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One of my friends often says that we don't have a how-to problem. It's much more serious than that: we have a want-to problem. That could be why many of the books and seminars we have don't really work. Many of them offer more how-to solutions, when what we really need is to want to do what we already know we should be doing.

Compelled by Love: A Most Excellent Way to Missional Living, written by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation, is different. It tackles the real reason we don't engage in mission as we should. The issue is not technique; it's love.

The authors write:

If we operate by our own view of the world and our own strength, we will walk away from people every time. However, Christ's love in us - the conviction of Christ's truth displayed in love and the change in our lives because of redemption - causes us to have a new view of people and a new life of compassion for the saved and the lost.

Stetzer and Nation take us on a tour of the triune God's missional love for us. They then lead us to consider the church's mission, which is evidence of God's love. We are not called to be the hippest churches, nor are we to focus on our abilities. Instead, it's about presenting God's presence to the people of this world. When we understand God's love and our mission, we'll be prepared to give up on our "needs", and love and be loved within the church. We'll discover that love and obedience go together. This will lead us to love and to share God's missionary passion for the world.

If you're looking for a how-to book on missional living, this isn't it. But if you're looking for a book that will lead you to think about issues below the surface of missional living and missional churches, then Compelled by Love is a book you'll want to read.

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I have dozens of books on church revitalization. They range from trendy and shallow to not bad, but few of them are really good. That's why I am glad to have found From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church. This book manages to be both biblically grounded and practical, and is a useful guide for church leaders who would like to see their churches transformed.

The author, Harry L. Reeder III, first makes a case for why church revitalization is necessary. This is important because revitalization is sometimes ignored in favor of church planting, leaving pastors in struggling churches wondering if it's worth it. Reeder then offers a paradigm for revitalization based on the church in Ephesus, which he traces through Acts, the pastoral epistles, and from Revelation 2. Reeder describes ten strategies that fall under three categories: remember, repent, and recover the first things.

While some may find ten strategies or steps to be signs of yet another pragmatic book focused on methodology, these strategies go deeper than many I've read. I'm glad he emphasizes the importance of connecting with the past, and acknowledging and repenting of corporate sins. His focus on gospel-driven and Christ-centered ministry is also welcome and necessary. Reeder writes, "Since the gospel is such an important, powerful, and life-changing message, it should be the center of everything we do in the church of Jesus Christ." Although this should be obvious, it's often ignored. Reeder also emphasizes the importance of biblical preaching, since God uses his Word to change the hearts of people.

Reeder also covers other matters that sometimes come too early: mission and vision, the multiplication of servant leaders, small group discipleship, and evangelism.

Reeder concludes, "The church you pastor may not be a flame bringing light and heat, but I know that its embers can be stirred up - not through gimmicks, programs, or personalities, but through godly leadership to a biblical paradigm of church revitalization." It is this emphasis that I appreciate most. If you're in a church that needs revitalization, I highly recommend this book.

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