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Quit Church: Because Your Life Would Be Better If You Did
Let's face it. Church isn't working. We hear sermons about the abundant life Jesus promised, but how many of us are actually living it? How many of our churches are thriving? How many people in our congregations are experiencing God's blessings? Maybe it's time to call it quits.
Quit church? Well, not exactly.
Drawing from his experience coaching hundreds of churches toward true growth, Chris Sonksen calls on us to quit our casual, cultural commitment to church as we know it. No more half-hearted attempts to win the favor of God and other people by doing the right thing. No more doing things out of a sense of duty. Instead, Sonksen reveals the spiritual habits that release the blessings of God, both on each individual and on the church. He explains why we struggle to put these practices into action and gives practical solutions to move us forward into health, growth, and maturity.
Quit church? Well, not exactly.
Drawing from his experience coaching hundreds of churches toward true growth, Chris Sonksen calls on us to quit our casual, cultural commitment to church as we know it. No more half-hearted attempts to win the favor of God and other people by doing the right thing. No more doing things out of a sense of duty. Instead, Sonksen reveals the spiritual habits that release the blessings of God, both on each individual and on the church. He explains why we struggle to put these practices into action and gives practical solutions to move us forward into health, growth, and maturity.
160 pages, Paperback
Published June 5, 2018
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Did Not Finish
June 29, 2022I didn't read this but it bothers me that this book title says to quit church then the author recommends that we don't quit church. That's bait and switch.
Even more, it bothers me that the cover design is made to look like a book that was published years earlier... as if this book is intended to trick people into not reading the other book.
Quitting Church, by Julia Duin
This book is not Biblically based, according to reviews I read but it does address the issue of why people quit attending church, using statistics. The author worked as a religion editor for the Washington Times, which was founded by and is owned by the Moonies (Unification Church) and/or subsidiaries thereof (see the Washington Times Wikipedia page). I don't know whether the author ever considered herself a member of thatchurch cult. From her website it is clear she is well educated with many impressive journalistic credentials. Currently she's a contributing religion editor for Newsweek.
I can understand not wanting people to read the book but I don't appreciate the look-alike titles and covers, and the bait and switch tactic of Quit Church.
I won't be reading either book anytime soon.
I'm not giving Quit Church a star rating because I didn't read it.
Even more, it bothers me that the cover design is made to look like a book that was published years earlier... as if this book is intended to trick people into not reading the other book.
Quitting Church, by Julia Duin
This book is not Biblically based, according to reviews I read but it does address the issue of why people quit attending church, using statistics. The author worked as a religion editor for the Washington Times, which was founded by and is owned by the Moonies (Unification Church) and/or subsidiaries thereof (see the Washington Times Wikipedia page). I don't know whether the author ever considered herself a member of that
I can understand not wanting people to read the book but I don't appreciate the look-alike titles and covers, and the bait and switch tactic of Quit Church.
I won't be reading either book anytime soon.
I'm not giving Quit Church a star rating because I didn't read it.
June 6, 2018
I thought the title of this book a bit misleading. One that better represented the book would have been, Quit (taking your involvement in) Church (casually). This book is about your responsibility as a member of God's family and a local church. There is a definite emphasis on doing rather than being. For example, Sonksen says he believes what “...God wants from those who attend a local church: find a need and fill it.” (Loc 761/1694)
Sonksen wants Christians to experience victory in every area of life. Along with that is an emphasis on winning. For example, on giving, he writes, “God will bless those who obey him in their acts of generosity. That's how we win.” (Loc 540/1694) And writing about not leaving a church, “The Bible promises that you will receive honor when you show loyalty. It's simple: you win, the people around you win, and God wins when you show loyalty.” (Loc 393/1694)
I felt the chapter titles were misleading too. The chapter titled “Quit Giving Your Money Away” is really a reminder that it's not our money anyway. God owns everything. We are encouraged to be generous and are reminded that our tithe must go to the church we attend. The chapter titled “Quit Helping Out” is actually an admonition to do our part in the church, such as we do in our own family.
Suppose you have been hurt by the church, perhaps even the church you presently attend. You will find no help to heal in this book. Sonksen writes that he is sorry that happened and says, “You need to seek help to walk through the emotions of this pain. You need to get to the other side of it. I am not saying it will be easy, but you need to do it.” (Loc 1315/1694)
I was an individual who was very active in church, teaching twice a week while also serving on the church board, much to the detriment of my own spiritual life. So I have difficulty liking this book. I feel there is much more to an intimate relationship with the Father than being busy in your local church and laughing at your pastor's jokes even when they're not funny. (Loc 1231/1694)
If you want a book that encourages you to be committed to your local church and very active in it, this book is for you. If you are looking for a book to help you with your own spiritual life and an intimate relationship with the Father, you will need to look elsewhere.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Sonksen wants Christians to experience victory in every area of life. Along with that is an emphasis on winning. For example, on giving, he writes, “God will bless those who obey him in their acts of generosity. That's how we win.” (Loc 540/1694) And writing about not leaving a church, “The Bible promises that you will receive honor when you show loyalty. It's simple: you win, the people around you win, and God wins when you show loyalty.” (Loc 393/1694)
I felt the chapter titles were misleading too. The chapter titled “Quit Giving Your Money Away” is really a reminder that it's not our money anyway. God owns everything. We are encouraged to be generous and are reminded that our tithe must go to the church we attend. The chapter titled “Quit Helping Out” is actually an admonition to do our part in the church, such as we do in our own family.
