Igreja é essencial: redescobrindo a importância do corpo de Cristo

by Collin Hansen, Jonathan Leeman

Precisamos da igreja mais do que nunca

Atualmente, igrejas enfrentam uma série de questões difíceis — pandemia, polarização política e muito mais. Talvez você se pergunte se vale a pena se comprometer com uma comunidade local. Não é menos problemático acompanhar o culto online? “Igreja é Essencial” nos leva a redescobrir que a igreja é mais do que apenas uma transmissão ao vivo; ela é uma comunhão essencial do povo de Deus promovendo a missão de Deus.

Genres: Christian, Church, Theology, Ecclesiology, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Christianity

180 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2021

About the author

Collin Hansen is editorial director for The Gospel Coalition and was previously an associate editor for Christianity Today. He has written for Books & Culture, Leadership, and Christian History & Biography, and is the author of Young, Restless, and Reformed.

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is written to restore Christians to the church after COVID lockdowns sent them away from it. Most of the book is good, and is reminiscent of Jonathan Leeman's earlier works on the church. Unfortunately, the book is significantly tainted by two things.

First, the book is written by two men that have, by and large, accepted the prevailing COVID narrative from the government and media. It was excusable at first, to have such a view, but it is unacceptable today, two years later. Both writers tip their hat to the COVID lie in the introduction, and repeatedly throughout the book. The evidence now overwhelmingly demonstrates that COVID was purposefully overhyped from the beginning. See Alex Berenson's book "Pandemia" for example. The government and media together, suppressed evidence that COVID was not the threat they claimed it to be from the beginning. To perpetuate this lie today is entirely inexcusable and undermines the credibility of those still willing to live the lie.

Secondly, I still remember quite clearly Jonathan Leeman's article admonishing John MacArthur's article defending their decision to reopen Grace Community Church when the government had, by decree, closed the churches. If it were up to Leeman, Grace Community Church, and so many others, would have remained closed for more than a year. Writing a book about the importance of the church after having taken such a prior position, without publicly repenting of his prior position is appalling hubris.

So while most of the rest of the book is good, the book is packaged in falsehood and hypocrisy. Why should Christians who left the church, at the prompting of men such as Leeman and Hanson, return now, when they urge them to come back? The church's COVID response was a failure of Christian leadership. Leeman and Hanson accept no responsibility for this, nor do they even acknowledge this failure. The good in this book is severely compromised by the bad.

Jeff Wright has written an excellent review here: https://www.servantsandheralds.com/bo....

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent. Coauthored books are really tough to pull off well. Collin and Jonathan did an excellent job. As a church-planting pastor, I’m thrilled this book exists.

[H.b. Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. It is a helpful resource for church leaders and members in a post-pandemic world. Unbelievers and believers need to rediscover the church, as it is an essential part of the Lord’s redemptive work in the world. Elders, seasoned Christians, new believers, and even curious unbelievers will benefit from reading this book.

[Ana Paula Nunes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro nescessário! Indico demais para leitura em grupos da igreja! Leiam e espalhem esse livro

[sincerely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um, it was fine. Is it what I expect from Crossway? No. Was it terrible? No! But I don't know that I would necessarily recommend it, especially after doing some research on Leeman's responses to covid (which is mentioned ad nauseum...ironically *not* his responses, just the virus). Trust is mentioned several times, and I gotta say...he doesn't have mine. You can look up his responses to John MacArthur's covid handling and his actions during covid and make your own judgments.

The book is conversational and highly readable, offering easy analogies that are great for dialogue with others. But, the conversational tone became careless in a few places where more deliberate wording and thought should have been applied. For example, telling readers "don't go church shopping" because you're clearly just in it to see what the church can do for you, not what you can do for the church...well, this is frankly just not true. "Church shopping" (I'm not even sure what that means really) is a great way to understand IF you CAN serve a church. Realizing that there is not a place for you to serve in a church is a pretty integral part of considering joining a church and should absolutely be "shopped."

