The Life of the Church

The Table, Pulpit, and Square

The third in Joe Thorn's three-book series on the confession, nature, and expression of the Church, The Life of the Church explores what the church does because of who it is. Useful for training in membership class, discipleship groups, and elder boards--and even for devotional reading--The Life of the Church is at once theological, practical, and experiential. Readers will not simply be informed, but led to a deeper conviction about their role in the body of Christ. Drawing from Scripture, church history, and theology, Thorn portrays the fundamental practices of the church: Community--what it really means to have all things in common Worship--the purpose and nature of our weekly gathering Public life--the role of the church in a lost and broken world If you wonder what it means to be saved into a body of believers, why the various parts of a worship service matter, and how to engage in the world as a citizen of heaven--or if you've never even considered those things--then The Life of the Church is for you. It answers this critical question: "Why does the church exist, and how does it shape my life?"