What do you think?
Rate this book
There's a Sheep in my Bathtub: Birth of a Mongolian Church Planting Movement
There's a Sheep in my Bathtub is the story of an American family (the author's) as they survive and even thrive in the bizarre and topsy-turvy world of post-communist Mongolia from 1992-96. The Hogan family served as English teachers and worked in Asia largest copper mine in addition to helping start Mongolia's first movement of multiplying fellowships of Jesus followers (now numbering over 40,000). Replete with photo illustrations, this humorous and, at times, heart-wrenching memoir chronicles an intensely personal bird's eye view of the cataclysmic changes that sweep Mongolia after the fall of totalitarianism.
You will laugh, you will cry, but you will not be able to put down this adventure at the ends of the earth.
You will laugh, you will cry, but you will not be able to put down this adventure at the ends of the earth.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2007
48 people are currently reading
719 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
January 5, 2018
Are you nuts? What are you thinking? You have only been there three years—no way is that long enough to plant a church! This is one of the criticisms from the nearby mission community when the author’s team announced they felt they were nearly ready to pull out of Erdenet, Mongolia. But for the church planting team described in Brian Hogan’s “There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub” located in Erdenet, Mongolia, three and a half years was all the time it took (I somehow missed from the book that Erdenet is Mongolia’s second largest city, a fact I picked up afterward). While I still believe there is warrant for sticking around longer than that, you have to give them credit.
Breakthroughs included miraculous healings and other signs and wonders from God’s Holy Spirit, and came most conclusively in a way that missiologists would not have planned-- Mongolians observing how Christians experience grief over the loss of a loved one. God’s ways are truly higher than our ways!
The emphasis in this story on short-cycle church planting is admirable. Cross-cultural church planters working overseas have to guard against sticking around longer than we should. That’s because as human beings, we like to feel needed. We have left our homes to make the places we work our new homes. We work hard to learn the language(s), pick up the culture, and establish ourselves in our jobs in the community. So leaving can be hard.
Although this book is about church planting in Mongolia, it is a story and not a church planting manual. So please excuse me as I limit this review to observations made from the perspective of a cross-cultural church planter in a rural setting in another Asian country. Eight points stick out particularly to me:
1. Successful church planters work with whoever is responding to God and seek to join the Father in what He is doing (105).
2. The author talks about teaching disciples to "begin obeying the simple and clear commands of Christ in the New Testament. Things like: 1. Loving God and other people 2. Repenting, believing, and receiving the Holy Spirit. 3. Getting baptized and baptizing others 4. Celebrating the Lord's Supper 5. Praying 6. Giving generously 7. Making disciples (page 22). This concentrating on the basics – doing church the simple way—is what I’m asking God to help us do in our local small group. May God be glorified!
3. At times I wondered if the author had received enough training and if some of the predicaments he encountered early in the book (being stranded with his wife and kids in the middle of winter in China and then again in Mongolia without housing during major holidays) might have been the result of insufficient planning and training (although the author seems to say he knew what he was doing because of his background teaching the Prospectives Missions Course). Whenever we try to do anything in an overseas/cross-cultural setting (learn the language, get a house, pay taxes, you name it!) it can sometimes seem to take forever before we succeed (if we ever do). Proper planning beforehand is important, as long as it does not turn into an idol.
4. Criticisms of coworkers in various places inserted periodically throughout the book lead me to wonder if perhaps the author might not always have been the easiest teammate to get along with and that maybe he should have taken a look in the mirror too, as we all should do when we encounter difficulties in interpersonal relationships. I wondered what stories those mentioned in the book might have shared from their perspective about the events he related. We can sometimes be a little inflexible when it comes to working with others (this may go along with the territory of being “pioneers”), so perhaps the author’s experience was merely illustrating this aspect of his own unique pioneering personality.
5. Cells and Celebrations: After going to weekly celebrations on top of the foundational house church small group meetings, the author’s team noticed a puzzling trend: the house churches stopped growing and multiplying. They all hit plateaus. But the big Celebration meeting continued to grow with new people choosing it as their connection to the church.
No matter how much the missionary team stressed that participation in the house groups was the “only way to be a real part of the Body”, they were sending a contradictory non-verbal message every Sunday morning, into which 90% of their resources were being poured. So they made the painful decision to cancel the Sunday Celebrations. After a couple of months, they resumed them just once a month. But they gradually moved back to bi-monthly and then again to weekly. Unfortunately, they experienced the same result: “the house churches were not sustainable at the center of the church’s life when the big meetings were weekly.” Years later the author found an answer to this dilemma: Whenever there was a real reason, such as a visiting apostle (in this book, the same as “missionary” or “international worker”), prophet, teacher, worship group, or testimonies about miracles, they could gather all the churches in a large Celebration. The reason they had always prioritized—the calendar—was the only reason which wasn’t valid or biblical. (126)
6. Spiritual Resistance: In less than a week they went from working completely unopposed as the only church in the city to contending with four groups, three of which were cults! All four targeted the believers of their particular church. For a while it felt as if their team was playing the “whack-a-mole” arcade game. When demoralization hit, the author realized they were experiencing spiritual attacks, not a human crisis. And the occurrence that would bring the deepest despair was still yet to come (the death of their baby due to SID syndrome).
7. Demographic Fit: In spite of how the work began in the beginning (mostly with school age girls), as God’s Spirit continued to work the team noticed how older people were responding to the Good News. Their church movement had just about matched the age and gender demographics of the city! Soon the local believers were doing virtually everything for themselves and it would be time to dismantle the scaffolding (i.e. remove the foreign apostles) and allow God’s glorious construction to stand on its own (p. 221)
8. Uncomfortable with the Finished Product: If cross-cultural church planters are successful, the churches that result will make the church planters uncomfortable. If a church takes on an indigenous character, then it will be outside the comfort zone of the apostolic (missionary) messengers. (p. 229)
Breakthroughs included miraculous healings and other signs and wonders from God’s Holy Spirit, and came most conclusively in a way that missiologists would not have planned-- Mongolians observing how Christians experience grief over the loss of a loved one. God’s ways are truly higher than our ways!