Another silly comment was made about being "uncomfortable" with those who think or vote differently than us. Yawn. You know what? In 2023 I am uncomfortable with people who think and vote differently than I, because I think the lines have pretty clearly been drawn. I'm not afraid or ashamed to admit that, and I wish more people would. We are entitled to our standards, beliefs, worldviews, convictions, etc and I would say looking at society today - Christians young and old need to get comfortable with being unapologetically uncomfortable with the world.

Here is a good review of the book:
https://www.servantsandheralds.com/bo...

I regret my time with this one. Oh well, next!
*audiobook

[Josh Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many books on the church. Books on what is the church, what we should do at church, what is a healthy church, and so on. However, I have not read as succinct as a book as this in regards to why the church is essential today. The authors invite the reader to rediscover the importance of the church gathering while combating the drift away from local, in-the-flesh gatherings. Although there is a healthy pushback to the onset & popularity of online church in the book, they recognize that the drift from commitment to a local church has been ongoing for quite sometime before the recent COVID pandemic only furthered this trend.

There were so many good truths presented I found myself underlining, commenting, and making notes throughout the entirety of the book. I already love the church! I surrendered to the ministry from the business world years ago, went to Bible college, and then walked away from a well-paying job to fulfill the calling God had for me in pastoring a church. Therefore, the authors were preaching to the choir in me! However, there is a HUGE need for this truth to be shared to those today who don't either sense the importance of the local church or whose view of the church has been diminished.

Hansen & Leeman, the authors, break down the following definition of a church and focuses on each truth chapter-by-chapter (see below):

The church is a group of Christians (chapter 2)
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
who assemble as an earthly embassy of Christ's heavenly kingdom (chapter 3)
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
to proclaim the good news and commands of Christ the King (chapter 4);
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
to affirm one another as his citizens through the ordinances (chapter 5);
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
and to display God's own holiness and love (chapter 6)
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
through a unified and diverse people (chapter 7)
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
in all the world (chapter 8),
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
following the teaching and example of elders (chapter 9).

Illustrations are always helpful in teaching & presenting truth and this book has a good share of them. Several of the topics presented are topics I am not well-versed in myself (church discipline & a plurality of elders). As a pastor of a local, new testament Bible-believing church myself, we really don't have any structure in place for church discipline and we do not practice a plurality of elders. However, I have been reading on these topics and searching the Scriptures as of late and this book has helped me further along in the importance of these doctrines being implemented and practiced in the local church.

Some of the most helpful items in the book were the short diagrams which illustrated truths the authors were sharing. These are simple, yet powerful diagram and I can see myself using them in the future to illustrate these truths as I pass them along to others.

The following are some excerpts that were helpful to me:

Quotes from the INTRODUCTION
"Simply put, a Christian without a church is a Christian in trouble."

"God does not invite us to church because it's a comfortable place to find a bit of spiritual encouragement. No, he invites us into a spiritual family of misfits and outcasts. He welcomes us into a home that's rarely what we want yet just what we need."

"If you have repented of your sin and believed the good news of Jesus's death and resurrection, you all belong to Christ - and one another."

Quotes from chapter 1, WHAT IS A CHURCH?
"Good preaching...faithfully reveals the Bible and changes the eyes of your heart, helping you see the world from God's perspective, not your own."

"Preaching...wasn't the only thing the Holy Spirit used to draw me into the church. He also used the people."

"Heaven touches down on planet earth through our gathered churches."

"Biblical repentance also has a corporate dimension. In my case, it meant abandoning my life as an unattached, autonomous individual. It meant joining a family and taking responsibility for that family."

Quotes from chapter 2, WHO CAN BELONG TO A CHURCH?
"The first time we were born, we inherited sin from our parents, going all the way back to the original rebellion of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3). That's why we must be born again, so that we will not die without hope. We need to be saved from the consequences of sin which are eternal death and separation from God our Creator."

"Without conversion, without being born again, there is no church to rediscover."

"Conversion can happen inside or outside the church. It can be a solitary experience or one you share with friends and peers. But it should always result in you linking together with a church."

"In adoption, a child gets new parents. But he also gets new siblings. When he becomes a son, he also becomes a brother - two new but distinct relationships. When you become a son, you snag a spot in the family photo next to your siblings. And that's what happens in conversion. Your Father puts you in the family photo with your new kin."

