Genre: Spiritual Growth, Gender Studies, Family Ministry

Not Recommended.

Trained in the Fear of God began so well I was reading it with a highlighter. I was excited by statements like: “Christian households and churches are not shelters from the conflict; they are gospel-empowered training bases for the conflict” (14); such a strong case was made for the importance of family ministry that I was excited to learn how to apply it within our household and congregation. Unfortunately, I really felt the book fell short of it’s introduction. It was “okay” and certainly informative, but it didn’t engage me or offer anything new or exciting to make seeking out this particular book worthwhile. Actually, I found the tone of the writing to be negative in several places, rather than encouraging and edifying to the body at large.

Structurally, this book is actually a collection of shorter, academically written, articles arranged into three topical sections: 1) the theological basis of family/church structure (especially in regard to gender roles), 2) the historical views of family discipleship within church history, and 3) the practical application of bringing a strong spiritual tradition into our homes. The articles themselves are completely independent from each other and written from a variety of authors. I read each article with various degrees of interest and enjoyment. A few of the articles I really enjoyed, many I found informative but didn’t personally connect with, and many others I just really didn’t like for various reasons. The advantage of this structure is that it can be read in any order or amount and used as a reference book. However, this is a surprisingly small book to be an anthology, and most of the articles were not very thorough, so in general I felt the structure hindered the message of the text. I think it would have been more powerful for the authors to focus in on the most important issues (say, the biblical framework of family ministry) and to write cohesive chapters with a climatic build of information and a direct application of the principles being taught. I felt instead that the book was trying to cover too much with little success.

I also want to mention that the book focuses heavily on the family and church being led by men and supported by women as a definite secondary role. I actually do agree that men and women are created distinctly, with unique purposes. But the emphasis, I felt, was inappropriately exaggerated as there is much more depth and beauty to how God created us than what I felt this text implied. Just as there is both a distinction and a unity between Jewish and Gentile believers, so is there an appropriate balance between the roles and partnership of male and female believers. The upset of how this balance was described in this book really hinders the message of family ministry, and, despite its intention to reinstate a positive family structure, was discouraging to that mission.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kregel Publications.

Genre: Church Planting and Growth/House Churches

Recommended.

Originally published as The Rabbit and the Elephant, this book is now updated and expanded. What makes Small is Big special are the personal stories of various simple (house) churches: how they were started, how they worked, how they expanded, and so forth. It’s also about evangelism and outreach, since most of the churches are started among non-Christians outside of church culture.

It is more balanced than many other house church books in that it speaks positively regarding both “simple” (organic) and “legacy” (traditional) churches. The benefit of this is that the pastor/leader of a traditional church could easily glean from the information given without necessarily reforming all of church structure. It’s also informative regarding the predominate move toward house and non-conventional churches, even in the Western world. Examples are taken from diverse movements within the church body, ranging from Iris Ministries in Mozambique (very organic and charismatic) to Saddleback Church (a program-lead mega church). It is a unifying resource.

On the other hand, it’s not as specific or detailed regarding the “theology” of house churches so to speak. For the reader who has specific questions regarding communion, giving, five-fold ministry, and so on, I recommend: The House Church Book by Wolfgang Simson, and Corinthian Elders by Jack Fortenberry. Small is Big is an encouraging and simple book about simple church, not a complete work on the ins and outs of the house church movement.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Tyndale Blog Network.

Recommended: A call to reinstate the biblical structure by putting Jesus as the head of His church.

Corinthian Elders focuses on the role of elders in the church, especially in the context of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians.  There’s a lot in this book because as we talk about changing the church structurally, many more issues arise, including the topics of money, leadership and authority, and accountability. Fortenberry does not neglect to mention these important questions, all the while calling the body of Christ to focus on the larger picture: focusing less on individual leaders and instead being taught by the Lord Himself that we may experience a more dynamic church as each member of the body becomes active.

It’s is a short book, but not one to read quickly.  I took my time with it so that I could place each scripture reference in context of entire books.  And though I didn’t agree with every detail and found some arguments weak, I gained a lot from this book.  I was also pleased that some of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to my husband and I personally, was also revealed and expressed by the author.  It is challenging, thought-provoking, and most importantly, stirred in me a hunger to read my Bible and seek out wisdom—any book that can do that is worth the read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, Jack Fortenberry.