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Becoming God's Family: Why the Church Still Matters
Christianity Today Book Awards—Theology (Popular), Award of Merit Hope for When the Church Feels Broken Does the church still matter in our modern world? After waves of disillusionment, #churchtoo movements, and political divides, it’s easy to question the value of investing in the church. Trusted biblical scholar Carmen Joy Imes offers an answer in Becoming God’s Family. Exploring the familial and communal identity of the church, Imes traces the thread of God's presence in the gathered community of faith across the entire Bible. She invites readers into a vision of the church that is rooted deeply in Scripture and speaks directly to the challenges we face today. Imes reminds us of a powerful truth—God delights in the global, intergenerational family He has created. Through this book, you'll see how God keeps His promises. Whether you’re struggling to reconnect with the church, looking for a constructive vision for its role in our world, or seeking to better understand its biblical foundations, this rich yet accessible book offers clarity, hope, and encouragement. What you'll find in Becoming God’s Family: A biblical Trace the theme of God’s presence through the entire biblical text, gaining new understanding of His communal and familial design for the church. Insight for today's Imes addresses the disheartening realities of scandals, political polarization, and deconstruction with a constructive and hopeful perspective. Encouragement for Discover the global and intergenerational nature of God’s family and the joy of his presence among his people. Becoming God’s Family is perfect for students, pastors, and scholars of the Bible; church members looking for renewed purpose; and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the church's biblical foundation. When we gather as God's people, he is always present. Rediscover why the church still matters with Becoming God's Family.
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2025
66 people are currently reading
420 people want to read
About the author
Carmen Joy Imes
16 books779 followersI was born in Colorado, but I've also lived in Oregon, Illinois, North Carolina, Alberta (Canada), the Philippines, and now California. I earned a PhD in Biblical Theology at Wheaton College, an MA in Biblical Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a BA from Multnomah University. I'm currently an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University. I'm married to Daniel and have three almost-grown kids. We love to camp, hike, read, and play pickle ball. When I have time, I enjoy young adult fiction.
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July 9, 2025I can't rate or review this book because I wrote it, but what I can tell you is this:
Becoming God's Family is my love letter to and for the church. I take an unflinching look at the problems that are painfully obvious--narcissistic leaders, systems that protect abusers, pettiness, prejudice, and more--but conclude that the church is still God's best plan to carry out his will in the world. In spite of its flaws, the church is full of breathtaking beauty and untapped potential. It's unlike anything else on the planet, and there's no place I'd rather be.
This book is for those who've given up on the church and for those with one foot out the door, saying "Give me one good reason to stay." It's for the lonely, the yearning, the discontented ones. And it's for those like me who love the church fiercely but have watched those we love lose interest. It's for all of us who want to make the case for why the church still matters. Together, we trace a thread through the entire Bible--how the presence of God shows up when his people gather to worship and wait for him.
We've never needed this message more than right now. The church is fractured by deep divisions and plagued by ambivalence or even suspicion toward outsiders. Forty million Americans who used to attend church no longer do. Now, more than ever, we need to return to our roots and be reminded of what we're doing and why we're here. We also need stories. I'm grateful to journalists who have exposed church scandals and brought what's dark and damned into the light. They hold us accountable. But we also need stories of what God is doing in out-of-the-way places where young and old, male and female, rich and poor, black, white, and brown folks are gathering and learning to love one another. They are becoming family. These stories don't make the headlines, but they urgently need to be told because they remind us of who we are.
This week I sat in the studio and read through the entire book again, just for you. It's my earnest and heartfelt attempt to draw us back to God's intention. We belong to each other, and we can never experience all we were meant to on our own. I hope this book is a blessing to you and many, many others.
Becoming God's Family is my love letter to and for the church. I take an unflinching look at the problems that are painfully obvious--narcissistic leaders, systems that protect abusers, pettiness, prejudice, and more--but conclude that the church is still God's best plan to carry out his will in the world. In spite of its flaws, the church is full of breathtaking beauty and untapped potential. It's unlike anything else on the planet, and there's no place I'd rather be.
This book is for those who've given up on the church and for those with one foot out the door, saying "Give me one good reason to stay." It's for the lonely, the yearning, the discontented ones. And it's for those like me who love the church fiercely but have watched those we love lose interest. It's for all of us who want to make the case for why the church still matters. Together, we trace a thread through the entire Bible--how the presence of God shows up when his people gather to worship and wait for him.
We've never needed this message more than right now. The church is fractured by deep divisions and plagued by ambivalence or even suspicion toward outsiders. Forty million Americans who used to attend church no longer do. Now, more than ever, we need to return to our roots and be reminded of what we're doing and why we're here. We also need stories. I'm grateful to journalists who have exposed church scandals and brought what's dark and damned into the light. They hold us accountable. But we also need stories of what God is doing in out-of-the-way places where young and old, male and female, rich and poor, black, white, and brown folks are gathering and learning to love one another. They are becoming family. These stories don't make the headlines, but they urgently need to be told because they remind us of who we are.
This week I sat in the studio and read through the entire book again, just for you. It's my earnest and heartfelt attempt to draw us back to God's intention. We belong to each other, and we can never experience all we were meant to on our own. I hope this book is a blessing to you and many, many others.
August 22, 2025
This book reads like a biblical commentary and an invitation into a community as the Christian church is examined in great detail from Genesis to Revelation. I love how the author incorporates so many cultural insights into Old and New Testament texts, bringing to life the concept of ἐκκλησία, where God's people have gathered throughout history to worship Him. As the chapters progress, we are ushered into a marvelous story of how God has been at work through these communal gatherings where His Word is taught and people have the opportunity to belong to each other. If anything, this is a central motif of the book, where the author exhorts Christians to be a part of the church body, highlighting the perils of going at the Christian life alone and the losses that result when we are removed from other believers.
Becoming God's Family is the third of an informal trilogy by Old Testament professor Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, and it's as approachable as it is thorough in detailing the importance and relevance of the church. I would not hesitate to read the first two books on Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters and Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters given how all of the themes tie together, painting a more complete picture of what it means to honour our Creator and to corporately proclaim His name above all names. While there is a lot of historical context provided, one of the realizations that stood out was that siblings could be closer to one another than spouses depending on the culture and era. As a result, becoming brothers and sisters in Christ is actually a bigger deal than we may understand it to be, especially when church hurts and abuse sadly exist and are acknowledged head-on in this book. Readers wanting an in-depth knowledge of the body of Christ throughout the Bible will appreciate the author's love letter to the church and why it matters more than ever today.
Review link: https://christianshelves.blogspot.com...
Many thanks to IVP Academic and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Becoming God's Family is the third of an informal trilogy by Old Testament professor Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, and it's as approachable as it is thorough in detailing the importance and relevance of the church. I would not hesitate to read the first two books on Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters and Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters given how all of the themes tie together, painting a more complete picture of what it means to honour our Creator and to corporately proclaim His name above all names. While there is a lot of historical context provided, one of the realizations that stood out was that siblings could be closer to one another than spouses depending on the culture and era. As a result, becoming brothers and sisters in Christ is actually a bigger deal than we may understand it to be, especially when church hurts and abuse sadly exist and are acknowledged head-on in this book. Readers wanting an in-depth knowledge of the body of Christ throughout the Bible will appreciate the author's love letter to the church and why it matters more than ever today.
Review link: https://christianshelves.blogspot.com...
Many thanks to IVP Academic and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
August 28, 2025
What a great book! Dr. Carmen Joy Imes sets out in this book to talk about the identity of God's family: the church. What I appreciated about this book is that the author holds in tension both the beauty of the church and its hurtful shortcomings. Carmen Joy Imes goes through Old and New Testament books, seeing how God's word informs the identity of the church and the family business the church is called to. YES, we can learn about these matters through not only just the New Testament but also the Hebrew Bible. I will be recommending this book to my students and others.
Here is just one of many quotes that stood out to me. "Instead, the church is designed to decenter each one of us, to testify that we are not enough on our own and that we do not have what it takes alone to fix what is broken. The church testifies that we are dependent on a God we cannot control. In a world of same-day shipping and instant downloads, gathering to wait with others for God presents a significant challenge."
Here is just one of many quotes that stood out to me. "Instead, the church is designed to decenter each one of us, to testify that we are not enough on our own and that we do not have what it takes alone to fix what is broken. The church testifies that we are dependent on a God we cannot control. In a world of same-day shipping and instant downloads, gathering to wait with others for God presents a significant challenge."
December 27, 2025
Carmen Imes is one of those authors that I will read everything she writes. This is a must read for anyone in ministry because of its great reminder that the Church has always been God's plan A. I love her approach in being honest about church issues, but also portraying how we can't be a disciple without the church. Her weaving of the biblical story and community was great. Many nuggets from the Old Testament that were very helpful. If your struggling to believe that the church is God's plan A for the world or you just need a reminder, pick this book up. I wouldn't be where I am without the bride of Christ and this book increased my love for Her.
August 4, 2025
The final book in Imes' trilogy is easily the best! Every Christian should read this book. Period!
October 5, 2025
This book is, in my opinion, less a work on ecclesiology and more an apologetic for the church, addressed to one who may be curious about or burnt by an evangelical church. One thus should not approach this book expecting a discussion on the theology of the church, its sacraments, its polity and tradition, and so on. This book is definitely accessible to the lay Christian in the pews or even the exvangelical who has left the pews though, and Dr Imes has done an admirable job of writing accessibly while theological insights that more interested readers can pursue further beyond this book.
Dr Carmen Joy Imes begins by defining "the church [as] an incarnational community informed by the Scriptures. By incarnational I mean that the church bears embodied witness to Christ in a particular place." (p 6) The "most important job" for the people of God, Dr Imes posits, is to "wait [together] for him to act" (p 13), and this book "trek[s] through Scripture [...] to see how it signals our need for community." (p 12)
Chapter 1 begins with a survey from Genesis to Numbers, outlining Abraham leaving his home and God's promises to him (with a discussion on Hagar and God seeing her as well, pp 22-24), the birth of Israel in Exodus – one nation under YHWH's leadership, gathered around His presence (p 28) (while being multiethnic as well, including Ruth, Rahab, Zipporah, the mixed multitude in Ex 12:38, etc. (pp 29-30)) who bore collective responsibility to safeguard the divine presence (thus the importance of ritual purity in Leviticus and Numbers) (pp 30-34). Chapter 2 then goes into Israel's entrance into the promised land, from Deuteronomy preparing them to do so to the conquest in Joshua to the deterioration of society in Judges. Dr Imes uses this as a pivot to discuss the #churchtoo movement, pointing to the Bible being clear about oppression of the vulnerable (from Ex 22:21-23 to Luke 17:2 and James 3:1) and arguing that when oppression and abuse happen, rather than responding "with a nonchalant "Mistakes happen."" or being more committed to "protecting [leaders] from the consequences of sinful actions than [committing] to cultivating a culture of safety and justice", we must "refuse to tolerate" such exploitation and "take seriously the charge to look out for others." (pp 48-50) Writing as someone who has watched the #ChurchToo movement from the outside (being a Christian from outside North America), I think she is right (though I'm sure she will get some backlash from some corners of American Christianity).