Quotes from chapter 3, DO WE REALLY NEED TO GATHER?
"What makes gatherings so powerful? The fact that you are physically there."

"Gatherings change lives, change cultures, change the world. They're powerful."

"Sometimes people like to say that 'a church is a people, not a place.' It's slightly more accurate to say that a church is a people assembled in a place. Regularly assembling or gathering makes a church a church."

"Regularly gathering together is necessary for a church to be a church, just like a team has to gather to play in order to be a team."

"When church is only online, we can't feel, experience, and witness those truths becoming enfleshed in the family of God, which both fortifies our faith and creates cords of love between brothers and sisters. Virtual church is an oxymoron."

"It's no surprise that virtual, or internet, church is growing in popularity. It's convenient and - honestly - it allows you to avoid messy relationships."

"Yes, gathering with the church can be inconvenient, but so is love. Relationships are messy, but so is love. Vulnerable conversations are scary, but so is love. The push toward the virtual church, we fear, is a push to individualize Christianity."

"Gathered churches are embassies of heaven. An embassy is an officially sanctioned outpost of one nation inside the borders of another nation."

Quotes from Chapter 4, WHY ARE PREACHING & TEACHING CENTRAL?
"We get up and gather with the church weekly because that's where we hear from the divine King - his good news and his counsel for our lives."

"The preacher's authority covers all God has said but does not go beyond what God has said."

"We must not equate good advice with divine authority. The sermon is not the place for human reflections but divine power."

"As you rediscover church, you're looking for preachers who will not just make you depend on them for hidden biblical insights, but will show you how to teach yourself the Word. The best preachers don't make you marvel at their own skill. They show you God's glory as seen in his Word."

"Too many topical messages risks eroding preachers' authority by tempting them to tweak the Bible's meaning to make their points. It's better, we believe, to make the steady diet of the church expositional sermons, which expose the text by making the point of the biblical passage the point of the message."

"Preaching that moves sequentially week after week through verses and chapters of the Bible also lets God, not the preacher, set the agenda."

"The best preacher for you is the preacher who is faithful to God's Word."

"As you rediscover church, look for preachers who love you enough that they know how to both cut and stitch you up as necessary, like a good surgeon. Look for ones who know they derive their authority from the King of kings, whose good news and counsel they proclaim. They don't just want a slice of your paycheck. They aim to set an example for you and not merely impress you with their learning and charisma."

Quotes from chapter 5, IS JOINING ACTUALLY NECESSARY?
"To offer a definition, church membership is a church's affirmation and oversight of a Christian's profession of faith and discipleship, combined with the Christian's submission to the church and its oversight."

"Our membership in the universal church cannot remain an abstract idea. It it's real, it will show up on earth - in real time and space with real people."

"If the Spirit is in you, you want to commit to Christ's body."

"A church isn't declaring with all certainty that someone is a non-Christian when it removes him or her from membership. Churches don't have Holy Spirit X-ray-vision eyes that can see someone's heart. Instead, a church is saying, "We are no longer willing to publicly affirm your profession of faith. That particular sin in your life, which you refuse to let go of [criteria 1] and about which the facts are not in dispute [criteria 2], is significant enough [criteria 3] to undermine the credibility of your profession."

"Church discipline isn't about punishment or retribution any more than a failing grade in a classroom is. The point of discipline, like a failing grade, is to push people toward repentance."

"God doesn't regard love and discipline at being at odds, but teaches that love motivates discipline."

"You can say you're loving, but if you're not walking according to truth but are taking delight in what God calls evil, apparently you're not as loving as you think you are."

"In the Bible, love (like faith) leads to obedience, and obedience is a sign of love (and faith)."

"Sometimes people pit so-called 'holiness churches' against 'loving churches.' That's impossible. A church must be both of those or it is neither of them."

"Passages such as Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 don't offer us pictures of God doing something new or different. They present us a quick glimpse of what God has always done. He has always removed sin from his presence. God excluded Adam and Eve from the garden when they sinned. He excluded the fallen world from Noah's ark. He excluded the Canaanites from the promised land, and eventually he excluded his own people from the land, too."

