Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice - Softcover

"The maturing evangelical movement needs to hear the voice of Jonathan Wilson. Why Church Matters is a prophetic call to return to the foundations of ministry in the biblical narrative and historic witness of the church, eschewing all temptations to be formed by the cultural narrative."--Robert Webber, author of Ancient-Future Faith

"A provocative look at how different church would be if it stopped living for itself and instead lived for God's kingdom purpose. With a critical but kindly eye, Wilson critiques current practices and suggests renovating and adding to them. This book pleads for openness to God-enabled, God-directed 'churching,' instead of the self-interested group of individuals church often is. It will make you think hard."--Michael Quicke, author of 360-Degree Preaching

"How do you measure the value of a church's theology, the worth of its public pronouncements, or the accuracy of its self-understandings? For Jonathan Wilson the answer is clear: examine the all that a church puts into its practice of ministry. Wilson moves the reader forward through a concise and carefully crafted argument with a skillful economy of language that maintains his precise and clear focus. Why Church Matters presents its readers--lay, pastoral, or scholarly--with new and timely insights that will stimulate fresh thinking, deeper devotion, and renewed action from within the community of faith as it seeks to fulfill its missional mandate."--Paul M. Beckingham, Carey Theological College

"If the evangelical movement is to stay healthy, it must develop a stronger ecclesiology. Wilson shows us the way forward: developing in the church the 'vibrant and vital practices of the gospel.'"--Kevin A. Miller, Christianity Today International