This past Sunday, you may have noticed some books on the shelves of the welcome desk in the foyer. These are resources we would like to highlight to the congregation for a period of time.
The theme for these resources is Live in light of Jesus' return – Enlarge your faith, grow your love. They have been selected to fall into five categories. Categories and titles include; Theology: Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Sanctification: The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges. Christian Biography: Jonathan Edwards by Iain Murray. Church History/Cultural Evaluation: Strange New World by Carl Trueman. The Church: The Compelling Community by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop.
The purpose of highlighting these resources is simply to put biblically solid, Christ-exalting, affection-fueling resources in the hands of the members at Summit Woods for their personal growth in the Lord, to equip them to do the work of ministry, and for use in discipleship relationships.
Perhaps you’ve been looking for a new book for yourself to read in your devotional time, or perhaps you’ve been wanting to get together with a brother or sister in the Lord and desire to encourage them in their walk with the Lord – these resources are there to be readily available for you in addition to the books provided in the resource room.
Today's highlight is The Compelling Community by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop.
God’s people are called to a togetherness and commitment that transcend all natural boundaries - whether ethnic, generational, or economic. But such a community can be enjoyed only when it relies on the power of God in the gospel.
In The Compelling Community, pastors Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop cast a captivating vision for authentic fellowship in the local church that goes beyond small groups. Full of biblical principles and practical advice, this book will help pastors lead their congregations toward the kind of community that glorifies God, edifies his people, and attracts the lost.
– The Compelling Community back cover
Selections from the Introduction of The Compelling Community
What is community in your church? A monthly fellowship night? The conversation that follows a Sunday service? Good friends who know you? Many of us equate community with small groups. Over the last few months, I’ve told friends of mine from Shanghai to Seoul to San Francisco that I'm writing about church community. Their reply: “You mean a book about small groups?” I suppose your definition of community flows largely from the ambition you have for it. And in writing this book, I want to both raise and lower your ambition for church community.
Who Should Read This?
Finally, I want to add something about you, the reader. I’ve written this book for church leaders. If you're a pastor or a pastor-in-training, you'll find the book aimed squarely at you. If you’re in another position of church leadership, especially as an elder, then you're also my intended audience. If you're not a church leader, you don’t have to put the book down - but know that you'll need to translate as you read. Use the book to help you support your church’s leaders, and to shape whatever future leadership you may exercise in your congregation.
I want this book to encourage you. I hope it reminds you of how important community is in your own church. I hope it sends you deep into the Scriptures to see how God intends that community to function even if you disagree with me at times. And I hope it leads you to praise God for his glory in the local church. More than your prowess as a church leader, more than any advice I can give you in a book, the gospel of Jesus Christ has power to create community in your church that is evidently supernatural. And that community in your church is part of what will propel both you and me into praise forever around his throne.
With that end in mind, please read, think, and worship.