The emphasis in this story on short-cycle church planting is admirable. Cross-cultural church planters working overseas have to guard against sticking around longer than we should. That’s because as human beings, we like to feel needed. We have left our homes to make the places we work our new homes. We work hard to learn the language(s), pick up the culture, and establish ourselves in our jobs in the community. So leaving can be hard.
Although this book is about church planting in Mongolia, it is a story and not a church planting manual. So please excuse me as I limit this review to observations made from the perspective of a cross-cultural church planter in a rural setting in another Asian country. Eight points stick out particularly to me:
1. Successful church planters work with whoever is responding to God and seek to join the Father in what He is doing (105).
2. The author talks about teaching disciples to "begin obeying the simple and clear commands of Christ in the New Testament. Things like: 1. Loving God and other people 2. Repenting, believing, and receiving the Holy Spirit. 3. Getting baptized and baptizing others 4. Celebrating the Lord's Supper 5. Praying 6. Giving generously 7. Making disciples (page 22). This concentrating on the basics – doing church the simple way—is what I’m asking God to help us do in our local small group. May God be glorified!
3. At times I wondered if the author had received enough training and if some of the predicaments he encountered early in the book (being stranded with his wife and kids in the middle of winter in China and then again in Mongolia without housing during major holidays) might have been the result of insufficient planning and training (although the author seems to say he knew what he was doing because of his background teaching the Prospectives Missions Course). Whenever we try to do anything in an overseas/cross-cultural setting (learn the language, get a house, pay taxes, you name it!) it can sometimes seem to take forever before we succeed (if we ever do). Proper planning beforehand is important, as long as it does not turn into an idol.
4. Criticisms of coworkers in various places inserted periodically throughout the book lead me to wonder if perhaps the author might not always have been the easiest teammate to get along with and that maybe he should have taken a look in the mirror too, as we all should do when we encounter difficulties in interpersonal relationships. I wondered what stories those mentioned in the book might have shared from their perspective about the events he related. We can sometimes be a little inflexible when it comes to working with others (this may go along with the territory of being “pioneers”), so perhaps the author’s experience was merely illustrating this aspect of his own unique pioneering personality.
5. Cells and Celebrations: After going to weekly celebrations on top of the foundational house church small group meetings, the author’s team noticed a puzzling trend: the house churches stopped growing and multiplying. They all hit plateaus. But the big Celebration meeting continued to grow with new people choosing it as their connection to the church.
No matter how much the missionary team stressed that participation in the house groups was the “only way to be a real part of the Body”, they were sending a contradictory non-verbal message every Sunday morning, into which 90% of their resources were being poured. So they made the painful decision to cancel the Sunday Celebrations. After a couple of months, they resumed them just once a month. But they gradually moved back to bi-monthly and then again to weekly. Unfortunately, they experienced the same result: “the house churches were not sustainable at the center of the church’s life when the big meetings were weekly.” Years later the author found an answer to this dilemma: Whenever there was a real reason, such as a visiting apostle (in this book, the same as “missionary” or “international worker”), prophet, teacher, worship group, or testimonies about miracles, they could gather all the churches in a large Celebration. The reason they had always prioritized—the calendar—was the only reason which wasn’t valid or biblical. (126)
6. Spiritual Resistance: In less than a week they went from working completely unopposed as the only church in the city to contending with four groups, three of which were cults! All four targeted the believers of their particular church. For a while it felt as if their team was playing the “whack-a-mole” arcade game. When demoralization hit, the author realized they were experiencing spiritual attacks, not a human crisis. And the occurrence that would bring the deepest despair was still yet to come (the death of their baby due to SID syndrome).
7. Demographic Fit: In spite of how the work began in the beginning (mostly with school age girls), as God’s Spirit continued to work the team noticed how older people were responding to the Good News. Their church movement had just about matched the age and gender demographics of the city! Soon the local believers were doing virtually everything for themselves and it would be time to dismantle the scaffolding (i.e. remove the foreign apostles) and allow God’s glorious construction to stand on its own (p. 221)
8. Uncomfortable with the Finished Product: If cross-cultural church planters are successful, the churches that result will make the church planters uncomfortable. If a church takes on an indigenous character, then it will be outside the comfort zone of the apostolic (missionary) messengers. (p. 229)
January 23, 2008
This book, written with wit and transparency, is about an American family who go to Mongolia to start a church planting movement. I have laughed my head off at the cultural and language faux pas (as one who can relate . . . ) and wept over their grief. Also, as one coming from a Reformed perspective it has been stimulating to read about the healings and other manifestations of God's Spirit that have accompanied their work. Also an amazing peeling back of the curtain as the fruit of a deeply felt grief comes to light. Also, the impact of a "silly" passing the baton idea - encouraging us to "go" with those ideas that might seem silly at the time; we can never know how God will use them. Highly recommended as a case study that will stay with you long after you turned the last page.
October 27, 2016
I am the author and naturally biased. But more than 70,000 readers and a 4.9 star rating on Amazon can't be wrong, right?
October 13, 2024
Awesome story of the church exploding in Mongolia!
May 21, 2023
Writing: 3.5/5
Educational Value: 4/5
Message: 5/5
Entertainment: 3.5/5
General Enjoyment: 3.5/5
Average: 3.9 stars, rounded up
I honestly don't have a whole lot to say about this book, besides the fact that I enjoyed it a lot more than I anticipated I would. This was an account of an ordinary American family going to plant a church in Mongolia, and all of the adventures and struggles they encounter. It's told with wit and style, although the story was a bit hard for me to follow at the beginning. (A problem I often have with missionary biographies- too much back and forth for my taste.) The story itself was beautiful, and I think with just a *bit* of editing it could have been a solid four stars. Seeing the way God worked both through the missionaries and the people they encountered in Mongolia was incredible.