Suppose you have been hurt by the church, perhaps even the church you presently attend. You will find no help to heal in this book. Sonksen writes that he is sorry that happened and says, “You need to seek help to walk through the emotions of this pain. You need to get to the other side of it. I am not saying it will be easy, but you need to do it.” (Loc 1315/1694)
I was an individual who was very active in church, teaching twice a week while also serving on the church board, much to the detriment of my own spiritual life. So I have difficulty liking this book. I feel there is much more to an intimate relationship with the Father than being busy in your local church and laughing at your pastor's jokes even when they're not funny. (Loc 1231/1694)
If you want a book that encourages you to be committed to your local church and very active in it, this book is for you. If you are looking for a book to help you with your own spiritual life and an intimate relationship with the Father, you will need to look elsewhere.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
July 20, 2018
So really this book is not about quitting church, because that would be unbiblical, it would be a big red flag!! This author makes several great points on why to attend, be a part of church, serve at the church, etc.. All which were great, but I didn't necessarily agree with some of his reasons and the why. I had to share a couple of them with my husband, and he said if that be the case, they should preach on that, because you would have every man sitting in a pew. So as much as I like this authors points and reasonings, some of it just didn't fall into what I have learned in God's Word. I could be wrong, I am not perfect, not an expert. So you may just need to read it yourself and determine. I did gain some good information from it and some things to think about. The book does have some sarcasm in it, so if you like that kind of thing (which I tend to do, because I am a bit weird y'all), it may be a book you find interesting and can relate and chuckle too. Maybe I struggled with it a bit too because I am reading it from not a leader standpoint, and more of a church attending standpoint, though I feel it is geared towards both readers. But in all seriousness, being a member of a church is a big deal and the Word of God is the best place to read more.
Here are a few notes from it I did take in, NOTE I don't agree with them all:
If we are believers and we attend a local church, we are not guests in that church. We are part of a family: God's family. Just as kids have responsibilities in their family, so we as Christians have a responsibility to serve, to give our time, and to make our talents and gifts available for the advancement of God's kingdom and of the church we attend.
If we are committed to Christ, then we have to be committed to our spiritual family. You can't separate the two.
You can give and not be a Christ follower, but you can't follow Christ and not give.
There are not only spiritual benefits that God showers on us when we exercise dependability to his house; there are practical ones as well. Studies show the beneficial effects of church attendance: longer life expectancy, higher quality of living, better sex lives. ~ Hmmm???
Here are a few notes from it I did take in, NOTE I don't agree with them all:
If we are believers and we attend a local church, we are not guests in that church. We are part of a family: God's family. Just as kids have responsibilities in their family, so we as Christians have a responsibility to serve, to give our time, and to make our talents and gifts available for the advancement of God's kingdom and of the church we attend.
If we are committed to Christ, then we have to be committed to our spiritual family. You can't separate the two.
You can give and not be a Christ follower, but you can't follow Christ and not give.
There are not only spiritual benefits that God showers on us when we exercise dependability to his house; there are practical ones as well. Studies show the beneficial effects of church attendance: longer life expectancy, higher quality of living, better sex lives. ~ Hmmm???
June 30, 2018
I'm a little torn on this one. To me, it felt like the author basically took many topics in the Bible related to church that the church isn't doing today and instead of explaining why we should do these things, he spun it in a way that we should "quit not doing them" (if that makes sense in a semi-double negative sort of manner). I understand what the author is trying to do, however, I was hoping for a different approach than what was taken when it comes to the reason of why we should "quit not doing" certain things.
There are a few points that I didn't quite agree with, like how he quotes and uses Jeremiah 29:11 - albeit a very common and loved manner to handle this verse, it is out of context. Plus, he quotes a very well known pastor from the Houston area who I'm not a big fan of, which feels like he is associating to the prosperity gospel approach in my opinion.
In addition, each chapter ends with a section about how "you win" if you do a certain thing and how "your church wins" if you do it also. For me personally, this felt more like the prosperity gospel approach fo how it's about us and benefits from God rather than doing something because God has asked or directed us to do it in Scripture. I'm not saying the author is or is not part of that movement, however, with how this was written, it gave me that feeling as I was reading it.
Overall, there are some very good points that the author makes and the book is actually written very well. I really did enjoy the interjection of humor and personal illustrations that the author makes. It was not a hard book to read. I just felt that the motivation that was presented for changing our approach to church was incorrect.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this review from Baker Books and all opinions are my own.
There are a few points that I didn't quite agree with, like how he quotes and uses Jeremiah 29:11 - albeit a very common and loved manner to handle this verse, it is out of context. Plus, he quotes a very well known pastor from the Houston area who I'm not a big fan of, which feels like he is associating to the prosperity gospel approach in my opinion.
In addition, each chapter ends with a section about how "you win" if you do a certain thing and how "your church wins" if you do it also. For me personally, this felt more like the prosperity gospel approach fo how it's about us and benefits from God rather than doing something because God has asked or directed us to do it in Scripture. I'm not saying the author is or is not part of that movement, however, with how this was written, it gave me that feeling as I was reading it.
Overall, there are some very good points that the author makes and the book is actually written very well. I really did enjoy the interjection of humor and personal illustrations that the author makes. It was not a hard book to read. I just felt that the motivation that was presented for changing our approach to church was incorrect.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this review from Baker Books and all opinions are my own.
October 14, 2018
Summary: A challenge to quit a half-hearted commitment to church for lives of discipleship in six areas.
Chris Sonksen wants us to quit church. "Oh no!" I thought. "Another one of these emerging church types!" But I was intrigued as well--the title was a good hook for me. I was curious to find out what Sonksen was up to.
It turns out that what Sonksen wants is for us to quit our casual approaches to church. Quitting means saying no to particular ways of living in order to embrace a life of discipleship. Doing so will be a win both for us, and for our churches, that releases the blessings of God. He outlines six areas where we need to consider quitting and embracing whole-hearted, whole life discipleship:
Quit expecting our churches to be heaven on earth and criticizing and gossiping against pastors and church leaders. Embrace a life of prayerful support, turning away from judgmentalism and gossip.
