Book Review: "The People of God" by Trevor Joy and Spence Shelton
The People
of God: Empowering the Church to Make Disciples
Trevor Joy
and Spence Shelton
B & H
Publishing Group
One LifeWay
Plaza
Nashville,
TN 37234
ISBN: 9781433683701;
$14.99; May 2014
Reviewed by
Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur
Crafting Community
– 4 stars out of 5
Small groups, care
groups, life groups, groups, groups, groups! Small groups have become fairly
standard fare in many churches, to the point that they have almost become the primary
marker in peoples’ minds of whether a congregation is a true Church of Jesus
Christ, or a cheap imitation. Yet, if you have been a Christian some length of
time, or a pastor with some mileage under your belt, you know that small groups
are a mixed bag. Nevertheless, there is something intuitively right and fitting
about having little gatherings of God’s people, especially in larger and more
geographically scattered churches. Trevor Joy, Spiritual Formation Pastor of
the Village Church in Dallas, TX, and Spence Shelton, Spiritual Formation
Pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC, have nailed down the
important value of small groups done right. In their new, 167 page paperback, “The
People of God: Empowering the Church to Make Disciples,” Joy and Shelton have
mapped out the “why, what, and how” of setting up these little fellowships.
“The People of God”
is an easy to read and easy to follow book. The whole backbone to the “why” of
small groups happens to be the Trinity and our being made in the image of the
Trinity. The authors tease out how we are hard-wired for communal life, that
God’s creative action intentionally made us social beings as seen in Genesis 1
and 2. As the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God and simultaneously three
persons in communion, we are made for communion with God and with others in
communion with God; “If God is the perfect community, then building a community
that reflects Him is our responsibility to the people He has placed around us”
(30). Because, as the author’s rightly note, you must let “your theology drive
your methodology” (35), then this Trinitarian theme pulses through the
bloodstream of this book from page one to the very end.
Joy and Shelton go
further by pointing out the “what” behind having little bands of brothers and
sisters gather communally. The clear
concern here is the place of interaction, helping each person to flourish and
blossom in faith, hope, love, and sanctification. Even though the authors give
very pointed and detailed suggestions on the ways this could be worked out, the
whole reason for the “what” is clearly stated: “When shaping the community
culture in a church, the focus needs to move away from creating new programs
that lead people to connect and toward placing people into communal
relationships that lead to life transformation” (78). This sentiment floats to
the surface often throughout the book, in various ways.
There is also a lot
of ink spilled in “The People of God” on the “how.” The authors lay many of
their tools on the workbench; ways to prepare a congregation for moving to
little bands of believers, questions to ask and work over, picking and equipping
group leaders, intentionally aligning Sunday morning worship and week night
evening groups (sermon-based studies, etc.), ground rules for engagement within
the relational dance of a group, and ensuring that the genetic structure of a
group is Gospel centered and Gospel sending.
In “The People of
God” Joy and Shelton present a convincing case for the importance of small
groups done well, that “community is something that is lived out, and not
attended” (36). And they helpfully point out the potholes that can mess up a
church’s steering column. If there is any beef I have with the book it would be
these two things: first, the authors repeatedly state that the Sunday morning
worship and gathering of the small groups are of equal importance. For a
Confessional Presbyterian who strongly believes that the primary means of grace
are the Word read and preached, the Sacraments rightly administered, and the
prayers of the church gathered around Jesus, then their leveling concept is at
the least, problematic. But it is not a show stopper. Maybe a better way to put things would be;
the week day small groups build up disciples for the glorious worship of the
Lord’s Day, which empowers the week day groups to be what they are and do what
they are designed to do.
The other beef is
more conceptual. Both authors are pastors of large churches in large cities. If
“The People of God” is read as a program that can be transplanted in any
context, the results will likely be severe failure or outright frustration. I’m
certain the authors are not intending their material to be used as a template,
a “one-size-fits-all” program. If pastors and leaders will read it, asking the
right questions of the book with their own particular context, congregational-life-setting,
and geography in mind, then they will find the book encouraging, uplifting and
idea-spawning.
“The People of God”
is a thought-provoking, prayer-triggering read. The Trinitarian backbone, along
with the Gospel life-blood coursing through its capillaries, will cheer any
reader, and especially pastors and elders. This would be the right book for any
congregation who already has small groups in place, to help them realign their
direction and give renewed vigor. But it would also be just the book for those
churches thinking about revamping or starting up communal groups. I gladly
recommend “The People of God.”
Thanks to B &
H Publishing Group for the gift of the book to accomplish this review. As always,
feel free to repost or republish this review, but please give credit where
credit is due. Mike
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