I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference Hardcover – May 1, 2013
Author: Visit ‘s Thom S. Rainer Page ID:
1433679736
Review
Thom Rainer has written more in behalf of the local church than any scholar I know. I Am A Church Member is a stellar example of such monographs, the perfect introduction for anyone serious about pleIDg Jesus through responsible church membership. Fun, perceptive, challenging, and steeped in Scripture, I sincerely wish that every evangelical churchman would read– and then practice this book.
Paige Patterson
President, Southwestern Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas
I am a Church Member is a great resource for both church leaders and church members. In a world obsessed with consumerism Dr. Rainer shows that, as a biblical church member, I am called to a greater commitment. I recommend that any church that takes belonging seriously consider giving a copy to every member.
Geoff Surratt
Managing Director, Exponential
As a church member I have the privilege to unite with the body of Christ in making an eternal difference through my giftedness in His service. Church membership is an honor, privilege, and joy. Where would I be without the fellowship, encouragement, and edifying of the church? I am so thankful to Thom Rainer for making that reality come alive in this book!
Johnny Hunt
Pastor, First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia
So much ink has been spilled to critique the church that it has almost become sport. Yet, I am confident that you cannot love Jesus and despise His wife, the Bride of Christ. Here, Thom Rainer offers a positive vision of healthy church membership and deep value for the Bride of Christ. There’s a deficit of books like the one in your hands, a rare treasure for a generation deeply in need of a compelling vision for this community called church."
Ed Stetzer
President of LifeWay Research
Church membership is the shape of Christian discipleship. Wise, simple and sweet, practical and even piercing–this brief volume, if read and digested, helps us to follow Christ. It comes complete with questions to be considered and pledges to be made. Thom Rainer has written a book to instruct new members and to remind long-time members that true discipleship may sometimes be heroic; it must always be humble."
Mark Dever
Senior Pastor, The Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC
President, 9Marks
According to Thom Rainer, Church membership doesn’t simply have privileges, it isa privilege. And I couldn’t agree more. In I Am A Church Member Thom delivers a biblical perspective and practical approach to church membership. This little book is both refreshing and inspirational. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend you pick it up!
Andy Stanley
North Point Ministries
One of the great privileges of my life is to pastor a local congregation of saints. Over the last decade I have seen first hand the fruits of those who understand the content of this book and don’t just go to a church but belong to one. Dr. Rainer has served us all well in this book. He has wrung from the scriptures God’s commands concerning the fullness of life found in Christ among his people in covenant faithfulness. If you love your church, are frustrated with your church, or don’t understand why membership matters, I encourage you to pick this book up and read it.
Matt Chandler
Edler, The Village Church
For many years, the Lord has used Thom Rainer to encourage and challenge church leaders to be evangelistic, raise expectations, design a discipleship process, reach millenials, etc. And the Church has benefited. Now, the Lord will use this helpful book to encourage church members to discover or rediscover the privilege and responsibility of belonging to a local church. And the Church will benefit.
Eric Geiger
Vice President, LifeWay Church Resources Division
There are scores of books on what it means to be a good pastor of a church. The same cannot be said for books on what it means to be a good member of a church. Thom Rainer helps cure the latter malady in this brief work that is biblical, simple and practical. This book is an easy read. It is also a convicting read. And, it is greatly needed when so many who attend church have a "what can I get" mentality rather than a "what can I give" mindset. This book will serve the body of Christ well.
Daniel L. Akin
President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Thom Rainer, with this incredibly valuable little book, has once again demonstrated why he is considered a leader among church leaders. Though small in size, this insightful resource has the potential to bring about big results, helping to guide individuals and churches toward much-needed changes in how we all think about what is really involved in becoming a faithful church member. These thoughtful reflections, together with the illuminating and applicable responses, will serve as trustworthy steps toward health, renewal, and revitalization for congregations of all sizes.
David S. Dockery
President, Union University
Thom Rainer has created a profound and practical resource to help two generations of Christians – those who have become too comfortable and even apathetic in the church and those of my generation who are inclined to abandon it altogether. For those, like me, who have grown up in the church this is a pointed and necessary reminder of what it means to be a church member, and for those who are new to church it is a concise primer on the joy and life found in committing to a local church. I highly recommend this deep but uncomplicated book to any believer.
Barnabas Piper
Writer, columnist for WorldMag.com
Thomas Rainer has tapped into a significant challenge in today’s church that is experiencing a decline in church attendance and membership. I Am a Church Member focuses on the priority that all followers of Jesus Christ should emphasize and that is to serve Him by serving others based on the Biblical instruction set forth in Scripture. “Now [we] are the body of Christ and individual members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Thom has masterfully outlined how we should function within the context of the apostles’ teaching and gives us pause to consider just how we should relate to others within the local church—Christ’s words are to individuals that collectively make up the body of Christ. His work takes root in each individual heart.
