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Loving Your Church By Praying, Giving Or Going
By Jim Essian
The Good Book Company. 142 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 802 541 014
This brief book is another in the Loving Your Church series (loveyourchurchseries.com) There are eight chapters followed by an overall conclusion. Each one ends with around three Action Steps – Essian wants to stir his readers to action. For each chapter there are also discussion questions for study groups at the back of the book. It is kaleidoscopic and varied in colours and context.
1. ‘God’s Vision for the World’ is seen in the book of Habakkuk. ‘The only right response to God’s vision for the world is to live by faith.’
2. ‘God’s Vision for Us’ – in our troubled times we need not despair but gain confidence from the vision our God imparts.
3. Part of ‘Living Sent’ raises the issue of church planting and this chapter explores the matter. In 16 pages we have a compact Biblical and practical guide on planting. The author’s own context is a long way from the experience of many (most?) British church-planting situations, but it is valuable, nevertheless.
4. ‘The Global God’ provides a striking perspective from Revelation. ‘A global God offers a global solution to a global problem: a global gospel and a global church on a global mission.’
5. ‘A Redemptive Presence’ is familiar ground on living out Jeremiah’s call (29:7) to the exiles to ‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you’.
6. ‘FindingYour Place’ explores God’s providence, our gifts and calling, and knowing that we are ‘sent’.
7. ‘Gospel Goodbyes’ – whether sending or going for the gospel there can be painful goodbyes but they ‘are not forever; our sorrows are only temporary’, this gives practical advice on follow up after such goodbyes.
8. The final chapter, ‘Dream Big’, asks: ‘Consider what you pray for with regard to money, time and relationships. Do you think you tend toward a scarcity or abundance mindset?’
Tackling such big matters in a small book, risks saying a little about a lot. However, the author, a former professional baseball player turned pastor, certainly hits some home runs. It is fast moving and big hitting. He reminds us that ‘as “elect exiles” we are all part of God’s mission.’ Sometimes we need some sport-like coaching to spur us to action, after all the ‘sent’ apostle Paul was fond of sporting illustrations. A kaleidoscope presents different colours that interact and interlock – this one is worth a look.
