How to Have a Healthy and Vibrant Church

Quite awhile ago, I received an email from a blog-lurker who asked if I had any book recommendations on how to have a healthy, vibrant church that loves one another. My snow delays and misconnected flights yesterday …

… gave me the time to (finally!) respond. So here’s the list I came up with (plus a few additions). I’d be curious to hear if you would’ve added other books:

– Jonathan Leeman, The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love: Reintroducing the Doctrines of Church Membership and Discipline

– Edmund P. Clowney, Living in Christ’s Church

– James Thompson, Our Life Together

– Bruce Milne, We Belong Together: The Meaning of Fellowship

– Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

– Thabiti Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member?

– Lane & Tripp, How People Change

– Wayne A. Mack and Dave Swavely, Life in the Father’s House: A Member’s Guide to the Local Church

– Ray Stedman, Body Life

And, of course, on a ‘meaty’ level (but it’s really readable!), Bonhoeffer’s Life Together is not to be missed.

[A re-post from April 20, 2010]