Quit giving away your money when you can and commit to tithing, trusting God to provide.
Quit helping when you can and find places to serve where the church's and the world's need and your gifts and passions meet. Disciples don't wait to be asked.
Quit hoping that people will come to church, and to Christ through the initiative of others. Pray for and invite them yourself. There are people we know who need the Lord and God wants us to be part of that--investing, inviting, and including them.
Quit stopping by church when it is convenient and commit to weekly worship. Our lack of consistency robs us, robs others, and undermines the momentum of our church.
Quit having, or being a "church friend," someone whose relationships with others is a superficial weekly greeting, chat, or wave, and engage deeply with a smaller group of friends.
One chapter addresses each of these "quits" and in plain language spells out how our casual commitment is deadly to us and the church, and the "wins" we experience when we exchange this casual approach for a committed discipleship. The author shares his own journey, most memorably for me in his brief shared gym membership with former NBA star Ricky Berry. One day the two of them were alone in the gym, and Chris felt repeated promptings from God to speak to Berry, but did not, feeling awkward about approaching the celebrity. A few hours after leaving the gym, he learned of Berry's suicide, and vowed never to say "no" to a prompting from God again to be an agent in his saving purposes.
There was part of me that felt "is that it? It all seems so simple." And then I realized that it is not. I've seen the phenomena Sonksen talks about of inconsistent church attendance, throwing a few dollars in the offering, and helping out when one can. But I also worried about the "church busyness" that I have seen of people doing all the things Sonksen commends, but not experiencing a vital relationship with Christ. I do think this comes as we put feet to our walk with Christ in these ways, but the focus here seemed more on the personal and church wins achieved. This also felt very "church-centric," focused around support of pastor and church leadership, attendance, church programming, and giving. I would have loved to seen a chapter on "quitting the sacred-secular split" and whole-heartedly serving Christ in the places most of us spend most of our waking hours--our work.
That is in no way to detract from the importance of quitting casual "churchiness" and unhealthy practices to embrace a more biblical involvement with one's fellow believers. This is a good book for those longing for "something more" in their participation in the life of the body and his checklist at the end a good resource for self-examination as to whether we've become casual in our faith and need, in our own ways to "quit church" for something better.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Chris Sonksen wants us to quit church. "Oh no!" I thought. "Another one of these emerging church types!" But I was intrigued as well--the title was a good hook for me. I was curious to find out what Sonksen was up to.
It turns out that what Sonksen wants is for us to quit our casual approaches to church. Quitting means saying no to particular ways of living in order to embrace a life of discipleship. Doing so will be a win both for us, and for our churches, that releases the blessings of God. He outlines six areas where we need to consider quitting and embracing whole-hearted, whole life discipleship:
Quit expecting our churches to be heaven on earth and criticizing and gossiping against pastors and church leaders. Embrace a life of prayerful support, turning away from judgmentalism and gossip.
Quit giving away your money when you can and commit to tithing, trusting God to provide.
Quit helping when you can and find places to serve where the church's and the world's need and your gifts and passions meet. Disciples don't wait to be asked.
Quit hoping that people will come to church, and to Christ through the initiative of others. Pray for and invite them yourself. There are people we know who need the Lord and God wants us to be part of that--investing, inviting, and including them.
Quit stopping by church when it is convenient and commit to weekly worship. Our lack of consistency robs us, robs others, and undermines the momentum of our church.
Quit having, or being a "church friend," someone whose relationships with others is a superficial weekly greeting, chat, or wave, and engage deeply with a smaller group of friends.
One chapter addresses each of these "quits" and in plain language spells out how our casual commitment is deadly to us and the church, and the "wins" we experience when we exchange this casual approach for a committed discipleship. The author shares his own journey, most memorably for me in his brief shared gym membership with former NBA star Ricky Berry. One day the two of them were alone in the gym, and Chris felt repeated promptings from God to speak to Berry, but did not, feeling awkward about approaching the celebrity. A few hours after leaving the gym, he learned of Berry's suicide, and vowed never to say "no" to a prompting from God again to be an agent in his saving purposes.
There was part of me that felt "is that it? It all seems so simple." And then I realized that it is not. I've seen the phenomena Sonksen talks about of inconsistent church attendance, throwing a few dollars in the offering, and helping out when one can. But I also worried about the "church busyness" that I have seen of people doing all the things Sonksen commends, but not experiencing a vital relationship with Christ. I do think this comes as we put feet to our walk with Christ in these ways, but the focus here seemed more on the personal and church wins achieved. This also felt very "church-centric," focused around support of pastor and church leadership, attendance, church programming, and giving. I would have loved to seen a chapter on "quitting the sacred-secular split" and whole-heartedly serving Christ in the places most of us spend most of our waking hours--our work.
That is in no way to detract from the importance of quitting casual "churchiness" and unhealthy practices to embrace a more biblical involvement with one's fellow believers. This is a good book for those longing for "something more" in their participation in the life of the body and his checklist at the end a good resource for self-examination as to whether we've become casual in our faith and need, in our own ways to "quit church" for something better.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
September 6, 2018
So this isn't really a title you would expect to find on a Christian bookshelf, is it? Quit church? Huh? You mean like don't go anymore? No that is not at all what this book means. If I'm completely honest, I'm not entirely sure what the whole "quit church" means, but I definitely get the pieces of our life we should quit. And I think the big meaning is to not just show up at church on Sunday morning, consider your duty done and then check out. Chris wants you to be fully engaged, to consider yourself an owner of the church. Owners take much more responsibility for their business than an employee does.
A few things we should quit:
Quit Expecting to Wake up in Heaven. In other words, life isn't perfect, church isn't perfect, so get over it and make it the best you can. Be loyal
Quit Giving Your Money Away. What? Well, think about it, that money isn't yours to begin with, so start thinking of it as God's money and start giving God's money away. Tithing is highly stressed in this chapter. And really, how many people have you seen give and give and give and not get rewarded?