Franklin Graham
President & CEO
Samaritan’s Purse
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
The Church is the only bride of Christ. The Church is the only plan of God to reach the world and it is the only organization that will last forever!
The Church (with a Big C) is only as strong as its local churches around the world.
In a day of church decline and stagnation, it appears as if the church of today looks nothing like the church of the Bible.
I believe when church members around the world get a clear picture of what the Bible has to say about their relationship with their church–it will change the world!
Thom Rainer has done it again. He has written a book that will advance the Church and therefore advance the Kingdom of God.
It is a must read for all church members everywhere.
Dr. Alex Himaya
Founding and Senior Pastor
TheChurch.at (BattleCreek/ Midtown), Tulsa, OK
Timely. Needed. Powerful. Simple. Clear. Biblical. This book needs to be read by every Pastor and church member globally. Find a way to get it to every Christ-follower. I will do all I can to do it in my church. Thank you for calling us back to the Bible!
Dr. Ronnie Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas
About the Author
Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the largest Christian resource companies in the world. Also a respected pastor and researcher, he has written more than twenty books and coauthored the No. 1 best seller Simple Church . Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, have three grown sons, several grandchildren, and live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hardcover: 96 pagesPublisher: B&H Books (May 1, 2013)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1433679736ISBN-13: 978-1433679735 Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 7.3 inches Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Best Sellers Rank: #6,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #14 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Evangelism > Discipleship #27 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Churches & Church Leadership #1271 in Books > Religion & Spirituality
Many of us church members have lost the biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ, according to Thom Rainer in this book. We join our churches expecting others to serve us, to feed us, and to care for us; and we don’t like the hypocrites in the church, but we fail to see our own hypocrisies.
The book is a journey of rediscovering the privilege and joy of church membership, a journey through six pledges which are about the joy of being last instead of first, the joy of being a unifier rather than a complainer, the joy of being a servant rather than being entitled. The six pledges are:
* To be a functioning member, giving cheerfully and abundantly, and serving without hesitation.
* To be a unifying church member, avoiding gossip and negative talk, and promoting forgiveness and unity.
* To avoid insisting on personal preferences and desires, and to put up with associated inconveniences.
* To pray for church leaders every day, including for protection and physical and mental health.
* To lead one’s family to be healthy church members, worshipping together and praying together for the church.
* To treasure church membership as a gift, rather than treating it as a legalistic obligation.
The book is a very short one, at around 80 pages, easy to read and inexpensive. I found it quite inspiring, and by the end I was feeling eager to commit to a higher level of church membership. The problem with passivity in churches is usually diagnosed – probably correctly – as a leadership problem, but it is also a followership problem, and this book is a great way to open the eyes of ordinary believers to the importance of their role as fully participating members of the body.
I really wasn’t impressed by this. I think the concept was a good one, but I don’t like the way it was done. While he doesn’t explicitly say that people should blindly go along with whatever is going on in their church, that is easily the message people could come away with from this book. In a perfect world, that would be safe to do, but this is anything but a perfect world. I think if you’re going to be a church member, you should support one another and the church leadership, but you should never, ever abandon your own judgment. I’ve seen a lot of damage done when this occurs in real life. I agree with some point in the book, namely that people should be aware of what many pastors deal with in their positions, and that they should not be petty and demand their way all the time. Still, the back your church no matter what outlook disturbs me.
This is the first book by Thom Rainer that I have read. In what I have discovered about him in general, but as a result of following his blog in particular, I have developed quite a bit of respect for him. His latest did not disappoint.
Published on April 14, 2013, I Am A Church Member is available in Kindle e-book or hardcover versions and it is just under 100 pages long. I read the book in Kindle form in less than 2 hours. It is easy to read, digest and sensitively but unashamedly addresses issues like gossip, a "what’s in it for me" mindset, worship wars and more.
Rainer asks the reader to consider what he believes is a biblical attitude of church membership and how that differs from the culture’s definition of membership. Unlike other books of this type, Rainer doesn’t ignore Scripture but brings them forth alongside research and experience to offer a compelling description of what a church member is and should be and the difference that would make in our churches and thus in the culture as a whole. The pledges he ends each chapter with and includes in the back are a great reminder of what has been learned so that the reader can put them into action. In addition, each chapter ends with questions pertinent to that chapter’s content.
With enthusiasm, I recommend I Am A Church Member. Useful for personal enrichment as well as a group Bible study or even as a resource for a pastor in discussing these important issues with the board or a small group or church setting, I am sure that if you purchase it, it will not go to waste. It is a must read for every church member.
This review also appears at: http://ift.tt/1pkbvfa
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