Chapter 3 traces the story of Samuel, the story of how God chose to include him into the priesthood contrasted against Eli's sons (pp 55-58), to David's story and Solomon's building of God's temple, culminating in YHWH filling the temple (p 71). Interestingly, Dr Imes spends little time on David and Bathsheba, instead focusing on the account in 2 Sam 21 where blood guilt is hung over from Saul's slaying of the Gibeonites, and thus David had to avenge their wrong. However, he acted "without consulting Yahweh" (p 67) thus causing Rizpah to publicly mourn before the corpses of her children David executed and exposed – and only after their bodies were laid to rest did God answer the prayer for the famine to cease (p 68). From this, Dr Imes submits that the faith community mustn't be oblivious to injustice, two wrongs don't make a right, and that the community bears shared responsibility even when it was its ancestors that broke their commitments – and God takes commitments seriously (pp 68-70). Chapter 4 covers the divided kingdom, the downward spiral of both societies due to false worship, and ends on a positive note – the reforms of Josiah leading to "a bright spot in a long string of disasters" as "He understands that to experience God's blessing, Judah needs to become a community committed to proper worship with shared attention to the Word of God and a shared commitment to faithful obedience." (p 89)
Chapter 5 is on the exile and Jeremiah's instruction to Israel to live at peace with their Babylonian neighbours, working towards flourishing of communities (pp 94-97), Daniel's vision of the Son of Man receiving glory and God's holy people receiving the kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14, 17-18) (with this tension between single individual and community being resolved in Jesus and the church being in Him and members of His body), and Ezekiel's vision of restoration of God's presence in the community, including a permanent place for foreigners (Ez 47:22-23) (p 105) Chapter 6 is on lament and God's people dealing with the trauma of exile. On this note, Dr Imes discusses how psalms, though innocuous to us, "are a form of insurrection" when "set against the backdrop of Assyrian or Persian rule", as the people of God "form an alternative community, gathered around the praise of Yahweh." (p 124) Today, "When we sing together about Yahweh's kingship during an election year, we're reminded that our ultimate hope is in God, not our national government or local leaders. When we offer thanks to God for what he has done on our behalf, our posture shifts away from self-congratulation or self-aggrandizement toward gratitude and humility." (p 124) Dr Imes then ends the chapter with a discussion on Christian nationalism, concluding as such: "A true grasp of the doctrine of the family of God sucks the wind out of Christian nationalism because it recognizes that our truest identity and most fervent hope is not found in our nation but in our church family. Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer—"Your kingdom come, your will be done"—we're praying for the end of America and every other national entity on earth. God's kingdom is the only one that will last." (p 127) I commend Dr Imes for this bold stance and message to our American brothers and sisters in Christ, knowing full well how some corners of American evangelicalism will react to her message here.
Chapter 7 covers the return from exile. Interestingly, much like The Bible Project videos (by Tim Mackie) on these books, Dr Imes interprets Zerubbabel's rejection of help in Ezra 4 and the ending of Nehemiah where the people of Judah undergo mass divorce not as positive (which seems to be the popular interpretation, based on my quick survey of study bibles I have on hand), but as negatives. She argues that Zerubbabel's contemporary Zechariah painted a broader and more vibrant picture of the community of God (Zechariah 2:10-12), Deuteronomy 23 (which Nehemiah and contemporaries presumably relied upon in enforcing the mass divorce) has an in-built expiration date (see Deut 23:2-3 NET, NLT, etc.) which Nehemiah and his men missed or ignored, and God indicated to Malachi that He hates divorce (2:16). The broader tone of the canon where Ezra-Nehemiah comprises of multiple sections, each ending in an anticlimax, lends credence to Dr Imes' (and Tim Mackie's) interpretation (pp 129-134). The anticlimactic ending of this book leads into Chronicles (in the Hebrew canon), which focuses on the Messiah (eg. Chronicles leaves out David's failure with his actions regarding Bathsheba, featuring mostly only his positive stories), the Temple and God's presence (eg. Chronicles contains David's preparation for building the temple, which is absent in 2 Samuel), and ends with a call: "Whoever among you from all his people has Yahweh his God with him, let him go up" (2 Chronicles 36:23).
And with this, the New Testament begins. Jesus is born, but he speaks of his "brothers and sisters" not by blood, but by "redefin[ing] family around himself", with membership in this family "by allegiance to Jesus as King." (p 151) Jesus' disciples carry this "countercultural movement" around the world, subverting the honour system of the Roman empire and growing the church as family (which included sharing of resources (Acts 4:32-37); and this explains why Ananias and Sapphira's sin in Acts 5 was so great) (pp 159-161). Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:1-9) parallels Moses' ascent on Sinai (Ex 24:9-18), including eating with appointed leaders, commanding them to wait, "giving" (the law for Moses, and the Holy Spirit for Jesus), and their entering the cloud (p 164). Thus the Holy Spirit falls on the believers, and just as the nation of Israel is constituted at Sinai, God's Spirit descends on His new temple at Pentecost (pp 163-166).
Chapter 9 covers the ministry of the church, which includes people from different backgrounds eating together (cf. Romans 14-15), being of one body by virtue of God's act of restoration and unity with Christ, and thus as coworkers, we "work hard" for kingdom purposes. Dr Imes also has two pages in this chapter for a brief discussion on women in ministry with Paul, where she begins by agreeing that church practices must be "grounded in the Scriptures" and not follow "cultural trends and sensibilities", followed by urging the reader to consider the women listed in Romans 16, Paul's approval of women prophesying, and examples of women teaching (eg. Priscilla in Acts 18:26) in determining the scope of verses such as 1 Tim 2:12 and 1 Cor 14:35 (pp 172-173). I commend Dr Imes for her effort, though I am unsure whether it was wise to address such a contentious topic in only two pages – I can see an opponent of women in ministry knocking down the brief two pages (due to its lack of space for development of the argument) and walking away more convinced of his position. But I hope I'm wrong, and someone truly walks away with a greater willingness to consider the alternative position of women in ministry. Dr Imes also includes a section where I think she is more pastoral (considering that there are little to no citations of Bible passages or theologians in this sidebar), addressing the question of when to leave a church – Dr Imes advises that apart from "three situations – rejection of scriptural authority, authoritarian leadership, or abusive behavior that is not properly addressed-we should be very hesitant to leave a church. Scripture asks us to treat other believers as family, even when we disagree or have different preferences about what happens when we gather. If God's goal is to bring people together from different walks of life who will become God's family to one another, then we only hinder God's mission when we hop from place to place trying to find people who look and think exactly like we do." (p 181)
In the last chapter, Dr Imes ends by once again commending the family of God to the reader. She submits that we humans are designed to point to God, and true faith in God involves a completely different worldview, values, and membership in a different family where the boundaries are drawn by who has surrendered their life to Jesus.
Brief thoughts
This was a good read, and as stated in the introduction, I would recommend it to someone curious about the church, or to those who may feel jaded or burnt out by it. I think Dr Imes did a great job of tracing the theme of God's community through the canon, while demonstrating how the points covered by the various biblical authors speak to believers today without compromising on the historical and canonical contexts. This makes for a solid biblical theology of God's covenant community and His people.
Becoming God's Family releases on 28 October 2025. I am grateful to NetGalley for the advance copy.
Dr Carmen Joy Imes begins by defining "the church [as] an incarnational community informed by the Scriptures. By incarnational I mean that the church bears embodied witness to Christ in a particular place." (p 6) The "most important job" for the people of God, Dr Imes posits, is to "wait [together] for him to act" (p 13), and this book "trek[s] through Scripture [...] to see how it signals our need for community." (p 12)
Chapter 1 begins with a survey from Genesis to Numbers, outlining Abraham leaving his home and God's promises to him (with a discussion on Hagar and God seeing her as well, pp 22-24), the birth of Israel in Exodus – one nation under YHWH's leadership, gathered around His presence (p 28) (while being multiethnic as well, including Ruth, Rahab, Zipporah, the mixed multitude in Ex 12:38, etc. (pp 29-30)) who bore collective responsibility to safeguard the divine presence (thus the importance of ritual purity in Leviticus and Numbers) (pp 30-34). Chapter 2 then goes into Israel's entrance into the promised land, from Deuteronomy preparing them to do so to the conquest in Joshua to the deterioration of society in Judges. Dr Imes uses this as a pivot to discuss the #churchtoo movement, pointing to the Bible being clear about oppression of the vulnerable (from Ex 22:21-23 to Luke 17:2 and James 3:1) and arguing that when oppression and abuse happen, rather than responding "with a nonchalant "Mistakes happen."" or being more committed to "protecting [leaders] from the consequences of sinful actions than [committing] to cultivating a culture of safety and justice", we must "refuse to tolerate" such exploitation and "take seriously the charge to look out for others." (pp 48-50) Writing as someone who has watched the #ChurchToo movement from the outside (being a Christian from outside North America), I think she is right (though I'm sure she will get some backlash from some corners of American Christianity).
Chapter 3 traces the story of Samuel, the story of how God chose to include him into the priesthood contrasted against Eli's sons (pp 55-58), to David's story and Solomon's building of God's temple, culminating in YHWH filling the temple (p 71). Interestingly, Dr Imes spends little time on David and Bathsheba, instead focusing on the account in 2 Sam 21 where blood guilt is hung over from Saul's slaying of the Gibeonites, and thus David had to avenge their wrong. However, he acted "without consulting Yahweh" (p 67) thus causing Rizpah to publicly mourn before the corpses of her children David executed and exposed – and only after their bodies were laid to rest did God answer the prayer for the famine to cease (p 68). From this, Dr Imes submits that the faith community mustn't be oblivious to injustice, two wrongs don't make a right, and that the community bears shared responsibility even when it was its ancestors that broke their commitments – and God takes commitments seriously (pp 68-70). Chapter 4 covers the divided kingdom, the downward spiral of both societies due to false worship, and ends on a positive note – the reforms of Josiah leading to "a bright spot in a long string of disasters" as "He understands that to experience God's blessing, Judah needs to become a community committed to proper worship with shared attention to the Word of God and a shared commitment to faithful obedience." (p 89)
Chapter 5 is on the exile and Jeremiah's instruction to Israel to live at peace with their Babylonian neighbours, working towards flourishing of communities (pp 94-97), Daniel's vision of the Son of Man receiving glory and God's holy people receiving the kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14, 17-18) (with this tension between single individual and community being resolved in Jesus and the church being in Him and members of His body), and Ezekiel's vision of restoration of God's presence in the community, including a permanent place for foreigners (Ez 47:22-23) (p 105) Chapter 6 is on lament and God's people dealing with the trauma of exile. On this note, Dr Imes discusses how psalms, though innocuous to us, "are a form of insurrection" when "set against the backdrop of Assyrian or Persian rule", as the people of God "form an alternative community, gathered around the praise of Yahweh." (p 124) Today, "When we sing together about Yahweh's kingship during an election year, we're reminded that our ultimate hope is in God, not our national government or local leaders. When we offer thanks to God for what he has done on our behalf, our posture shifts away from self-congratulation or self-aggrandizement toward gratitude and humility." (p 124) Dr Imes then ends the chapter with a discussion on Christian nationalism, concluding as such: "A true grasp of the doctrine of the family of God sucks the wind out of Christian nationalism because it recognizes that our truest identity and most fervent hope is not found in our nation but in our church family. Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer—"Your kingdom come, your will be done"—we're praying for the end of America and every other national entity on earth. God's kingdom is the only one that will last." (p 127) I commend Dr Imes for this bold stance and message to our American brothers and sisters in Christ, knowing full well how some corners of American evangelicalism will react to her message here.