Quotes from Chapter 7, HOW DO I LOVE MEMBERS WHO ARE DIFFERENT?
"The church that gets noticed by the world brings together people who don't normally associate-the tax collectors and zealots, the sinners and Pharisees. That's what made the early church so strange that some said it had turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6)."

"The body is a fellowship of differents. We are not all alike, and we need each other."

Quotes from Chapter 8, HOW DO WE LOVE OUTSIDERS?
"Grace comes from God to all who ask by faith. It is not held in storage by the church and dispensed at the leaders' behest. You don't need the church to be born again, but you need the church's help to walk on your wobbly legs of fledgling faith."

"Every outsider is welcome in church and invited to become an insider by faith."

Quotes from Chapter 9, WHO LEADS?
"The short description of a pastor's job is that he is to equip you to do your job."

"Each part of the body has work to do. We all participate in the project of building up the body in love. And pastors teach and train us for this work."

"If Jesus tasks members with affirming and building up one another in the gospel, he tasks pastors with training them to do this. If the pastors don't do their jobs well, neither will the members."

"A pastor's or elder's ministry of equipping centers on his teaching and on his life."

"The picture Paul provides for both Timothy and Titus is the slow, patient, day-to-day, repetitious work of seeking to grow people in godliness. An elder doesn't force but teaches, because a forced act of godliness is no godliness at all. A godly act is willfully chosen from a regenerate, new covenant heart."

"Elders don't only teach. They also must set an example for the flock in their lives."

"The difference between an elder and a member, though formally designated by a title, is largely a difference of maturity, not class. Like a parent with a child, the elder constantly works to call the member up and into maturity."

"Speaking figuratively, he demonstrates how to use the hammer and saw, then places the tools into the member's hands. He plays the piano scale or swings the golf club, then asks the member to repeat what he has done. To be a pastor/elder, you might say, makes one's whole life an exercise in show-and-tell."

"If the work of an elder is to lay down a way of life that every Christian can follow, churches benefit from having more than just one."

"The New Testament never tells us how many elders a church should have, but it consistently refers to the 'elders' of a local church in the plural."

"Being together with people ordinarily grows trust, while absence tempts our hearts toward worry, skepticism, and even fear."

"A church that cannot gather and that has low reserves of trust is like a car with an engine that is running low on oil."

"Find a church where you can trust the pastors enough that you'll allow them to challenge you when necessary. Don't just look for a church that will confirm everything you already know."

"Speaking as a pastor, I would rather someone leave my church because he doesn't trust me, even if I am convinced he is wrong and I am right, so that he can, over time, grow in godliness somewhere else."

"It is more important for people to be under leadership they trust than to be under my leadership."

Quotes from the Conclusion
"If you don't seek the good of others, you learn to judge the church for how it fails to meet your needs and how others fail to reach out to you. Neither of us has ever seen people rediscover church and get what they want from the community unless they consistently show up and ask others how they can help."

[Maverick Glaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great resource for those trying to understand the purpose and reason in dedicating themselves to a local church, and a great reminder of how and why the church functions based on biblical foundation.

Thank you for this free gift Alex Wood.

[Brian Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good! Very simply and well written, a book you could hand to any church member. Hansen and Leeman present a beautiful and captivating vision of the local church. "Our assembled local chuches represent God's presence with man--where heaven comes to earth" (p. 48).

I read this as I prepared to preach on Hebrews 10:23-25 at our local church in Brazil.

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timely resource for Christians and a good popular-level introduction to what the church is and why gathering matters. And to know that Crossway has given 300,000 copies of this book for free to pastors gladdens my heart.

[Carsten Kates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome little ecclesiology book. It views church through a post-Covid world lens so we can be reminded that church is like really sweet and good. I will faithfully attend church this Sunday🫡🫡🫡🫡

[Ligia Rus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very useful reminder about why attending a church is essential. Rediscovering church is what our generation of confused christians so desperately needs.

