I am pleased to announce today the official release of my book The Gospel-Driven Church!
Published by Zondervan and subtitled “Uniting Church Growth Dreams with the Metrics of Grace,” this work is the culmination of almost 20 years of preaching, writing, and consulting in and with church churches on the subject of gospel-centrality and its effect on evangelicalism.
A few years ago, I released a book called The Prodigal Church (with Crossway), which was largely a critique of the attractional paradigm, and since then I have heard from so many leaders who desired a follow-up, something prescriptive and practical. The Gospel-Driven Church is my best effort to provide a manual—full of application and tied together with a fictional story to illustrate a la Patrick Lencioni’s “leadership fables”—aimed at helping pastors and churches transition more thoughtfully and strategically to gospel-centrality.
If you’ve been a blog reader of mine, you’ll know this subject is near and dear to my heart. I am praying this book will serve many ministers and their churches for years to come. In the book, you will find biblical advice and counsel on the following:
– What gospel-centrality is and why it’s important for churches to embrace it.
– What gospel-centered preaching looks like.
– How gospel-centered churches ought to look at small groups, programs, membership, discipleship, and mission.
– The implications of gospel-centrality on creative elements and songs in worship services.
– Leading strategic transitions toward the gospel-centered paradigm, including with staff concerns and members who are slow to see the value of the change.
– Youth and children’s ministry in the gospel-centered church.
– and more
I even include an appendix titled “Gospel-Centered Troubleshooting,” which includes lots of Q&A about nitty-gritty details in leading and implementing gracious change in your church.
For what it’s worth, Eric Geiger says this book is “a must-read for those in ministry leadership.” Clint Pressley calls it “the magna carta for gospel-centered change.” And Matt Chandler says, “This book should soothe weary leaders’ bones and free them to point freely and passionately to the beauty of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.”
The Gospel-Driven Church is available wherever Christian books are sold. You can find out more at thegospeldrivenchurch.com