Chapter 7 covers the return from exile. Interestingly, much like The Bible Project videos (by Tim Mackie) on these books, Dr Imes interprets Zerubbabel's rejection of help in Ezra 4 and the ending of Nehemiah where the people of Judah undergo mass divorce not as positive (which seems to be the popular interpretation, based on my quick survey of study bibles I have on hand), but as negatives. She argues that Zerubbabel's contemporary Zechariah painted a broader and more vibrant picture of the community of God (Zechariah 2:10-12), Deuteronomy 23 (which Nehemiah and contemporaries presumably relied upon in enforcing the mass divorce) has an in-built expiration date (see Deut 23:2-3 NET, NLT, etc.) which Nehemiah and his men missed or ignored, and God indicated to Malachi that He hates divorce (2:16). The broader tone of the canon where Ezra-Nehemiah comprises of multiple sections, each ending in an anticlimax, lends credence to Dr Imes' (and Tim Mackie's) interpretation (pp 129-134). The anticlimactic ending of this book leads into Chronicles (in the Hebrew canon), which focuses on the Messiah (eg. Chronicles leaves out David's failure with his actions regarding Bathsheba, featuring mostly only his positive stories), the Temple and God's presence (eg. Chronicles contains David's preparation for building the temple, which is absent in 2 Samuel), and ends with a call: "Whoever among you from all his people has Yahweh his God with him, let him go up" (2 Chronicles 36:23).
And with this, the New Testament begins. Jesus is born, but he speaks of his "brothers and sisters" not by blood, but by "redefin[ing] family around himself", with membership in this family "by allegiance to Jesus as King." (p 151) Jesus' disciples carry this "countercultural movement" around the world, subverting the honour system of the Roman empire and growing the church as family (which included sharing of resources (Acts 4:32-37); and this explains why Ananias and Sapphira's sin in Acts 5 was so great) (pp 159-161). Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:1-9) parallels Moses' ascent on Sinai (Ex 24:9-18), including eating with appointed leaders, commanding them to wait, "giving" (the law for Moses, and the Holy Spirit for Jesus), and their entering the cloud (p 164). Thus the Holy Spirit falls on the believers, and just as the nation of Israel is constituted at Sinai, God's Spirit descends on His new temple at Pentecost (pp 163-166).
Chapter 9 covers the ministry of the church, which includes people from different backgrounds eating together (cf. Romans 14-15), being of one body by virtue of God's act of restoration and unity with Christ, and thus as coworkers, we "work hard" for kingdom purposes. Dr Imes also has two pages in this chapter for a brief discussion on women in ministry with Paul, where she begins by agreeing that church practices must be "grounded in the Scriptures" and not follow "cultural trends and sensibilities", followed by urging the reader to consider the women listed in Romans 16, Paul's approval of women prophesying, and examples of women teaching (eg. Priscilla in Acts 18:26) in determining the scope of verses such as 1 Tim 2:12 and 1 Cor 14:35 (pp 172-173). I commend Dr Imes for her effort, though I am unsure whether it was wise to address such a contentious topic in only two pages – I can see an opponent of women in ministry knocking down the brief two pages (due to its lack of space for development of the argument) and walking away more convinced of his position. But I hope I'm wrong, and someone truly walks away with a greater willingness to consider the alternative position of women in ministry. Dr Imes also includes a section where I think she is more pastoral (considering that there are little to no citations of Bible passages or theologians in this sidebar), addressing the question of when to leave a church – Dr Imes advises that apart from "three situations – rejection of scriptural authority, authoritarian leadership, or abusive behavior that is not properly addressed-we should be very hesitant to leave a church. Scripture asks us to treat other believers as family, even when we disagree or have different preferences about what happens when we gather. If God's goal is to bring people together from different walks of life who will become God's family to one another, then we only hinder God's mission when we hop from place to place trying to find people who look and think exactly like we do." (p 181)
In the last chapter, Dr Imes ends by once again commending the family of God to the reader. She submits that we humans are designed to point to God, and true faith in God involves a completely different worldview, values, and membership in a different family where the boundaries are drawn by who has surrendered their life to Jesus.
"God established the church as a community of his followers who show allegiance to his rule and carry on his work in the world. Together we testify to the gracious work he accomplished in his Son, Jesus the Messiah, who made it possible for us to join this international, intergenerational family of faith that spans history, makes history, and brings history to its goal with one surprise after another. Together we defeat the darkness by participating in the reign of God and cultivating servanthood and humility. By receiving God's sacrificial love for us and by expressing that love to one another, we participate in God's one and only plan to restore creation and fulfill his covenant promises. Above all, the Spirit of God is present among us as we are united in Christ to one another." (p 206)
Brief thoughts
This was a good read, and as stated in the introduction, I would recommend it to someone curious about the church, or to those who may feel jaded or burnt out by it. I think Dr Imes did a great job of tracing the theme of God's community through the canon, while demonstrating how the points covered by the various biblical authors speak to believers today without compromising on the historical and canonical contexts. This makes for a solid biblical theology of God's covenant community and His people.
Becoming God's Family releases on 28 October 2025. I am grateful to NetGalley for the advance copy.
February 15, 2026
I am extremely grateful for the brilliance of Dr. Imes and how she is able to take theology and scholarly Biblical studies from an academic to a popular level. Her material is extremely accessible and very engaging. Whereas the first two books in this series (both of which I'd highly recommend, with the second one being an all time favorite) made some profound scholarly takes on stories and passages very understandable on a popular level, enlightening some of the ways we more commonly see certain passages by breaking down language, historical context, literary devices such as chasms, etc., this one was far more simple and straight forward. She simply walked through the Bible cover to cover (as she does in each book) and let the fact that the entire Biblical story happens to a group of people, a family, sit front and center. Simple, yes but such a good reminder for approaching the Bible and faith.
Some highlights:
- Her unpacking of Ezra-Nehemiah was particularly enlightening and challenging.
- Her always brief, clear, and gentle challenges of popular traditional gender norms within the church are always great, though I always want more (which I guess is a good thing)
- Her ecumenicalism, both in terms of traditions honored and in different types of people who's stories are told is always so deeply human
- Her two-page piece on "reasons to leave a church" was brilliant, informed, and compassionate, leading her to say extremely simple truth that I've seen many wrestle with in making far more complicated than it has to be, so that alone was a gem.
The only thing that was a bit weird to me was actually in the foreword. It felt a bit weird that Dr. McCaulley repeatedly talked about being made "in" God's image, when referring to Imes' second book which is all about how a better understanding of that concept and what is spelled out in Scriputre is that people are made "as" God's image as opposed to "in." It felt a bit disconnected, but maybe that's just another way to display different individuals discussing things in different ways or seeing things from different viewpoints, which is a main point of this book.
Some highlights:
- Her unpacking of Ezra-Nehemiah was particularly enlightening and challenging.
- Her always brief, clear, and gentle challenges of popular traditional gender norms within the church are always great, though I always want more (which I guess is a good thing)
- Her ecumenicalism, both in terms of traditions honored and in different types of people who's stories are told is always so deeply human
- Her two-page piece on "reasons to leave a church" was brilliant, informed, and compassionate, leading her to say extremely simple truth that I've seen many wrestle with in making far more complicated than it has to be, so that alone was a gem.
The only thing that was a bit weird to me was actually in the foreword. It felt a bit weird that Dr. McCaulley repeatedly talked about being made "in" God's image, when referring to Imes' second book which is all about how a better understanding of that concept and what is spelled out in Scriputre is that people are made "as" God's image as opposed to "in." It felt a bit disconnected, but maybe that's just another way to display different individuals discussing things in different ways or seeing things from different viewpoints, which is a main point of this book.
October 19, 2025
In Becoming God’s Family, Carmen Imes invites readers to slow down and trace the story of Scripture as one sweeping movement of divine proximity. From the first pages of the biblical epic, she takes us back to the beginning—to a God who makes a place for us to belong. In Eden, belonging was the original blessing.
From creation to covenant, exile to incarnation, she draws out a steady heartbeat: God wants a family. Her tone is nurturing and pastoral, anchored in rigorous scholarship yet overflowing with love for the church.
Her portraits of biblical characters are disarming in their honesty, serving as windows into understanding a God who refuses to give up on humanity. This realism gives her work credibility and nuance, reflecting struggles we all wrestle through. Imes doesn’t lecture; she listens—to the text, to history, to her own ache for community—and then speaks with a gentle yet bold authority born from love.
Imes asks what this story means for us today. What does God actually want from his people? By allowing the biblical narrative to breathe, she reveals a compassionate, patient, and just God who still longs to dwell among his people.
Interweaving personal reflection and historical depth, her approach (collaborative with BibleProject) helps readers see Scripture as one unified story that leads to Jesus and invites us into God’s ongoing mission.
For those living in an age of fear—shaken by culture wars, political unrest, and disconnection—Becoming God’s Family offers deep comfort. It reminds us that we don’t face the world alone. We belong to a global family that spans nations, languages, and generations—a people held together by love from a King stronger than any power that seeks to divide or destroy.
Imes’s message is simple yet profound: you can rest today because you already belong. The only kingdom that matters isn’t waiting at the finish line—it’s breaking in here and now, wherever God’s family chooses to live as one. In that family, fear loses its power, and belonging becomes our witness to the world.
From creation to covenant, exile to incarnation, she draws out a steady heartbeat: God wants a family. Her tone is nurturing and pastoral, anchored in rigorous scholarship yet overflowing with love for the church.
Her portraits of biblical characters are disarming in their honesty, serving as windows into understanding a God who refuses to give up on humanity. This realism gives her work credibility and nuance, reflecting struggles we all wrestle through. Imes doesn’t lecture; she listens—to the text, to history, to her own ache for community—and then speaks with a gentle yet bold authority born from love.
Imes asks what this story means for us today. What does God actually want from his people? By allowing the biblical narrative to breathe, she reveals a compassionate, patient, and just God who still longs to dwell among his people.
Interweaving personal reflection and historical depth, her approach (collaborative with BibleProject) helps readers see Scripture as one unified story that leads to Jesus and invites us into God’s ongoing mission.
For those living in an age of fear—shaken by culture wars, political unrest, and disconnection—Becoming God’s Family offers deep comfort. It reminds us that we don’t face the world alone. We belong to a global family that spans nations, languages, and generations—a people held together by love from a King stronger than any power that seeks to divide or destroy.
Imes’s message is simple yet profound: you can rest today because you already belong. The only kingdom that matters isn’t waiting at the finish line—it’s breaking in here and now, wherever God’s family chooses to live as one. In that family, fear loses its power, and belonging becomes our witness to the world.
October 12, 2025
All of the books in this “trilogy” are very good, and Imes has such a gift of being a relatable and accessible author. I also love how she does a survey of the entire Bible to show where the themes of her book are best highlighted. This is probably by far my favorite of the three.
