Understanding what a church is
592670
From discussing the basis of a church, to the background of the church history from Matthews to Galataians, "The Titus Mandate" is an insightful look into what a church is and isn't, that everything from the new Christian to the veteran follower of Christ would be interested in reading.

In the era of mega-churches, the small hometown church to home churching, "The Titus Mandate" will help the everyman understand the importance of fellowship with fellow believers while at the same time, providing knowledge of what is a fruitful church and what is sometimes a church that is both not fruitful, but in some cases can also be harmful and what to look for.

As the author, Ted Bigelow, shared,
"The church is supposed to be the safest place on earth for Christians, so why is it often a place of deep dissatisfaction? Many Christians suffer from difficult church situations and are unsure how to live and worship with such stress, let alone grow in the midst of it. Much of this pain comes from being under poor church leadership. "

Going to church shouldn't be stressful...it should be about growth and fellowship, but sadly many find themselves either as new followers who are unable to find or know how to find a church home, or who have been going to a church that has been less about following our Father, either way, "The Titus Mandate" is a must read for an understanding of how a true church should be.

There is no such thing as a perfect church, but there is such a thing of a church that instead of strengthening and encouraging its followers, can hurt their followers as shared in this one story from, "The Titus Mandate":

"Having lived apart from Christ all her years Sheryl first assumed this was a normal part of church. To some extent it felt familiar, but at the same time she felt scared, and even powerless. Some in the church tried to calm her fears by explaining that occasional spats and disagreements are marks of a spiritually healthy church. But she knows better now because the church ended up breaking her heart. Without anybody really meaning to, the people grew loveless.

They passed each other in the hallways with only a nod and sat apart from each other on Sunday mornings. The frequent church meetings exposed frustrations as people vented disappointments and differences. Then all too quickly, it seemed, people just began to "disappear."

In, "The Titus Mandate", it continues:

"Maybe the simple truth has been there all along but we have ignored it because we only wanted a comfortable church, not a holy one. Or, it could be that we have a hard time seeing spiritual danger when we get used to it week after week. Some of us aren't the brightest sheep in the fold. Too often, it seems, it is only after we are deeply hurt that we stop long enough to ask the right questions, and really pay attention to what God says in Scripture.

Like Sheryl in her earlier days, we may be ignoring the warning signs in our church: unresolved conflict, practicing politics, and appointing unqualified leaders. Even with our eyes wide open we find ourselves unable to resolve church tensions.

Or worse, we feel powerless to do anything constructive about it. Sometime we are told that conflicts are an important and even necessary part of church life. But in fact they are disturbing warning signs that expose the enemy's foothold. Worse, they directly violate God's Word.

To counteract these problems, Christians all over the world are going back to Scripture and implementing The Titus Mandate in their churches. "

Is your church practicing, Titus 1:5.

