Letters to the Church
by Francis Chan
Summary
The model of the early church that we see in Acts was simple; the people devoted themselves to word, prayer, fellowship and the breaking of bread. However, by Revelation we see Jesus calling His churches back from where they have strayed. Chan writes a modern version, calling for renewal of God-centered churches that focus on spiritual growth, rather than numbers. He identifies some marks of healthy churches:
Founded on prayer and unity
Based on small-scale discipleship
Equip the laity for ministry
Share material possessions
Embrace suffering for Christ
Author’s Website
Letters to the Church - Francis Chan
Favorite Quotes
“By catering our worship to the worshippers and not to the Object of our worship, I fear we have created human-centered churches.”
“Rather than creating our own pep rallies, our calling is to simply put Him on display and watch as He draws people to Himself.”
“At the end of the day, it’s about what we produce. We can get so focused on getting people through our doors that we don’t think about what goes out. The Church’s purpose is not just to exist. It’s to produce. Are we producing mature disciples who imitate Christ by constantly serving others? Are we developing communities that are so deeply in love with one another that the world marvels?
“Jesus was very truthful and up-front about the costliness of the gospel…Becoming a Christian is a complete and total surrender of your own desires and flesh to the higher purpose of serving God’s glory.”
“I believe this generation can kill the consumer mind-set in the Church and replace it with a servant attitude that thrives on suffering for His name…be the ones who restore the missional focus of the Church.”