October 1, 2025
This book is biblically rich and speaks directly to the current life of the church. I love the voice that the author brings into the conversation. It is encouraging and challenging. It is hopeful and direct. It’s an important read for the church today.
February 16, 2026
I really appreciate Dr. Imes' valuable insights and applications to reflect on.
October 3, 2025
Fortunate to be on the Launch Team and have preview copy. Carmen is clear in understanding and explaining the Scriptures and how they are intertwined.
I highly recommend this book.
I highly recommend this book.
September 14, 2025
I eagerly anticipated the release of this book and it was as good as I hoped. Imes traces the development of the family of God throughout the Bible, showing how humans were made for community and the necessity of the church for followers of Jesus. This book is both accessible and thoroughly researched, perfect for group study and should be required reading for all Christians.
November 4, 2025
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S BECOMING GOD'S FAMILY ABOUT?
This is, to use a phrase from Imes' Introduction, a love story. It began with a conversation with a friend who was convinced they didn't need the Church. Imes became convinced that someone needed to make the case that such was not the case. The idea that Christians need the Church—in all of its fallible, messy, disappointing, loving, supportive, worshiping ways.
Imes surveys the Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation, looking at what redemptive history shows us about the Church—how we need it, how it's grown (and developed—not always in its favor), how we're called to be part of it (and who that "we're" is), and what it should do.
MY FAVORITE CHAPTER
Well, they could all make a strong case for it, honestly—the last two chapters, particularly. But Chapter 6, "Processing Family Trauma," takes the cake. Now, you may not think if from the title—but this is an encouraging chapter, and probably doesn't focus on what you think it does.
It's about communal worship. Singing the Songs of Zion, really. Both those of Lament and those of Praise. Imes talks about these in ways that may not seem intuitive (and probably aren't, but maybe should be).
They're about—first, "us" and "we," a communal activity. The local congregation seeing hardships, challenges, and blessings together. It's about recognizing the trauma and tragedies and trials that believers have—and are—suffering and how God has kept them from succumbing to them, how He's been with His people—and therefore will be with them even now. How in a culture with many other options, His people declare His wonders in opposition to the false idols and lures around them.
I'm not doing a great job here, because I'm not going to try to replicate Imes' work—but I assure you, it's great.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BECOMING GOD'S FAMILY?
Is this the most rigorous, robust work that I've ever read on The Church? No. Is this the most technical, theological work I've come across? No. Did this take a lot of effort to get through? No (and what a relief). Is this perhaps the most passionate work on the subject I've read? Yes. Is it perhaps the most persuasive about the need for individual believers (particularly in an individualist culture) to be involved with the Church? Also, yes.
I'll take those last two any day over the others (not that I have a problem with the others, but...come on). Imes undoubtedly approaches this subject from the perspective of someone in her tradition—or her particular mix of traditions. But I can't imagine any Protestant or Evangelical finding substantial grounds for disagreement. While I have a tendency to read primarily works in the Continental or Scottish/English Reformed traditions, I'm glad to see something so catholic in nature (particularly when it would fit just fine in my traditions).
I've struggled to write this post—I've been chipping away at it for two months, and still am not satisfied with it. I keep getting distracted in wanting to respond to her arguments—pointing out a couple of areas I think could've been done better, and talking about the ways that she really nailed the discussion. But I'm supposed to be focused on the book and reading experience.
It's warm, it's approachable, it's learned in a non-off-putting way. Imes is a great guide through the topic and a fun companion through the stroll. She pointed out some things I hadn't thought of before—and helped me grasp a couple of texts that I've struggled with for years.
I do think that any discussion of the Church should have more to say about the sacraments than she managed (she did mention them), but I understand how that doesn't fit into what she's trying to do and would've added controversy and disagreements she didn't need (I'm fairly certain I'd have critiqued heavily anything she said—so it's good for me that she didn't).
The "Digging Deeper" sections she included in each chapter are a great resource, and I'll be using it for some time to come (I'd previously read some of the works she'd listed there, and if the rest are as profitable, I'll be well-sated).
Basically, I'm a fan of this and strongly recommend you invest your time and attention (and book-buying money) into it.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from IVP Academic via NetGalley—thanks to both for this. Sorry it's up late, it's been a couple of those months.
---
WHAT'S BECOMING GOD'S FAMILY ABOUT?
This is, to use a phrase from Imes' Introduction, a love story. It began with a conversation with a friend who was convinced they didn't need the Church. Imes became convinced that someone needed to make the case that such was not the case. The idea that Christians need the Church—in all of its fallible, messy, disappointing, loving, supportive, worshiping ways.
Imes surveys the Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation, looking at what redemptive history shows us about the Church—how we need it, how it's grown (and developed—not always in its favor), how we're called to be part of it (and who that "we're" is), and what it should do.
MY FAVORITE CHAPTER
Well, they could all make a strong case for it, honestly—the last two chapters, particularly. But Chapter 6, "Processing Family Trauma," takes the cake. Now, you may not think if from the title—but this is an encouraging chapter, and probably doesn't focus on what you think it does.
It's about communal worship. Singing the Songs of Zion, really. Both those of Lament and those of Praise. Imes talks about these in ways that may not seem intuitive (and probably aren't, but maybe should be).
They're about—first, "us" and "we," a communal activity. The local congregation seeing hardships, challenges, and blessings together. It's about recognizing the trauma and tragedies and trials that believers have—and are—suffering and how God has kept them from succumbing to them, how He's been with His people—and therefore will be with them even now. How in a culture with many other options, His people declare His wonders in opposition to the false idols and lures around them.
I'm not doing a great job here, because I'm not going to try to replicate Imes' work—but I assure you, it's great.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BECOMING GOD'S FAMILY?
Is this the most rigorous, robust work that I've ever read on The Church? No. Is this the most technical, theological work I've come across? No. Did this take a lot of effort to get through? No (and what a relief). Is this perhaps the most passionate work on the subject I've read? Yes. Is it perhaps the most persuasive about the need for individual believers (particularly in an individualist culture) to be involved with the Church? Also, yes.
I'll take those last two any day over the others (not that I have a problem with the others, but...come on). Imes undoubtedly approaches this subject from the perspective of someone in her tradition—or her particular mix of traditions. But I can't imagine any Protestant or Evangelical finding substantial grounds for disagreement. While I have a tendency to read primarily works in the Continental or Scottish/English Reformed traditions, I'm glad to see something so catholic in nature (particularly when it would fit just fine in my traditions).
I've struggled to write this post—I've been chipping away at it for two months, and still am not satisfied with it. I keep getting distracted in wanting to respond to her arguments—pointing out a couple of areas I think could've been done better, and talking about the ways that she really nailed the discussion. But I'm supposed to be focused on the book and reading experience.
It's warm, it's approachable, it's learned in a non-off-putting way. Imes is a great guide through the topic and a fun companion through the stroll. She pointed out some things I hadn't thought of before—and helped me grasp a couple of texts that I've struggled with for years.
I do think that any discussion of the Church should have more to say about the sacraments than she managed (she did mention them), but I understand how that doesn't fit into what she's trying to do and would've added controversy and disagreements she didn't need (I'm fairly certain I'd have critiqued heavily anything she said—so it's good for me that she didn't).
The "Digging Deeper" sections she included in each chapter are a great resource, and I'll be using it for some time to come (I'd previously read some of the works she'd listed there, and if the rest are as profitable, I'll be well-sated).
Basically, I'm a fan of this and strongly recommend you invest your time and attention (and book-buying money) into it.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from IVP Academic via NetGalley—thanks to both for this. Sorry it's up late, it's been a couple of those months.
November 2, 2025
The first part of this book traces the origins of God’s family from the promise given to Abraham up to the body of New Testament believers. The exploration of the Old Testament stories with this focus of following God’s family helped with many of the confusing stories one encounters when reading the Bible. The book then moves to anecdotes and metaphors that show why it is so important to belong to the body of believers rather than following God solo. As someone who is a choir member and enjoys building with LEGO, I found those examples particularly powerful. “Together we can hold a note long and full for centuries, with each of us taking a breath when we need to, knowing that the whole note does not depend on any one person…my voice matters, but mine is not the only voice” (Imes 204). Together, we can accomplish something that we could never dream of accomplishing on our own!
To those who don’t identify as a member of God’s family (yet!), it is an invitation to access the gifts, strength, and love of a community by belonging to a family that spans generations, races, and cultures. To those who are already within the family of God, it is a good reminder of our “family history” and how important it is to live up to the name we bear. We’re also reminded not to give up on belonging to a church community. It’s contrary to the individualistic values of the American culture I live in, but “without you, I cannot follow Jesus in all the ways I’m meant to. We cannot experience union with Christ without also pursuing and receiving union with others” (Imes 195). Faith is a group project and we are better together.
I’m grateful for the reminders that this book provides regarding the centrality of the church in God’s kingdom. God wants to bless the world through us and that can only happen when we act as the unified body of Christ. Growing up in church, I took for granted how big my family was through church. It was only when, as a teenager, I compared my attendance of weddings, baby showers, and memorials with that of my friends that I realized how much further my “family” connections stretched thanks to Jesus. Friendships that are made through work, living proximity, or school tend to fade once that connection piece is missing (people change jobs, move, and graduate). Friendships forged through a mutual love of Christ have the potential to last much longer…into eternity!
To those who don’t identify as a member of God’s family (yet!), it is an invitation to access the gifts, strength, and love of a community by belonging to a family that spans generations, races, and cultures. To those who are already within the family of God, it is a good reminder of our “family history” and how important it is to live up to the name we bear. We’re also reminded not to give up on belonging to a church community. It’s contrary to the individualistic values of the American culture I live in, but “without you, I cannot follow Jesus in all the ways I’m meant to. We cannot experience union with Christ without also pursuing and receiving union with others” (Imes 195). Faith is a group project and we are better together.
I’m grateful for the reminders that this book provides regarding the centrality of the church in God’s kingdom. God wants to bless the world through us and that can only happen when we act as the unified body of Christ. Growing up in church, I took for granted how big my family was through church. It was only when, as a teenager, I compared my attendance of weddings, baby showers, and memorials with that of my friends that I realized how much further my “family” connections stretched thanks to Jesus. Friendships that are made through work, living proximity, or school tend to fade once that connection piece is missing (people change jobs, move, and graduate). Friendships forged through a mutual love of Christ have the potential to last much longer…into eternity!
October 23, 2025
If you have struggled with the idea of the Church or your place in it, Dr. Carmen Imes would like a word. Becoming God's Family is a call to renew what God always intended for the Church: to be his family. Dr. Imes does not dismiss all of the bad, difficult, or troubling challenges the Church faces. She leans hard into them, addressing topics such as Christian Nationalism, the role of women, abuse by leaders, and more by sifting through the text of the Bible and examining its stories. Some of her positions may be new for some but have a long history in Biblical studies.
She also shares challenges she's faced in her own life with transparency and vulnerability. She acknowledges engaging with the Church as family is a real struggle. I have long felt the same, so this really spoke to me. Until I found resources from Heiser, the Bible Project, and others, I really struggled to understand the church and why I needed it. I kept going because I felt convicted that I needed it, but I just couldn't make sense of it.