Read "The Titus Mandate" to find out what to look out for and the understanding of what the fellowship of believers is like.
2273393
Who am I and what do I do? Important questions for the Pastor, and Daniel L. Akin and R. Scott Pace have done a wonderful job answering those questions. And in doing so, they may just have added a new field of study for Seminary students, or those who feel called to the pastorate: Pastoral Theology. The results of their work are found in an engaging and readable book: Pastoral Theology: Theological Foundations for WHO a Pastor IS and WHAT He DOES (B&H Academic, 2017)
 If youve ever struggled through a book on systematic theology, and wondered Why?, youll appreciate this book. No, it doesnt cover everything in great deal, because its intended to answer questions that pertain to pastors, its a guide to the road to being a successful pastor. What makes a Pastor a good pastor? Of course, that varies some depending on the personality of the individual but there are certain constants. New pastors struggle to find their identity, and often get bogged down in making friendships, figuring out who the power players (official or unofficial) are in the church, add probably have to deal with the politics that happen in any group as leaders fight for their particular ministry. All that can make it difficult to stay true to the theological basis of being a pastor.
 The book is divided into 3 sections, each with a particular emphasis. Part 1 deals with the Trinitarian Foundation, part 2 focuses on doctrine, and the 3rd part address some practical issues.
 As I started reading this book, it wasn't long before I was thinking about a sermon series based on Part I. The 3 persons of God. The authors address theology, Christology and Pneumatology. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Yes, these chapters are geared towards pastors, with discussions of God's character, Christ as God's champion, and the Spirit as God's Companion. But at the same time, if the Trinity is important to an understanding of my role as pastor, the congregation should also be taught about the three persons. Most pastors talk about the Father and the Son, but, and Im guilty, many pastors neglect the Spirit. The Spirit is often hard to understandso  He is often forgotten in the life of the church.
 Part II addresses Doctrine, again with three Cs : God's Compassion, His Community and his Commission; so we are introduced to a basic study to the theology of man, of the church, and of mission.  What is the pastors role in each of these areas? Yes, they are definitely all important, but sometimes the Pastor is called to take an active role and sometimes he is called to teach the church its role.
 But its not all book learning. Part III addresses how to put some of these things into practice. How does the minister deal with God's congregation? What is important in the preparation to Communicate God's Word through preaching? What is God's covenant, and how does it apply to families? Especially the family of the Pastor? How do we make sure that our families aren't being neglected because the congregation is needy, and the demands of the ministry are so great?
 Everything in this book is grounded in scripture, and the appropriate passages are included in the text, so there is no reason to doubt what is being said. Have a doubt? Turn to your Bible and check the reference.
 This should be required reading for Seminary students, and those called to the pastorate. Members of Pastoral Search Committees should read this book, and carefully question candidates based on some of the things put forth on these pages.  Many thanks to the authors for doing such a thorough job of defining the role of Pastor in such an understandable and scripturally grounded way.
5/5
I received a copy of this book for review.  B&H Academic provided the book in exchange for my review. I was not required to post a positive review.
1955039
Church membership is not optional for Christians but too many are not committed to the church they attend.  They don't consider church to be relevant to their daily lives.  It is just something that they do out of habit or guilt or to please someone else.  This must be remedied.

In this book Harris discusses why this has become an increasing problem in the church.  He explains how Jesus sees the Church, the necessity of the church, ways to choose a good church, and how we need to prepare and participate for the worship services we attend.  It is a small book that is easy to read and follow.  He gives real world examples that help to illustrate his points.  He leads the reader to a point that will require them to make a decision in their personal lives.

I can highly recommend this book to anyone.  I might even go so far as to suggest that it be required reading (in some form) to the youth attending churches today and parents might want to get their kids to read it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books review program. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: 'Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
220634
I recently watched as a church board wrestled with aspects of worship practice.  They were decideing how often to offer communion.  They decided to poll their congregation.  They were interested in what sort of music to offer.  They decided to poll their congregation.  They had questions concerning cantatas, special concerts, liturgical dancing, and drama.  Each time, they decided to find out what their congregation wanted.
Such a church may become very popular, but it has not discovered what worship is nor why it should be done.  Webber's book doesn't ignore historcial or contemporary forms of whorship, but it does try to lay a solid foundation that there is theology in worship.
This book is not the last word on the subject, but it offers a good introduction to worship theology.
242909
The book describes the Episcopal church very well. I personally enjoy not only Sunday service, but bible class, and weekly daily prayer meetings. The book
 is fairly repetitious ,but that is because many things in the church are that way.

  Sincerely,

  David  Diamond
2883951
Too often Christians view belonging to a local church as optional. Joshua Harris makes a case for why being actively involved in a local church is vital for Christians to grow in their faith. In the book "Why Church Matters," he addresses issues such as what you miss out on when you don't go to church; questions to ask before you join a church; and how to get more out of your Sunday worship experience. He also illustrates how actively serving in the church and using our spiritual gifts helps us experience more fully the life God has intended for us as Christians. He also includes questions to ask when choosing a church. There are discussion questions in the back which makes it helpful to use as a group study.  I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
4895529
I've long been an agnostic hostile to the church, but as I watch the West unravel, I often wonder whether the Church will once again save Western civilization. Despite the sex scandals and the scent of corruption in Rome, the church endures. I read this short book about the Vatican simply to better understand the institution and how it operates. Sure, there's scandal. That's hardly news. Too err is, after all, human. But what makes the church endure?

