our whole community participates in together. For me, this has made all the difference in the world. Evangelism no longer seems contrived, but genuine. I 19m part of a group of believers who love one another and who are on mission together for the good of the community in which we 19re planted. We want to bless the community and see our neighbors and friends and acquaintances come to know Jesus. We 19re learning how the gospel message is what 19s needed in every situation. We don 19t behavior modification, we need Jesus 19 grace. And we 19re learning to pray a lot. I need God to work all the time. I need Him to make things happen. I can 19t do anything on my own.
I know I 19m Not Really Reviewing a Book
At this point I know I 19m not really reviewing Everyday Church, I 19m just telling you how I 19ve been inspired and instructed by it. In a nutshell, it 19s a follow up to Chester and Timmis 19 first book, Total Church. One big difference between the two books is that Everyday Church is based loosely on 1 Peter, where as Total Church is a more systematic explanation of what a missional church looks like. I love both books. Everyday Church goes through 1 Peter because it 19s one of the most instructive books in the New Testament for describing how the people of God should live as missionaries in the midst of a culture that it continually finds itself more and more at odds with.
Anyway
Instead of getting in the nitty gritty of the book, let me just say, 1CYou should read it. 1D You should read Total Church too. They 19re both life-transforming, and I don 19t say that lightly. Perhaps my ramblings on this blog post demonstrate how much I love this book, and I hope they have inspired you to check it out too.
Everyday Church Easily Earns 5 out of 5 Cups of Black Coffee.
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis have probably done more than anyone else (excluding Tim Keller and Jeff Vanderstelt) to help me understand what applying the gospel to everyday life looks like. Their first book, Total Church, rocked my face off. And Everyday Church is more of the same.
What is a Missional Community anyway?
I began planting a church about two years ago, and it 19s been the hardest thing I 19ve ever done. One of the things we knew we wanted to do while planting Basileia Church was to have missional communities. But to be honest, none of us completely understood what missional communities were, we just knew they sounded awesome. Our first concept was that it was an outreach thing and a numbers thing. In other words, in our minds a missional community was a small group that tried to reach people, and it was a larger small group (20ish people instead of 10). That 19s a stupid idea I know, but that 19s what we thought.
It wasn 19t until a few of us heard Jeff Vanderstelt, Steve Timmis, and Jonathan Dodson begin explaining missional communities that we really began to understand what they were. When I read Total Church, the picture started coming together more and more. And when I finally began trying to incorporate all these ideas into the life of our church, and God began doing really cool things because we started praying more, that I really understood. Things got clearer, and they 19re still getting clearer, and we 19re still learning.
My Whole Life I 19ve Never Really Understood Healthy Evangelism
I 19ve always known and understood that evangelism is something I should do, but I 19ve never been very good at doing it. I 19ve shared the gospel a fair amount, and I 19ve seen some people follow Jesus as a result, but I 19m willing to say that at least 85% of the time evangelism felt weird and contrived. I believed what I was saying, I just never really believed that the way I was going about it was actually very effective. I lean reformed doctrinally, so I was confident that God was working everything out and would draw people to Himself, but I still felt like there was more to it. And I think there was more; it 19s this idea of missional living, missional community, and everyday church that made things feel authentic and real. Instead of evangelism being an event, it was a way of life.
I Probably Felt the Most Alive in College
In college I was part of a community of believers that really loved one another and where we honestly pushed one another towards godliness. And I 19ve got to say it was awesome; I wouldn 19t trade those years for anything. And I don 19t think it was just because it was college. It was the friendships, and the desire to see one another walk with God, and learning how to use our gifts for God, and the sense that we had real brothers and sisters in the faith who loved one another. But there was an element missing. It was mission. A lot of what we did in college was self-centered. I didn 19t even really realize it at the time. But our group never reached out very well. And we didn 19t even realize we were blowing it; we were seeking to be the best Christians that we knew how to be. Our experience in church was that evangelism was this 1Csecond or third tier 1D thing that no one really did, except occasionally. We thought God just wanted you to know His word, and sing great worship songs, and maybe go on a mission trip, and not sleep with our girlfriends / boyfriends until marriage. But everyday mission was a foreign concept. Evangelism, if we did it, was this separate event where you shared the Roman 19s Road. It definitely wasn 19t a part of everyday life. This honestly was a great community, but it wasn 19t a missional community.