Someone with whom I worked once recommended his approach to find a church that fed and grew his family and in which he could serve. I tried taking that approach, and it worked pretty well. I think the goal really should be for us all to move beyond being fed and into service. However, that still seems incomplete.
What really resonates about Becoming God's Family is the more complete picture the book provides. I've found bits of "family" from others mentioned above and from my own study preparing lessons for adult Bible study classes. Dr. Imes' other books, Bearing God's Name and Being God's Image, set the stage. Becoming God's Family really brings it all together.
She also shares challenges she's faced in her own life with transparency and vulnerability. She acknowledges engaging with the Church as family is a real struggle. I have long felt the same, so this really spoke to me. Until I found resources from Heiser, the Bible Project, and others, I really struggled to understand the church and why I needed it. I kept going because I felt convicted that I needed it, but I just couldn't make sense of it.
Someone with whom I worked once recommended his approach to find a church that fed and grew his family and in which he could serve. I tried taking that approach, and it worked pretty well. I think the goal really should be for us all to move beyond being fed and into service. However, that still seems incomplete.
What really resonates about Becoming God's Family is the more complete picture the book provides. I've found bits of "family" from others mentioned above and from my own study preparing lessons for adult Bible study classes. Dr. Imes' other books, Bearing God's Name and Being God's Image, set the stage. Becoming God's Family really brings it all together.
October 24, 2025
Professor Carmen Imes does not disappoint. In this third and last part of the trilogy, Becoming God’s Family is a biblical, hopeful, yet cautionary account of the family God has called to be his own, now more commonly known as the church. But it began in the garden, through the call of one family who became a nation called to exemplify what it means to be God’s treasured possession not to the exclusion of others, yet remain holy and connected, marked by love and faithfulness. Through a walk through the fascinating insights of Old Testament to New Testament history, this chosen family is fleshed out and challenges our western individuality lense of the church to the global, counter-imperial, collectivistic expression of worship, mission, service, and discipleship to becoming a family for Jesus. It’s easy to read, with thought provoking insights, a helpful summary, and questions to explore further, great to be used for Sunday school or small group settings.
October 7, 2025
I have Dr.Imes currently for Biblical Theology Seminar and it is such a wonderful class, very thankful to be under her teaching. This book was such an incredible read! It traces the concept of what it means to be the people of God across all of Scripture, and wow, God is doing something special in His creation. God from the beginning has been creating a people for Himself. Now, these people run and turn from Him, but, through the work of Jesus Christ all people from every nation, tribe, and tongue are able to become brothers and sisters in one unified family who seeks and waits for God to bring His kingdom to the Earth. This book should be a core reference material for all church staff as they pray and seek the Lord on what He is wanting to do in His community, emphasis on “His”. The church is God’s, not a man-made structure. God is waiting for the glorious revelation of His power to be revealed as He intended through His people, the church, but, His people must seek Him in the ways He desires and intends for us too. This will bring Heaven to Earth.
November 24, 2025
Solid foundation stretching from Genesis to Revelation on God’s people-the history, the now, the future. God’s Plan A. I know so many think legalism can surround the gathering, and missing it, but to me, it’s the foundation with Christ, of which Christian life flows. We are individually saved, but we’re saved to a body, a community, and embracing & following Christ moves & flows in a local body of people.
October 26, 2025
Becoming God’s Family is the third in a series of books written by Carmen Joy Imes, and I have enjoyed each and every one of them. This third book, however, reads and feels more practical than the others. While it is very Biblical, walking the reader through the Scriptures and helping us see what a community of faith looks like, it is also filled with practical suggestions, advice and direction. This book should be required reading for all church councils and boards in the future. If we would listen to the wisdom found here from the Scriptures, our life together as churches would be enhanced and strengthened. This is (or can be) a valuable tool for today’s church!
October 24, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was written so well. I often found myself stopping to make a note or write something that stuck with me. I haven’t read any others in this series but I will now!
September 22, 2025
This was a good read and as usual Carmen takes the complex and makes it digestible. She emphasizes the need for community and demonstrates why it is needed and how God always intended it. I think she sets out a good argument for why the church still matters, I think the next question is how does that church look and function. Too many churches follow a CEO top down model that isn't biblical and there are those out there looking for a different kind of community than what is being offered in most communities. I hope after reading this you see why we need the church and I hope you find a community where you can flourish and help others flourish.
September 13, 2025
Becoming God's Family: Why the Church Still Matters
I quite enjoyed this book.
Carmen is a really great writer, who really delves deep on the theology.
I appreciated all the Bible references throughout the book, and found her insight very uplifting and personable.
The book is easy to understand and follow along, and Imes carefully includes personal stories among the heavier theological sections. This made the book very readable and interesting.
I especially enjoyed how Imes looks at some of the Old Testament verses (a rarer section of the Bible in most modern books), and I found her interpretations really engaging and accessible for wide audiences.
I recommend this book for anyone who is seeking Biblical focus for their church life and anyone interested in what makes the church essential for today.
I am always interested in Christian books that are more Scripture-first, and this book definitely delivers.
3.9/5
I quite enjoyed this book.
Carmen is a really great writer, who really delves deep on the theology.
I appreciated all the Bible references throughout the book, and found her insight very uplifting and personable.
The book is easy to understand and follow along, and Imes carefully includes personal stories among the heavier theological sections. This made the book very readable and interesting.
I especially enjoyed how Imes looks at some of the Old Testament verses (a rarer section of the Bible in most modern books), and I found her interpretations really engaging and accessible for wide audiences.
I recommend this book for anyone who is seeking Biblical focus for their church life and anyone interested in what makes the church essential for today.
I am always interested in Christian books that are more Scripture-first, and this book definitely delivers.
3.9/5
October 30, 2025
Who is this book for?
Dr Imes draws deeply on her extensive expertise to reveal God’s intention for a community of believers from Abraham through the New Testament. The reader will benefit from her deep knowledge of scripture and her sharp eye for its development throughout. She has no problem pointing out where later developments fall short of earlier prophetic announcements, helping scripture stand out as a living document able to address us in our context today. She rightly applies scripture’s warnings to readers in both Western and majority world contexts, ably applying insights to both.
The one point I would critique is in the organization of the book. Though the chapter titles suggest a thematic approach, inside the chapters she is more or less moving chronologically through the Old Testament and into the New. This makes for such oddities such as Ch 3 — Family Dysfunction containing a subsection about David and Goliath, which isn’t necessarily about family dysfunction (and I didn’t mention it in my summary above), but it needed to be addressed because it’s in 1 Samuel, the book being considered in that chapter. I came away inspired, convicted, pastored, and taught. Imes comforts the mourning and afflicts the comfortable. I can unreservedly recommend each of her books to you.
Below are chapter summaries. *Spoiler Alert*
Introduction
Imes intros the book with a definition of the Church as an incarnational community which is rooted in scripture, is an embodied witness of Christ, is both intercultural and intergenerational, sacramental, and rooted in a particular context.
The Church challenges both a secular mindset by decentering the individual and the collectivist mindset by decentering the biological family and in each case calling individuals to prioritize a healthy interdependence through sibling relationships within the body of Christ.
Ch 1 — The Family of Abraham
Imes traces the origins of God’s family to Abraham’s call to leave his family of origin and God’s commitment to make a new family despite Abraham and Sarah’s barrenness. God maintains faithfulness despite Abraham and Sarah’s dysfunction and God reveals his character when he sees and blesses Hagar.
God calls and redeems the Hebrews out of Egypt to serve and worship him, the expression of which is thoroughly corporate in nature. God frees people not for self-actualization but for incorporation into his family and for service.
Leviticus addresses the whole community as a priestly community, to address the problem of moral and ritual impurity, the latter of which is in itself not sin, but a regular part of life. Nevertheless, right worship and service is important, not just sincerity.
Ch 2 — Growing Pains
Deuteronomy is the foundational document of Israel’s life and will serve as a standard for present and offer promises for future generations. Deuteronomy introduces Israel’s social welfare system, to deal with need and inequity for both Israelites and foreigners. Tithing reinforces the inclusion of even the poorest.
Joshua emphasizes the communal nature of Israel’s mission, where every tribe carries the burden of winning the land. Circumcision is the way of signing up for covenant membership and symbolizes a heart ready to obey God.
Judges describes Israel’s gradual and cyclical decline into apostasy, climaxing with the rape of the unnamed concubine. Instead of covenant faithfulness has given away to rape culture, where this is tolerated and the perpetrator is protected. Any such community is subject to God’s judgment. Some of scriptures strongest words can be found in Exodus 22:21-23: “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.”
Ruth shows how levirate marriage can even be extended to include foreign women, through both Ruth’s service and faithfulness and Boaz’s extension of generosity and family identity. Each acted beyond their own self-interest for the sake of the greater good.
Ch 3 — Family Dysfunction
The books of 1 and 2 Samuel highlight the way that God is not limited to family lines or social hierarchies to do his work. Samuel’s integration and Eli’s family’s removal from the priestly line and David’s inclusion over his older brothers demonstrate God’s freedom to act. “Dysfunctional families do not derail God’s wider purpose.”
Rizpah’s protest shows how God sees and responds to injustices that have happened and honors those, who call our attention to the wrongs committed.
Ch 4 — Divided Family
The story of the northern tribes in 1 and 2 Kings is a warning narrative about creating division within the community and leadership surrounding itself with those who agree with and eliminating any dissenting voices. Instead, God’s family must be self-reflective and self-critical in line with the whole witness of scripture. The family of God is marked by an utter dependence on God expressed in honest communal expressions of need towards God and then responding in faith.
Ch 5 — Kicked Out of the House
Western society praises independence. But what if the true goal is interdependence? Independence and self-sufficiency smacks of autonomy, which was at the root of humanities desire in the Garden. The desire for autonomy continues to be a fundamental disposition of sinful humanity.
Jeremiah calls for Israel to not take an adversarial stance towards the surrounding culture in their exile, but instead to put down roots, integrate, and be a source of blessing. Leave the judging to God, instead exiles are to work, pray, inhabit, and flourish.
Daniel and Esther taking related approaches. Both are Jews finding themselves in exile. Daniel was one publicly, Esther a hidden Jew. Daniel stuck with his dietary commitments, Esther ate at from the king’s table. Each in their own way and at the right time were publicly faithful to YHWH and their people. Together they offer different models of faith.
Ezekiel went into exile with the people. His book is bookended by two visions, the first an apocalypse of YHWH and the second the vision of the new temple and a redistribution of the land among the tribes and even among foreigners living among them. Ultimately, it is up to the people to live faithfully so they can see God’s return.
Ch 6 — Processing Family Trauma
Psalms shows how the community of believers need one another and must come together to strengthen, encourage, and comfort one another. Coming to the community de-centers the tyranny of the individual schedule and preferences to nourish solidarity and family cohesion.
Two essential themes emerge: Lament, where past sorrows are remembered and given voice as acts of trust; and defiant praise, whereby YHWH is exalted above all other rivals and political powers. The Psalms help the believing individual and community give voice in worship and prayer.
Ch 7 — Family Drama
Ezra and Nehemiah’s selective reading of scripture led to harsh reforms, including rejecting foreign help for temple rebuilding and divorcing foreign wives, contradicting other biblical teachings. Haggai emphasized prioritizing God’s presence through temple rebuilding for blessings, while Malachi redefined covenant membership as faithfulness to God, forming a new family. Isaiah envisioned a multiethnic family of God, challenging divisions and emphasizing belonging and flourishing.