Quit helping out. Your service is expected, don't think of it like helping out as a guest. You thank a guest, your own home chores are expected and that is how it should work in the church.
I'll stop there. I'm butchering the ideas too much in these little sound bytes or blog bytes. But there was some good food for thought. These chapters ended with ways that you win and ways that God wins when we are willing to quit our preconceived notions or ideas and go with doing life God's way.
One quote from him yet: "The Lord expresses his desire for us to be a "tribe", to believe in each other, love each other, care for each other, and connect with each other."
I really enjoyed this book and was challenged to change my mindset. I received this book from Baker Books and was not required to write a positive review.
A few things we should quit:
Quit Expecting to Wake up in Heaven. In other words, life isn't perfect, church isn't perfect, so get over it and make it the best you can. Be loyal
Quit Giving Your Money Away. What? Well, think about it, that money isn't yours to begin with, so start thinking of it as God's money and start giving God's money away. Tithing is highly stressed in this chapter. And really, how many people have you seen give and give and give and not get rewarded?
Quit helping out. Your service is expected, don't think of it like helping out as a guest. You thank a guest, your own home chores are expected and that is how it should work in the church.
I'll stop there. I'm butchering the ideas too much in these little sound bytes or blog bytes. But there was some good food for thought. These chapters ended with ways that you win and ways that God wins when we are willing to quit our preconceived notions or ideas and go with doing life God's way.
One quote from him yet: "The Lord expresses his desire for us to be a "tribe", to believe in each other, love each other, care for each other, and connect with each other."
I really enjoyed this book and was challenged to change my mindset. I received this book from Baker Books and was not required to write a positive review.
August 17, 2018
3.5 stars
"The Creator created us to need each other." (116)
Quit church. Now tell me, how many of you have thought of it? In honesty, I have. There were just so many reasons I've given my independent self in the past, and I'm sure it's one of those things that most if not all fellow brothers and sisters go through at some point. Right? If I'm off based, then good for you. Back in the day, I've wished there's some one or some book that can understand my thoughts, understand why and feed some insight to me. In truth, the young me was a bit embarrassed to broach this topic with others at church, and dears, that's the very point. It really shouldn't be about church, per se, but the community, the relationship. I'm going off tangent from the purpose of this post. This is a review post of course, but I wanted to give y'all a bit of background on how I felt I understood this topic.
Quit Church: Because Your Life Would be Better if You Did by Chris Sonksen spoke the words we thought, at least I did in the past. That brings the other point, that it really is timeless, because we at some point will go through the same doubts, same thoughts and same stagnant facade we put forth.
"You are not responsible for other people's responses; you are responsible only for your own." (35)
Quit Church shares with us not ideals, but looking at church from a different perspective - not what it can do for us, but rather what we can do for others. It's about giving, but also about community. It's when you realize these two, you'll be able to find the fulfillment you seek. At least this is my take. In all, a great book to read and share.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.
"The Creator created us to need each other." (116)
Quit church. Now tell me, how many of you have thought of it? In honesty, I have. There were just so many reasons I've given my independent self in the past, and I'm sure it's one of those things that most if not all fellow brothers and sisters go through at some point. Right? If I'm off based, then good for you. Back in the day, I've wished there's some one or some book that can understand my thoughts, understand why and feed some insight to me. In truth, the young me was a bit embarrassed to broach this topic with others at church, and dears, that's the very point. It really shouldn't be about church, per se, but the community, the relationship. I'm going off tangent from the purpose of this post. This is a review post of course, but I wanted to give y'all a bit of background on how I felt I understood this topic.
Quit Church: Because Your Life Would be Better if You Did by Chris Sonksen spoke the words we thought, at least I did in the past. That brings the other point, that it really is timeless, because we at some point will go through the same doubts, same thoughts and same stagnant facade we put forth.
"You are not responsible for other people's responses; you are responsible only for your own." (35)
Quit Church shares with us not ideals, but looking at church from a different perspective - not what it can do for us, but rather what we can do for others. It's about giving, but also about community. It's when you realize these two, you'll be able to find the fulfillment you seek. At least this is my take. In all, a great book to read and share.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.
July 11, 2018
Quit Church- Chris Sonksen
I was instantly intrigued by the title- Quit Church: Because your life would be better if you did. It was not what I was expecting (but I am not sure what I was expecting). Sonksen encourages his readers to examine the way we approach our faith and instead of continuing to do what we’re doing- going through the motions of church, quit, and reignite ourselves. His ideas come from the recognition that often in life if we want positive results we need to quit something negative and change it to something positive (i.e to lose we weight we need to quit eating junk food and start eating healthier food and exercising). We need to quit the apathy, quit the excuses, quit the halfhearted giving and engage fully. Its sort of the idea of needing to jump off the boat to walk on water. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of reading this book, while not being watered down. At times his methods seem overly simplistic and unrealistic for the average church but he does challenge readers/faithful servants to examine deeper how they approach faith. I’d recommend this book and give it 4/5
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
I was instantly intrigued by the title- Quit Church: Because your life would be better if you did. It was not what I was expecting (but I am not sure what I was expecting). Sonksen encourages his readers to examine the way we approach our faith and instead of continuing to do what we’re doing- going through the motions of church, quit, and reignite ourselves. His ideas come from the recognition that often in life if we want positive results we need to quit something negative and change it to something positive (i.e to lose we weight we need to quit eating junk food and start eating healthier food and exercising). We need to quit the apathy, quit the excuses, quit the halfhearted giving and engage fully. Its sort of the idea of needing to jump off the boat to walk on water. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of reading this book, while not being watered down. At times his methods seem overly simplistic and unrealistic for the average church but he does challenge readers/faithful servants to examine deeper how they approach faith. I’d recommend this book and give it 4/5
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
August 4, 2018
I received Quit Church a few weeks ago to review. It's written by Chris Sonksen. Quit Church is NOT a book about quitting church. At first, I saw the title, and I thought, "What?"
