Top five best books I've ever read for sure!

Having grown up in a "traditional" church situation I am now challenged with the nature of "church" because I am serving in a ministry context reaching out to people from a muslim background. I don't want for them what I had, however, but exactly what I read about in this book. My muslim background believer friends need and want real community as a living expression of their new identity in Jesus Christ. This book helped identify and correct a number of questions I have had as I have shared Jesus with people and worked to see them become a part of the "church."

I'm on my third read-through and continue to find this book extremely useful. Timmis and Chester have thought hard about what church is, as described in the Bible, and find many current practices wanting. There are churches where the gospel is central but people are not deeply involved in one another's lives. Other churches value community but the Word of God is lacking. Timmis and Chester want both because the gospel word says that Jesus came to create a people (not a crowd) for himself. You will find in this book clear cross-centered theology applied to every aspect of a church's life. The authors show that a focus on community does not detract from the gospel but is in fact the vehicle that carries the gospel into the world. Read it!

'Total Church' is a refreshing look at what the Bible means to 'do church' It's greatest strength is in clearly articulating two underlying principles - namely, that church is about the gospel word and the gospel community - and then applying those principles in challenging and sometimes radical ways to issues that all churches face: evangelism, social involvement, mission, discipleship, pastoral care, etc. The authors are unafraid to challenge and upset cherished ideas and every chapter contains material designed to stimulate further thinking and action. This book should be mandatory reading for all church councils or PCCs and is highly recommended for all with an interest in seeing the church become all that it should be.