I did not learn about the enduring quality of faith here. I did learn that those who profess faith are really no different than the rest of us. All have sinned, might just as well have been the title of this book. Even so, this book whetted my appetite to learn more about the Church. It has me wonder whether Voltaire might have been wrong. We can't erase the church. We can only understand it better.
1585059
It is an amazing thing... most of us that are raised in the church believe what we learned in the church. Each denomination is based on their teachings. If you are open to listening this book takes an Evangelical approach and opens both ends of the box. Easy reading and for some a "new" perspective.
2588988
This book is written in an easy to understand manner that does not take a degree in Theological studies to comprehend. It gets at the root of what some of the problems are with Churches today through the experiences of the author. It challenged me to re-evaluate how I interact with individuals in the church I attend and through out my daily life.
What this book is not is a way to promote church growth but to promote excellence in the way the Christian churches seek to serve the lost, injured and hurting world.
Add this book to your "must read list" it is well worth the investment of time and the cost of the book.
4328354
If you want to better understand the heart of Christianity this book is for you.
1187138
I'm about 100 pages into the book right now but I will say that the author is very good at presenting in a very simple way for the average reader the nuts and bolts of what "church" is and is not. His approach (to me) is simple and biblical. The question for most believers is "how much do we really believe the bible is inspired and teaches us what the Church of Christ really is all about and how it is to live and grow and reproduce. I am thoroughly enjoying this book!
4197657
I love church history and learned much I didn't know from this book. I would recommend reading this book to learn more.
590906
I have read this book several times.  When I get caught up in the shallow church life that so many see at what Christianity is all about, this book will take me back to reality.  Goes into the history of many current practices in todays church.  Helps to mentally avoid the implied condemnation of others when you question some of the current church practices.
875320
This book spoke to my understand of what church was suppose to be and how it can be again!  I am currently trying to use this model in a church plant.
2342892
The book focuses on churches which are considered simple, i.e., churches which have a defined, explained, focused, and continuous process of making disciples.  The four attributes identified in the book of such churches are clarity, movement, alignment, and focus.  These attributes are shown to be significantly related (in the statistical sense) to churches which are more vibrant (as measured by growth in the worship attendance over a 3-year period).

The book argues well for structuring the process of discipleship in the local church, describing what such a process could look like, but intentionally avoiding "another church model".

Since the book is about the process of building disciples, it is surprising to see that there is little effort at defining what a disciple is.  In the last chapter ("Becoming Simple") the authors state that the leadership should have "open discussions about what kind of disciples God is calling you to make".  The implication is that God calls different churches to make different disciples.  Surely something more can be said than that.  Each chapter ends with discussion questions, but not once is it asked "What is a disciple?"  A good point is made in the book that we should not be measuring discipleship by program attendance (called a vertical measure in the book; a horizontal measure instead is suggested based on how many people are at each stage of the defined process of building disciples.  But since the authors indicated that each stage of the process should be associated with one program in the church, they too are merely looking at program measures, albeit fewer and from a different perspective.  The book seems to equate the maturity of a disciple with the participation in various stages of the discipleship process.  That appears to be a particularly simplistic way of measuring the discipleship of a group of persons.  But when no definition of disciple is given, not much more can be done.

Overall the book challenges churches to think beyond an ever-increasing collection of uncoordinated programs that do not contribute to the development of disciples.  For that it is well worth the read.
451025
This book was recommended to me by the rector of the Episcopal church I have been attending for a couple of years.  Being new to this denomination, there were many questions about the faith, history, worship practices, etc. This book has been outstanding in providing answers to the many questions that I had and others that I had not thought of asking.  It is well-written and provides an excellent overview without being overwhelming for the reader.  The author's style is interesting and informative, providing enough background to enhance understanding while moving through the essential points to open the door to further exploration of the Episcopal church.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
1935844
These short one minute excerpts explain some of the dogmas of the Church and reasons for what the Church does.