[Sam Knecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

I plan to give this to my teenage sister. I wish I had a book like this when I was a freshman in college. It should be helpful to younger or newer Christians who haven’t thought much about the church, their responsibilities as a believer, or how God intends to grow them in their faith.

The two authors walk through the definition of what a church is, and that leads to numerous short helpful descriptions of some daunting topics: church discipline, church leadership and abuse, whether the Bible is God’s Word.

I’d recommend getting two copies and reading this book along with any young or new Christian.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

L’Eglise locale est une réalité merveilleuse. Si ce n’est pas votre expérience, je vous encourage à lire ce livre (quand il sortira en français dans quelques mois !). Il vous aidera à redécouvrir pourquoi chaque chrétien a besoin de l’Eglise locale, et pourquoi l’Eglise locale a besoin de lui. Vivre cela est la meilleure chose que nous puissions faire pour le bien de notre vie chrétienne - et pour le bien de celle des autres.

[Bri Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with a lot of the content in the book. It was a quick read when I finally made the time to read. The premise: the Church is essential. I’m convinced of the message, but that was true before I opened the book.

I’m having a hard time imagining the long-term value of this book…but I sure might be wrong someday. Maybe I’ll need far more convincing down the road than I think & God could so kindly use this book to humble me. It seems timely for the where the world is at now: on the up and up from a global pandemic, in the middle of political, racial, and every other division etc etc. The book uses plenty of scripture to help readers “Rediscover Church.” Maybe it’s because I work for a church and started a ministry job at the peak of the pandemic that I personally don’t feel like I need convincing, or maybe it’s pride. For today, the book was good. I finished the book more thankful for the church family I’m apart of.

[Jordan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 9Marks content on ecclesiology is 🔥, so I was excited to see Jonathan and Collin write a book reminding us why church is essential. To know and be known by your local church is a great privilege. As the conclusion suggests, “you may not get the church you wanted. But you get the church you never knew you needed.”

This following advice from Collin to new church members is so simple, yet makes all the difference in participating with purpose:

“I promise that if they show up consistently (in our church, that means corporate worship on Sunday and home group on Wednesday) and seek to care for others, they will get everything they want out of the church. That could be spiritual growth, friendships, biblical knowledge, or practical help. They will get whatever they want from the church by fulfilling just those two simple tasks.”

[Devin Moncada · Rating 5 out of 5]

A steroid shot on what a healthy church looks like and why it’s important. Short, helpful chapters.

As a pastor, I found this helpful to boost how I disciple members and others to think about the church. I’ll steal some of their ideas in my next membership interview. This book would also be great for a small group and for someone discipling a believer that’s new to the faith or returning to church. Honestly, anyone who reads this will be bettered by it. The book is time stamped as a response to COVID, but that event has shaped us so much that it won’t detract from the book for a long time.

One of my favourite lines is about the promise the author gives to all potential new members of the church: “I promise that if they show up consistently (in our church, that means corporate worship on Sunday and home group on Wednesday) and seek to care for others, they will get everything they want out of the church.” 100%

[Bob O'Bannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure we really need another book on the importance of the church, but this volume is set apart in that it seeks to respond to very recent troubles created in the church by political division and the pandemic controversy. So while there is really nothing new here (Christians need to gather physically; preaching is important to the life of the church; congregations are led by elders and deacons; discipline is actually a loving thing to do), it mostly manages to feel fresh because of our current cultural context. When a society is rocked by seismic changes, it’s natural to wonder if the old truths are still as true as they used to be. This book reminds us that they are: the church is still where “heaven touches down on planet earth” (p.25), which is where every Christian needs to be.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

"The best preacher for you is the preacher who is faithful to God's Word."

"Membership isn't just a status. It's an office or a job - and you're expected to show up for work."

"A healthy church has leaders who are trustworthy but also people who are willing to trust."

This was published in 2021, mainly as a reflection/a needed reminder as to why church is so essential in the wake of the pandemic. There are many good things in here that we need reminders of if we are part of a local church.

[Grace Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“And so again and again, the church needs to be rediscovered. This is because we’re all prone to forget what God wants for us.

No one gets the church they want. But everyone gets the church they need. We all need churches that call us to something greater than ourselves. We need churches that call us finally to God. When we follow the example of Jesus, we get the church we need.”

