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Review
'In this helpful follow-up to 'Total Church', the practical everyday aspects of being a church in community on mission are clearly explained. This is a great book.' --Mark Driscoll
'How can Christians infiltrate an increasingly hostile world? The answers in this book may surprise you.' --Adrian Warnock
'How can Christians infiltrate an increasingly hostile world? The answers in this book may surprise you.' --Adrian Warnock
Product Description
Most people in the West have no intention of ever attending church. Indeed, many only use Christ's name as a swear word. And while some prominent churches are growing, much of this is transfer rather than true growth.
Yet many of our approaches to evangelism still assume a Christian mentality. We expect people to come to us when we put on a good church service.
We need to meet the unchurched where they are, in the context of everyday life, shifting the focus from putting on attractive events to creating attractive communities.
Allow this book, with its focus on Peter's first letter, to change your expectations and your thinking.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Chester and Timmis go to considerable lengths to make the point that the church is no longer at the centre of society but on the margins, and so we can no longer expect respect, privilege or institutional influence. In other words, Western Europe (and much of the USA) can no longer be described as `Christian society'. Personally I felt they spent an excessive amount of time hammering this point home: perhaps that is simply because I am utterly convinced of this already; presumably they know people that haven't accepted this point. However, the rest of the book uses the book of 1 Peter as the basis for a reflection on how Christians are to live as strangers and aliens in the world, so establishing the links between our context and that of 1 Peter is important.
The book then starts to explore the implications of a marginalised "outsider" church in a secular culture:
- the secular culture is no longer Christian culture
- it's a mission field - but are we really starting to act like missionaries? and practical cross-cultural mission?
- we need to rediscover the culture, understand it, and love it
- we are called to be a distinctive community - chosen and sanctified for missional obedience (1 Peter 1:2)
- this distinctiveness comes from love (in everyday life) - not by trying to imitate the culture (cool events)
So how do we `do community'? Their answer is we don't! Community has to come out of a focus on God's Word, rather than as the focus itself. Chester and Timmis provide some great insights in how we can care for each other on a daily basis by applying the gospel to each others' lives. In particular, they use the 4Gs (God is great... good... glorious... gracious) as a very helpful framework to relate God's word to the problems of everyday life - and to our own efforts to pastor each other!
Addressing mission, the authors explain Peter's mission strategy for marginalised congregations in hostile contexts: respond with good deeds; live such good lives that people glorify God; declare God's praises with words. "Our lives are the evangelistic events!"
One of the highlights for me (alongside the 4G's discussion mentioned above) was the section on evangelism. Tim and Steve explain that they are NOT natural evangelists so their advice amounts to "evangelism for dummies - a guide for the rest of us" which is wonderful! They talk about how our culture has its own stories of creation, fall, redemption and consummation that we can identify and present a gospel alternative to,
There is plenty more in the book that is helpful, practical and solidly grounded in theological, Biblical, reflection. Their focus on making sure that the church is being the church, authentically and faithfully, throughout the week - rather than focused on programmes and events and a `church schedule' - comes through practically and compellingly. The book is highly readable, and I would recommend it to any Christian serious about understanding their calling in today's Western culture.
Full review on my blog (theuntaming dot wordpress com)...
The book then starts to explore the implications of a marginalised "outsider" church in a secular culture:
- the secular culture is no longer Christian culture
- it's a mission field - but are we really starting to act like missionaries? and practical cross-cultural mission?
- we need to rediscover the culture, understand it, and love it
- we are called to be a distinctive community - chosen and sanctified for missional obedience (1 Peter 1:2)
- this distinctiveness comes from love (in everyday life) - not by trying to imitate the culture (cool events)
So how do we `do community'? Their answer is we don't! Community has to come out of a focus on God's Word, rather than as the focus itself. Chester and Timmis provide some great insights in how we can care for each other on a daily basis by applying the gospel to each others' lives. In particular, they use the 4Gs (God is great... good... glorious... gracious) as a very helpful framework to relate God's word to the problems of everyday life - and to our own efforts to pastor each other!
Addressing mission, the authors explain Peter's mission strategy for marginalised congregations in hostile contexts: respond with good deeds; live such good lives that people glorify God; declare God's praises with words. "Our lives are the evangelistic events!"
One of the highlights for me (alongside the 4G's discussion mentioned above) was the section on evangelism. Tim and Steve explain that they are NOT natural evangelists so their advice amounts to "evangelism for dummies - a guide for the rest of us" which is wonderful! They talk about how our culture has its own stories of creation, fall, redemption and consummation that we can identify and present a gospel alternative to,
There is plenty more in the book that is helpful, practical and solidly grounded in theological, Biblical, reflection. Their focus on making sure that the church is being the church, authentically and faithfully, throughout the week - rather than focused on programmes and events and a `church schedule' - comes through practically and compellingly. The book is highly readable, and I would recommend it to any Christian serious about understanding their calling in today's Western culture.
Full review on my blog (theuntaming dot wordpress com)...
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, it is plain to see that the church has a very different place in our society to that of the second decade of the 20th century. Where the church was a fairly focal point of both local life and the state as a whole a hundred years ago, now the church is seen to have no real place in society. We have become a nation that used to be Christian, now Jesus is no more than a name from the past or a baby that appears at Christmas.
This is why this book is important for us to read. Not just leaders of the church, but also the 'everyday Christian.' What Chester & Timmis do is to show the state of the church as it is today and how we 'should do church' in light of the culture we live in. Their argument is for us to show our culture that church isn't a building but a life lived as Christians together.
There isn't anything radically different here compared to other books of a similar nature but it is a model that is clearly producing fruit in a tough area of the UK. The authors want to show us how living lives with gospel intentionality has been far more beneficial than just getting people to come to an event in a church building. This is so helpful to be reminded of and the examples they give of how it has been worked through in their ministry add weight to their argument.
What they do in Sheffield won't exactly fit into every church setting throughout the country but their heart for the lost people of the UK will. This book is invaluable if we are to reach a culture/country with the love of Jesus and the hope of eternity.
This is why this book is important for us to read. Not just leaders of the church, but also the 'everyday Christian.' What Chester & Timmis do is to show the state of the church as it is today and how we 'should do church' in light of the culture we live in. Their argument is for us to show our culture that church isn't a building but a life lived as Christians together.
There isn't anything radically different here compared to other books of a similar nature but it is a model that is clearly producing fruit in a tough area of the UK. The authors want to show us how living lives with gospel intentionality has been far more beneficial than just getting people to come to an event in a church building. This is so helpful to be reminded of and the examples they give of how it has been worked through in their ministry add weight to their argument.
What they do in Sheffield won't exactly fit into every church setting throughout the country but their heart for the lost people of the UK will. This book is invaluable if we are to reach a culture/country with the love of Jesus and the hope of eternity.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a stimulating and challenging book for church leaders. Its cover suggests a book for the ordinary church member, but it would be too conceptual for most. Those who can cope with theology and analysis, and are looking for new ideas and insights on evangelism and church life, will find here much to provoke thought and action. I'm still thinking about how it will apply in a semi-rural situation with an elderly congregation. I'm very glad I bought and read the book.
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