As part of my professional life, I read a lot. True, I love to read personally, so the love of books isn't too challenging to bring over into my professional life. But I truly do take something out of practically every book that I read.
One of the things I'm aiming for this year is to post brief reviews about books I read on this blog. If that leads some of you to purchasing and reading those same books, great. I'd also love to hear what you think of the various books. I'll also try to keep things brief, yet as encompassing as possible.
Today I just finished Thom Rainer's "I Am A Church Member." It's a brief book of 79 pages, and yet, presents some challenging thoughts to us as Christians. He basically takes a look at this thing called church membership, focusing on what membership is biblically verses what we tend to think of as membership.
Rainer's primary contrast is the membership of a church versus the membership of a country club. His research has led him to believe that too many churches in America have members who conduct themselves as country club members, who focus on services directed toward them, rather than seeking to serve. He especially focuses on the area of functioning (being an active participant in the congregation), unifying, prayer (especially for those in leadership positions), health (especially in regard to family members), and in the role of preferences and desires. Rainer asserts that our focus way too often tends to be on what we get from our participation in the church rather than seeking to be an asset to the Body of Christ in our local congregation.
To a healthy degree, I agree with much of what Rainer writes, though there are some caveats. Many of us focus on what we get out of our local church rather than on how we can be an asset to Christ's body and ministry. But I also believe that Rainer focuses too much on the serving aspect. From the outset, we understand that we are members of Christ's Church because of what He has done for us. It's completely Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and the subsequent gift of faith, which make us members, and that is true whether we are productive or not, serving or consuming.
However, Rainer hits the nail on the head that our membership in Christ's Church doesn't stop there. The call to faith isn't about being static or complacent, but about taking up our cross and following Jesus as we exhibit our love for our neighbor. That love is far too frequently missing in our churches. Rainer provides a helpful reminder that, being Christ's Church, we are to focus on our love for God as we love our neighbor, both within the Church and outside the Church.
That drives us to have a servant heart and attitude rather than a consumer attitude. This is the strength of Rainer's approach to this topic. He challenges us to think about being part of Christ's Church and serving rather than being served. He pulls that into our relationships with fellow members, with leaders, and even to those outside the Church. Service, not preferences or personal desires, should be the driving force behind what we do, out of love for Christ, who redeemed us by serving us, and now sends us out to do the same in His name.
I would recommend this book, though it may come across as somewhat harsh and judgmental, especially to those who bring a consumer mindset to the Church. Nevertheless, much can be gained from reading it, especially if you are willing to be challenged in your participation in your local congregation.
One of the things I'm aiming for this year is to post brief reviews about books I read on this blog. If that leads some of you to purchasing and reading those same books, great. I'd also love to hear what you think of the various books. I'll also try to keep things brief, yet as encompassing as possible.
Today I just finished Thom Rainer's "I Am A Church Member." It's a brief book of 79 pages, and yet, presents some challenging thoughts to us as Christians. He basically takes a look at this thing called church membership, focusing on what membership is biblically verses what we tend to think of as membership.
Rainer's primary contrast is the membership of a church versus the membership of a country club. His research has led him to believe that too many churches in America have members who conduct themselves as country club members, who focus on services directed toward them, rather than seeking to serve. He especially focuses on the area of functioning (being an active participant in the congregation), unifying, prayer (especially for those in leadership positions), health (especially in regard to family members), and in the role of preferences and desires. Rainer asserts that our focus way too often tends to be on what we get from our participation in the church rather than seeking to be an asset to the Body of Christ in our local congregation.
To a healthy degree, I agree with much of what Rainer writes, though there are some caveats. Many of us focus on what we get out of our local church rather than on how we can be an asset to Christ's body and ministry. But I also believe that Rainer focuses too much on the serving aspect. From the outset, we understand that we are members of Christ's Church because of what He has done for us. It's completely Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and the subsequent gift of faith, which make us members, and that is true whether we are productive or not, serving or consuming.
However, Rainer hits the nail on the head that our membership in Christ's Church doesn't stop there. The call to faith isn't about being static or complacent, but about taking up our cross and following Jesus as we exhibit our love for our neighbor. That love is far too frequently missing in our churches. Rainer provides a helpful reminder that, being Christ's Church, we are to focus on our love for God as we love our neighbor, both within the Church and outside the Church.
That drives us to have a servant heart and attitude rather than a consumer attitude. This is the strength of Rainer's approach to this topic. He challenges us to think about being part of Christ's Church and serving rather than being served. He pulls that into our relationships with fellow members, with leaders, and even to those outside the Church. Service, not preferences or personal desires, should be the driving force behind what we do, out of love for Christ, who redeemed us by serving us, and now sends us out to do the same in His name.
I would recommend this book, though it may come across as somewhat harsh and judgmental, especially to those who bring a consumer mindset to the Church. Nevertheless, much can be gained from reading it, especially if you are willing to be challenged in your participation in your local congregation.
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