The author is writing about quitting our casual, cultural commitment to church. He talks about things we are supposed to do, but we may do it half baked. For example, you may not tithe because you don't have the extra money.
Chris inspires you to reflect and find out why you don't have the money. We're supposed to trust God to provide for us. Are you in debt? Probably. He really calls out why we are not commiting 100% to God and gives ideas on how we can fix that.
I don't lead a church, and I do think the book is written for leaders in the church; however, any of us could really use a kick in the pants to get real with ourselves about why we don't attend church like we should or why we don't serve like we should. I'm guilty myself. I wont get into my excuses, but they are just excuses.
I liked it, and probably my favorite part was the discussion about giving and trusting the Lord with our finances. I myself am on a tight budget, and a lot of that is my own fault. I'm slowly trying to dig myself out of the hole I've dug, and I do pray God help me get out. I also work a lot. So don't think I'm praying and not actually doing my part.
The author is writing about quitting our casual, cultural commitment to church. He talks about things we are supposed to do, but we may do it half baked. For example, you may not tithe because you don't have the extra money.
Chris inspires you to reflect and find out why you don't have the money. We're supposed to trust God to provide for us. Are you in debt? Probably. He really calls out why we are not commiting 100% to God and gives ideas on how we can fix that.
I don't lead a church, and I do think the book is written for leaders in the church; however, any of us could really use a kick in the pants to get real with ourselves about why we don't attend church like we should or why we don't serve like we should. I'm guilty myself. I wont get into my excuses, but they are just excuses.
I liked it, and probably my favorite part was the discussion about giving and trusting the Lord with our finances. I myself am on a tight budget, and a lot of that is my own fault. I'm slowly trying to dig myself out of the hole I've dug, and I do pray God help me get out. I also work a lot. So don't think I'm praying and not actually doing my part.
July 22, 2024
Oof. Where do I begin?
There are some good nuggets in this book, like the chapter on reaching out to the community and "investing" by using our "relational capital" to walk in the Great Commission.
On the other hand, the author's exegesis is super weak. Many scriptures are taken out of context. Worse, this book is written from the standpoint of middle-class America, so the viewpoint is very narrow. Note to author: Not every church has a coffee shop, mission trips aren't just to "underprivileged countries", and our relationship with God isn't transactional (e.g. "you bless God with X and He rewards you"). The whole "This is how your church wins" and "This is how you lose" along with some of the other writings borders on a prosperity gospel.
There are many other problems with this offering and I won't go into exhaustive detail. Suffice it to say: there are more downsides with this book than upsides.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book. Again, there are some good nuggets and high points, but a reader must do too much filtering of incomplete or poor doctrine to get to those good bits. And, there are many other really GOOD books that cover the same material. I suggest readers seek those books out instead of this one.
There are some good nuggets in this book, like the chapter on reaching out to the community and "investing" by using our "relational capital" to walk in the Great Commission.
On the other hand, the author's exegesis is super weak. Many scriptures are taken out of context. Worse, this book is written from the standpoint of middle-class America, so the viewpoint is very narrow. Note to author: Not every church has a coffee shop, mission trips aren't just to "underprivileged countries", and our relationship with God isn't transactional (e.g. "you bless God with X and He rewards you"). The whole "This is how your church wins" and "This is how you lose" along with some of the other writings borders on a prosperity gospel.
There are many other problems with this offering and I won't go into exhaustive detail. Suffice it to say: there are more downsides with this book than upsides.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book. Again, there are some good nuggets and high points, but a reader must do too much filtering of incomplete or poor doctrine to get to those good bits. And, there are many other really GOOD books that cover the same material. I suggest readers seek those books out instead of this one.
June 13, 2018
This was an interesting book. Just the title itself catches your attention, because what Christian is actually encouraged to quit church? When you listen to the sermons, none of them. I could see a non-believer walking past this book and shouted "Amen!".
But alas, the title of the book isn't necessarily quite what it is made out to be. Instead, Sonksen is encouraging us to look deep within and understand why you are going to church. Go outside of just warming a pew but becoming involved.
I do think there was some introduction of new age philosophy mingled in, and if you aren't aware of such, then it wouldn't be a problem for you. I'm just more aware than some people. And in those instances where I stumbled across them (I'll have to find the page I'm talking about), it was just a bit discerning.
But all in all, it was an interesting read and prompted you to think beyond as to why you went to church. Why you are doing the things that you are doing. But as for the title, yes it's eye catching. I didn't "love" it, but found it to be good.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Baker Books, and was under no obligation to post a review.
But alas, the title of the book isn't necessarily quite what it is made out to be. Instead, Sonksen is encouraging us to look deep within and understand why you are going to church. Go outside of just warming a pew but becoming involved.
I do think there was some introduction of new age philosophy mingled in, and if you aren't aware of such, then it wouldn't be a problem for you. I'm just more aware than some people. And in those instances where I stumbled across them (I'll have to find the page I'm talking about), it was just a bit discerning.
But all in all, it was an interesting read and prompted you to think beyond as to why you went to church. Why you are doing the things that you are doing. But as for the title, yes it's eye catching. I didn't "love" it, but found it to be good.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Baker Books, and was under no obligation to post a review.
June 9, 2018
I loved reading Quit Church by Chris Sonksen! This book was fantastic! Was the title misleading? Maybe a little, but the content was spot on. The church needs to change or the culture will continue to influence the church, will continue to rapidly decline.
