Real Church-Does it Exist?

At first glance of this book, my burning question was-“Am I going to make it through the first section of this book?” I also initially thought that I might lose interest like the author describes regular and faithful churchgoers are experiencing across the country. Dr. Crabb warns us early on that he is moving slow and goes to great lengths to provide a firm foundation of his beliefs. The introduction describes why people are losing interest in church, and what makes a gathering a church. Section I discusses why people should go to church and three answers that do not work for Dr. Crabb. Section II explores what kind of church we should want to go to. Finally, section III states what type of church the author wants to be a part of.

I doubt that it is merely a coincidence that I began reading this book in the midst of one of the ugliest experiences that I have ever had with fellow churchgoers. The situation was not handled well at all levels. Initially, I thought that it might not a good idea for me to read the book, because it may cause me to want to leave my church in search of more desirable circumstances. It did not. It did however help me want to confront my own self-redemptive strategies in this situation and other areas of my life. Real Church gave me real hope that God can and is changing me into the woman He wants me to be, and reminded me that He is very well aware of what is going on in His church.

The backbone of this book is written in the introduction where Dr. Crabb points out “Christians in community (Churchgoers) should be and could be the most potent force on the planet for personal transformation, for powerful evangelism, and for cultural influence, not mainly through political clout and certainly not through moralistic judgment but through offering a different kind of love than most people have ever seen or felt-a wise love that speaks with power into where people live.”

The depth of thought and emotion which this book brings to the surface was both surprising and very encouraging. Don’t mistake Dr. Crabb’s book as the next church “Movement”, formulas for obtaining God’s favor, or a list of things to do in order to have an effective church ministry. It goes much deeper than those ideals. This book should encourage every believer in their lifelong walk with God. Statements such as: “Does going to church help people want to know God more or use God more?” Or, “Spirit of God let me hear the music of heaven with the ears of my soul. I never want to mistake the gospel for reasonably good news” drive home the point that life is all about living to please and worship our God.

As a whole this book is excellent. It does take a little time to make the most promising points, but it is worth wading through the early sections that do help bring a lot of clarity to the later chapters. Dr. Crabb is an author that seems to honestly deal with his humanness, and is humble enough to bring his imperfections to public attention. His style of writing and openness helps to normalize our lack of enthusiasm and sometimes utter contempt for formalized religion. It also helps to draw us closer to our Maker.