Send: Loving Your Church by Praying, Giving, or Going

by Jim Essian

Discern your role in the church’s mission to reach all people with the gospel, whether that's praying fervently, giving generously, or going boldly.God’s heart to reach the nations is evident from Genesis to Revelation and we are all invited to join in. Whether it’s local church planting or travelling to the furthest corners of the globe with the good news of Jesus, Jim Essian encourages us that involvement in missions is for all of us, not just for a chosen few.
This book helps us to discern our role in the church’s mission, whether that's praying fervently, giving generously or going boldly. We will be reinvigorated by the reminder that our almighty God loves us, so we can take risks for the gospel without fear when we step out in faith for his glory.
What is God calling you to do?

133 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

Jim Essian is the author of Jesus For You: He Became Like You So You Could Become Like Him and Like Father, Like Sons. Jim planted The Paradox Church in 2011 and serves as Lead Pastor. The Paradox is an Acts 29 Network church in Downtown Fort Worth, TX. Jim played eight years of professional baseball in the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit Tigers organizations, prior to planting a church. Jim and his wife, Heather, have three girls, Harper, Hollis, and Hadden.

Reviews

[Leigha Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y’all. So good. Read this book in one sitting and brought me to tears at the end. Feeling convicted and inspired and ready to dream

[Anna Fikkert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 3.75 rounded up. Lacked some depth in places, but is definitely a good primer to start thinking about the mission of God. “Can you believe the God of the universe brings us along? It’s like a cosmic go-to-work-with-Dad day. He doesn’t need our help, but he wants it.”

[Sarah Metcalfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh goodness, how I enjoyed the soul of this book. You will be commissioned in some way or another after reading it. It is so about Church Planting but it is also about generosity, goodbyes, commitment, prayer. Prayer specifically impacted me the most this last time reading it.

I’ve flipped through this book quite a bit and each time I gain something new. This last time it challenged my prayer life. What impact could my prayers have for the kingdom? What people aren’t sitting in my church, what legacy do I leave? I know I want to see more people reached with the glory and grace of Jesus and ultimately through prayer God will do that through church planting. How special is that?

[T.K. CHAPMAN · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 for me. I expected and really wanted to like this book more. I think the overall theme and premise is great. We, as the church, are on mission. We are a "sent people," so to speak. And as the title suggests, we live this out by praying, giving, or going. All good things, all worth writing about.
However, in my opinion, the author overemphasized church planting, and seemed to insist that all churches should be planting other churches. I do not agree. Yes, all churches and Christians should be involved in sharing the gospel, both locally and abroad, but that does not mean every single congregation should be trying to plant another church. It feels like an instance of, "this is how God is using me and my church and you should be doing the exact same thing." Planting a church is one way a group of Christians could spread the gospel, but not the only way. I feel like the other ways got shortchanged a bit in this book.
This is the second book I've read in this series, and I do plan to read the others, but this one just fell short for me.