Educational Value: 4/5
Message: 5/5
Entertainment: 3.5/5
General Enjoyment: 3.5/5
Average: 3.9 stars, rounded up
I honestly don't have a whole lot to say about this book, besides the fact that I enjoyed it a lot more than I anticipated I would. This was an account of an ordinary American family going to plant a church in Mongolia, and all of the adventures and struggles they encounter. It's told with wit and style, although the story was a bit hard for me to follow at the beginning. (A problem I often have with missionary biographies- too much back and forth for my taste.) The story itself was beautiful, and I think with just a *bit* of editing it could have been a solid four stars. Seeing the way God worked both through the missionaries and the people they encountered in Mongolia was incredible.
April 8, 2021
Brian Hogan, his wife, Louise, and their three young children were part of the first wave of Christian missionaries in post-Communist Mongolia, in 1993, specifically to the city of Erdenet. From the backside, what they and their ministry partners accomplished in a little more than three years seems remarkably fast and almost too easy: the birth of a healthy, indigenous Mongolian church, with no further role or need for expatriate missionaries.
Follow along through the chapters of "There's a Sheep," and it clearly wasn't so easy. There was frustration, opposition and heartbreak, and the whole enterprise nearly collapsed at about the halfway point.
It also had an odd beginning. It started as a church almost entirely consisting of teenage girls, although no one had planned it that way. By the time the Hogans departed, though, one of the beautiful things was that the "Jesus Assembly" on Erdenet closely resembled the demographics of that city.
One element of the strategy that stands out is that the Hogans and their partners were careful not to introduce their cultures into the new church. It may have helped that their partners were Swedish and Russian. What resulted was a uniquely Mongolian expression of Christian worship and practice.
"When I train new church planters headed for unreached people groups, I tell them that if they are successful, the churches that result will make the church planters uncomfortable," Hogan writes.
I was also struck that the foundation of the Jesus Assembly in Erdenet was a collection of house churches consisting of no more than 15 disciples. When the house church grew bigger than that, it would produce a new house church. Assemblies bringing everyone together would occur when there was a special reason to celebrate, or a visiting speaker to hear.
I really like that model (which looks an awful like what occurred in the New Testament).
The title and the cover illustration are a little unfortunate, I think, in that they may create the impression this is a laugh-out-loud book. Readers might find themselves crying more than laughing as they follow the Hogans' challenging journey. But it's fair to say from the contents that if a sense of humor isn't an absolute qualification for being a missionary, it sure helps. So does a sense of adventure. And maybe an iron stomach.
April 7, 2021
Two additions after a second reading:
1. All of the best true adventure stories are missionary stories. The Hogans didn't travel to Mongolia to seek adventure, they traveled to Mongolia in obedience to Jesus. Adventure was just part of the package.
2. Yes, not a laugh-out-loud book for the most part. But because of his willingness to unblushingly share their misadventures, Hogan provides some seriously funny moments. My favorite was when the Hogans, on a short vacation within Mongolia, discovered too late that the hotel they were staying in was the best little whorehouse in Mongolia.
Follow along through the chapters of "There's a Sheep," and it clearly wasn't so easy. There was frustration, opposition and heartbreak, and the whole enterprise nearly collapsed at about the halfway point.
It also had an odd beginning. It started as a church almost entirely consisting of teenage girls, although no one had planned it that way. By the time the Hogans departed, though, one of the beautiful things was that the "Jesus Assembly" on Erdenet closely resembled the demographics of that city.
One element of the strategy that stands out is that the Hogans and their partners were careful not to introduce their cultures into the new church. It may have helped that their partners were Swedish and Russian. What resulted was a uniquely Mongolian expression of Christian worship and practice.
"When I train new church planters headed for unreached people groups, I tell them that if they are successful, the churches that result will make the church planters uncomfortable," Hogan writes.
I was also struck that the foundation of the Jesus Assembly in Erdenet was a collection of house churches consisting of no more than 15 disciples. When the house church grew bigger than that, it would produce a new house church. Assemblies bringing everyone together would occur when there was a special reason to celebrate, or a visiting speaker to hear.
I really like that model (which looks an awful like what occurred in the New Testament).
The title and the cover illustration are a little unfortunate, I think, in that they may create the impression this is a laugh-out-loud book. Readers might find themselves crying more than laughing as they follow the Hogans' challenging journey. But it's fair to say from the contents that if a sense of humor isn't an absolute qualification for being a missionary, it sure helps. So does a sense of adventure. And maybe an iron stomach.
April 7, 2021
Two additions after a second reading:
1. All of the best true adventure stories are missionary stories. The Hogans didn't travel to Mongolia to seek adventure, they traveled to Mongolia in obedience to Jesus. Adventure was just part of the package.
2. Yes, not a laugh-out-loud book for the most part. But because of his willingness to unblushingly share their misadventures, Hogan provides some seriously funny moments. My favorite was when the Hogans, on a short vacation within Mongolia, discovered too late that the hotel they were staying in was the best little whorehouse in Mongolia.
May 29, 2016
This is a must-read for church planters. Brian was part of a YWAM church planting team in Mongolia when there were still very few believers in the country, and this is the story.
Brian is a very entertaining and humorous storyteller, but more than that, there are important lessons to learn from many of his stories. The Holy Spirit led Brian and his team to do some things that were contrary to much of the conventional human wisdom about how to lead a church-planting movement. The fruit of their obedience was a rapidly growing church-planting movement that quickly became independent and has continued to send many missionaries to other people groups.
Brian and his team left Mongolia after three and a half years. Other missionaries thought that the movement would die without their continued guidance. Rather, the movement continued to thrive and grow, and Brian has gone on to train other church planters around the world to simplify things and put their trust in the Holy Spirit.
Brian is a very entertaining and humorous storyteller, but more than that, there are important lessons to learn from many of his stories. The Holy Spirit led Brian and his team to do some things that were contrary to much of the conventional human wisdom about how to lead a church-planting movement. The fruit of their obedience was a rapidly growing church-planting movement that quickly became independent and has continued to send many missionaries to other people groups.