Ch 8 — Family Reunion
The genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke highlight his role as a unifying figure, transcending ethnic and familial boundaries. Jesus redefines family, prioritizing loyalty and kinship among believers over blood relations, challenging cultural norms of the time. This call to a new kind of family, united in Christ, is further exemplified in Jesus’ interactions with the Samaritan woman and the early church’s communal life, empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Ch 9 — Family Business
Paul’s teachings in Romans emphasize the dismantling of the old social order through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, creating a new community of believers. This community, exemplified in Romans 16, is characterized by mutual respect and gratitude among diverse members, rejecting hierarchy and embracing inclusivity. Paul’s vision of table fellowship in Romans 14-15 further underscores this, encouraging believers to welcome and learn from those who are different, fostering a diverse and united family of faith.
Ch 10 — A New Temple
The church is a community of believers, united in Christ, who gather to worship and serve one another. Church participation is essential for spiritual growth, as it connects us to God and to each other, forming a living temple. Through worship, we recalibrate our hearts towards God, rejecting worldly values and embracing a new worldview centered on His love and kingdom.
Dr Imes draws deeply on her extensive expertise to reveal God’s intention for a community of believers from Abraham through the New Testament. The reader will benefit from her deep knowledge of scripture and her sharp eye for its development throughout. She has no problem pointing out where later developments fall short of earlier prophetic announcements, helping scripture stand out as a living document able to address us in our context today. She rightly applies scripture’s warnings to readers in both Western and majority world contexts, ably applying insights to both.
The one point I would critique is in the organization of the book. Though the chapter titles suggest a thematic approach, inside the chapters she is more or less moving chronologically through the Old Testament and into the New. This makes for such oddities such as Ch 3 — Family Dysfunction containing a subsection about David and Goliath, which isn’t necessarily about family dysfunction (and I didn’t mention it in my summary above), but it needed to be addressed because it’s in 1 Samuel, the book being considered in that chapter. I came away inspired, convicted, pastored, and taught. Imes comforts the mourning and afflicts the comfortable. I can unreservedly recommend each of her books to you.
Below are chapter summaries. *Spoiler Alert*
Introduction
Imes intros the book with a definition of the Church as an incarnational community which is rooted in scripture, is an embodied witness of Christ, is both intercultural and intergenerational, sacramental, and rooted in a particular context.
The Church challenges both a secular mindset by decentering the individual and the collectivist mindset by decentering the biological family and in each case calling individuals to prioritize a healthy interdependence through sibling relationships within the body of Christ.
Ch 1 — The Family of Abraham
Imes traces the origins of God’s family to Abraham’s call to leave his family of origin and God’s commitment to make a new family despite Abraham and Sarah’s barrenness. God maintains faithfulness despite Abraham and Sarah’s dysfunction and God reveals his character when he sees and blesses Hagar.
God calls and redeems the Hebrews out of Egypt to serve and worship him, the expression of which is thoroughly corporate in nature. God frees people not for self-actualization but for incorporation into his family and for service.
Leviticus addresses the whole community as a priestly community, to address the problem of moral and ritual impurity, the latter of which is in itself not sin, but a regular part of life. Nevertheless, right worship and service is important, not just sincerity.
Ch 2 — Growing Pains
Deuteronomy is the foundational document of Israel’s life and will serve as a standard for present and offer promises for future generations. Deuteronomy introduces Israel’s social welfare system, to deal with need and inequity for both Israelites and foreigners. Tithing reinforces the inclusion of even the poorest.
Joshua emphasizes the communal nature of Israel’s mission, where every tribe carries the burden of winning the land. Circumcision is the way of signing up for covenant membership and symbolizes a heart ready to obey God.
Judges describes Israel’s gradual and cyclical decline into apostasy, climaxing with the rape of the unnamed concubine. Instead of covenant faithfulness has given away to rape culture, where this is tolerated and the perpetrator is protected. Any such community is subject to God’s judgment. Some of scriptures strongest words can be found in Exodus 22:21-23: “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.”
Ruth shows how levirate marriage can even be extended to include foreign women, through both Ruth’s service and faithfulness and Boaz’s extension of generosity and family identity. Each acted beyond their own self-interest for the sake of the greater good.
Ch 3 — Family Dysfunction
The books of 1 and 2 Samuel highlight the way that God is not limited to family lines or social hierarchies to do his work. Samuel’s integration and Eli’s family’s removal from the priestly line and David’s inclusion over his older brothers demonstrate God’s freedom to act. “Dysfunctional families do not derail God’s wider purpose.”
Rizpah’s protest shows how God sees and responds to injustices that have happened and honors those, who call our attention to the wrongs committed.
Ch 4 — Divided Family
The story of the northern tribes in 1 and 2 Kings is a warning narrative about creating division within the community and leadership surrounding itself with those who agree with and eliminating any dissenting voices. Instead, God’s family must be self-reflective and self-critical in line with the whole witness of scripture. The family of God is marked by an utter dependence on God expressed in honest communal expressions of need towards God and then responding in faith.
Ch 5 — Kicked Out of the House
Western society praises independence. But what if the true goal is interdependence? Independence and self-sufficiency smacks of autonomy, which was at the root of humanities desire in the Garden. The desire for autonomy continues to be a fundamental disposition of sinful humanity.
Jeremiah calls for Israel to not take an adversarial stance towards the surrounding culture in their exile, but instead to put down roots, integrate, and be a source of blessing. Leave the judging to God, instead exiles are to work, pray, inhabit, and flourish.
Daniel and Esther taking related approaches. Both are Jews finding themselves in exile. Daniel was one publicly, Esther a hidden Jew. Daniel stuck with his dietary commitments, Esther ate at from the king’s table. Each in their own way and at the right time were publicly faithful to YHWH and their people. Together they offer different models of faith.
Ezekiel went into exile with the people. His book is bookended by two visions, the first an apocalypse of YHWH and the second the vision of the new temple and a redistribution of the land among the tribes and even among foreigners living among them. Ultimately, it is up to the people to live faithfully so they can see God’s return.
Ch 6 — Processing Family Trauma
Psalms shows how the community of believers need one another and must come together to strengthen, encourage, and comfort one another. Coming to the community de-centers the tyranny of the individual schedule and preferences to nourish solidarity and family cohesion.
Two essential themes emerge: Lament, where past sorrows are remembered and given voice as acts of trust; and defiant praise, whereby YHWH is exalted above all other rivals and political powers. The Psalms help the believing individual and community give voice in worship and prayer.
Ch 7 — Family Drama
Ezra and Nehemiah’s selective reading of scripture led to harsh reforms, including rejecting foreign help for temple rebuilding and divorcing foreign wives, contradicting other biblical teachings. Haggai emphasized prioritizing God’s presence through temple rebuilding for blessings, while Malachi redefined covenant membership as faithfulness to God, forming a new family. Isaiah envisioned a multiethnic family of God, challenging divisions and emphasizing belonging and flourishing.
Ch 8 — Family Reunion
The genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke highlight his role as a unifying figure, transcending ethnic and familial boundaries. Jesus redefines family, prioritizing loyalty and kinship among believers over blood relations, challenging cultural norms of the time. This call to a new kind of family, united in Christ, is further exemplified in Jesus’ interactions with the Samaritan woman and the early church’s communal life, empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Ch 9 — Family Business
Paul’s teachings in Romans emphasize the dismantling of the old social order through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, creating a new community of believers. This community, exemplified in Romans 16, is characterized by mutual respect and gratitude among diverse members, rejecting hierarchy and embracing inclusivity. Paul’s vision of table fellowship in Romans 14-15 further underscores this, encouraging believers to welcome and learn from those who are different, fostering a diverse and united family of faith.
Ch 10 — A New Temple
The church is a community of believers, united in Christ, who gather to worship and serve one another. Church participation is essential for spiritual growth, as it connects us to God and to each other, forming a living temple. Through worship, we recalibrate our hearts towards God, rejecting worldly values and embracing a new worldview centered on His love and kingdom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2025
This is my first book by Dr. Carmen Joy Imes and it will not be my last. The book was a very rich treatment on the church as God’s family but written at a very accessible level. In a note on her book, the author gives below quote as the thesis; and I agree that she made met that goal.
“Becoming God's Family is my love letter to and for the church. I take an unflinching look at the problems that are painfully obvious--narcissistic leaders, systems that protect abusers, pettiness, prejudice, and more--but conclude that the church is still God's best plan to carry out his will in the world.”
I’ve been part of church family all of my adult life and find myself experiencing many of the challenges and emotions discussed but I experienced great hope as I read the book and was reminded of what God’s plan is for his church. Many things hit me anew, I am reading an ARC copy from NetGalley that is not easy to page through so I can’t easily pull all my highlights and thoughts on the book. I will plan to purchase a copy when it is on sale and add to my review at that time. I can’t wait to share it with many others as well, I envision great discussion around this topic.
#BecomingGodsFamily #NetGalley
“Becoming God's Family is my love letter to and for the church. I take an unflinching look at the problems that are painfully obvious--narcissistic leaders, systems that protect abusers, pettiness, prejudice, and more--but conclude that the church is still God's best plan to carry out his will in the world.”
I’ve been part of church family all of my adult life and find myself experiencing many of the challenges and emotions discussed but I experienced great hope as I read the book and was reminded of what God’s plan is for his church. Many things hit me anew, I am reading an ARC copy from NetGalley that is not easy to page through so I can’t easily pull all my highlights and thoughts on the book. I will plan to purchase a copy when it is on sale and add to my review at that time. I can’t wait to share it with many others as well, I envision great discussion around this topic.
#BecomingGodsFamily #NetGalley
October 28, 2025
There are a LOT of voices in modern society that tell us that church is no longer important, relevant, or even useful at all.
Church attendance is a practice that seems unnecessary for those who see themselves as the captains of their own ships.
For some, it is seen as a place of oppression that is beyond redemption.
For others, the relevance of gathering in person with other Christians plummeted during COVID, and never really returned.
Some who should know better have recently been claiming that church is ONLY about building up others – and NOT about worshipping God (a great example of false dilemma.)
And for some, real-world hurt brought on by abusive leadership – or leadership responding inadequately to abuse perpetrated by members of their congregation – has driven them to the understandable place where trusting church leadership is a very hard thing to do.
Enter Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, having the audacity to write a book proclaiming “why the Church STILL matters."
She has written a very important book here that is rooted in Biblical scholarship and written with an eye toward our contemporary trends, doubts, and hurts. While a solid stand-alone book, this book is especially impactful when read in concert with her previous books in this series. She builds significantly on her previous work on what it means to be humans created in God’s Image (“Being God’s Image”), and what it means to be a people that is called to represent God in the world (“Bearing God’s Name.”)
Dr. Imes calls the reader’s attention to the importance of gathering together with other believers as part of God’s timeless heaven-and-earth assembly. She highlights the importance of understanding the fundamental truth that faith in King Jesus creates the truest form of family. She calls our attention to the importance of gathering together to remember what God has done, to fellowship together, to worship God, and to look forward to the redemption and healing that God will bring about in full. She calls for a sober examination of church-as-corporation models, and a posture of repentance when approaching the wrongs of Christians and Christian leaders in the past. She discusses the times/situations where it may really be necessary to leave a particular church, but includes people in these situations to find a new church to engage in when they do leave. And she calls believers to LIVE as if we truly are family.
