Book Review: The Gospel-Centred Church, by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester

What is the primary purpose of the local church? What is the relationship between the church’s mission to make disciples in all the world and her responsibility to worship God? How do mission and worship relate to the gospel? What does a church in which the gospel is central look like in practical terms? Undoubtedly, the answers to these and similar questions should have a major effect on what we’re doing in our churches; but have we ever sat down and considered them as honestly and scripturally as possible? Do we really know how much of our practice is driven by a priority of the gospel and how much is peripheral or unnecessary tradition that may or may not have a legitimate and helpful place? The Gospel-Centred Church, by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester, may not answer these questions, but it at least gets the conversation started. And this particular conversation is one that we very much need to have, as we strategize and mull over how to go about finishing the last commission with which our Savior left us, to call out and equip worshipers from every people group under heaven.

The Gospel-Centred Church is simply laid out in three major portions: “The Priority of Mission” – pursuing the Great Commission as the central purpose of the Church on this earth; “The Priority of People” – not buildings, programs, or other activities; and “The Priority of Community” – as an apologetic and a pattern for growth. If these priorities are scriptural, as the authors strive to demonstrate, then they must have practical effects on what church “looks like”; but too often, those necessary, practical effects do not follow from accepted premises. There is a disconnect between what we agree to in theory and what we follow in practice. This book is largely concerned with pointing out those disconnects and suggesting plans of action for eliminating them.

Which is to say, this is largely a pro-active, hands-on, strategizing sort of book. It deals only briefly and simply with theological underpinnings, but spends much time in case studies, scenarios, functional suggestions, and general “brain-storming”. This is helpful in that it may enable churches or individuals to see things from a different vantage point than they had ever considered, to cut through the centuries-old and deeply-ingrained ways of thinking about what church is and looks like. It also demands a prior grounding in solid theology. Perhaps not every suggestion will be justified by a rigorous theological examination, and it would behoove the individual or church going through the book to take the time to consider each point in light of the broad testimony of scriptures.

Maybe not every idea or suggestion would survive such a biblical scrutiny; but some of them may do more than survive – they may change the manner in which we pursue mission and church growth in far-reaching ways. The idea of a missional church as one that is continually reproducing and thus remaining small, unconstrained by the needs of large buildings and programs, and dynamically connected to other fellowships by a communal network, deserves much serious attention and consideration. And so also with many other thoughts and ideas.

This is not the book to read to become grounded in an overarching biblical theology of missions or ecclesiology; but it is a book to put a good theology to practical use. It’s a book designed to stimulate missional strategizing through a thoughtful conversation on the orthopractic outworkings of an orthodox ecclesiology. And for that use, it’s a handy, stimulating little book. It will doubtless promote creative, thoughtful discussion on pursuing the mission of the church in practical, day-to-day activities. If the readership is well-grounded in the scriptures and willing to pursue theologically-sound but possibly new and untraditional consequences of those scriptural principles, it will prove an engaging and helpful guide.

Available at Monergism Books.

2 Responses to “Book Review: The Gospel-Centred Church, by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester”

  1. Philip Walker says:
    April 15, 2009 at 10:30 am

    We went through GCC at my church; I have to say, I was a bit less impressed. I am not saying it is flat-out unhelpful, but I thought that their definition of church was inadequate, and that the inadequacy propagated through the book. For a book seeking to engage us in the project of a “gospel-centred church”, it is a little frustrating to see the authors operate as though the church is our creation. “She is [God's] new creation by water and the Word”!

    Of course, my context is perhaps different: my church is Baptist (although I am not), and highly activist; in fact, the people could do with something more akin to a solid grounding in theology than a chance to talk about more stuff to “do”.

  2. pitchford says:
    April 15, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    Hi Philip,

    I can definitely see your point. As I said above, “This is not the book to read to become grounded in an overarching biblical theology of missions or ecclesiology”. If you’re hoping to get a good scriptural picture of what the Church really is, and how the gospel defines and characterizes her, then you’ll be disappointed. It’s basically just a book of practical ideas, some helpful, some not so much.

    “…it is a little frustrating to see the authors operate as though the church is our creation” — I can see your point here, too. Read with discernment, for sure, but if you already have a solid theological foundation in place, you might encounter some very helpful ideas.

    Nathan

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