[Caelyn Caivano]

this book really exemplified its subtitle of explaining why the body of Christ is essential—a really helpful read that gave the overarching role of the church and prioritized it’s importance in the life of a believer

[Titus Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an incredible deep book however it was packed with scriptural references. On the topic of the church it was informative without being complicated. It had two chapters that I appreciated most which were on church discipline and membership.

[Jennifer Trzeciak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read and well done, though not particularly relevant to me. This book is written to those who need to rediscover church and its importance after being away for so long due to the pandemic.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a good fly-over summary of ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church) for the layperson. Many evangelicals had already lost an understanding of the importance of the church, but it seems that COVID has made a book like this all the more crucial. This book would be good for any church member, for those considering church membership, and for those opposed to the notion of church membership.

[Tori Samar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, I didn’t go into this book with much excitement. My primary thought was, “What does this book have to say about the church that I don’t already know?” (What pride.) But that’s not really the point of this book anyway, is it? We’re not here to discover the church but to rediscover the church. So no, I didn’t really need this book to teach me something new (though as it turns out, it did help me clarify my thinking on several points). But I did need it to help me remember and more deeply internalize what I have known for a long time about the church. The hardships of the pandemic certainly made me more grateful for the gift of meeting in person regularly with my church and having a group of believers whom I can love and serve and who do the same for me, and this book only added to the gratitude.

[Linzmkned · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book put words to truths that I knew but couldn't adequately articulate. It's a good read!

[Thomas Brunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Essential" was a hot button topic term that you may find in the 2020 year textbook. It was, perhaps, one of 2020's most used words. Ironically though, in actuality, not many things are truly essential, but as believers in Christ, we know Christ is essential, and so is our participation in the church. Our discipleship growth is necessary, and the church provides the tools for that. If we don't have the tools we need, we will not grow as we ought. This book is short, but it doesn't really need to be any longer. I enjoyed reading pastors and (co) authors, Jonathan Leeman and Collin Hansen draw from their insights, pastoral and experiential wisdom on the necessity of the church in the life of a Christian. These days, especially in our Western culture and in the Modern church, there is a big focus, in particular, on individualism. It's important that we understand the balance between individualism and corporate/public devotion. So much so that, some people probably think all they literally need is a personal relationship with Christ, but no church. If we aren't careful, we can easily divorce what is supposed to bless and enrich us through the personal private devotional aspects of our relationship with Christ from the community, the church. The private devotional life is supposed to help fill us with God's grace and Spirit, and act as a divine springboard in the week, so that we can be ready to serve and worship at church. But nothing, no Bible podcast, online sermon library, or private Bible study devotional time can substitute or replace the blessed divine ritual of Christian worship with a church family. We can't have Christ without the church, because they are necessarily united together (Eph 2:21-22). After all, we weren't saved for ourselves (2 Cor 5:15). We weren't baptized by or for ourselves, alone, we don't receive Communion by ourselves. Hence the name, "Communion" The Latin word for communion is "communio" which means, "sharing in common." When we gather, we ought to "share in common" with the family. When we "Share in common in our fellowship with God, we do so with one another. The idea of our salvation, is, in a sense, something that is outside of ourselves. We are a part of something eternally greater than ourselves, in Christ, but also when we submit to the church, we submit to the "church of the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth." (1 Tim 3:15) The church is that "something eternally greater than ourselves" It has what we can't possibly have or possess, on our own strength or resources. The church possesses this for us. Nothing can grow a believer quite like a deep commitment to the church. It's no wonder, either, then, why we often see people fall away from the faith in our day, because people aren't deeply, firmly committed to the disciplines of knowing Christ, of repenting, obeying Him, and confessing him openly, with all that it really entails in a communal setting. This book is short, succinct, well written and thought out on an important issue, and if you're a Christian this isn't a question; the authors don't leave room for middle ground on it. The church, the house of the Living God is where God's people meet. You should belong to an in person church if you're a Christian, because thru the church we have the sacraments, Real Presence of Christ in Communion, the family and people of God, the tangibility and intimacy of community, which, let's face it, the internet can't offer us, despite its many convenient choices of sermons, podcasts, talks, etc. The truth is, as the book says in its own words, the internet can't give us the same measure of growth or grace benefit, no matter whose content we're benefiting from. But when we go to church, you see, we all benefit from each other. It shouldn't be only about us, individually, and about our convenience. It should be about God, first then others, and ourselves last. True, God is everywhere, but we aren't. One is like talking to someone on the phone, the other is like talking to them in person. In person is better. True, we are definitely called to an individual relationship with God in Christ, (1 Cor 1:9, but the things we experience and celebrate, and one of the primary ways we grow, we do so together as a church, and in doing so we experience, knowing Christ through grace as a community just as God reveals himself in community context of the Trinity (3 in one).





