the living church

I am getting back into reading books again. I just received a shipment of new books and John Stott's The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor is a breath of fresh air.

Stott, I think, lays out a basis for common ground moving forward as a Church in an ever-changing post-Christian culture. The respect for the institutional Church, and the heart for the authentic Church would be hard for anyone to argue with.

While Stott dives into reflections on the elements in any church (Worship, Evangelism, Ministry, Fellowship, Preaching, Giving, and Impact) that will certainly be challenging to many, I loved his picture of "God's Vision for His Church." He argues that the characteristics that are essential for a living church are:

A Learning Church: a church submissive to the teachings of the apostles (Scripture)...relating to the apostles.

A Caring Church: a church characterized by generosity...relating to each other.

A Worshiping Church: a church that rejoices and reveres God both in private and corporately...relating to God.

An Evangelizing Church: a church with compassionate outreach (led by Jesus, spreading salvation, and part of every day life)...relating to the world.

Stott also invested time affirming the strengths of the "emerging" church, as he sees them:

1. Identifying the life (or way) of Jesus as their example and teaching.

2. Transforming secular space by rejecting the sacred-secular divide promoted by modernism.

3. Living as community as kingdom or family community.

I commend this book to those of you who are passionate about Christ's Bride, the Church.