Belong

Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another

Author Barnabas Piper states in the first chapter of his book:

“We are looking for something personal, something deeply meaningful, something with which we can identify.  And this book is an invitation to find that in the church, because God wants us to …Part of God’s perfect strategy is offering hurting, tired, worn out, needy sinners like you and me a place to belong in … A place in which to encounter the profound, transformative, healing, restoring grace of Jesus Christ.”

This book explores how you can help to create a church where everybody feels at home: a place where fellow believers build genuine, honest, meaningful Christian relationships and enjoy deep fellowship as a community of believers.

You may be a new believer and wonder what it means to belong to a church; you may be reluctant to commit to your church because of past experiences; you may have recently relocated and want to find a church where you feel at home; or you may love your church and desire to commit to it more deeply and serve it more fully. Whatever the case, this book will help you to see that belonging to a church is a good gift from God, the outworking of our identity as brothers and sisters in Christ, and worth your time, love and commitment.

There are discussion questions at the end of every chapter with action steps, making it ideal to read as a small group or even a whole church.  Accompanying free downloads are available that can be used for small groups. There are downloadable worksheets, a PDF version of the book’s discussion guide, introductory videos for each chapter and more.

Perfect if you are a pastor looking to encourage your church members to treasure their church family and play their part in making it a place where everyone feels they belong.

This is one of the first books in the new Love Your Church series, which is being written by a collection of Bible teachers from Acts29. It is designed to inspire every church member to love their church in practical ways by casting a biblical vision of what it means to be a local community of God’s family. The series will explore what it means to belong, to welcome, to gather, to care, to serve and to honour one another, and to witness and send people out to spread the gospel.