Why Church Matters Series Resources

If this series was helpful to you as you wrestle with the question of why (or whether) church matters, the following resources may be helpful to you. This list reflects resources that were helpful to Pastor Andy during his study for the Why Church Matters series.

1. Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans: This memoir-style book tells the story of the author’s journey of loving, leaving, and coming back to church. There are laugh-out-loud moments combined with ah-ha moments of insight. You need to read this book!

2. The Great Spiritual Migration by Brian McLaren: This book outlines three “migrations” that need to happen (and are happening) for a more robust expression of Christian faith. These migrations are: 1) From a system of beliefs to a way of life. 2) From a violent God of domination to a nonviolent God of liberation. and 3) From organized religion to organizing religion. The chapters on the third migration were particularly helpful for the Why Church Matters series. In particular, this book was the source material for the discussion on social movement theory in week one of the series.

3. Ordinary Church by Joseph Beach: This book is an invitation for Christians to fall in love with the church again.

4. The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider: This book describes the improbable rise of Christianity in the Roman empire. It is an insightful look at the life of the earliest believers and a must read for anyone who has interest in exploring the early church.

We hope these resources are helpful to you continue to wrestle with the place of church in modern life.