Started Reading on September 1rst, 2024



Finished on: September 9th 2024



Rating: 4.5/5 (My Rating) ****/***** (Potential Highest)



Authors: Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman

[Alex Yauk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Hansen and Leeman make the argument for the centrality of the local church for the Spiritual health of individuals. As we are learning, our status as embodied beings means more than we probably think. As tempting as it is to retreat to a digital cocoon and avoid potentially awkward or upsetting situations, by nature we need physical connection. This applies maybe even more so with the church where our souls are nourished. Hansen concludes with the simple challenge to "just show up". This may sound simple, but as I've seen and felt, we have an endless list of excuses to not make this happen.

In addition to imploring people to attend and participate in the local church, the authors take time to define and investigate aspects of church. Even fundamentally, what is church? Is joining necessary? What about baptism? Church discipline?

Overall, this is a refreshingly simple and straightforward look at what church is and why it is important. It will be my go-to recommendation on these topics for years to come.

[Abigayle Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really only taking a star off because this didn't hold a lot of super helpful or mindblowing content for me. I think that's more because I agreed with their point of view from the outset and read it because I wanted to hear them make their case. Since they spent a lot of time building the framework (explaining what the church is and similar things) that I again already agreed with them on, it just didn't hold a lot of new content for me personally. That said, they make good, scripturally based points, including some I wouldn't have thought to make and oresent plenty of helpful reminders. I do recommend it for anyone who wonders why they can't just watch church from home or hop from church to church. This will encourage those people--the target audience--to get out of their comfort zone and expand their mind to see that Jesus just might have had a much bigger vision for church attendance.

[Tommy Barrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pandemic has revealed or unearthed people’s conceptions (or misconceptions) of church. Until the pandemic and more recently this book, I had never thought through what church or the Church is and should be. If you’re like me, church just happened to you without much thought besides “where” to go.

I recommend this book because it will help Christians to think through church on crucial topics such as if to attend, how to attend, what the respective roles are of attendees, members, and leaders, why do we give money, time or service, discipline and/or abuse in the church and so forth…

Like other reviews, I would recommend also to new Christians so that they don’t stumble through their first decade of christianity without having given much thought to church like was my experience unfortunately.

Lastly, if you’re not a Christian, or are a former Christian or currently rethinking your faith this book also will help you to begin to unpack your beliefs and/or what abuses you may have experienced. And if that is you I am sorry for you to have experienced such abuse of any kind in a place or by people supposed to represent a tender, merciful, and loving God.

[Daniel Piva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recomendo: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Só não ganha 5 estrelas, por ser um pouco simples.
Contudo, justamente esta simplicidade, para determinados objetivos, poder bem útil.
Não tem uma doutrina Presbiteriana quanto ao Batismo. Consciente disso, o autor não entra em detalhes, ou controvérsias, apenas apresentando o batismo em si, como ordenança de Cristo.
Com isso, o livro é muito proveitoso para Catecúmenos, ou membros que desejam saber mais sobre a doutrina da igreja (Eclesiologia) em um nível simples, mas bem fundamentado, explicado e aplicado.
Esse livro é uma resposta a quem entende que pode ser um crente das igrejas virtuais (como se elas existissem de fato...), que acabaram por surgir, ou aumentar em número nesta época de Pandemia.
Tem, inclusive, um caráter apologético.