Brian and his team left Mongolia after three and a half years. Other missionaries thought that the movement would die without their continued guidance. Rather, the movement continued to thrive and grow, and Brian has gone on to train other church planters around the world to simplify things and put their trust in the Holy Spirit.
October 16, 2015
An encouraging, fascinating look at missionary work after the fall of Communism in Mongolia. While I really enjoyed the book, it seriously could use the ministrations of a good editor. Especially initially, the writing was clunky and hard to get into. Several things are repeated unnecessarily, such as how they got an apartment in Erdenet. Lines occasionally have weird spacing and at one point the chapter references a picture of an appendix (in the appendix...haha) that is not there.
For observations into mission work in the 90s and some of the difficulties facing missionaries during the time, this book makes for an insightful read.
For observations into mission work in the 90s and some of the difficulties facing missionaries during the time, this book makes for an insightful read.
February 11, 2015
Great book with lots of information on Mongolia and the culture that is very interesting. I love how they don't try to change the people they just go and give the gospel and I also love how the culture so easily accepts and has so much joy and spreads the love to their family and friends. A domino effect. It gives me hope for other areas and makes me want to join in on reaching other areas. Lots of hard work to start and keep up with and amazing to see that the Mongolians end up taking it fully over and the missionaries didn't even notice :)
I enjoyed this book very much.
I enjoyed this book very much.
January 31, 2011
You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll praise God for his goodness and power! This is perhaps the best missionary story I've ever read, and in large part because of Brian's intimate, transparent style. This book is accessible to my 10 year old daughter, but deep enough and challenging to the heads of missionary organizations the world over. I simply can't recommend highly enough...for anyone!
January 14, 2017
I heard Brian Hogan teach lectures on two different occasions and purchased this book. It is a must read for folks interested in International Missions, specifically if you want to go for a longer term. Even if you aren't interested in missions, it is a good read with insights to cultures and how Westerners can learn to appreciate them.
January 5, 2015
Learning more about starting a house church is a good part of this book. Learning more about life in a foreign culture, dealing with family tragedy, and trusting God in everything is the best part of this book. His very open honestly and willingness to share all the details of life was great.
January 13, 2021
Brian Hogan, a Charismatic Christian missionary, shares his family's story of their sundry adventures in the land of Mongolia in the 1990s. Brian and his wife Louise partnered with another missionary couple to plant a church in a country that was hostile to Christianity and had very few believers.
I found this to be a fun and informative read. I especially enjoyed hearing about what life is like in Mongolia and their culture. The funny and moving stories helped keep my attention from start to finish. This book drew out a variety of reactions as I journeyed with the Hogans through this foreign land and culture that is so different from my own- laugher, sadness, frustration, serious reflection, hope, inspiration, to mention a few. The book left me with the thought that the Hogans are among that rare group of people of whom it can be truly said that they lived a life well-lived. They have had a rich life - not in material possessions but rich in experiences with people throughout the world, God and playing a significant role in expanding the Kingdom of God.
If you're a fan of the Christian missionary genre from authors like Brother Andrew, Don Richardson, or Bruce Olsen you'll probably enjoy this one.
Here are a few excerpts from the book -
"With all the attention and passing around, Jed had stayed amazingly peaceful. He hadn’t cried once, and many remarked on what a good baby he was. Of course, they did it in the acceptable Mongolian way to complement an infant or child. “Mohai hoohid” which translates as “ugly child,” is actually praise designed to avoid demonic attention."
"The Mongolians have such odd beliefs about new motherhood and all. The mother is not allowed to leave the house for a month and a half and she must keep her ears covered or plugged at all times. The thinking behind this seems to be the baby left a large hole behind in your body and “evil” things can get in through your ears. You would also think they could get in through your nose and mouth, but this is not a concern. The mother should not bathe for at least a month. The baby needs to be wrapped up tight, with only the tiniest part of his face showing. Even in summer, they wrap their babies so tightly they all have heat rash. Moreover, Mongolians have no cultural taboos against giving unsolicited advice. I could scream because of all the advice I have received. I have taken to hiding in the bedroom when there is a knock at the door, and if it is someone who will be free with his or her advice, I stay there. Sometimes this works, but often they just walk right into the bedroom to see the baby." - Louise Hogan
"Back in town, Magnus shared a conversation he had heard at camp through the thin cabin wall. Molly (six years) and Alice (almost four) had been quarreling in the next room. Magnus was trying to prepare a Bible lesson, but his ears tuned in to the following exchange: Molly: “So what are you going to do about it?” Alice: “I’m going to pray.” A long silence followed. Magnus pasted his ear to the wall. Molly (breaking in): “Well, what did God say?” Alice: “God told me to tell you to ‘Shut up!’"
I found this to be a fun and informative read. I especially enjoyed hearing about what life is like in Mongolia and their culture. The funny and moving stories helped keep my attention from start to finish. This book drew out a variety of reactions as I journeyed with the Hogans through this foreign land and culture that is so different from my own- laugher, sadness, frustration, serious reflection, hope, inspiration, to mention a few. The book left me with the thought that the Hogans are among that rare group of people of whom it can be truly said that they lived a life well-lived. They have had a rich life - not in material possessions but rich in experiences with people throughout the world, God and playing a significant role in expanding the Kingdom of God.
If you're a fan of the Christian missionary genre from authors like Brother Andrew, Don Richardson, or Bruce Olsen you'll probably enjoy this one.
Here are a few excerpts from the book -
"With all the attention and passing around, Jed had stayed amazingly peaceful. He hadn’t cried once, and many remarked on what a good baby he was. Of course, they did it in the acceptable Mongolian way to complement an infant or child. “Mohai hoohid” which translates as “ugly child,” is actually praise designed to avoid demonic attention."