Rather than "quitting church" Chris talks to pastors and their staff about how to fill the church! This book is full of great ideas and ways to engage people, change the culture and climate of the church as well as staying faithful to God. He talks a lot about being blessed by God and being faithful. When you are faithful, God will bless you back.
One thing that is missing from this book, which I think has huge weight is the message of Jesus and how He is the one who saves. I think God wants to bless us all and even when we aren't faithful, God will still be faithful to us because of Jesus. I think there are a few doctrine concerns I have about this book, but the overall message of this book was good. I would recommend this to someone in a church setting.
Rather than "quitting church" Chris talks to pastors and their staff about how to fill the church! This book is full of great ideas and ways to engage people, change the culture and climate of the church as well as staying faithful to God. He talks a lot about being blessed by God and being faithful. When you are faithful, God will bless you back.
One thing that is missing from this book, which I think has huge weight is the message of Jesus and how He is the one who saves. I think God wants to bless us all and even when we aren't faithful, God will still be faithful to us because of Jesus. I think there are a few doctrine concerns I have about this book, but the overall message of this book was good. I would recommend this to someone in a church setting.
August 20, 2018
Book Review: “Quit Church” by Chris Sonksen
“Quit Church” was a great book. The title was intriguing from the start so it was a book that I looked forward. I was expecting it to be a book of ultimatums, “Unless you’re going to _________, quit church,” and that was not what it was. It would up being a book with a positive perspective challenging people to take their involvement in the church to the next level.
As a pastor there are many things we’d like to say to the people sitting in our seats that we know will not be received well. Chris does a good job saying a lot of those things while keeping it positive. This is a book that I hope more people who call themselves Christians will read and consider applying. I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I don’t consider it a “every Christian needs to read” but is definitely an “every Christian should consider reading” type book.
“Quit Church” was a great book. The title was intriguing from the start so it was a book that I looked forward. I was expecting it to be a book of ultimatums, “Unless you’re going to _________, quit church,” and that was not what it was. It would up being a book with a positive perspective challenging people to take their involvement in the church to the next level.
As a pastor there are many things we’d like to say to the people sitting in our seats that we know will not be received well. Chris does a good job saying a lot of those things while keeping it positive. This is a book that I hope more people who call themselves Christians will read and consider applying. I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I don’t consider it a “every Christian needs to read” but is definitely an “every Christian should consider reading” type book.
July 1, 2018
“What do you need to quit?” “What do you need to start?”
This is a short, helpful book that really helps one take a look at what we do and why we do it, specifically in church. There are some things we do, “because we’ve always done them,” not because they are helpful, effective, or even good.
Sometimes we need to quit something that is faulty in order to do something right or effective. Sometimes we need to quit something good in order to do something that is best.
This book helps reframe why we do what we do and is a book I’d recommend to everyone who is unhappy with “Church” and every pastor or church leader who is feeling a tension and asking “why do we do this particular thing?” This book may just give you the courage to put tradition aside, quit doing what you’ve always done, and begin doing what is most effective and actually works.
This is a short, helpful book that really helps one take a look at what we do and why we do it, specifically in church. There are some things we do, “because we’ve always done them,” not because they are helpful, effective, or even good.
Sometimes we need to quit something that is faulty in order to do something right or effective. Sometimes we need to quit something good in order to do something that is best.
This book helps reframe why we do what we do and is a book I’d recommend to everyone who is unhappy with “Church” and every pastor or church leader who is feeling a tension and asking “why do we do this particular thing?” This book may just give you the courage to put tradition aside, quit doing what you’ve always done, and begin doing what is most effective and actually works.
July 24, 2018
In Quit Church, pastor and author Chris Sonksen encourages the reader to do exactly that:quit church. His definition of “quitting church” is probably different from most people’s. Sonksen is trying to convince the reader to quit their casual, halfhearted,“business as usual” church.
Sonksen focuses on six key areas in which believers need to “quit”. These chapter titles are just as provocative as the book title: Quit Expecting To Wake Up In Heaven, Quit Giving Your Money Away, Quit Helping Out, Quit Hoping People Will Come, Quit Stopping By, and Quit Your Church Friends. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend reading it.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sonksen focuses on six key areas in which believers need to “quit”. These chapter titles are just as provocative as the book title: Quit Expecting To Wake Up In Heaven, Quit Giving Your Money Away, Quit Helping Out, Quit Hoping People Will Come, Quit Stopping By, and Quit Your Church Friends. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend reading it.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 24, 2019
The writing style is very readable and well done. I was able to read the entire book in less than a day and the writing style is engaging and interesting. My biggest complaint with the book is that the author pre-supposes that your local church is doing a good job at proclaiming the gospel and managing their resources and that the core problem is just the church members not participating/engaging enough. This is not always a safe assumption. I've seen churches where a large infusion of money or volunteer energy is squandered on things that doesn't help the church achieve it's end goals of helping others.
February 15, 2019
This book is a call to action for those who are expecting church to do it all for you. It's akin to learning everything in school and your parents, experiences having no impact on who you are and what you learn. Sonksen's idea of quitting church in the traditional sense and being part of the greater church through service in your daily life and not expecting church, your pastor or Bible study to be the only things to shape your Christian experience will offend those who expect church to be the end all be all. Life is not spent only within the walls of the church.
January 7, 2020
I believe that the teachings in this book, not only pertain to our relationships with the church. There are areas in my life that I need to "quit", and in doing so, I will benefit in my spiritual growth. A simple read that certainly questions your actions and motives.
I love the Waipara New Life Church that I belong to and the wonderful ladies in the Women's Meeting each week. You folks "rock"! You've shown me community at its best!
I love the Waipara New Life Church that I belong to and the wonderful ladies in the Women's Meeting each week. You folks "rock"! You've shown me community at its best!