Everyday Missional Living
The thing that makes evangelism feel natural is doing it all the time as part of your everyday life. It 19s learning how much you still need the gospel, and how much your buddies still need the gospel, and how much your neighbors need the gospel, and learning how to talk about the gospel and challenge yourself to put faith in Jesus all the time. Sometimes people will argue that 1Cfriendship evangelism 1D doesn 19t work; it 19s jus an excuse to be lazy. I mean you can 19t just be a designated driver for your plastered college buddies all the time, without ever sharing the message of Jesus, and expect them to come to faith. That 19s true. But missional living isn 19t friendship evangelism as I just described it. Instead, it 19s learning that you are a missionary all the time. I 19m learning to redeem every part of my day for the purposes of God. Rather than evangelism being something that I (at best) do once a week for a few hours, it 19s something I 19m trying to do all the time. And it 19s something our whole community participates in together. For me, this has made all the difference in the world. Evangelism no longer seems contrived, but genuine. I 19m part of a group of believers who love one another and who are on mission together for the good of the community in which we 19re planted. We want to bless the community and see our neighbors and friends and acquaintances come to know Jesus. We 19re learning how the gospel message is what 19s needed in every situation. We don 19t behavior modification, we need Jesus 19 grace. And we 19re learning to pray a lot. I need God to work all the time. I need Him to make things happen. I can 19t do anything on my own.
I know I 19m Not Really Reviewing a Book
At this point I know I 19m not really reviewing Everyday Church, I 19m just telling you how I 19ve been inspired and instructed by it. In a nutshell, it 19s a follow up to Chester and Timmis 19 first book, Total Church. One big difference between the two books is that Everyday Church is based loosely on 1 Peter, where as Total Church is a more systematic explanation of what a missional church looks like. I love both books. Everyday Church goes through 1 Peter because it 19s one of the most instructive books in the New Testament for describing how the people of God should live as missionaries in the midst of a culture that it continually finds itself more and more at odds with.
Anyway
Instead of getting in the nitty gritty of the book, let me just say, 1CYou should read it. 1D You should read Total Church too. They 19re both life-transforming, and I don 19t say that lightly. Perhaps my ramblings on this blog post demonstrate how much I love this book, and I hope they have inspired you to check it out too.
Everyday Church Easily Earns 5 out of 5 Cups of Black Coffee.
August 2, 2012
Everyday Church had its peaks and valleys. What I really appreciated first. Chester and Timmis write out of a great love for the church and Jesus which comes through in their writing. They are concerned that if we don’t open our eyes to the changing climate towards Christianity then we may find ourselves lost and without a compass. They say,
It is a call for us to be an everyday church with an everyday mission.We need to shift our focus from putting on attractional events to creating attractional communities. (p. 10).
They also see an opportunity because it’s now less advantageous to be “Christian” which allows the church to work with those who are committed to the mission of Jesus (p. 13). I also appreciated that the entire book was strucutred around Scripture. They take 1 Peter and work their way through what Peter says to the dispersed and marginalized church of his day. That is so rare today especially for books which have the level of practical impetus that Everday Church has.
As someone who doesn’t naturally create evangelistic opportunities, Chester & Timmis had some great instruction and wisdom in how to gospel in our everyday life. That’s the thrust of the book. Gospeling is not just the pastor’s job; it’s the Christian’s everday living. And now more than ever as the secularization of our formerly Christian cultures are at an all time high, we must gospel organically. We must meet people where they are--at the coffee shop, grocery store, work, civic groups, etc.--then we must share the gospel but not in the 1-2-3 steps that much of modern evangelicalism has preferred. This passage struck home for me,
At the heart of our vision is not a new way of doing events but the creation of word-centered gospel communities in which people are sharing life with one another and with unbelievers, seeking to bless their neighborhoods, “gospeling” one another and sharing the good news with unbelievers. The context for this gospel-centered commu- nity and mission is not events but ordinary, everyday life.
Programs are what we create when Christians are not doing what they are supposed to do in everyday life. Because we are not pastoring one another in everyday life, we create accountability groups. Because we are not sharing the gospel in everyday life, we create guest services. Because we are not joining social groups to witness to Jesus, we create our own church social groups. Please do not misunderstand. We are not against meetings or events or programs. The regular meeting of the church around God’s Word is vital for the health of everything else. This is where God’s people are prepared for works of service. But the works of service take place in the context of everyday life. (p. 50)
Our gospel proclamation must place our own story and lives within the larger gospel narrative. It’s that context that safe guards our gospeling from sounding like a used car pitch. They recommend engaging people within the framework of (1) creation, (2) fall, (3) redemption, & (4) consummation (see Chapter 5 Everyday Evangelism). This emphasis already has me thinking and making application. We need this emphasis in our day of easy 1-2-3 evangelism. They emphatically state,
Indeed a weakness of some approaches to evangelism is that they present ideas for intellectual assent. People can sign up to a set of ideas (they believe Jesus died for their sins and rose again), but the idolatrous desires of their heart remain untouched. Their motivational framework is unchanged, and true repentance has not taken place. (p. 122)
Yes, yes, and yes. We need exactly this kind of evangelism that penetrates to the darkness gutters of our hearts.