"The Mongolians have such odd beliefs about new motherhood and all. The mother is not allowed to leave the house for a month and a half and she must keep her ears covered or plugged at all times. The thinking behind this seems to be the baby left a large hole behind in your body and “evil” things can get in through your ears. You would also think they could get in through your nose and mouth, but this is not a concern. The mother should not bathe for at least a month. The baby needs to be wrapped up tight, with only the tiniest part of his face showing. Even in summer, they wrap their babies so tightly they all have heat rash. Moreover, Mongolians have no cultural taboos against giving unsolicited advice. I could scream because of all the advice I have received. I have taken to hiding in the bedroom when there is a knock at the door, and if it is someone who will be free with his or her advice, I stay there. Sometimes this works, but often they just walk right into the bedroom to see the baby." - Louise Hogan
"Back in town, Magnus shared a conversation he had heard at camp through the thin cabin wall. Molly (six years) and Alice (almost four) had been quarreling in the next room. Magnus was trying to prepare a Bible lesson, but his ears tuned in to the following exchange: Molly: “So what are you going to do about it?” Alice: “I’m going to pray.” A long silence followed. Magnus pasted his ear to the wall. Molly (breaking in): “Well, what did God say?” Alice: “God told me to tell you to ‘Shut up!’"
February 23, 2016
I was enthralled with Mongolian when I was there this past July and, looking to learn more about this country, came across this book. Having attended a church in Mongolia that was founded by Koreans, I was interested in the experience of bringing the gospel message to Mongolia. Hogan and his family moved to Mongolia in the early 90s, not long after the country began opening up after decades (actually centuries) of being closed. It was a time of turmoil as the transition from a state controlled economy was taking place. Food and housing was hard to obtain and the officials were not encouraging of foreign missionaries. Yet, Hogan and his family were able to, with the help of the Holy Spirit, begin a church in Mongolia. As soon as the church began to flourish, they found they had new battles with other missionaries started moving in, and in some cases (with one group of Christians and another group of Mormons) began to subvert their work. But this they survived and the church grew even stronger. Then came the morning their newborn son was dead in his crib. This was a real challenge for the family and Hogan’s writings are very personal as he tells about how he and his family responded to this tragedy and how they were embraced by the church they’d helped to organize. As the leadership in the church began to flourish, the Hogan’s began to concentrate on leadership training and after three and a half years were able to turn everything over to Mongolian leadership.
At first, I found this book dry and not very exciting. But about half way through, it seemed as if Hogan found his voice and the writing began to grab my attention. Hogan’s background is Pentecostal and there is much talk in the book about tongues and healings, at times a little “over the top†for my beliefs. Although Hogan constantly stressed the need to understand the culture, I wonder how much he really understood. He challenges Tibetan Buddhism (and I agree with him that we in the west don’t really understand this), but he doesn’t seem to fully understand (or at least didn’t share it) the cultural background of the faith in Mongolia. The Buddhists were ruthlessly persecuted by the Communists, especially in the early years.
At first, I found this book dry and not very exciting. But about half way through, it seemed as if Hogan found his voice and the writing began to grab my attention. Hogan’s background is Pentecostal and there is much talk in the book about tongues and healings, at times a little “over the top†for my beliefs. Although Hogan constantly stressed the need to understand the culture, I wonder how much he really understood. He challenges Tibetan Buddhism (and I agree with him that we in the west don’t really understand this), but he doesn’t seem to fully understand (or at least didn’t share it) the cultural background of the faith in Mongolia. The Buddhists were ruthlessly persecuted by the Communists, especially in the early years.
March 13, 2018
This was the first missionary biography I ever read outside of The Bible, and it touched me deeply. It convicted me, moved me and brought me to the end of myself (what if God called ME to such a cold place??). I had to put it down a few times because it was difficult to accept not everyone's Christianity is easy like mine had been up to then. Really, I was living in the prosperity Gospel and I didn't know. I thank Brian Hogan for sharing his story, but also the story of my Mongolian brothers and sisters whom I shall meet either here on Earth, or surely, in Heaven. This book made me see for the first time that life is hard, even if you're a Christian, and sometimes because of it, but Jesus is worth it, and He's always faithful.
February 23, 2016
I sang out loud "Jesus Christ is Lord of Mongolia." My missionary friend moved away to the other side of the crowd, convinced the strain had fully unhinged me. Mongolians and Chinese gave me extra room and gazed on me in stunned amazement. Even the guard did nothing as I walked past him and grabbed the gates. THey all though I was a lunatic. I felt God in what I was doing and so I continued, telling Him silently if He didn't move to open the gates I'd die of embarrassment. Either way my problem would be solved.
It was with those sentences that I fell in love with 'There's a Sheep in my Bathtub.' Brian Hogan brings a fun narrative to what is a truly inspiring book on what church planting is truly like. He tells everything you've wondered -what is it like to argue about un-cracked eggs in a store that doesn't have a checkout line, what it is like to climb into a bus with your un-cracked eggs and have your wallet stolen even though there isn't room for someone to move. What it's like to make frequent language fails and still manage to laugh. How to manage in negative degree weather and still preach the gospel to anyone who will listen. How to fight evil house renters and get your bike back from gangs. This is a truly touching story of a group's battle to bring the gospel to a country that has never had any hope of another life, and all the many adventures that come with it. They managed to do what all others considered impossible: plant a booming church ministry in three years and leave it to the Mongolians to run.
This story will stir your heart and make you long to aid in the spreading of the gospel-and it will make it seem tangible. You will laugh, cry, and even find yourself doing both at the same time in this incredible book.
July 25, 2011
This brilliant book should be better known and utilized. One one level, it is a very gripping account of missionary autobiography -- carrying the reader along, the author almost always succeeds in making the reader *feel* as well as mentally comprehend the story. For that alone, it is worth reading -- to experience a thick slice of a very adventurous family's life in seeking to understand and obey God's will for them, often in circumstances beyond what many reading it in English, have ever or are ever likely to experience. The story of Brian Hogan and his family will be an encouragement to all who peruse these pages.
This volume goes beyond even a very good missionary biography, however, in that Hogan interweaves his story with an understanding of *principles* of church-planting that simply *must* be understood by anyone seeking to establish a multiplying community of Jesus followers anywhere in the world -- principles which he learned from acknowledged mentors such as Dr. George Patterson.
Highly recommended for interested individuals as well as for students in relevant training programs.
