Christians know church is important, but sometimes it doesn't seem worth it. An eclectic assortment of people with differing personalities, political views, and parenting styles can make for awkward interactions and difficult connections. What's the point of putting in the tough work to build relationships? But the Bible says God's people ought to be bound together. It uses words like beloved, brothers and sisters, saints, and fellow laborers to describe their mutual relationship in the church. In this book, Megan Hill answers a common question of churchgoers: What's so great about the church? With rich theology, practical direction, and study questions for group use, Hill encourages and equips both first-time visitors and regular members to delight in being a part of the local church--no matter how messy and ordinary it seems today. It is only when God's people begin to see one another as the Lord sees them that they will truly find a place to belong.
Megan Hill is a pastor’s wife and a pastor’s daughter who has spent her life praying with others. She serves on the editorial board for Christianity Today and is a regular contributor to Her.meneutics and the Gospel Coalition.
In a world where church attendance has become optional, where church hurt is all too common, and where involvement often fades amidst the busyness of life, A Place to Belong by Megan Hill calls us back to God’s vision for the local church—a place where we belong, serve, and experience God’s transforming power through His people. This book is a passionate plea to love the church as God intends.
Megan’s writing is grounded in a deep love for God’s Word and His church. She doesn’t shy away from the challenges of church life—after all, the church is made up of imperfect people. Yet, Megan beautifully frames these struggles not as reasons to disengage, but as opportunities for growth. It’s easy to become frustrated with the small irritations—awkward conversations, differing opinions, and the imperfections of fellow believers—but Megan brings us back to God’s heart for the church: a reflection of His grace and a foretaste of heaven itself.
The strength of A Place to Belong lies in Megan’s ability to blend sound biblical teaching with practical wisdom. She provides a theological foundation for understanding the church’s role in God’s plan, while offering clear steps to engage and invest in the local church. Her chapter on the church as a foretaste of heaven is a beautiful reminder that, despite its messiness, the church is where God’s people gather to worship, serve, and grow together. Megan’s insights are both theologically rich and accessible, making this book a valuable resource for both new believers and seasoned church members.
One of the most encouraging aspects of this book is Megan’s approach to church membership and commitment. She emphasizes that being part of a local church isn’t about fulfilling an obligation—it’s about belonging to a community where you can serve and be served, grow in your faith, and help others grow as well. Through her own experiences, Megan shows how even small acts of service—whether cleaning the church bathrooms or sitting in the same pew each week—are part of God’s larger plan to advance His kingdom.
Megan doesn’t ignore the struggles that come with church life. She addresses the natural disillusionment that can arise from the imperfections we encounter, but she consistently points us back to the truth that, despite our flaws, God uses the church to display His glory. He is building His church, and we are privileged to be a part of it.
In the end, A Place to Belong is a beautiful reminder of why the local church is so vital. Megan’s writing is filled with grace and conviction, urging us to see the church as God does: as His beloved people, gathered to worship and serve. This book will inspire and encourage anyone who feels disconnected from their church family, calling them to re-engage with a renewed passion. Megan challenges us to love the church, even in its messiness, and to serve it with joy and gratitude.
God placed this book in my hands at exactly the right moment – after I surrendered everything on the receiving end regarding extreme, destructive ‘church hurts’ to Him, surrendering all to Him for Him to deal with as He saw fit. Since then, I’ve fully and completely invested in a new-to-me local church, and God has been blessing me and those around me beyond measure, week after week. Glory and praise to His Name!
I received a digital copy of A Place to Belong from the publisher via the Crossway Reviewer Program. I am not required to write a positive review in any way or for any reason. My honest and unbiased opinions expressed in this book review are my own. My review focuses on the writing style, pacing, content, and substance of this book, while also reflecting on how impactful it has been on me personally, ensuring transparency and reliability.
Thankfully, the particular composition of the church doesn't depend on us. Continuing the image of the church as a body, Paul writes, "But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose" (1 Cor. 12:18). The truth of 1 Corinthians 12 is that however it might appear, the people and gifts represented in our local church are exactly the people and gifts we need. - Page 80
A Place to Belong calls the focus of Christians back to the importance of the local church and reminds those of us living in an individualistic culture that we really can't do the Christian life alone.
Hill, using her own church experience as an example, brings light on some Scripture that I've read but had never thought of in quite that way before. She has the best explanation I've heard on the church as a connection to what is happening in heaven (chapter 3), the necessity of gifts throughout the body of Christ (chapter 5), partnering in ministry through prayer and offering (chapter 8), along with a very interesting section on eldership (chapter 4). I also thought she gave a great explanation on what it means that all believers are "called" by God.
I really enjoyed this book. For every instance where I’ve wanted to become a hermit because of the local church, I’ve opened my Bible to know I must be a part of the local church and love His Bride. This book is going to walk you through God’s ideal for His Bride, and how we imperfectly implement His ideal. As my favorite educational philosopher once said, “Do not let the endless succession of small things crowd great ideals out of sight and out of mind.” I’ve never really thought about how much that applies to the local church. So many leave the church over the endless succession of small things. This book was an encouragement to keep that Great Ideal ever before us.