However, throughout the book I started noticing shards of glass on the floor. I saw, “The gospel is a word, but the primary context in which that word is proclaimed is everyday life” (p. 89 italics mine) or
It is not simply that ordinary Christians lived good lives that enables them to invite good friends to evangelistic events. Our lives are the evangelistic events. Our life together is the apologetic. There is a place for meetings at which the gospel is clearly proclaimed, but let us affirm and celebrate ordinary Christians living ordinary life in Christ’s name” (p. 89; see p. 140 preaching contrasted with missional living)
The spoken word in church is minimized in favor of deeds (justice, mercy, private gospeling, etc). Those statements though were just a few shards of the broken stained-glass window. I agree we must have missional living, good neighboring, and everyday gospel but not at the expanse of the primacy of preaching.
In the conclusion, they say,
We also find ourselves accused of being against monologue preaching. Again, it is not true. Our gatherings typically involve a sermon. What we question is the privleged status of the monologue. It is a good way to teach the Bible, but it is not the only way or a necessary way. The Bible itself describes the Word being taugh through a variety of methods without privileging one above another. What matters is that the Word is central to our lives and our life together. (pp. 156-57 italics mine)
I agree that making the Word central is of utmost importance but I disagree strongly that preaching is not a central activity of the church. As a matter of fact, I would argue that you do not have a church if you do not have the preaching of the Word. It seems they would see missional living as the mark of the true church. I agree that living in obedience to Jesus is part of the great commission and so it’s massively important but how does this happen? How do people learn to obey? By preaching of the Word. The Reformers saw the primacy of preaching in the church as a major battelground. We must not lose or make fallacious either/or’s--as if we cannot highly value and recognize preaching as necessary and primary and also live missionally.
It is a call for us to be an everyday church with an everyday mission.We need to shift our focus from putting on attractional events to creating attractional communities. (p. 10).
They also see an opportunity because it’s now less advantageous to be “Christian” which allows the church to work with those who are committed to the mission of Jesus (p. 13). I also appreciated that the entire book was strucutred around Scripture. They take 1 Peter and work their way through what Peter says to the dispersed and marginalized church of his day. That is so rare today especially for books which have the level of practical impetus that Everday Church has.
As someone who doesn’t naturally create evangelistic opportunities, Chester & Timmis had some great instruction and wisdom in how to gospel in our everyday life. That’s the thrust of the book. Gospeling is not just the pastor’s job; it’s the Christian’s everday living. And now more than ever as the secularization of our formerly Christian cultures are at an all time high, we must gospel organically. We must meet people where they are--at the coffee shop, grocery store, work, civic groups, etc.--then we must share the gospel but not in the 1-2-3 steps that much of modern evangelicalism has preferred. This passage struck home for me,
At the heart of our vision is not a new way of doing events but the creation of word-centered gospel communities in which people are sharing life with one another and with unbelievers, seeking to bless their neighborhoods, “gospeling” one another and sharing the good news with unbelievers. The context for this gospel-centered commu- nity and mission is not events but ordinary, everyday life.
Programs are what we create when Christians are not doing what they are supposed to do in everyday life. Because we are not pastoring one another in everyday life, we create accountability groups. Because we are not sharing the gospel in everyday life, we create guest services. Because we are not joining social groups to witness to Jesus, we create our own church social groups. Please do not misunderstand. We are not against meetings or events or programs. The regular meeting of the church around God’s Word is vital for the health of everything else. This is where God’s people are prepared for works of service. But the works of service take place in the context of everyday life. (p. 50)
Our gospel proclamation must place our own story and lives within the larger gospel narrative. It’s that context that safe guards our gospeling from sounding like a used car pitch. They recommend engaging people within the framework of (1) creation, (2) fall, (3) redemption, & (4) consummation (see Chapter 5 Everyday Evangelism). This emphasis already has me thinking and making application. We need this emphasis in our day of easy 1-2-3 evangelism. They emphatically state,
Indeed a weakness of some approaches to evangelism is that they present ideas for intellectual assent. People can sign up to a set of ideas (they believe Jesus died for their sins and rose again), but the idolatrous desires of their heart remain untouched. Their motivational framework is unchanged, and true repentance has not taken place. (p. 122)
Yes, yes, and yes. We need exactly this kind of evangelism that penetrates to the darkness gutters of our hearts.