This volume goes beyond even a very good missionary biography, however, in that Hogan interweaves his story with an understanding of *principles* of church-planting that simply *must* be understood by anyone seeking to establish a multiplying community of Jesus followers anywhere in the world -- principles which he learned from acknowledged mentors such as Dr. George Patterson.
Highly recommended for interested individuals as well as for students in relevant training programs.
December 14, 2017
I admit. I'm a writer. So I tend to read books from a writer's point of view. I have to consciously turn off the internal editor. "There's a Sheep In My Bathtub" has some clumsy sentence structures and stream of consciousness, unstructured paragraphs in the beginning. That's why I gave it a rating of 4. But hang in there. Soon my editor voice faded into the background as the gripping story of a family's efforts to plant a church in the harsh land and complicated culture of Mongolia took over. The story of Brian and Louise Hogan's efforts to fit in with the people they wanted to influence inspired, amazed, challenged, and encouraged me. This is no pie-in-the-sky missionary story. They had their share of bad times. But the beauty is that Brian shares how God used those bad moments to convince this people group of the reality of the hope Jesus Christ brings. My conventional ideas of how church ought to "work" were turned sideways and preconceived ideas were challenged. If you have any interest in global evangelism, you must read this book.
March 11, 2020
I finally was able to get back to this book and finish it! As a Presbyterian reading a book by missionary and church planter from a more Charismatic denomination, there was a wide range of reactions as I read. Despite a few uncomfortable or eye-rolling moments, I appreciated a lot about the approach used here, and especially enjoyed the vicarious crash course in Mongolian culture.
There's little to no 'content' in the typical sense, (brief reference to embarrassing his child by talking about where they were conceived, but no further detail--that kind of thing) but you do get some harsh moments, including a couple chapters that focus on the death of an infant, so go in emotionally prepared if you read this one.
Original note 10/21/19:
This is definitely a temporary dnf, I just didn't manage to finish it before my current Kindle Unlimited subscription expired. Next time I find a deal on Kindle Unlimited I'll be finishing this for sure!
There's little to no 'content' in the typical sense, (brief reference to embarrassing his child by talking about where they were conceived, but no further detail--that kind of thing) but you do get some harsh moments, including a couple chapters that focus on the death of an infant, so go in emotionally prepared if you read this one.
Original note 10/21/19:
This is definitely a temporary dnf, I just didn't manage to finish it before my current Kindle Unlimited subscription expired. Next time I find a deal on Kindle Unlimited I'll be finishing this for sure!
September 26, 2024
TARGET AUDIENCE
Well-written missions books can be extremely difficult to find. If you have a passion for missions and love to learn what God has done and is doing in the nations, this book should be at the top of your list. One acknowledgment at the beginning of the book describes this story well: “At points, the story is heart-wrenching and poignant; at other times it is uplifting and motivating. From the despair of having to bury his only son on the steppes of Mongolia to the birth of a church-planting movement, Hogan offers a deeply spiritual memoir, peppered with humor and inspirational insight, and informed by solid biblical missiology.” For readers who want to learn the practical essentials for biblical-based missiology in a real-world scenario, There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub will not disappoint.
CONTENT QUALITY
Let’s start with the obvious and be brutally honest: the cover art on this book is atrocious. I fear that this initial imagery acts as such a deterrent that the potential reader might never delve deep into this superb narrative. An adolescent cartoon overlaid on a photographic image should never be applied to a book cover. And then there’s the typeface which feels like it must have been an accident—nearly as unpleasant as Comic Sans. The title might have felt more creative and less strange with a quality cover. I feel that I must pause at this point and implore the author/publisher to update the cover of this book. My reasoning is obvious: the story itself (as well as the author’s writing style) is remarkable and I fear that too many readers will be turned off without giving the book a chance. Everyone judges a book by its cover, and this particular book should not be overlooked. The content is extraordinary, the narrative compelling, and the challenge one that the global Church is waiting for. The reader becomes aware of the title’s meaning halfway through the book, at which point makes complete sense and feels naturally apt. This is one of the best missions books I have ever read and should not be overlooked because of the cheesy cover.
(After conversing with the author, I was pleased to hear that my advice was not overlooked. The previous cover has now been replaced with a tenth anniversary cover that gives greater credibility to the narrative.)
MESSAGE CLARITY
This book highlights the struggles and victories that every missionary experiences on the mission field. It is rare to find a cross-cultural worker who is so committed to establishing an indigenous-led ministry in their host country. This was incredibly refreshing and inspirational. The author (and his missionary counterparts) solely devoted themselves to “working themselves out of a job” with a first-century Church missional approach. George Patterson says, “Many church planters follow such a long list of things to do to start a church that they fail to give top priority to the few essential activities, and end up doing so many things that the key, pivotal elements of church planting are buried in the plethora of work items.” The sound biblical missions approach depicted in this book is an example that should be emulated by missionaries worldwide.
CREATIVE STYLE
The author’s wit, coupled with his years of cross-cultural experience and missional savvy, are powerful agencies of communication. I found myself laughing out loud then suddenly brought to tears as I walked with the author through his glorious victories and heart-wrenching losses. I appreciated his skill in redundantly reiterating particular aspects of the narrative. He expounded on (and returned to) the personal losses that he encountered (the death of his young son) and then did the same in articulating the breakthroughs that he experienced. This creativity in storytelling was a breath of fresh air in a world lacking well-written missionary stories. This book has the capacity to become a Christian missions classic.
LANGUAGE SELECTION
The author moves between writing styles with ease, at once with whimsical comedy then with introspective vocabulary. This book is not overly verbose but does boast a shrewd and savvy vernacular. I was impressed by the language selection of this book. It is a rare and happy occasion to find a mission book that is written so well. There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub focuses on a previously unreached region of the earth—a topic I am particularly interested in. The author writes of his target country, “Their ignorance of Christianity and Christ is staggering, and we have to remind ourselves there is no Christian background here at all.” Again, speaking of indigenous-stye missionary work, the author says, “One of our principles of church planting was to keep the local leaders off the apostolic team because this team is only temporary—like scaffolding—dismantled as the local, indigenous Church takes shape.” The author writes with candid wit and with an authoritative voice on the subject of cross-cultural missions.