From my commonplace:: “The people of our churches are precious to Him, His Holy ones, His brothers and sisters, His fellow workers. And the worship we offer is the worship He commands, leads, perfects, and tenderly accepts. In the unassuming gathering of the local church, we fellowship with Christ himself. Dear Christian, we have no greater privilege. In this life, however, these are sometimes veiled realities. Our churches continue to appear insignificant, our members continue to be weak and flawed, our worship continues to be imperfect and half-hearted, our fellowship continues to be plagued by selfishness and indifference, but the testimony of scripture is clear—Christ is even now making His church lovely and one day it will be absolutely perfect.”
I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend to anyone looking for more reasons to love the local church. Megan uses lots of scripture to detail how God has created the church to work but also to print us to the greatest reality of heaven. She artfully gives us a bigger vision for the church now and turns our gaze heavenward. Sometimes the examples from her own church experience in a smaller New England congregation felt hard to do in a larger church setting but the reality is that it just looks different. I loved how every chapter called us to action. Read this with someone as the discussion questions were hard to digest solo and sometimes awkwardly worded.
This is a good book! It sheds light on the many aspects of the local church reminding its readers that the local church is God’s design and gift to his people. This book encouraged me to continue to invest in my own local church and to encourage others to do so, as well!
Read for a discussion group. What I appreciated most about this book was the writer’s continual emphasis on how the “ordinary” aspects of being part of a church are spiritually significant and honor the Lord.
On her (Church)own, each believer reflects Christ in a small way, but, together as the church, we know the fullness of Christ who fills us. Not only does Christ fill the church, but the church is the fullness of Christ. Christ cannot be a head without a body; he cannot be a king without a kingdom; he cannot be a mediator without his people; he cannot be a redeemer without his church. The church is the irrefutable evidence of Christ's complete and effective atonement for his people.
The church may not be a place to belong for you, however that said being said, it is God's design for it to be. This text serves in many different ways. One is the purpose of the church. If you are looking for a church or have been dissatisfied, it may be the purpose has not been biblical on your part or the church you are attending. Another example of being in a place that you belong is the community that is being cultivated. Is it a place where you work together, eat together, pray together, confess together. There is no I but there is a together. Another way a place to belongs serves is making the community more Christ like. This can be messy and will be messy. This takes time and this takes a love that is for the good of another. There is no hidden agenda.
Megan Hill is a wonderful communicator as she demonstrates the community of believers she belongs to and how these believers incorporate the church worldwide. It is not a we vs them mentality. I was encouraged and my heart was captivated. It was also insightful in the scattering of the church as a judgment from God. In reading this, we are in the middle of Covid-19 and I see the prevalence in this. This may be the church opportunity to not lose the lamp of Christ. Highly recommend this for all Christians.
A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
What really is a church? How do you view your local congregation? And what’s your place in it? In this brief but succinct work on Ecclesiology, the author chief aim is that believers may come to treasure the church; locally, and universally, as it is the institution that’s beloved by God, who were called out of the world to be Christ’s bride from eternity past, for the purpose of worshipping their Lord and Saviour. In order to assist us live as a community, the Lord gave us elders to shepherd His flock so that they may be nurtured in the faith, both individually, and ultimately as a body, so that we may be able to serve each other since every part is important in the body. We’re also reminded that as saints, we were called to live holy lives just like Our God, and we chiefly grow in it as a congregation. Seeing that the church is an assembly, it’s key to practice meaningful biblical membership, since church life is only possible in a defined membership. As members, each of us are also part of the global missions, either as the sent ones, or the senders and thus we should be all see that missions is the mission of the church, thus we should desire to see the church grow through the salvation of others. Lastly, though we’re local churches, we are all part of the universal church, and we have a duty to our brothers in other churches. This is indeed a tremendous work that explains how the Gospel re-orients our view of the church, and as members, we should love our churches just as Christ loves it. I really encourage every believer, it was possible within their means to get and read this book.
An excellent book on the place and importance of the local church. In this age of digital church services, a timely reminder of how critical it is to be part of the body.
Come, belong to God's beloved. Come, join the people God has called. Come, take your seat. Come, receive care for your soul. Come, take your place. Come, be holy. Come, belong to the family. Come, we have work to do. Come, this is where you belong.
"In the unassuming gathering of the local church, we fellowship with Christ himself. Dear Christian, we have no greater privilege. In this life, however, these are sometimes veiled realities. Our churches continue to appear insignificant, our members continue to be weak and flawed, our worship continues to be imperfect and half-hearted, our fellowship continues to be plagued by selfishness and indifference. But the testimony of Scripture is clear: Christ is even now making his church lovely, and one day it will be absolutely perfect.
The church in eternity will appear more lovely, but it will not be more loved. And as we commit ourselves even now to the local church, we testify to this reality. Because Christ delights in the church, we delight in it. Because Christ calls it his own, we call it our own. Because Christ loves the church, we love it too. Week after week, we give ourselves for the good of the people whom God loves. And in eternity we will not be disappointed."
