Finding Church: What If There Really Is Something More?

If, like many other people, you have questioned whether there is something more to Jesus church than the religious institutions we ve inherited after two thousand years, you ll want to read Finding Church. Here is straight talk from a man who has sought authentic New Testament community for more than fifty years and who has discovered it in the most unlikely places. Now Wayne wants to help you find this incredible bride Jesus is shaping by looking at the church as God sees her and by recognizing her as she takes shape around you. His church is a living temple, springing up in the individual heart and then knit into a worldwide community of people whose very relationships put God s glory on display. There s no way human effort can build it or sustain it, which is why our attempts fall so woefully short. She is the fruit of a new creation of men and women who live beyond the human conventions of society and share a life in Jesus that satisfies their most ardent hunger. Review Wayne Jacobsen asks a compelling question in the title of his latest book, and he continues to ask the reader to consider the questions so many Christ-followers have long pondered, posed, or simply been too afraid to ask. If the resonance and comfort found in this query were the sole reasons to read this book, it would be enough. The deep sense of identification one gains from joining Wayne on this journey is a salve to the heart, cheering the long-held dream of finding a church that is so much more than a steepled edifice on the corner. In fact, there is much more to love about this book, and I found myself engaged immediately as Wayne brings clarity to the growing trend of disengagement from the traditional church the departure of the nones as it has come to be known. But rather than lambast those leaving or criticize those in leadership for not addressing this exodus with compassion, he helps readers understand the many pitfalls and trappings of contemporary Christianity, pointing more toward the ecology of church structure rather than the frailties of the human heart. This might just be the holy fire needed to inspire a generation of believers worn out by the unfulfilled potential of the Church the kindling needed for the family of God in the 21st century. Stephanie Bennett, Ph.D. author of the Within the Walls trilogy and Communicating Love: Staying Close in a 24/7 Media-Saturated Society West Palm Beach, Florida --Foreword to the bookFor that endless stream of people I meet who love God but either cannot bring themselves to re-enter the institutional church world or who are feeling great pain from abuses they cannot understand at the hands of leaders who subverted what we call church, Wayne Jacobsen s book will be a great encouragement. Without overlaying a new structure, he reminds us that living for and with God is far simpler than we ever imagined and that God still knows our address. Rare is the invitation to relax in God s love and love others, and it is enough. Gayle Erwin, author of The Jesus Style Cathedral City, CA --Front page endorsementFinding Church is a riveting and challenging read that prompts its readers to seriously reconsider the definition of church. With courage and compassion, Jacobsen states what millions of Christians intuitively know but can t admit, while sharing his passion for a church that every believer craves. Derek Wilder, executive director of Life Transforming Group and author of FREEDOM: How Grace Transforms Your Life Now --Front page endoresement About the Author WAYNE JACOBSEN served as a pastor for twenty years and was also a contributing editor to Leadership Journal. He now travels the world helping people learn to live deeply in the life of Jesus and share it freely with others. He has written and worked with others on a number of books including He Loves Me, So You Don t Want to Go to Church Anymore, A Man Like No Other, and The Shack. You can find his writings at Li