OVERALL IMPACT
This book made a tremendous impact on me. Not only was the story compelling and inspirational, but the narrative also challenged my writing style as well. Like I mentioned above, I laughed and cried while reading this book. The author masterfully writes in a “reader-centric” style, which draws you into the storyline and makes for enjoyable reading. But not only that, the book also challenges the paradigms of cross-cultural missions, questioning the validity of modern missional approaches. He does well to reiterate the strategic and time-tested missionary efforts portrayed in Perspectives on the Christian World Movement. After finishing this book, I find myself praying that God would pull me back from the missions drift I have experienced into the central role of apostolic ministry, namely, planting indigenous-led churches among unreached people groups.
10 POINT RATING
I give There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub a 10/10.
Well-written missions books can be extremely difficult to find. If you have a passion for missions and love to learn what God has done and is doing in the nations, this book should be at the top of your list. One acknowledgment at the beginning of the book describes this story well: “At points, the story is heart-wrenching and poignant; at other times it is uplifting and motivating. From the despair of having to bury his only son on the steppes of Mongolia to the birth of a church-planting movement, Hogan offers a deeply spiritual memoir, peppered with humor and inspirational insight, and informed by solid biblical missiology.” For readers who want to learn the practical essentials for biblical-based missiology in a real-world scenario, There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub will not disappoint.
CONTENT QUALITY
Let’s start with the obvious and be brutally honest: the cover art on this book is atrocious. I fear that this initial imagery acts as such a deterrent that the potential reader might never delve deep into this superb narrative. An adolescent cartoon overlaid on a photographic image should never be applied to a book cover. And then there’s the typeface which feels like it must have been an accident—nearly as unpleasant as Comic Sans. The title might have felt more creative and less strange with a quality cover. I feel that I must pause at this point and implore the author/publisher to update the cover of this book. My reasoning is obvious: the story itself (as well as the author’s writing style) is remarkable and I fear that too many readers will be turned off without giving the book a chance. Everyone judges a book by its cover, and this particular book should not be overlooked. The content is extraordinary, the narrative compelling, and the challenge one that the global Church is waiting for. The reader becomes aware of the title’s meaning halfway through the book, at which point makes complete sense and feels naturally apt. This is one of the best missions books I have ever read and should not be overlooked because of the cheesy cover.
(After conversing with the author, I was pleased to hear that my advice was not overlooked. The previous cover has now been replaced with a tenth anniversary cover that gives greater credibility to the narrative.)
MESSAGE CLARITY
This book highlights the struggles and victories that every missionary experiences on the mission field. It is rare to find a cross-cultural worker who is so committed to establishing an indigenous-led ministry in their host country. This was incredibly refreshing and inspirational. The author (and his missionary counterparts) solely devoted themselves to “working themselves out of a job” with a first-century Church missional approach. George Patterson says, “Many church planters follow such a long list of things to do to start a church that they fail to give top priority to the few essential activities, and end up doing so many things that the key, pivotal elements of church planting are buried in the plethora of work items.” The sound biblical missions approach depicted in this book is an example that should be emulated by missionaries worldwide.
CREATIVE STYLE
The author’s wit, coupled with his years of cross-cultural experience and missional savvy, are powerful agencies of communication. I found myself laughing out loud then suddenly brought to tears as I walked with the author through his glorious victories and heart-wrenching losses. I appreciated his skill in redundantly reiterating particular aspects of the narrative. He expounded on (and returned to) the personal losses that he encountered (the death of his young son) and then did the same in articulating the breakthroughs that he experienced. This creativity in storytelling was a breath of fresh air in a world lacking well-written missionary stories. This book has the capacity to become a Christian missions classic.
LANGUAGE SELECTION
The author moves between writing styles with ease, at once with whimsical comedy then with introspective vocabulary. This book is not overly verbose but does boast a shrewd and savvy vernacular. I was impressed by the language selection of this book. It is a rare and happy occasion to find a mission book that is written so well. There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub focuses on a previously unreached region of the earth—a topic I am particularly interested in. The author writes of his target country, “Their ignorance of Christianity and Christ is staggering, and we have to remind ourselves there is no Christian background here at all.” Again, speaking of indigenous-stye missionary work, the author says, “One of our principles of church planting was to keep the local leaders off the apostolic team because this team is only temporary—like scaffolding—dismantled as the local, indigenous Church takes shape.” The author writes with candid wit and with an authoritative voice on the subject of cross-cultural missions.
OVERALL IMPACT
This book made a tremendous impact on me. Not only was the story compelling and inspirational, but the narrative also challenged my writing style as well. Like I mentioned above, I laughed and cried while reading this book. The author masterfully writes in a “reader-centric” style, which draws you into the storyline and makes for enjoyable reading. But not only that, the book also challenges the paradigms of cross-cultural missions, questioning the validity of modern missional approaches. He does well to reiterate the strategic and time-tested missionary efforts portrayed in Perspectives on the Christian World Movement. After finishing this book, I find myself praying that God would pull me back from the missions drift I have experienced into the central role of apostolic ministry, namely, planting indigenous-led churches among unreached people groups.
10 POINT RATING
I give There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub a 10/10.
July 11, 2013
This book is a personal account from a missionary of a church multiplication movement that took place in Mongolia. As a missionary myself, this was a book of much interest, but I imagine it would not capture the attention of many other people. With that said, it was mostly well written apart from the occasional drifting about in the story. Being a personal account, it was incredibly moving at times, often funny, and very transparent. A couple things I would have liked to see: 1. perhaps an appendix explaining in more detail the strategies used in their mission and why those strategies were chosen (though the author does cover some of this sporadically throughout the book), 2. a report of the state of the movement since the departure of the Western missionaries (the story pretty much stops there).