However, throughout the book I started noticing shards of glass on the floor. I saw, “The gospel is a word, but the primary context in which that word is proclaimed is everyday life” (p. 89 italics mine) or
It is not simply that ordinary Christians lived good lives that enables them to invite good friends to evangelistic events. Our lives are the evangelistic events. Our life together is the apologetic. There is a place for meetings at which the gospel is clearly proclaimed, but let us affirm and celebrate ordinary Christians living ordinary life in Christ’s name” (p. 89; see p. 140 preaching contrasted with missional living)
The spoken word in church is minimized in favor of deeds (justice, mercy, private gospeling, etc). Those statements though were just a few shards of the broken stained-glass window. I agree we must have missional living, good neighboring, and everyday gospel but not at the expanse of the primacy of preaching.
In the conclusion, they say,
We also find ourselves accused of being against monologue preaching. Again, it is not true. Our gatherings typically involve a sermon. What we question is the privleged status of the monologue. It is a good way to teach the Bible, but it is not the only way or a necessary way. The Bible itself describes the Word being taugh through a variety of methods without privileging one above another. What matters is that the Word is central to our lives and our life together. (pp. 156-57 italics mine)
I agree that making the Word central is of utmost importance but I disagree strongly that preaching is not a central activity of the church. As a matter of fact, I would argue that you do not have a church if you do not have the preaching of the Word. It seems they would see missional living as the mark of the true church. I agree that living in obedience to Jesus is part of the great commission and so it’s massively important but how does this happen? How do people learn to obey? By preaching of the Word. The Reformers saw the primacy of preaching in the church as a major battelground. We must not lose or make fallacious either/or’s--as if we cannot highly value and recognize preaching as necessary and primary and also live missionally.
August 10, 2024
This is a great book! It’s a vital book for those in vocational ministry and those who are not. The central idea is that church is more than just a couple of services throughout the week, it’s a community that lives out Jesus mission in our society. It’s a great book if one is wanting to live more mission minded. The book gives plenty of practical insight. There are a few areas in the book that I would have reworded, but it’s still a good book.
October 31, 2017
Chester and Timmins exposit the book of 1 Peter to demonstrate what Christian fellowship and community should look like. They are not concerned with creating new "programs" in which to squish people into. All too often, churches can tend to start programs which their people must serve, rather than programs which actually serve the people. They put it this way, "Programs are what we create when Christians are not doing what they're supposed to do in everyday life." This book was quite insightful, a refreshing reminder that Christian community need not be complicated or overly "programmatic." Humans are organic, but this does not mean there shouldn't be any sort of organizational ordering of our fellowship and interaction. However, it ought to go "with the grain" of everyday life. Rather than piling on the burden of more meetings, programs and events, Chester and Timmins remind us, "It is not simply that ordinary Christians live good lives that enable them to invite friends to evangelistic events. Our lives are the evangelistic events."
They look at how modern western culture is increasingly "distant" from the Church, and rather than panic about being marginalized, they encourage the immense necessity for vibrant Gospel community. In fact, "We have been saved to be God's holy people, to be Christ's bride, to be a new family." Thus, this new family, saturated in the Gospel should be so vibrant and alive with joy and fellowship as to expose the deep need which unbelievers or "the dechurched" have, drawing them to the Lord Jesus through His body, the Church, as she lives daily in Community. I appreciated the wise and circumspect way in which this book approached the topic of forming and encouraging community in a congregation. In one place they put it this way, "Gospel community matters. But this does not mean the gospel Word is less important.[...] [One] problem is that the desire for community with people can outgrow our desire for community with God." While they did use a few of the buzzwords of this topic (i.e. the overuse of the word missional as an adjective), the whole book was judicious, careful, and most importantly, followed their chosen Scripture text (1 Peter) very closely. This was a "pastoral commentary;" helpful in putting the passages into "live action."
They look at how modern western culture is increasingly "distant" from the Church, and rather than panic about being marginalized, they encourage the immense necessity for vibrant Gospel community. In fact, "We have been saved to be God's holy people, to be Christ's bride, to be a new family." Thus, this new family, saturated in the Gospel should be so vibrant and alive with joy and fellowship as to expose the deep need which unbelievers or "the dechurched" have, drawing them to the Lord Jesus through His body, the Church, as she lives daily in Community. I appreciated the wise and circumspect way in which this book approached the topic of forming and encouraging community in a congregation. In one place they put it this way, "Gospel community matters. But this does not mean the gospel Word is less important.[...] [One] problem is that the desire for community with people can outgrow our desire for community with God." While they did use a few of the buzzwords of this topic (i.e. the overuse of the word missional as an adjective), the whole book was judicious, careful, and most importantly, followed their chosen Scripture text (1 Peter) very closely. This was a "pastoral commentary;" helpful in putting the passages into "live action."
