The Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
God’s people are called to a togetherness and commitment that transcends all natural boundaries—whether ethnic, generational, or economic. But such a community can be enjoyed only when it relies on the power of God in the gospel.
In The Compelling Community, pastors Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop cast a captivating vision for authentic fellowship in the local church that goes beyond small groups. Full of biblical principles and practical advice, this book will help pastors lead their congregations toward the kind of community that glorifies God, edifies his people, and attracts the lost.
Part 1: A Vision for Community
- Two Visions of Community
- A Community Given by God
- Community Runs Deep
- Community Goes Broad
Part 2: Fostering Community
- Preach to Equip Your Community
- Pray Together as a Community
- Build a Culture of Spiritually Intentional Relationships
- Structural Obstacles to Biblical Community
Part 3: Protecting Community
- Addressing Discontentment in the Church
- Addressing Sin in the Church
Part 4: Community at Work
- Evangelize as a Community
- Fracture Your Community (for the Community of Heaven)
Top Highlights
“Yet as we do this, we must remember that community isn’t the point. The point, the substance, is God.” (Page 29)
“Every person loved by God in this salvific sense loves other Christians. There are no exceptions. And that means we should stop viewing commitment to a local church as a process and start viewing it as an event. The event is our salvation, and commitment is something that inevitably follows—not something that merely happens as we mature.” (Page 54)
“So what is supernatural about love within a local church community? This love is empowered not by the lovability of others or our own goodness, but by supernatural forgiveness in Christ at the cross.” (Pages 45–46)
“To recognize that building community purely through natural bonds has a cost as well as a benefit.” (Page 22)
“For John, love between believers isn’t a sign of maturity; it’s a sign of saving faith.” (Page 52)
If you are ready to be refreshed as well as challenged, read this book. It is biblical and practical. Its clarity is powerful and very compelling. Thank you, Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop, for loving the church of Jesus Christ!
- Ronnie Floyd, Former President, The Southern Baptist Convention; Senior Pastor, Cross Church, Springdale, Arkansas
The Compelling Community cannot have come at a better time. Its arguments are compelling. What we need today are not new methods for church growth, but a fresh yielding to the Holy Spirit so that he can take us back to the gospel-centered principles we see in the New Testament that catapulted the early church into the center stage of human history. Thank you, Mark and Jamie, for refreshing our spirits with these timeless truths.
- Conrad Mbewe, Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka, Zambia; Founding Chancellor, African Christian University
The Compelling Community provides an alternative to running your church on the building blocks of specialization and segmentation. The book is well-timed. After all, many of us long to see the gospel build community along the lines of generalization and integration instead. Great stuff from two men who have given their lives to the welfare of the local church.
- David R. Helm, Senior Pastor, Christ Church Chicago; Chairman, The Charles Simeon Trust
- Title: The Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive
- Authors: Mark Dever, Jamie Dunlop
- Series: 9Marks
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2015
- Logos Release Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Church; Communities › Religious aspects--Christianity
- ISBNs: 9781433543548, 9781433543579, 9781433543555, 9781433543562, 1433543540, 1433543575, 1433543559, 1433543567
- Resource ID: LLS:CMPLLNGCMTTRCTV
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-06-21T15:47:57Z