November 17, 2018
Great book, we have become a society of mindless doers. It really is time to stop playing church
October 28, 2021
It calls us to more than a casual approach to church.
February 21, 2019
Not exactly what the title implies but an interesting read. Basically he's telling us to quit doing what we're doing and mix it up a bit, do it a little differently, reach out, invite, enlarge your circle of friends. And of course, spread the Word.
July 12, 2022
Five stars for helpful in correcting my attitude toward the local church.
December 28, 2019
I was provided a print copy of Quit Church by Chris Sonksen for review.
The subtitle of this book is "Because Your Life Would Be Better If You Did", so we start out with a semi-clever attempt to draw in readers who might not be interested in the real topic: how to make church more effective. I'm not much in favor of tricking readers into looking at a particular book, but decided to give it a look anyway.
Church attendance is down, can't argue that point. So, we get many attempts to help local churches to change how they do things in order to put more people in the seats. This has become a new buzzword in the field. On Goodreads alone, type "quit church" in the search bar and you get 33 entries.
We have new spin put on old ideas, bottom line; you all suck and if you'd do what I say, God will bless you abundantly. Even the foreward says: "Read Quit Church and do what it says" and "If you want the people in your church to have transformational encounters with Jesus, read Quit Church and do what it says." The arrogance astounds me. How about: Read the Bible and do what IT says. Taking a pop culture attitude is part of the problem, not the solution. Present the Word of God honestly and clearly, do what the Bible teaches and God in his wisdom will see to the rest.
As you can probably tell this book did not appeal to me. As an elder at my church I would not bring this attitude to our church family.
The book is well organized and does hide some cogent points within the pop-culture presentation, so I can't fault it there. But I think you can tell which book I will read and follow.
The subtitle of this book is "Because Your Life Would Be Better If You Did", so we start out with a semi-clever attempt to draw in readers who might not be interested in the real topic: how to make church more effective. I'm not much in favor of tricking readers into looking at a particular book, but decided to give it a look anyway.
Church attendance is down, can't argue that point. So, we get many attempts to help local churches to change how they do things in order to put more people in the seats. This has become a new buzzword in the field. On Goodreads alone, type "quit church" in the search bar and you get 33 entries.
We have new spin put on old ideas, bottom line; you all suck and if you'd do what I say, God will bless you abundantly. Even the foreward says: "Read Quit Church and do what it says" and "If you want the people in your church to have transformational encounters with Jesus, read Quit Church and do what it says." The arrogance astounds me. How about: Read the Bible and do what IT says. Taking a pop culture attitude is part of the problem, not the solution. Present the Word of God honestly and clearly, do what the Bible teaches and God in his wisdom will see to the rest.
As you can probably tell this book did not appeal to me. As an elder at my church I would not bring this attitude to our church family.
The book is well organized and does hide some cogent points within the pop-culture presentation, so I can't fault it there. But I think you can tell which book I will read and follow.
August 30, 2025
I was attracted to the book because of the title. After reading it, I found it somewhat gimmicky and focused on winning rather than being in the presence of something transcendent. Borderline waste of time.
Read
June 6, 2018Today there is a startling problem within the Church of America. About 10% of the American population are leaving the church, yet staying faithfully orthodox in their beliefs within Christianity. However, Chris Sonksen’s book Quit Church is not actually about that. Instead, Sonksen decided to use the term “quit church” in a bit of an oxymoronic form. Basically, what Sonksen is doing with this book is telling pastors, as well as their congregants, how to actually fill their pews with more people. In this post, I will be reviewing Chris Sonksen’s book—thanks to the guys at Baker Books—I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers http://www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksb... program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa....
Chris Sonksen is the pastor and co-founder of South Hills Church based out of California. Sonksen’s church is not just a church, it’s multiple churches. South Hills Church is in several cities, states, and a few territories of the US. Sonksen has written several books and started the Church BOOM ministry (an online program designed to help pastors grow their churches and ministries).
In Quit Church Sonksen begins with an analogy, one that I actually liked. Sonksen travels a lot, by a lot I mean A LOT. Sonksen explains that there is this organization within airport terminals known as the Admirals Club Lounge. When Sonksen was laid over he ran into a friend who was taking the same flight. Sonksen’s friend saw him sitting in an uncomfortable chair out in the terminal. He invited Sonksen to the Admirals Club Lounge, which Sonksen thought was for pilots. Upon his entrance into the Club, Sonksen found out that it was for those who fly several more times than the usual airport visitor. Sonksen also found out that he had been a member of the Club for years, unbeknownst to him. Once he checked into the Club, he was met with wonderous comfort. Sonksen quickly explains this is how many Christians live their lives within Christianity, they just tough it out in the uncomfy seats when there is something better for them in the Club.
Unfortunately, this is where I began to lose interest in his book. The something better Sonksen promises are not the Gospel or sanctification, it is God’s blessings. Sonksen’s argument throughout the whole book is that if you want God’s blessings for your life, then you must quit church (Sonksen 2018, 24-25). By quitting church, as in stop being religious, you begin to receive God’s blessings. The very first chapter, however, is not about gaining God’s blessing. Sonksen changes gears immediately. He labels the first chapter “Quit Expecting to Wake Up in Heaven.” Sonksen immediately begins to tell another anecdote, this time it’s about a cranky man who does nothing but complain, which caused everyone around him discomfort and fear. Sonksen then links this with the people in our current culture, in America, who complain about anything and everything in the Church—these people then leave the church for the next one down the street, in some cases right next door (Ibid., 29-34). Sonksen spends the rest of this chapter telling his people that Church is not heaven and to stop expecting it to be. Sonksen also argues for people to stay in their churches, love their church families, and support their pastors and leaders (Ibid., 29-43).