There are indeed issues that were left largely untouched – like discussion about church history and schisms and the question of whether/how to bring together Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox. So for those looking to explore history and ecumenism, there are other resources that will be more helpful.
There are also controversial societal issues that Dr. Imes discusses. Readers are likely to find these passages challenging, and some will flat out disagree with Dr. Imes’s point-of-view, emphasis, or argumentation. But these are often the very issues where the church’s voice is critical in helping society to stand on ground that is rooted in the reality of who God is, and who God made humanity to be – so it is vitally important for believers with a variety of viewpoints to engage in both “family discussion” with other believers, and in engaging with society.
For those who are honestly questioning what the point of church involvement is, for those who have disconnected from their local church, opting to “go it alone” – this book is an excellent antidote to modern apathy and antipathy toward church, and encouragement toward living life in Christ, which is vitally important to our life, our society, and our world.
Church attendance is a practice that seems unnecessary for those who see themselves as the captains of their own ships.
For some, it is seen as a place of oppression that is beyond redemption.
For others, the relevance of gathering in person with other Christians plummeted during COVID, and never really returned.
Some who should know better have recently been claiming that church is ONLY about building up others – and NOT about worshipping God (a great example of false dilemma.)
And for some, real-world hurt brought on by abusive leadership – or leadership responding inadequately to abuse perpetrated by members of their congregation – has driven them to the understandable place where trusting church leadership is a very hard thing to do.
Enter Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, having the audacity to write a book proclaiming “why the Church STILL matters."
She has written a very important book here that is rooted in Biblical scholarship and written with an eye toward our contemporary trends, doubts, and hurts. While a solid stand-alone book, this book is especially impactful when read in concert with her previous books in this series. She builds significantly on her previous work on what it means to be humans created in God’s Image (“Being God’s Image”), and what it means to be a people that is called to represent God in the world (“Bearing God’s Name.”)
Dr. Imes calls the reader’s attention to the importance of gathering together with other believers as part of God’s timeless heaven-and-earth assembly. She highlights the importance of understanding the fundamental truth that faith in King Jesus creates the truest form of family. She calls our attention to the importance of gathering together to remember what God has done, to fellowship together, to worship God, and to look forward to the redemption and healing that God will bring about in full. She calls for a sober examination of church-as-corporation models, and a posture of repentance when approaching the wrongs of Christians and Christian leaders in the past. She discusses the times/situations where it may really be necessary to leave a particular church, but includes people in these situations to find a new church to engage in when they do leave. And she calls believers to LIVE as if we truly are family.
There are indeed issues that were left largely untouched – like discussion about church history and schisms and the question of whether/how to bring together Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox. So for those looking to explore history and ecumenism, there are other resources that will be more helpful.
There are also controversial societal issues that Dr. Imes discusses. Readers are likely to find these passages challenging, and some will flat out disagree with Dr. Imes’s point-of-view, emphasis, or argumentation. But these are often the very issues where the church’s voice is critical in helping society to stand on ground that is rooted in the reality of who God is, and who God made humanity to be – so it is vitally important for believers with a variety of viewpoints to engage in both “family discussion” with other believers, and in engaging with society.
For those who are honestly questioning what the point of church involvement is, for those who have disconnected from their local church, opting to “go it alone” – this book is an excellent antidote to modern apathy and antipathy toward church, and encouragement toward living life in Christ, which is vitally important to our life, our society, and our world.
October 28, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book convicted me about something I didn't realize I was missing
Carmen Joy Imes has written an essential book for our fractured times. As churches hemorrhage members and Christians retreat into isolation, "Becoming God's Family" doesn't offer another church growth strategy -- it calls us back to what Scripture actually says about community.
What sets this apart: Imes, author of "Bearing God's Name," brings serious biblical scholarship without academic intimidation. Her opening insight floored me: the very first thing declared "not good" in creation was loneliness. We were designed for community from day one, yet modern Christianity has become, as one scholar calls it, "an individual adventure between God and the soul."
The biblical reframes are genuinely eye-opening. When Jesus taught "give *us* our daily bread," it's about collective provision: if I have abundance, it's an invitation to ensure others' needs are met. David vs. Goliath wasn't individual heroism but about trusting God's power over foreign gods. She reveals how sibling bonds were the deepest loyalty in ancient culture; when Jesus calls us "brothers and sisters," he's invoking the most powerful family commitment imaginable.
What works: Imes doesn't sugarcoat church failures or offer naive solutions. She directly addresses leadership abuse, institutional cover-ups, and our tendency toward echo chambers. Her "messy families" framework acknowledges our humanity while calling us toward God's design. She shows how early church generosity operated completely differently than modern philanthropy—no recognition or honor, just family sharing what they had as if they were actual relatives.
The LEGO metaphor sealed it for me -- individual bricks aren't beautiful alone, but together they become something remarkable. As Peter writes, we're "living stones being built into a spiritual house." Alone, we cannot fulfill our purpose. The book challenges basic assumptions: learning isn't the primary goal of worship (calibrating our compass is), and church participation isn't an extracurricular activity for super-Christians—it's the central means by which we participate in God's kingdom. When we don't show up, some of God's gifts intended for others are missing.
What to expect: This is conviction, not implementation. Imes makes the biblical case so compellingly that you'll be genuinely challenged (I realized I've been "happy at times to be a loner" and found it bizarre that we have to "make room" to be with God's people), but don't expect detailed how-to guidance. She diagnoses what's broken and paints the vision; practical steps will need to come from other resources.
Perfect for anyone frustrated with shallow church culture, Christians questioning why community feels so hard, or readers who want biblical depth about what we're actually called to as believers.
Bottom line: In our hyper-individualistic, politically fractured culture, where shopping malls have become our temples, this book calls us back to something essential we've lost. It changed how I read Scripture and convicted me about priorities I didn't realize I had. As Christine Caine says, "All it takes to drift is...nothing." This book won't let you drift.
Rating: 5/5 stars - An important read that needs to be followed by practical guides on building church community, but the biblical foundation and conviction it provides are essential.
Carmen Joy Imes has written an essential book for our fractured times. As churches hemorrhage members and Christians retreat into isolation, "Becoming God's Family" doesn't offer another church growth strategy -- it calls us back to what Scripture actually says about community.
What sets this apart: Imes, author of "Bearing God's Name," brings serious biblical scholarship without academic intimidation. Her opening insight floored me: the very first thing declared "not good" in creation was loneliness. We were designed for community from day one, yet modern Christianity has become, as one scholar calls it, "an individual adventure between God and the soul."
The biblical reframes are genuinely eye-opening. When Jesus taught "give *us* our daily bread," it's about collective provision: if I have abundance, it's an invitation to ensure others' needs are met. David vs. Goliath wasn't individual heroism but about trusting God's power over foreign gods. She reveals how sibling bonds were the deepest loyalty in ancient culture; when Jesus calls us "brothers and sisters," he's invoking the most powerful family commitment imaginable.
What works: Imes doesn't sugarcoat church failures or offer naive solutions. She directly addresses leadership abuse, institutional cover-ups, and our tendency toward echo chambers. Her "messy families" framework acknowledges our humanity while calling us toward God's design. She shows how early church generosity operated completely differently than modern philanthropy—no recognition or honor, just family sharing what they had as if they were actual relatives.
The LEGO metaphor sealed it for me -- individual bricks aren't beautiful alone, but together they become something remarkable. As Peter writes, we're "living stones being built into a spiritual house." Alone, we cannot fulfill our purpose. The book challenges basic assumptions: learning isn't the primary goal of worship (calibrating our compass is), and church participation isn't an extracurricular activity for super-Christians—it's the central means by which we participate in God's kingdom. When we don't show up, some of God's gifts intended for others are missing.
What to expect: This is conviction, not implementation. Imes makes the biblical case so compellingly that you'll be genuinely challenged (I realized I've been "happy at times to be a loner" and found it bizarre that we have to "make room" to be with God's people), but don't expect detailed how-to guidance. She diagnoses what's broken and paints the vision; practical steps will need to come from other resources.
Perfect for anyone frustrated with shallow church culture, Christians questioning why community feels so hard, or readers who want biblical depth about what we're actually called to as believers.
Bottom line: In our hyper-individualistic, politically fractured culture, where shopping malls have become our temples, this book calls us back to something essential we've lost. It changed how I read Scripture and convicted me about priorities I didn't realize I had. As Christine Caine says, "All it takes to drift is...nothing." This book won't let you drift.
Rating: 5/5 stars - An important read that needs to be followed by practical guides on building church community, but the biblical foundation and conviction it provides are essential.
November 20, 2025
Are you looking for a church, unsatisfied with your church, stopped attending church or wondering what happened to all the people who used to be in your church?
I highly recommend this thoughtful examination of what it means to be the church today.
During the pandemic, technology allowed many people to continue to attend church services virtually. Sitting on the couch in our jammies, sipping coffee, many people enjoyed the option of tuning in without having to shower, dress and drive to a physical location. Once the in-person restrictions eased, what percentage of people came back to the physical church? What impact has it had on how we view our relationship with the church?
These kinds of questions inspired Dr. Carmen Imes to write her new book, Becoming God’s Family, Why the Church Still Matters.
Dr. Imes is an associate professor of Old Testament studies at Biola University. She describes why the church mattered to God as he established the nation of Israel as a people set apart by Him for holiness. Yes, Dr. Imes is a highly educated scholar and a professor, but do not be intimidated - she is an excellent communicator for the everyday reader. Each chapter ends with a list of key ideas and a Digging Deeper section that lists additional resources. Each chapter also has QR codes that link to related short explainer videos created by BibleProject. Whether you are a fellow scholar or lay reader, Dr. Imes provides tools to enrich your learning experience.
Leading us through the formation/destruction/formation cycles of the history of God’s people in the Old Testament lays the groundwork for Dr. Imes’ description of the role of the church established by Jesus. To quote from Chapter 8, “In Exodus, Moses ascends the mountain into the presence of God and returns with the law, while in Acts, Jesus ascends into the heavenly presence of God and gives the Spirit.” The purposes of the church or gathering of believers that Jesus came to form is much like a healthy family where we love and support one another and care for those in need, sharing our resources as a primary expression of our love and worship of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
But what happens when there is conflict in the family? So many churches do not function in a healthy Christ-honoring way. What are we to do when we are hurt by the church? Dr. Imes explores healthy conflict resolution and outlines valid reasons for leaving churches. But she encourages us to “not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching” as Paul writes in his letter to the Hebrews, chapter10 verse 25.
In the last three chapters, Dr. Imes explores some of the challenges we face as Western Christians and how that has impacted our church formation and experience. She courageously challenges dysfunctions such as the drift to self-focus, racially isolating spaces and the focus on nation rather than the worldwide body of Christ. She calls the church to its commissioned purpose: to share the Gospel, to love one another well and serve those in need.
