Total Church

I want to tell you about my favorite new book. Let me begin by confessing my bias. I personally know and love the men who wrote this book. Steve Timmis has become a very good friend of mine who I speak with on a daily basis. He is someone that I have the deepest admiration and respect for. Tim Chester I do not know as well, but still had the privilege of spending a week with him in Sheffield and my heart warmed to him very quickly. I enjoyed hours of great conversation with Tim and find him to be one of the most intelligent and humble men that I have met. It is a joy and privilege for me to partner with them in ministry and life. What follows is my attempt to convince you to buy and distribute many copies of this book.

Total Church is one of those books that you hold in your hand and think two things after you've read it. First, Wow! This book says it all. Second, Wow! This book says it all. The first "wow" is the one you say while cheering and applauding that someone has said things that you have desperately wanted to hear. Each page drips with gospel understanding and real life love for the church. The second "wow" is the one you say while realizing that you pretty much have nothing new to offer the world at this point other than a copy of this book. The things you had been thinking about that seemed so "radical" and "refreshing" are now nothing more than restatement of what's been said.

The back of the book reads:

How does your church measure up?

Total Church pleads for two key principles for church and mission. First, the gospel as content: being word-centred (for the gospel is truth) and being mission-centred (for the gospel is truth to be proclaimed). Secondly, the community as context: sharing our lives as Christians and offering a place of belonging to unbelievers.

The authors apply these principles to church planting, evangelism, apologetics, social involvement, leadership, discipleship, pastoral care, world mission, and notions of success. They critique current trends within the church: emerging church movements are strong on community but weak on truth, while conservative evangelicalism is strong on truth but weak on community. Their call is for the best of both.

The book divides nicely into two parts. First, gospel and community in principle. This part does a nice job of explaining both the nature of the gospel and the nature of community. The second part, gospel and community in practice, explores the way such principles play out in a local church setting. In my opinion, this is where the book separates itself from other books in its category. We live in a time in which the academy and the church seem far apart from one another. Those who appear to understand the principles of gospel and community often have nothing more than a band of seminary students following closely behind saying "amen" to their every word. Having never seen the principles in practice, the students spend the rest of their lives, like their professors, talking about the principles and yet never practicing them. On the other hand, the other extreme is often the case. Many churches operate purely out of pragmatism without ever thinking through the theological basis (if there is one) for what they are doing. The result is often program driven churches that have practices handed down from one practitioner to another via conferences or "how to" manuals. The results of these two camps--theoreticians and practitioners--are easy to spot. One boasts in depth (quality) while the other in width (quantity).

Rarely does one find a book written by men who not only understand the principles and explain the practices, but also have a church that reflects the book. This book is created in the image of The Crowded House. Throughout its pages are stories of real life people who have been affected by the principles of this book and are therefore living the practices of this book. I have had the privilege of spending time in The Crowded House and seeing the work that gives testimony to the convictions of this book. The principles and practices of gospel community are something that you find in every aspect of The Crowded House and spending any amount of time with the Tim and Steve explain why. These principles and practices define these men and what is contained on the pages of this book is merely overflow of their lives.

That said, this book promises to cause you to think. The authors argue that Christian practice must be 1) gospel-centered in the sense of being word-centered; 2) gospel-centered in the sense of being mission-centered; and 3) community-centered. As they unpack this, most will find themselves agreeing with much of what they are saying. The gospel-centrality of these men is extremely refreshing. For some, their ecclesiology may be a bit radical and sit uncomfortably. There are moments that will rattle you--especially if you are a pastor. For example:

"I am pastored by my congregation. My struggles are often out in the open for everyone to see. I can be honest about my failures...The real tragedy of leadership-as-performance is that it devalues the work of Christ. Our identity is not rooted in grace, but in the success of our ministry." These are not things that sit well with the typical pastor who is enamored by his position. Another quote from the book reads, "It is important that leaders see themselves and are seen by others as part of the church. Professionalism is always the enemy of authentic gospel leadership...It is both reassuring and challenging to discover that the shepherds of God's flock are first and foremost sheep!"

Not only is the identity of pastors looked at with scrutiny, but so is the role of formal theological training.

"We are not against theological colleges, but we need a big switch of focus from the isolation of residential theological colleges to apprenticeships in the context of ministry....In residential colleges the academy sets the agenda. With on-the-job training, ministry and mission set the agenda. Colleges also suit a certain type of person and this then shapes a view of what it means to be a church leader. Most church leaders today are middle-class graduates who were trained in a college whose qualification for ministry is a degree...One of the reasons that we have middle-class churches that are failing to reach working-class people is that we have middle-class leaders...And we have middle-class leaders because our expectations of what constitutes leadership and our training methods are middle-class."