Unfortunately, Sonksen commits one of the more basic fallacies in Christianity. Throughout Sonksen’s book, the argument given is in the fallacy of negating the antecedent. This fallacy looks like this: If P, then Q. Therefore not P, then not Q. Also, If not P, then not Q. Therefore, If P, then Q. To put Sonksen’s words to it, then it would like this:
If you do not want to be blessed by God then stop going to your church, tithing, volunteering, witnessing, attending every service, and definitely do not develop a community.
Therefore, if you want to be blessed by God, then stay loyal to your church, tithe, volunteer, witness, attend every service there is, and develop a community within the church.
Or—If you don’t want God to bless you, then continue doing Church your way.
Therefore, if you want God to bless you, then quit Church.
This is not the only fallacy Sonksen commits. Throughout his conclusion, in order to drive his point home, he commits the fallacy of oversimplification, appealing to emotion, along with complex questions. In short, Sonksen’s view of Christianity, put through in this book, seems to be a superficial one. Behind all of Sonksen’s complex questions is how to make your Church bigger. In our Church culture, along with the unchurched culture and those leaving the Church altogether, this is not the correct question, it needs to be—How will Christ change and deliver you from addictions, alcohol/drug abuse, porn, sexual affairs, and spousal/family abuse? However, none of these are even discussed in Sonksen’s book. Inside this book, sadly, is the preaching of the Prosperity Gospel (only it is repackaged and made to sound better than what is currently taught by the likes of Osteen). The true message of the Gospel, which is not delivered in this book, is that Jesus came to save us from our sins—the very ones which placed us under God’s wrath. Jesus did not come to give us health, wealth, and a prosperous church. In my honest review, I would not recommend this book to anyone. Baker Books has been one of the leaders in Evangelical resources. It is a shame to me that they allowed this book to be published under their name. However, I still trust Baker Books to continue to give Gospel-centered material.
C. B.
The Bearded Scholar
Chris Sonksen is the pastor and co-founder of South Hills Church based out of California. Sonksen’s church is not just a church, it’s multiple churches. South Hills Church is in several cities, states, and a few territories of the US. Sonksen has written several books and started the Church BOOM ministry (an online program designed to help pastors grow their churches and ministries).
In Quit Church Sonksen begins with an analogy, one that I actually liked. Sonksen travels a lot, by a lot I mean A LOT. Sonksen explains that there is this organization within airport terminals known as the Admirals Club Lounge. When Sonksen was laid over he ran into a friend who was taking the same flight. Sonksen’s friend saw him sitting in an uncomfortable chair out in the terminal. He invited Sonksen to the Admirals Club Lounge, which Sonksen thought was for pilots. Upon his entrance into the Club, Sonksen found out that it was for those who fly several more times than the usual airport visitor. Sonksen also found out that he had been a member of the Club for years, unbeknownst to him. Once he checked into the Club, he was met with wonderous comfort. Sonksen quickly explains this is how many Christians live their lives within Christianity, they just tough it out in the uncomfy seats when there is something better for them in the Club.
Unfortunately, this is where I began to lose interest in his book. The something better Sonksen promises are not the Gospel or sanctification, it is God’s blessings. Sonksen’s argument throughout the whole book is that if you want God’s blessings for your life, then you must quit church (Sonksen 2018, 24-25). By quitting church, as in stop being religious, you begin to receive God’s blessings. The very first chapter, however, is not about gaining God’s blessing. Sonksen changes gears immediately. He labels the first chapter “Quit Expecting to Wake Up in Heaven.” Sonksen immediately begins to tell another anecdote, this time it’s about a cranky man who does nothing but complain, which caused everyone around him discomfort and fear. Sonksen then links this with the people in our current culture, in America, who complain about anything and everything in the Church—these people then leave the church for the next one down the street, in some cases right next door (Ibid., 29-34). Sonksen spends the rest of this chapter telling his people that Church is not heaven and to stop expecting it to be. Sonksen also argues for people to stay in their churches, love their church families, and support their pastors and leaders (Ibid., 29-43).
Unfortunately, Sonksen commits one of the more basic fallacies in Christianity. Throughout Sonksen’s book, the argument given is in the fallacy of negating the antecedent. This fallacy looks like this: If P, then Q. Therefore not P, then not Q. Also, If not P, then not Q. Therefore, If P, then Q. To put Sonksen’s words to it, then it would like this:
If you do not want to be blessed by God then stop going to your church, tithing, volunteering, witnessing, attending every service, and definitely do not develop a community.
Therefore, if you want to be blessed by God, then stay loyal to your church, tithe, volunteer, witness, attend every service there is, and develop a community within the church.
Or—If you don’t want God to bless you, then continue doing Church your way.
Therefore, if you want God to bless you, then quit Church.
This is not the only fallacy Sonksen commits. Throughout his conclusion, in order to drive his point home, he commits the fallacy of oversimplification, appealing to emotion, along with complex questions. In short, Sonksen’s view of Christianity, put through in this book, seems to be a superficial one. Behind all of Sonksen’s complex questions is how to make your Church bigger. In our Church culture, along with the unchurched culture and those leaving the Church altogether, this is not the correct question, it needs to be—How will Christ change and deliver you from addictions, alcohol/drug abuse, porn, sexual affairs, and spousal/family abuse? However, none of these are even discussed in Sonksen’s book. Inside this book, sadly, is the preaching of the Prosperity Gospel (only it is repackaged and made to sound better than what is currently taught by the likes of Osteen). The true message of the Gospel, which is not delivered in this book, is that Jesus came to save us from our sins—the very ones which placed us under God’s wrath. Jesus did not come to give us health, wealth, and a prosperous church. In my honest review, I would not recommend this book to anyone. Baker Books has been one of the leaders in Evangelical resources. It is a shame to me that they allowed this book to be published under their name. However, I still trust Baker Books to continue to give Gospel-centered material.
C. B.
The Bearded Scholar
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