Book Review: Life After the Church by Brian Sanders

Reviewed by Matt Christensen.

Sanders, Brian. Life After Church: God's Call to Disillusioned Christians. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2007. Paperback. 191 p. $15.00

(Review copy courtesy of InterVarsity Press.)

Purchase: IVP | CBD | Amazon

ISBNs: 0830836063 / 978-0830836062

Excerpts:

Introduction

1. Leaving for Good: Looking for Jesus Outside the Exits

Subjects: Christian Living, Local Church, Emergent

Are you sick of your church? Are you thinking of leaving but don't know if God wants you to leave? Wondering where you would go if you left the church? These are just some of the questions Brian Sanders attempts to answer in his book Life After Church. This title caught my eye while picking out a book to review as I have a gaining interest in the emergent church. It worries me to watch this movement creep into countless Baptist churches and gain a solid foothold.

Two books recently released, Unchristian by David Kinnaman and They Like Jesus but Not the Church by Dan Kimball, have some similarities to Sanders book. However, one big difference is that Sanders addresses the dissatisfaction of those inside the church, whereas the other two books address those who are dissatisfied outside the church.

Sanders begins by giving his own testimony of leaving the church and points out 3 things that disappointed him about church earlier in his life.

1. Archaic and confusing worship.
2. No one asked questions.
3. Activities existed that were not needed and he felt something was missing.

After leaving his church he mentions waiting for someone to call and check up on him. To the pastor's credit, he did call Brian weeks later, but only to ask how he and his ministry were doing. There was no mention of Brian's absence which left him with a feeling of disappointment.

Sanders states that 55,000 people leave Western churches on a weekly basis and points out the top reasons people give for leaving their church.

1. Growing out of the message. Some churches gear their message towards newcomers and neglect those farther in their spiritual journey.
2. People feel the need to ask questions but don't believe their church is open to questions. Some examples he cites are "What happens when we pray?" or "Are miracles really possible?"
3. The church is irrelevant. The church is geared too much toward new believers and seekers, but not enough on maturing disciples for Christ.
4. There is nothing meaningful for them to do in the church. People need to be given positions in the church. If they are not given opportunities to serve they will become bored and feel like they have no purpose.
5. People don't like how the church is using the money. This could mean they want more of the money to go directly to the poor and prison ministry. This can also mean that the church is into "giving to get".

Sanders lists 5 stages in the leaving process.

1. Contentment - The hope and optimism of a new church they are a part of.
2. Disaffection - Becoming emotionally absent and starting to think about leaving the church.
3. Threshold - They stop going to church but are still emotionally attached.
4. Full Exit - The person finally becomes both physically and emotionally detached from the church.
5. New Beginning - Finding and embracing a new vision for the church.

One reason is given not to leave and that is the use of absolute terms, meaning truth that is truth for all people at all times. He does believe however that absolute terms should be used sparingly but that they still should be used.

So what is one to do once they leave the church? Sanders addresses this towards the end of this book saying that previous generations have had great innovators such as John Wimber of the charismatic Vineyard church and Bill Hybels of the seeker sensitive Willow Creek movement. So what is the next innovation for the church? He points to house churches. This should come as no surprise since Brian is executive director of the Underground Network which is a coalition of micro churches that usually meet in home or public locations such as comedy clubs. One main focus of these churches is "a call to biblical justice and love for the poor." Throughout the book Sanders addresses the poor and certainly makes it sound like most current churches don't do their part in this area.

There is only one direct mention of the emergent church in this book, but a quick search on Google for “emergent” and “Brian Sanders” will show you his close ties with the movement. I certainly believe we need to help the poor (Matthew 25:32-46) but Sanders pushes the issue a good deal and goes borderline to representing the social gospel.

I do find this book to be of some benefit. It helps to get the insight to what thinking goes on in the minds of some of those within or even outside of the church. I also appreciate how Sanders tells people to "not leave angry" (p. 158), but to do so "staying positive and taking the high ground" (p. 159). One of my biggest concerns though is that he tells us how to reform the church by starting or joining house churches where fighting poverty is a large concern. House churches in themselves are not bad. Some of the most God-honoring churches in China are house churches. Churches in the first few centuries of Christianity were large house churches.

So what is the problem? Brian makes no mention of the importance that the leader of the house church needs to meet the biblical qualifications of a pastor (1 Timothy 3:2-7) and that church discipline still needs to be practiced (Matthew 18:15-17). Remember, we are not all called to be teachers and pastors (Ephesians 4:11). Those that are pastors and teachers are held to high standards (James 3:1). It is true that there is a church in the universal sense (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) and church in the local sense (Revelation 1-3). That said, if we are dissatisfied with the local church, let us never think we can just go out and do things our own way. The Bible does address how the local church should work and we should hold to these truths tightly.

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Matthew Christensen is a support and I.T. professional for a software company in Bloomington, Minnesota. He is married to Christa, and they have a son named Malachi. Together they run the online ministry Issues That Matter and volunteer at Fourth Baptist Church (Plymouth, MN).

Book Review: Life After the Church by Brian Sanders