Church Matters

by Gary Miller

God's original purpose for the church and why it matters

Genres: Inspirational

246 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Regan Burkholder]

Very well-written book. It is challenging and convicting pointing out flaws and strengths in church life. A very good read, I would highly recommend!

[Bree]

“𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑯𝒊𝒎.”

I have very mixed feelings about this book… While on one hand I feel like it had some really great points, I also feel like it was extremely Mennonite coded. Because I don’t feel like being Mennonite is the only way to have a proper church, I didn’t love that aspect of the book. Now, I don’t think that’s what the author intended, but that’s how it came across to me 🤷🏻‍♀️

Even with my mixed feelings, I would still recommend this as a good book to read at least once in your lifetime. It asks some really thought provoking questions about how you view church and what you’re doing with your church/Christian life. Definitely read this if you’re wanting to test where you’re at in living out the will of the Lord!

[Lavon Herschberger]

This author presents a easy-going and optimistic writing style while stepping on toes with precision. His views on church are quite conservative (I think he's German Baptist Brethren?), mirroring the values of the early church and Anabaptists of the 16th century.

Several of his examples come across a bit sheltered ("...he had some rough edges. I can still remember staring at the tattoo on his arm and discovering that he smoked." p. 220)

I didn't fully agree with his position on interacting with the surrounding culture, but I appreciated that he was willing to tackle a dicey subject. I also wish he would have addressed other issues that seem silent in our conservative churches, such as racism, political allegiances, and justice. To his credit, maybe they each deserve their own book.

He is not afraid to challenge the status quo found in many churches (maybe especially Anabaptist) such as materialism, hypocrisy, and business and in doing so, he never strays from the impetus: glorifying God through the church.

[Marvin Charles]

Very practical, easy to read book by Gary Miller.

[Stennett Eberly]

I actually read “Sidetracked” but it isn’t on Goodreads yet. Sidetracked is a wonderful book.

[Logan Hochstetler]

Great thought provoking book!

[Aurelia Mast-glick]

Definitely worth reading again!

[Dave Nisly]

Challenging!

[Samuel]

Read several years ago. Fantastic book on the real challenges and blessings of church life. Very helpful.