Loving the Church by John Crotts

Title: Loving the Church

Author: John Crotts

Book Information:

• Publisher: Shepherd Press (2010)
• ISBN: 9780982438749
• Page Count: 140

How did I get this book: A complimentary review copy was provided to me by Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review: First of all, I like that John Crotts dedicated this work to his fellow elders who he has served Jesus next to for several years. It is evident that he has a tremendous amount of love, admiration and respect for these men. Not only this, but he also took the time to follow this page with a personalized expression of his thanks to the entire team at Shepherd Press as well as conveying what each person did to help him. 

Already, Loving the Church has left a good taste in my mouth, increased my mood, and then I see it- a wonderfully organized table of contents that is as follows:

Section I: What Is God's Family?
     Chapter  1  Common Grounds
     Chapter  2  The Church/ Family Disconnect
     Chapter  3  The Value of the Church
     Chapter  4  Defining the Church
     Chapter  5  Describing the Church
     Chapter  6  Filling Out the Body

Section II: How You Fit Into God's Family
     Chapter  7  You and King Jesus
     Chapter  8  You and the Elders
     Chapter  9  You and the Deacons
     Chapter 10 Building the Body
     Chapter 11 No Body Part Left Behind
     Chapter 12 Digging Deeper

After all of this wonderful content is a Notes section that cites every material used to research and contribute to Loving the Church.

The introduction, prior to the first chapter, summarizes the theme of the book in a way that comes across as very true, authentic, and interesting: 

• "As long as believers are battling sin, even more work will be required to strengthen families so they can be what God intends for them to be."-pg. 11 
• "Amidst all the calls for husbands, wives, and children to fulfill their biblical roles, sadly, very few people emphasize God's family as a vital element, and that is a terrible loss both the particular families and the particular churches of which they could have been a part...the contribution of every believer to the church's fulfillment of its God-given mission is valued and essential...regardless of one's marital state."-pg. 12

One of the things that I like the most about the way that John Crotts chose to write this book and convey his important message, is his brilliant use of fiction. Instead of the content coming across as a lecture, Crotts uses the story of people meeting in a coffee shop as well as their interactions with one another and their conversations to transfer information he intends to share with the reader. This accomplishes a softening of 'the blow' by making sure that the way he shares the importance of church will be conveyed in a loving way as opposed to a harsh confrontational one that might turn others off. In addition to this beautiful balance, the author also manages to pull it off in a way that is both intriguing and captivating:   

• "As the barista created Kevin's White Chocolate masterpiece, he eyed the muffins. He wondered if it would be worth the damage. Kevin settled into his chair and offered John another oversized smile along with a couple of oversized banana nut muffins. These were soon reduced to crumbs as the men started talking."-pg. 14
• "Of all the reasons John had heard for a family missing Sunday school, he had never heard of a guy staying home to teach his own children the Bible...John responded by sharing some of his own victories and failures as a spiritual leader in his home. He was thrilled to see Kevin stepping up. But even as he praised the moves Kevin had made, he wondered if there was more to the story."-pg. 15

Regardless of what place you are in with your spiritual walk, worship, and church practices, I really believe that Loving the Church by John Crotts has something beneficial to offer everyone. After all, as page 22 simply states, "We all love the Lord, and are trying to figure out what His church is supposed to be." 

I may not have agreed 100% with every single principle expounded upon in Section II, but I do understand why the author felt the need to write this book, and I identify with that. I also feel that he did the absolute best job that he could (you can't ask for more than that), and that it is impossible to experience all that this work has to offer from cover to cover without seeing the evident fact that he has a heart both for Jesus, as well as all of the people that Christ died to save.

John Crotts did an incredible job of tackling this very touchy subject, as well as presenting it in a way to make it palatable and well-received. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him for recognizing the need, developing what he thought was the best solution, and then marketing that answer to the target audience in a way that they could both understand and handle. Loving the Church is an obvious labor of love (in more ways than one). 

About the Author: John Crotts has been the pastor and teacher of Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg, Georgia since 1995. He graduated from Liberty University and received his M. Div. from The Master’s Seminary. He serves as a board member of the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals. He co-authored the book Tying the Knot Tighter: Because Marriage Lasts a Lifetime with Martha Peace, and is the author of Mighty Men: The Starter’s Guide to Leading Your Family and Craftsmen: Christ-Centered Proverbs for Men.

This review has also been posted on Amazon and Goodreads.

Page Views:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner