Review: I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference

I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference by Thom S. Rainer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We all want to be part of a covenant community in Church that we can address with the heartfelt title of "family." But where are we going to find one if the present community we are in seems to be opposite from whatever Thom is calling us to in his book? It starts with us.

As a seminary student struggling to reconcile the disjointment in what I have studied am convicted by ecclesiologically, and what is currently being done in the church I attend, the temptation to quit and start my own church is immense. Deep down every one of us who grew up in our postmodern generation hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the organisations we are part of, and our church is one of them. However, the old guard who consist of modern thinkers may want to receive the input of us younger ones. So what do we do? Do we still want to be members of a place whereby we are called to submit to leadership and not cause division? There is after all, so many other churches that we can go to!

In its brevity, Thom's book provides a quick snapshot of what a truly wonderful community would all commit to, and what a beautiful place it would part of. Church leaders who are mulling introducing membership or thinking of how to communicate the reasons for membership to their up-and-coming postmodern youngsters may find this as a helpful resource. It will definitely have to be used in conjunction together with the apologetic of the fifth gospel, the Christian, and in this context, the Christian leader. One who does not demand without first modelling himself, one who seeks to disciple and build up, one who is interested more in the spiritual and personal growth of those under his care than in their worth to the church's ministry activities.

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