Dr. Imes’ final lines in this book are: “To become part of God’s family enlists us in the greatest cosmic conflict of all. By standing firm in the faith, united with other believers, we push back against the darkness that threatens to take this world captive.”
I highly recommend this thoughtful examination of what it means to be the church today.
During the pandemic, technology allowed many people to continue to attend church services virtually. Sitting on the couch in our jammies, sipping coffee, many people enjoyed the option of tuning in without having to shower, dress and drive to a physical location. Once the in-person restrictions eased, what percentage of people came back to the physical church? What impact has it had on how we view our relationship with the church?
These kinds of questions inspired Dr. Carmen Imes to write her new book, Becoming God’s Family, Why the Church Still Matters.
Dr. Imes is an associate professor of Old Testament studies at Biola University. She describes why the church mattered to God as he established the nation of Israel as a people set apart by Him for holiness. Yes, Dr. Imes is a highly educated scholar and a professor, but do not be intimidated - she is an excellent communicator for the everyday reader. Each chapter ends with a list of key ideas and a Digging Deeper section that lists additional resources. Each chapter also has QR codes that link to related short explainer videos created by BibleProject. Whether you are a fellow scholar or lay reader, Dr. Imes provides tools to enrich your learning experience.
Leading us through the formation/destruction/formation cycles of the history of God’s people in the Old Testament lays the groundwork for Dr. Imes’ description of the role of the church established by Jesus. To quote from Chapter 8, “In Exodus, Moses ascends the mountain into the presence of God and returns with the law, while in Acts, Jesus ascends into the heavenly presence of God and gives the Spirit.” The purposes of the church or gathering of believers that Jesus came to form is much like a healthy family where we love and support one another and care for those in need, sharing our resources as a primary expression of our love and worship of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
But what happens when there is conflict in the family? So many churches do not function in a healthy Christ-honoring way. What are we to do when we are hurt by the church? Dr. Imes explores healthy conflict resolution and outlines valid reasons for leaving churches. But she encourages us to “not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching” as Paul writes in his letter to the Hebrews, chapter10 verse 25.
In the last three chapters, Dr. Imes explores some of the challenges we face as Western Christians and how that has impacted our church formation and experience. She courageously challenges dysfunctions such as the drift to self-focus, racially isolating spaces and the focus on nation rather than the worldwide body of Christ. She calls the church to its commissioned purpose: to share the Gospel, to love one another well and serve those in need.
Dr. Imes’ final lines in this book are: “To become part of God’s family enlists us in the greatest cosmic conflict of all. By standing firm in the faith, united with other believers, we push back against the darkness that threatens to take this world captive.”
November 3, 2025
I looked forward to reading Carmen Joy Imes’ latest book, because I’m increasingly excited about God’s plans for his church in these increasingly dark times, and because I was intrigued by its title, Becoming God's Family. I’ll admit I didn't fully know what to expect; but I liked the idea that I was being invited – in the word ‘becoming’ – to join in a journey, an adventure, to find out about church, rather than analysing it from some third place.
To my surprise and delight (Though with hindsight I ought not to have been surprised with this author.) I found Dr Imes took readers right back to Genesis, and to Abraham, and began to unpack God’s big story. Her idea: to enable us to see the source and origins of what God’s intentions have been for his world, his creation and his people, since the beginning.
There’s great hope in this recounting. But there's a lot of realism too. Realism that what we see of church these days can fall short of what it ought to be; realism that along the way to date – since Abraham – there have been countless fallings short. Trouble ‘becoming God’s family’ is not a new thing. Dr Imes makes this clear, to encourage readers to have hope about the state of the church even now in our present generation.
This is a timely book. Writing from California, where she’s based, the author addresses all manner of contemporary issues and concerns, particularly those affecting the USA, but also applicable beyond if we care to see that. (I’m in the UK.) So for instance, the blight of individualism – a recurring theme – that serves to divide us from one another, the misguidedness of so-called ‘Christian’ nationalism and the limitations of the view that women may not preach in church, are carefully and persuasively pointed out and challenged. But note this: Dr Imes’ approach is always to make her points through the lens of God's intentions for his family, his church. That is her focus here.
I loved the reminders throughout, that God, at every turn, makes a way for his image bearers to be restored to him. I loved that ‘God can select anyone for his service regardless of family background,’ as he did with Samuel, and that Israel's ancestry has always included people accepted from other nations, a vivid reminder that purity based on nationhood is misguided.
Becoming God’s Family is the last of a trilogy by this author. I’ve not yet read the previous titles in the series. That didn’t seem to matter. This book stands alone very well. Dr Imes is a theologian. But here she presents herself as ‘one of us,’ making every effort to make her expertise accessible to the lay person. The book is divided into ten chapters. Each one is peppered with call-outs, and concludes with a summary of key ideas, and resources to help dig deeper, together with relevant supporting material from the Bible Project, and provocative discussion questions. Read it on your own by all means. Better still though, read it with others, and embody the idea of the church as a group project. Above all, engage with it to understand how and why God would break into this world from beyond, show up when his people gather, and enable us to participate with him to bear witness to something outside of our collective selves, to make all things new and as we wait and pray, as church, for an encounter that will change us and touch our world for good.
(I had the opportunity to read this book pre-publication, as part of the launch team.)
To my surprise and delight (Though with hindsight I ought not to have been surprised with this author.) I found Dr Imes took readers right back to Genesis, and to Abraham, and began to unpack God’s big story. Her idea: to enable us to see the source and origins of what God’s intentions have been for his world, his creation and his people, since the beginning.
There’s great hope in this recounting. But there's a lot of realism too. Realism that what we see of church these days can fall short of what it ought to be; realism that along the way to date – since Abraham – there have been countless fallings short. Trouble ‘becoming God’s family’ is not a new thing. Dr Imes makes this clear, to encourage readers to have hope about the state of the church even now in our present generation.
This is a timely book. Writing from California, where she’s based, the author addresses all manner of contemporary issues and concerns, particularly those affecting the USA, but also applicable beyond if we care to see that. (I’m in the UK.) So for instance, the blight of individualism – a recurring theme – that serves to divide us from one another, the misguidedness of so-called ‘Christian’ nationalism and the limitations of the view that women may not preach in church, are carefully and persuasively pointed out and challenged. But note this: Dr Imes’ approach is always to make her points through the lens of God's intentions for his family, his church. That is her focus here.
I loved the reminders throughout, that God, at every turn, makes a way for his image bearers to be restored to him. I loved that ‘God can select anyone for his service regardless of family background,’ as he did with Samuel, and that Israel's ancestry has always included people accepted from other nations, a vivid reminder that purity based on nationhood is misguided.
Becoming God’s Family is the last of a trilogy by this author. I’ve not yet read the previous titles in the series. That didn’t seem to matter. This book stands alone very well. Dr Imes is a theologian. But here she presents herself as ‘one of us,’ making every effort to make her expertise accessible to the lay person. The book is divided into ten chapters. Each one is peppered with call-outs, and concludes with a summary of key ideas, and resources to help dig deeper, together with relevant supporting material from the Bible Project, and provocative discussion questions. Read it on your own by all means. Better still though, read it with others, and embody the idea of the church as a group project. Above all, engage with it to understand how and why God would break into this world from beyond, show up when his people gather, and enable us to participate with him to bear witness to something outside of our collective selves, to make all things new and as we wait and pray, as church, for an encounter that will change us and touch our world for good.
(I had the opportunity to read this book pre-publication, as part of the launch team.)
October 29, 2025
Carmen Joy Imes has given us an exciting and prophetic book for this present time, which serves simultaneously to remind the church of our calling, and to remind our neighbors that they can join (or rejoin) the family of the good and gracious God who created and continues loving all people. In an age when we explore identity with a focus on individuality, it is strengthening and correcting for Christians to center on an identity that places us in the context of God’s family, the church. But if you’ve lost your way with church - or feel that churches have lost their way in practicing the love of God, you will be surprisingly refreshed by reading this book.
An Old Testament scholar, Carmen Imes can plumb intellectual depths without dryness in a way that is accessible for the average reader, giving a double dose of joy!
And just like a good church, this book is rich and hospitable; full of delicious stories with a fresh eye on scripture. Carmen Imes is an expert story-teller, and you won’t be disappointed to indulge in her retelling of the family dramas and dysfunctions through the biblical story arc. How does God respond when his people stray into false worship or neglect to depend on him? Recognize other themes that are fresh and highly relevant for our moment. See how some of our “trending” topics like political division and the harm of trauma have been in God’s sight all along.
Through retracing the stories of Yahweh’s faithfulness to Israel - the kind of stories that kindle love because they come from the heart of a loving God - Imes explores God’s nature as he relates to his people. Stories where renegades and outcasts become heroes. Stories of inclusion and redemption. Stories where God answers prayer - over and over again - in faithfulness to his family.
From scripture, Imes is also able to map out God’s norms and expectations for his chosen family. She’s able to clarify what our modern American evangelical churches are often missing. She shows us how God intends to bless us with ethnic and generational diversity, lots of family dinners, welcoming the stranger, caring for the poor, and purposefully moving forward the story of God’s kingdom coming in the redemption of Jesus Christ (who called himself “the Son of Man,” a way of placing himself right in the middle of the family!)
The author also judiciously includes some stories from her lived experience and her familiarity with modern churches, offering the credibility that gives hope and helps us identify God’s presence with us, even in the midst of messy realities. You will come away with evidence of God’s faithfulness and graciousness to all of humanity - and this will apply to your own story as well.
For you who are pastors, or on church steering committees - anyone looking for a vision to guide Jesus’ bride - Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters should be required (and will be relished) reading.
An Old Testament scholar, Carmen Imes can plumb intellectual depths without dryness in a way that is accessible for the average reader, giving a double dose of joy!
And just like a good church, this book is rich and hospitable; full of delicious stories with a fresh eye on scripture. Carmen Imes is an expert story-teller, and you won’t be disappointed to indulge in her retelling of the family dramas and dysfunctions through the biblical story arc. How does God respond when his people stray into false worship or neglect to depend on him? Recognize other themes that are fresh and highly relevant for our moment. See how some of our “trending” topics like political division and the harm of trauma have been in God’s sight all along.
Through retracing the stories of Yahweh’s faithfulness to Israel - the kind of stories that kindle love because they come from the heart of a loving God - Imes explores God’s nature as he relates to his people. Stories where renegades and outcasts become heroes. Stories of inclusion and redemption. Stories where God answers prayer - over and over again - in faithfulness to his family.
From scripture, Imes is also able to map out God’s norms and expectations for his chosen family. She’s able to clarify what our modern American evangelical churches are often missing. She shows us how God intends to bless us with ethnic and generational diversity, lots of family dinners, welcoming the stranger, caring for the poor, and purposefully moving forward the story of God’s kingdom coming in the redemption of Jesus Christ (who called himself “the Son of Man,” a way of placing himself right in the middle of the family!)
The author also judiciously includes some stories from her lived experience and her familiarity with modern churches, offering the credibility that gives hope and helps us identify God’s presence with us, even in the midst of messy realities. You will come away with evidence of God’s faithfulness and graciousness to all of humanity - and this will apply to your own story as well.
For you who are pastors, or on church steering committees - anyone looking for a vision to guide Jesus’ bride - Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters should be required (and will be relished) reading.
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