July 10, 2021
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis use the book of 1 Peter to paint a new picture of what "church" looks like. Rather than thinking about church as a singular event, the authors encourage their readers to view church as a way to live our everyday lives.
The book opens by taking a magnifying glance to the culture: trends are examined, motivations are questioned, and intentionality is encouraged. This, I felt, was one of the most helpful parts of the book. Chester and Timmis encourage their readers to focus on reaching others where they already live, work, and play instead of putting on showy church events that get people in the doors, but lack substance.
However, we aren't meant to live as the "everyday church" alone. The authors encourage their readers to form "gospel communities" that are infused with encouragement, accountability, and prayer. We are to live missionally *together.* If you're a Christian, and you think you have a solid gospel community, read this--because you probably don't :)
Although I feel like they lost focus on the main point of the book a few times, I would certainly recommend this to any Christian who is striving to reach and love others in their life. You will be convicted and, ultimately, encouraged to "have the imagination to be what we can and should be as the people of God."
*I will also say that it was written in 2012, so some of their cultural observations are quite dated*
The book opens by taking a magnifying glance to the culture: trends are examined, motivations are questioned, and intentionality is encouraged. This, I felt, was one of the most helpful parts of the book. Chester and Timmis encourage their readers to focus on reaching others where they already live, work, and play instead of putting on showy church events that get people in the doors, but lack substance.
However, we aren't meant to live as the "everyday church" alone. The authors encourage their readers to form "gospel communities" that are infused with encouragement, accountability, and prayer. We are to live missionally *together.* If you're a Christian, and you think you have a solid gospel community, read this--because you probably don't :)
Although I feel like they lost focus on the main point of the book a few times, I would certainly recommend this to any Christian who is striving to reach and love others in their life. You will be convicted and, ultimately, encouraged to "have the imagination to be what we can and should be as the people of God."
*I will also say that it was written in 2012, so some of their cultural observations are quite dated*
June 14, 2019
What Chester and Timmis do in this book. addressed primarily to a UK audience, is to somewhat inadvertently speak to an American audience that could be well on its way to becoming a primarily atheistic culture like our neighbors across the pond. Their talk of Christian communities living and ministering outside of typical Sunday morning church building attendance shows how far England, and perhaps soon the US, are removed from being able to witness in ways that have worked effectively for so many years.
Maybe because of certain shows I've watched, I wondered if such community could lead to cultish if certain personalities were allowed too much control. Of course anything's possible.
But the authors' presentation of a Bible- and God-centered approach would make that very unlikely. And maybe Christians coming together in more natural circumstances should be more of the norm. After all, if by doing so we can grow in faith & show forth Jesus Christ more fully in our lives and relationships, then such change can be for the better.
Maybe because of certain shows I've watched, I wondered if such community could lead to cultish if certain personalities were allowed too much control. Of course anything's possible.
But the authors' presentation of a Bible- and God-centered approach would make that very unlikely. And maybe Christians coming together in more natural circumstances should be more of the norm. After all, if by doing so we can grow in faith & show forth Jesus Christ more fully in our lives and relationships, then such change can be for the better.
September 10, 2021
There is so much good here. Even though it is now several years old what is discussed is now more relevant than it may have been for Americans reading it when it was first written. The accelerated rate of secularization means that Christian Communities need to seriously rethink and rework much ministry philosophy that is aligned with the notion of being an “everyday church.”
The authors are very well read across theology, philosophy, and sociology, and do well to anchor their teaching in 1 Peter throughout. I was particularly thankful for the chapter on suffering that is needed to prepare Western Christians that have been comfortable for far too long.
My greatest disappointment was that although there were many ideas of a lived ideal of being the church on mission on everyday life, there was not much detail about a concept or living in the same neighborhoods or homes. I was hoping to find more aligned with a new monastic mentality but there wasn’t detail. Still, a very good read that I’ll revisit my notes from consistently.
The authors are very well read across theology, philosophy, and sociology, and do well to anchor their teaching in 1 Peter throughout. I was particularly thankful for the chapter on suffering that is needed to prepare Western Christians that have been comfortable for far too long.
My greatest disappointment was that although there were many ideas of a lived ideal of being the church on mission on everyday life, there was not much detail about a concept or living in the same neighborhoods or homes. I was hoping to find more aligned with a new monastic mentality but there wasn’t detail. Still, a very good read that I’ll revisit my notes from consistently.
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