It is statements like these that I assume will cause indigestion to some readers. However, this is the reason that I recommend not reading this book in the same fashion that you eat a Big Mac. This is a meal that is meant to be chewed slowly. It is not hard to read, it actually reads pretty fast, but it is not meant to be read in that fashion. It is meant to cause you to evaluate your life, your ministry, and your church. I personally believe that this is a book that bridges the gap between the conservative view of the gospel and the emerging view of community in a way that I have not yet seen. Imagine a church that really understood the gospel and really understood community--it would be a Total Church.

As a side note, the book is published in the UK by IVP and is therefore not currently available in the US until later this year when it is published on this side of the Atlantic. However, I just happened to have acquired a large quantity that I am happy to make available to those who are interested. If you would like to purchase a copy, don't hesitate to contact me.

Technorati Tags: missional church, steve timmis, the crowded house, tim chester

Comments

[Jason Roberts]

I'm with you on this recommendation. Just finished it and the first thought that came to mind was, "now I need to really read it". There was almost to much to digest in the first reading.

Great book

[Stephen McAlpine]

Hey Mark

It's a great read and an even greater re-read IMHO. I back up everything you said too, about the theory and practice coming together in TCH

[Luke Britt]

I'd like to get one from you soon.

[Shane]

Hey
we've just picked our copies here in australia and I was interested to see that you had even heard of them in the US... awesome to see some like minded brothers committed to Reformed Sprirituality and radical mission lived out in community. Thanks for your review - it motivated me to read on!

[jonathan]

Mark, first time to read your blog and I wish I had discovered it sooner! Every single post I've read so far has hit home with me. Recently, the BIG question in my life has been: what does it mean to be the body of Christ and how do we do it? I've been looking for a well rounded, wholistic approach that values truth and how that truth affects everything else we do. Total Church sounds like that approach. I'm interested in purchasing a copy from you.

[Glen Ridenour]

I would like to get two copies can you help?

Thank you.

Glen
Conshohocken, PA

[Jason]

I'd take one if you have any left. Thanks Mark.

[Pete Williamson]

Mark...got any copies left?

[AWHall]

I've been looking at this book for a while over at the UK ivpress website and wonder if I might be able to purchase a copy from you? I'd like to work through it with our church leadership.

Thanks for the blurb.

[Bryce]

Mark, I just stumbled across your blog and am really interested in this book. You're the second person I've seen recommending it this week. I'd like to get a copy from you if possible. Thanks!

[Lin]

I'd like to get one if you have any left. Thanks!

[Glen Ridenour]

I would like to get two copies of book if you an help.

Glen
Conshohocken, PA

[Matthew Johnson]

I would like to purchase a copy of this book if possible.

Thank you

Matthew
Louisville, KY

[Casey Bedell]

Hey Mark,
Can I get a couple copies, if you have any left?
Preciatecha brotha

[Mark Moore]

Sorry for the delay in responding to your requests. The situation is that I'm out of books at this point and am working to acquire some more. I should have something to tell you in the next day or so.

We ordered 50 copies in order to use with leaders in our church and with various church planters that I'm coaching. The response from those of you on the blog and others who have emailed me has been pretty significant. Thanks for your patience.

[Tom]

Mark,

I'd love to order a copy from you when you get more in. Thanks!

Tom

[Dennis Kiggins]

Mark,

Would it be possible to obtain a copy of the book entitled Total Church? I'm very interested in this book as it appears very timely for where we stand in the life of our church.
Thanks,
Dennis
Daytona Beach, FL

[Nancy Dulkis]

Mark--
I would like to purchase a copy of Total Church. My church is in the process of reorganizing to better reach our community with the gospel. We are open to radical change.
Nancy Dulkis
Upstate NY

[Scott Nelson]

Mark,

A couple of days ago, as I was visiting different blogs that I check every day, I followed a link to The Crowded House website and learned about the book Total Church. Since seeing the book there I have seen references to it several other places, including your blogsite. It looks and sounds like it is a great book and would be a very encouraging read. I noticed on your blog that you might have had some extra copies of the book late this summer. Since the book has yet to be published in the US, may I ask if you have any copies of Total Church left. If so, I would like to purchase one from you. If you do, please let me know how I purchase it from you. Thanks.

Scott
Bryan, TX USA

[Reid]

Mark, great review. I am a couple of chapters into the book. I ordered from Amazon.com - a bit pricey but got to be in a week or two. I love the book so far - reading portions out loud to my wife.

Thanks for writing this up