December 28, 2013
OK, a quick disclosure, I know Brian from his days in YWAM. But this review is not colored by that friendship. What Brian and the team saw God do in Mongolia is truly historical in terms of missions. This book is an important case study on the goals and methods of cross-cultural missions. Prior to the team's work, there were very few Christians in the country. Afterward, there was a healthy reproducing church (sending teams to plant other church-planting churches around the world). That is the peak of missions success!
Brian tells the story in a clear and very readable way. He is not afraid to share the struggles that they went through (some incredibly personal and painful). And Brian has a great sense of humor that keeps you laughing to the end. The books is as funny as the title suggests and as historical as the sub-title implies. No hype here, an excellent book.
Brian tells the story in a clear and very readable way. He is not afraid to share the struggles that they went through (some incredibly personal and painful). And Brian has a great sense of humor that keeps you laughing to the end. The books is as funny as the title suggests and as historical as the sub-title implies. No hype here, an excellent book.
January 18, 2010
What I do and church planting movements have something in common; both are
difficulty to explain succinctly. Brian Hogan’s autobiographical account of his family’s adventures in moving to East Asia and planting multiplying churches there now provide me a reference point for CP movements.
No dry, textbook explanations here. In fact, the beginnings of the movement, as described by Hogan, defied church planting theory initially. But the Hogans and their team of expatriate and local workers perservered and saw great fruit. Inspirational – and sad, in parts (Hogan’s baby died shortly after being born in Mongolia)- THERE'S A SHEEP IN MY BATHTUB is a real modern-day, pioneering missions story that entertains as well as educates.
difficulty to explain succinctly. Brian Hogan’s autobiographical account of his family’s adventures in moving to East Asia and planting multiplying churches there now provide me a reference point for CP movements.
No dry, textbook explanations here. In fact, the beginnings of the movement, as described by Hogan, defied church planting theory initially. But the Hogans and their team of expatriate and local workers perservered and saw great fruit. Inspirational – and sad, in parts (Hogan’s baby died shortly after being born in Mongolia)- THERE'S A SHEEP IN MY BATHTUB is a real modern-day, pioneering missions story that entertains as well as educates.
December 24, 2017
Anyone wonder why the country of Mongolia sends out more cross cultural missionaries per Christian than any other country in the world? This is the inspirational, sometimes funny, and sometimes heartwrenching, true story of a family who travels to Mongolia to be missionaries. They and their team set up a new church in Edernet and the Holy Spirit raises up indiginous leadership so the team is able to turn the church over to local leadership and leave in the matter of just a few years. The story includes spiritual warfare and suggestions for missionary teams that assist in establishing an endstate to their strategic mission plan. An Excerpt from this book is included in the Perspectives on World Christianity Course material.
May 6, 2014
There’s a Sheep in my Bathtub is a remarkable book. It tells the story of the small team of missionaries that God used to plant a dynamic indigenous church in Mongolia. In the course of a few years, Mongolia went from being a nation with hardly any Christians to a nation with its own church planting church. Brian tells the story with wisdom, humor, and transparency about the struggles and loss his own family experienced. The book is a must for anyone with any interest in church planting because it is one of the healthiest and most anointed examples that I have heard of—it’s a classic of missions history.
November 25, 2016
1.5 stars.
I've read a lot of missionary books for school this year and most of them were very good.
This, however, wasn't. And I recommend Floyd McClung's "Living on the Devil's Doorstep" as a better alternative if you want to read about God's work through missionaries.
This book was bad. Very badly written, incredibly boring, bad layout, and I felt like more time was spent on the Hogan family instead of what God was doing in Mongolia. Don't get me wrong, I usually love hearing about the family and the people, but this book was too focused on that instead of the bigger picture.
I've read a lot of missionary books for school this year and most of them were very good.
This, however, wasn't. And I recommend Floyd McClung's "Living on the Devil's Doorstep" as a better alternative if you want to read about God's work through missionaries.
This book was bad. Very badly written, incredibly boring, bad layout, and I felt like more time was spent on the Hogan family instead of what God was doing in Mongolia. Don't get me wrong, I usually love hearing about the family and the people, but this book was too focused on that instead of the bigger picture.
June 23, 2018
Although I’m not a Christian, I did enjoy this tale of spreading Christianity (“church planting”) in Mongolia in the early 1990s, just after the fall of Communism. The author’s stories of mixing with a culture much different from his own make for interesting reading for anyone interested in travel books. (For example, he initially struggled to make any converts because, it turned out, his Mongolian Bible translation was using the wrong word for “God.”) The story about the death of his infant son, and how both his family and his nascent church coped with it, was very touching. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in travel stories, and especially to Christians.
September 26, 2013
This is a story of a family who went to Mongolia to do mission work and plant a church. I have a friend who went to Mongolia about a year ago to teach English & she asked me to read this book. What this family went through, how they learned to work within a different culture,what God taught them, and how they learned to love the people all serve to make this book an interesting read. Having a friend who is in Mongolia now made it a bit more personal for me, but a good read for anyone who wants to hear a story of a family who followed God to "another world".
August 14, 2016
This was a truly inspiring book. It should be required reading for those serving in cross-cultural missions. Setting out to help birth an indigenous Mongolian expression of the body of Christ led to Brian Hogan and his fellow missionaries being able to move on to the next assignment after a little more than 3 years. This model follows in the footsteps of Paul's work throughout the Mediterranean.
The book was also entertaining. The only thing that kept it from getting 5 stars was the editing, with some portions and explanations being repeated unnecessarily.
The book was also entertaining. The only thing that kept it from getting 5 stars was the editing, with some portions and explanations being repeated unnecessarily.
October 27, 2016
I didn't find this book engaging at the beginning and wanted to put the book down as I felt I couldn't relate to their spiritual walk. They were listening to God but their life looked very chaotic to me. I persisted because I wanted to discover the meaning of the title, "There's a Sheep in my Bathtub." I'm glad I kept going as I began to identify with them as peers in a journey that is challenging and rewarding. They are real and vulnerable all the way through the book, living out their faith with transparency and hope.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews