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The Sacred Us: A Call to Radical Christian Community
For every person who has felt lonely or isolated, The Sacred Us explores a new way of living through the practice of biblical community.
In a world that celebrates individuality and autonomy, too many of us struggle to form deep, meaningful relationships. Loneliness is the norm, rich friendships are rare, and the church is no exception. We long for real community but often don’t know how to get there. What will it take to develop healthy friendships?
The Bible gives us a compelling blueprint for community, but it must be built on more than shared interests or Sunday-morning smiles.
This book explores the substance of biblical community through seven These principles seek to guide the reader beyond loneliness and isolation into a life of rootedness and connection.
In a world that celebrates individuality and autonomy, too many of us struggle to form deep, meaningful relationships. Loneliness is the norm, rich friendships are rare, and the church is no exception. We long for real community but often don’t know how to get there. What will it take to develop healthy friendships?
The Bible gives us a compelling blueprint for community, but it must be built on more than shared interests or Sunday-morning smiles.
This book explores the substance of biblical community through seven These principles seek to guide the reader beyond loneliness and isolation into a life of rootedness and connection.
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 6, 2022
14 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Justin Kendrick
10 books17 followersJustin Kendrick is the Lead Pastor of Vox Church, which he founded in 2011 with a small group of friends on the doorstep of Yale University in the least-churched region in America. Since that time, Vox has grown to multiple locations across New England. The dream of Vox Church is to see the least-churched region of the U.S. become the most spiritually vibrant place on Earth. Justin married his high school sweetheart, Chrisy, and they live outside New Haven, Connecticut, with their three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 19, 2022
This is an excellent introduction to the idea of Biblical community. The author emphasizes seven key areas of community: proximity, vulnerability, discipleship, fun, mission, sacrifice, and boundaries. He continually comes back to the idea that we need other people. This can be an uncomfortable theme, especially in the West, and dare I say especially in Vermont. Of those seven elements, some of them I felt decent about. Who doesn't like fun and mission? Vulnerability and sacrifice… a little more uncomfortable. I definitely recommend this book.
December 2, 2022
Justin has done a great job laying out a compelling vision for radical Christian community. After a season of recalibrating what community looks like for me and my wife, this book was right on time. I am thankful for the steps I’ve been able to process through with Justin’s help.
May 7, 2023
This is my main criticism of the book and with the entire approach. The approach is very much in line with the spirit of the age. Pragmatic and results focused. The seven elements all describe results. Vulnerability Creates Connection. Discipleship Sets Direction. Mission Drives Adventure. These are all result statements.
It does not help us understand what the church is. Actually, although I say church, and Kendrick is thinking about the church, he is often describing community.
Taking his words, God is a community. That is true. It is also true that God is Love. God is Just. God is Almighty and so on.
So it would be a mistake to reduce God to just a community.
I suggest in the same way, when we read this book, we should read this as describing one aspect of the church. The church is a community. But the church is also more than that.
The church is the Bride of Christ.
The church is the Royal Priesthood of Believers.
The Bible has many more images of the church. Kendrick does unpack what it means for the church to be the body of Christ. But overall, it’s too focused on the community and thus needs to be supplemented by other books or other aspects, otherwise you are at risk of a lopsided, distorted church.
...
Does that mean that you and I can’t gain from Kendrick’s book? Not at all. I think he has achieved most of what he set out to do. He aims to call us to a radical form of Christian community. Many have done so before, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Francis Schaeffer, and I welcome the many experiments and testimonies and lessons that we can learn from our brothers and sisters as they wrestle with obeying the Word.
Full 2,628 word review: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast...
It does not help us understand what the church is. Actually, although I say church, and Kendrick is thinking about the church, he is often describing community.
Taking his words, God is a community. That is true. It is also true that God is Love. God is Just. God is Almighty and so on.
So it would be a mistake to reduce God to just a community.
I suggest in the same way, when we read this book, we should read this as describing one aspect of the church. The church is a community. But the church is also more than that.
The church is the Bride of Christ.
The church is the Royal Priesthood of Believers.
The Bible has many more images of the church. Kendrick does unpack what it means for the church to be the body of Christ. But overall, it’s too focused on the community and thus needs to be supplemented by other books or other aspects, otherwise you are at risk of a lopsided, distorted church.
...
Does that mean that you and I can’t gain from Kendrick’s book? Not at all. I think he has achieved most of what he set out to do. He aims to call us to a radical form of Christian community. Many have done so before, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Francis Schaeffer, and I welcome the many experiments and testimonies and lessons that we can learn from our brothers and sisters as they wrestle with obeying the Word.
Full 2,628 word review: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast...
November 15, 2022
This book is a fresh reminder to the way we need to live together in community. It is well outlined, explained, and put together.
There are many personal examples that help me as the reader to identify what he’s talking about. I enjoyed reading the book individually and then discussing it in a group once a week.
A book like this would be best read every couple years, or when you need it; because as human beings, we forget some of these basics that he goes over.
Justin is the lead pastor at Vox Church, and fall 2022 he has a sermon series that follows the sacred us book. If anybody wants to learn more in-depth as they read the book, this would be an excellent sermon series to find, and listen to.
The author goes over some primary ideas for us to draw closer through biblical community: proximity provides opportunity, vulnerability, creates connection, discipleship sets, direction, fun amplifies grace, mission drives adventure, sacrifice matures love, and boundaries sustain growth.
There are many personal examples that help me as the reader to identify what he’s talking about. I enjoyed reading the book individually and then discussing it in a group once a week.
A book like this would be best read every couple years, or when you need it; because as human beings, we forget some of these basics that he goes over.
Justin is the lead pastor at Vox Church, and fall 2022 he has a sermon series that follows the sacred us book. If anybody wants to learn more in-depth as they read the book, this would be an excellent sermon series to find, and listen to.
The author goes over some primary ideas for us to draw closer through biblical community: proximity provides opportunity, vulnerability, creates connection, discipleship sets, direction, fun amplifies grace, mission drives adventure, sacrifice matures love, and boundaries sustain growth.
November 14, 2022
An easy read filled with personal stories, embarrassments, imagination, and scripture Sacred Us is a basic outline of why Christians should interact with each other beyond a quick hello at church - aka community.
Personally struggled to see the practical side of it during this long season of life. Felt heavily geared toward someone with a regular job or school life schedule, not really for sleep deprived mothers in the thick of it or people who work odd (or overnight) hours.
Personally struggled to see the practical side of it during this long season of life. Felt heavily geared toward someone with a regular job or school life schedule, not really for sleep deprived mothers in the thick of it or people who work odd (or overnight) hours.
June 29, 2025
I thought this book was alright. I read this in a missions trip with my group, and while I think there is a lot of good information in this book, there is also a lot of repetition. And it kinda applied to our missions trip.
February 20, 2023
I don't know if it was just me, but I found this book difficult to get through. However, it was worth the read and I liked the ideas. I hope we get back to the sacred us as a Church body.
May 28, 2023
I thought this book had some great insights and practical help for cultivating Christian community. I enjoyed the audiobook version as well!
September 20, 2023
Every person who goes to church needs to read this.
April 14, 2025
Justin Kendrick is an outstanding Christian writer who motivates me to evaluate my faith and get into action mode. I’m grateful for his work.
May 1, 2024
I really enjoyed the driving points of this book and how important christian community is. I find that consumerism is in turn effecting christian community because we are almost shopping for churches to be perfect instead of focusing on the imperfect community and striving to make it better and come together for God. Anyway there was a LOT more talked about in this book and I would highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews