Mikey Lynch has provided a theologically driven account of parachurches and their relationship to both local churches and the universal church. Building on the success of The Trellis and the Vine (Sydney: Matthias Media, 2009), by Australian authors Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, Lynch (a Tasmanian) has widened the scope. While The Trellis and the Vine was about the bread and butter of Christian word and prayer ministry and how it interacts with ministry structures (trellises), The Vine Movement asks how churches, denominations, and parachurches can all work together so that God’s people (the vine) are continually expanding and growing. Lynch achieves this by forefronting the witness of the Scriptures. While much of the second half of the book details both lived examples and practical suggestions, his is a principles-first approach.

The Vine Movement would be well-suited to ministry interns or trainees learning about the global mission of Jesus; a local church staff team seeking wisdom on how to shape their annual calendar and budget; a parachurch team thinking through their support structure; an eldership board considering partnering with other organisations; or enthusiastic individuals keen on growing their understanding of how to engage with both local churches and other Christian movements.

Some of the questions Lynch covers include: What is a parachurch as distinct from a church? What is the right relationship between churches, denominations, and parachurches (and should the local church have some kind of priority)? What are the opportunities for churches and parachurches when it comes to working together? And what are the challenges?

Part 1, “Theological Foundations,” provides a biblical framing of the discussion that informs the remainder of the book. It deals with the theology of church, parachurches, and denominations, alongside concepts such as God’s kingdom and mission. It is comprehensive though not overly technical and reads like a systematic theology textbook. Among other sources, Lynch draws on the ecclesiology of Sydney evangelical Anglicans, Broughton Knox and Donald Robinson, who emphasize church as a gathering of believers. He also nuances their position with the phrase, “The local church is a community of Christians who gather,” highlighting the ongoing existence of the church outside of the times it gathers (pp. 43–44).

For a subject as lively as parachurch movements, the early chapters may feel like a slow start—a point Lynch concedes at the beginning of the book’s third (and practical) section, where he guesses some readers may be tempted to begin. However, the theological section is well-structured, argued deftly from Scripture, and rich in substance. It is logically placed first and, whether or not it is read first, needs to be read to make sense of arguments that Lynch will later make.

If his book is used more like a handbook than a book to be read cover to cover, I would recommend starting at chapter 6 (which is on the relationship between parachurches and local churches), and then returning to the beginning. Chapter 6 demonstrates why Lynch has done Christians such a service in writing The Vine Movement as it homes in on some specific questions of how parachurches should function next to the local church.

He resists the temptation to say that parachurches and other non-church organisations are easy to grasp. He works hard to show what parachurches are and are not. His definition is broad enough that activities within a local church could even be called parachurches. He writes:

Some ministries are a subset of a local church. There are any number of classes, groups, activities, teams and programs that a local church (or denomination) might establish and oversee, and which can be seen as in-house parachurch ministries. These may never be seriously considered as parachurches—we normally use the word ‘ministry’ rather than ‘parachurch’ for these subgroups. But it can be enlightening to look at them through the lens of ‘parachurch’, for they, too, need to be conscious of their relationship and interaction with the church of which they are a part. (p. 60)

Lynch’s definition of parachurch is close to that of Jerry White in The Church and the Parachurch (who Lynch quotes on p. 53): “Any spiritual ministry whose organisation is not under the control or authority of a local congregation.” Lynch’s alternative is this: “A parachurch is organised Christian activity that is distinct from the visible, institutional church” (p. 52). He admits it is a broad definition, but when understood as Lynch intends, it avoids having everything Christians do lumped into it, since it must be “organised” and “Christian.”

Part 2, “Practical Recommendations,” begins to apply the book’s theological foundations. Lynch is both practical and broad in scope. The chapters deal well with a range of important questions: “How are we serving the Lord’s mission?” (ch. 5); “Local church partnership with parachurches” (ch. 6); and “The primacy of local church and parachurch involvement” (ch. 7). On some points, readers who align closely with Lynch’s theological convictions may wish to test some of his suggestions in their own contexts—which is precisely what he encourages throughout the book. For example, a strongly worded section in chapter 6 might be read differently by a leader of a church of 50 people, as opposed to a pastor of a megachurch:

Because the ultimate reality is our heavenly Father’s universal church, which he is building for his glory, we are wicked and foolish if we set our ambitions exclusively on building up our local church. Ministry can so easily become about our convenience, our tribal identity, or our ego. But even if our motives are purer than this, simple carelessness can lead to a very narrow scope of concern, which fails to delight in or contribute to God’s work in the world. (pp. 166–67)

The point—possibly uncomfortable for larger churches to hear—is well made and important to grapple with. (Megachurches get their own treatment in chapter 12, and Lynch challenges them directly about competing with parachurches there.) He suggests that often there are existing parachurch ministries already at work in a place, and so even bigger churches may not need to reinvent the wheel (p. 169).

By emphasising the “ecosystem” of ministry activity around local churches and parachurches, Lynch attempts to overcome common rivalries. As Lynch is someone who has straddled both church and parachurch contexts, wise suggestions abound about how a healthier relationship between the two entities could emerge. Take this example: “The healthiest parachurches don’t merely swallow up existing Christians; they contribute to the spiritual birth of new Christians who go on to become members of local churches—often the churches which are more supportive than suspicious of the parachurch” (p. 166). In an arena where competitive, threatened feelings often prevail, Lynch’s perspective is both rare and refreshing.

His advice is often simple and practical, such as the idea of churches taking key parachurch events into account when planning their calendar (and vice versa). Even as a collection of hard-won wisdom from an experienced—perhaps battle-scarred?—servant in the wider Christian ecosystem, Lynch’s book is worth its price tag. But the book is soaked in biblical depth and nuance, which makes it far more than a practitioner’s “top tips.”

The final section, “Case Studies,” marries Lynch’s close experience of parachurch work (university ministry and a church-planting body he helped to found) with examples from church history, such as the founding of the Salvation Army and Wesleyanism/Methodism. Some of the practical matters Lynch raises include: the obligations of Christian authors around royalty payments; the freedom and accountability of Christian academics and the Christian press; and the benefits and challenges of megachurches.

The Vine Movement deserves to be an enduring handbook for church leaders and keen lay people. It is a reminder that God always grows his universal church—sometimes especially through people and movements beyond the walls of the local church.