Makes the biblical descriptions of the people of God tangible through practical examples and helpful explanation. I have a greater appreciation for the ordinary aspects of church life and their significance for eternity.
This book was both deeply encouraging and sufficiently convicting. It served as a wonderful reminder of who we are as the bride of Christ. I highly recommend this for anyone who finds themselves struggling to understand or love the church!
This was an excellent book that really helped me and encouraged me in thinking about my relationship with the local church I’m a part of. After going through some hard times lately I was feeling discouraged in this area of life. But this book reminded me of the great importance of God’s church and His people. What an excellent and solid resource on this topic. My only complaint was that on the audio version the narrator said “chapter” and “verse” on every single biblical reference instead of saying book and chapter verse in sequence she inserted the words chapter and verse and that was irritating to listen to and rather tedious but that may just be me and my preferences. Content was excellent!
3.5 ⭐️ Biblically solid and easy to digest book on the local church. While I have a few nuggets I'll be taking from this, this book gives an overall idealistic picture of the local church and how it should function. Meaning, to be fair and honest, if you struggle with discontentment about your own church, this may not help and could make worse. The discussions our little group had though made the book feel more rich and full.
If you have grown up in the church… If you have left the/a church… If you have served in the church… If you haven’t figure out your spot in the church… If you deeply love the church… If you have been deeply hurt by the church… If you have questions about the church… If you wonder why Christ loves the church…
Then I commend this book to you. As someone that can answer YES to each question, I found Megan Hill’s book and encouragement to keep on pressing into a local church body and an exhortation to look at why we are to be pressed in with other like-minded believers. It is for our good and Christ’s glory! Some quotes that resonated with me:
“We might mistakenly think that we are closest to God when we worship him privately, but John’s experience teaches us that as important and intimate as time alone with the Lord may be, it can’t be compared to the privilege of corporate worship.” (p49
But…
“Worship is a spiritual activity, focused on the truth of God’s word. Its elements are outwardly unremarkable, and its effects—the glory of God, the salvation of sinners, the sanctification and comfort of God’s people—are largely invisible.” (p51)
“The same Jesus who left his disciples bodily and yet remained with them by his Spirit (John 14:18, 28) shows up for every worship service of those who call on his name. Jesus’s atoning work makes our prayers and praises acceptable to God, his presence encourages our weak faith, and his voice leads our songs.” (p55)
GLORY.
In light of the last several months where the church has had to move it’s congregating to online and acceptable socially distant ways of connecting, this book came to me at the right time as a reminder of why the body of Christ is good for us and glorious for the kingdom of God.
(Thank you @crossway for the free PDF of this book).
The cover is absolutely beautiful and the author brought out some very good points, such as - The purpose of the church or it's intended purpose that is, to build and edify the body of Jesus Christ.
That in a church that truly exists to serve the Lord and His people - there is to be no hidden agenda. The only goal, messy as it may be at times, is for the people in said church to be striving to become more Christ-like.
I also felt that the author, Megan Hill was insightful in her observations of the church as a whole.
***Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own.***
I felt like this book was just “fine”. It wasn’t necessarily anything new, and I think that’s maybe the point. The ordinary things of the church are more than they seem is the main point. My biggest issue was what the book wasn’t - it wasn’t very culturally relevant or sensitive. Definitely not a book for those who have experienced church hurt or disillusionment. And I just feel like it was a little narrow in its scope (from the perspective of one denomination and her experiences-fine, I suppose) while also being too zoomed out and idealistic.
3.5 stars. I thought the book painted a very idealistic picture of what the church should look like. I would have liked more realistic examples and practical ways to work through issues when they arise. Maybe that wasn’t her point in writing it… Discussing it in a group definitely made this book better for me.
I read this book with women who serve on our church’s event planning team. At first glance, the “house of God” is unremarkable. Just a regular gathering of ordinary people who are not much to look at. Megan Hill then proceeds to walk you through all the parts of the church: it is the BELOVED and the CALLED. It exists to WORSHIP. It is a FLOCK receiving care from shepherding elders. It is a BODY requiring the gifts and graces of every member. We learn to see members of the church as SAINTS, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, and GOSPEL PARTNERS. It is part of the heavenly MULTITUDE that is bigger than just itself.
A Place to Belong: Learning to love the local church by Megan Hill is a meaningful examination of nine terms used in the New Testament epistles to describe the church—Beloved, Called, Church, Flock, Body, Saints, Brother and Sisters, Gospel Partners, and Multitude. It is motivating to see the church as God sees the church and be prompted to embrace our role as part of it!
The best lay-level book I've read on the Church to date. Hill is an excellent writer—her stories are engaging, her writing is clear, and her work is compelling. I especially appreciated her section in each chapter where she traces its theme through the story of the OT people of God.
Had to kind of speed through this one in three days for a study, but I'd love to take longer with it another time - it's very convicting and thoughtful and brings up a lot of good points and ideas I'd never even considered before. Definitely recommend it.
Megan Hill is an excellent author and this book continues to show her gift. She grounds her argument in Scripture and provides numerous practical applications. I read this as part of a summer book club at my church which was wonderful for discussing and implementing what we've all learned.