I’ve just finished Larry Crabb’s Real Church (Thomas Nelson, 2009). When I found it in the bookstore, I thought, “This sounds like it will encourage my thinking about the Church, modern Christianity, and what it means to be the Body of Christ.” Six weeks later, I realize how right I was, though the book took a far different path than I expected.
I’ll start with my recommendations for this book. While I would say that Larry’s intended audience is broader than this, it is a book first for pastors. To recommend it to parishioners is to invite trouble. There are many thought provoking, soul searching statements and implications in the book. Should a parishioner grab hold of many of these and take them as concerns to a pastor, the resulting situation could get very messy. If you aren’t a pastor and you want to read this book, or have read the book and want to “discuss” its ideas with the pastor, do him/her a favor and buy them a copy.
Real Church is separated into four sections. The first is rather informal, almost as if Larry is thinking out loud rather than starting a book. I didn’t know how to process the raw emotion that came out in those pages. I often found myself thinking, “Larry, you need to get saved again!” I worked through the book with the understanding that there are people in our churches who truly feel this way, wonder why, often beat themselves up for it, then hide it, and the questions they have never have a chance to be answered or discussed. Could I as a pastor write off a member of my congregation for those feelings? I realized that this book wasn’t going to be theoretical reading, but hardcore, in my face, practical reality.
In many ways, Real Church confirms that the Church often fails in its primary purpose(s). I must admit that I don’t know how widespread the shortcomings run since I have a relatively small exposure in terms of number of churches I have ministered in or been a part of. Still, I can confidently say that I have tried to correct many of these issues in my own ministry. But we have a long way to go, and there are more churches out there.
Real Church also feeds my belief that the church cannot die or be replaced with individual religion. Is the Church flawed? Indeed. After all, how can an organism made up of flawed parts be perfect? But does that mean we should put it down and walk away from it? Never! There is work to be done to get on track, but it is doable work. We can get there from here.
Here are some important and favorite points from Real Church:
The church I want to be part of, a real church, will teach spiritual theology that stirs a hunger for spiritual formation that surfaces the need for spiritual community that then marshals its resources for spiritual mission. (xix)
I don’t think a gathering of Christians whose main purpose is to get people saved and to get saved people moral is a church. They might be successful in their mission, and that’s good; but I don’t think they’ve heard the music of heaven. (51)
I see a huge disconnect between what we do in church and what we’re longing for and struggling with the most as we live our lives. (64)
I’m fighting a battle for my life that msot churches don’t help me fight. (78)
…nothing is more difficult than developing the kinds of relationships with fellow Christians that Jesus wants us to have because nothing else we can do is more strongly opposed by powerful forces within us. . . . building the kinds of relationships that Jesus wants us to have is the one thing Christians can do that non-Christians can’t. . . . building those kinds of relationships is what Christians do least well. (122)
In Chapter 16 Larry informs us that while he is writing this book, he is also in the midst of another, a book about the individual books of the Bible, approaching each as a love letter from God. He states that he believes “that God wrote these letters to answer seven questions He wants us to be asking in the middle of our story” (100). He then details these seven questions. This is a great moment in the book.
I hope I have whet your appetite for Real Church. Again, take not of my recommendation. A book like this, though valuable, can be destructive in the wrong hands. Take care with these prophetic words. Be wise them. Above all, don’t ignore them, for they may be the future of the Church.