Book Review: Why Church Matters

Why Church Matters by Joshua Harris
ISBN: 978-1601423849
Publisher: Multnomah
Retail: $13.99

Read an excerpt here. Or read the first chapter here (it includes a bit more than the excerpt).

Church isn’t where we go, it’s who we are.

“We were never meant to live our faith in isolation. The church is the place God uses to grow us, encourage us, and use our gifts for His glory. In this honest, personal, and practical book, Joshua Harris shows you why it’s time to say yes to church and how to find the right one for you-the place where you can fall in love with the family of God.” from the back cover

I’ve never been a member of  a church. I have attended the same church for 3 years now but I am not an official member. Our pastor spoke with my dh about being a member but…we are not members. *It was a mostly mutual decision that hubby and I made.* This book is a very good book for those who are contemplating joining a church and also, I believe, for those who are set against joining.

This book talks about the wishy-washiness of many Christians. We (oh, yes, I include myself in this category) get hung up on the way the services are held or the opinions of some of the members of the church- or we simply love the music that is played (or can’t stand it!). We cannot commit to a local church because we are focusing on the wrong things. While reading this book I took some notes because this is a very good book.

In Chapter 2, Harris talks about the view God has of the church- and the view that we should have. The Church is the Bride of Christ. But what is the church? Who comprises the Church? Believers comprise the Church- it doesn’t matter where we meet but that we do meet. (Hebrews 10:25 clearly directs us to meet together) We should see the body of Christ, the Church, as Christ does: lovingly and adoringly. I cannot, without taking his words, express the importance of the Church to you in this post. When we fail to commit to a church (and the emphasis is on local) we cheat ourselves and others.

In Chapter 3, Thinking Globally, Loving Locally, Harris quotes Brian Habig and Les Wesom, authors of The Enduring Community:

All of us should concern ourselves with the challenges that face people everywhere. But that concern cannot be expressed everywhere. We demonstrate our concern by acting and living where we are.

One way to love locally is to “show your non-Christian neighbors that the new life made available through Jesus’ death and resurrection is also the foundation for a new society.” A Church does this by living the gospel. Harris points out the three things a church should do:

• Baptism (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4)
• The Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)
• Discipline (Matthew 18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-9)

These three things make a church different than say a campus ministry group or a study group.

He goes on to give the main reasons why people are opposed to joining and committing to a church:

• Self-centeredness
• Prideful Independence
• Critical Spirit

All of these are bred by the world’s negative influence. As David, from New York, came to discover, we need to go to church with the view of being a ‘communer’ and not a ‘consumer’. We are not buying something, we are being given something. We need to go to church with the mindset that we are meeting God and to let His spirit work in our lives. I especially liked the comment that was made on page 50: It is easy to walk away. It is difficult to stay and let go of our selfishness, pride and criticalness. 

Harris talks about joining a church and what one should be prepared to ‘give’ when they do: obedience, of themselves, make connections with others, and then to share the passion with others outside of the church.

Chapter 5 is titled Choosing Your Church and it goes through 10 important questions to ask when contemplating joining a church. For the most part I was not surprised by his list but for a couple of questions. One of those questions is “Is this a church that is willing to kick me out?” Who wants to be kicked out!? But that is exactly what Harris is getting to, we want to do what is right but in order for the church we have chosen to be right it has to discipline. That means that if its members are doing things that are unbiblical and/or morally wrong, the church must be willing to admonish them to prevent bad associations from corrupting the rest of the church. That is one reason so many people have a problem with churches! They are not consistent, they are not really different from the world and yet they say they are.

Chapter 8 gives good advice to pray before attending a church. Always have a humble attitude. Those two things will go a long way in helping one to see a church for what it truly is. It is important to find a church that teaches, values, and lives God’s Word.

Towards the end of that chapter Harris talks about ‘tough situations’ and when one would want to leave a church. I won’t outline those here but I found them all to be sound reasons. The book ends with how to ‘rescue’ Sundays (how to prepare oneself to actually enjoy and get the most out of the day) and more encouragement to go ahead and say ‘yes’ to joining a local church.

Overall a very good book. It was a quick read but had so many good points. And biblically it is supported throughout. Only occasionally (perhaps it is only really once?) does Harris make a statement that I believe is his opinion and really cannot be backed completely by scripture. I want to give this book to my husband, to my sister, and to a few friends to read! It is good.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review from Waterbrook Multnomah. I was not required to give a positive review.