IMAGINE CHURCH
Releasing whole life disciples
By Neil Hudson. IVP. 180 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 844 745 661
‘The enemy cares little about what happens in churches as long as it remains private’.
Imagine Church is a plea and roadmap to help ordinary churches ‘become communities of people who help one another live out their whole life — at home, at work, in church, in the neighbourhood — as followers of Jesus, engaged in his mission to the world’. It is written to enthuse and enable church leaders (and members) to change their church ‘cultures’, so that the focus is not exclusively on ‘gathered church activities’, but rather the weekday lives of the congregation, as the place where God shapes his people, and impacts the world. One frequent suggestion is to make space for people to talk about the details, opportunities and challenges of their everyday lives (rather than simply having missionary / humanitarian reports). This leads to prayer and reflection on how to live as Christians in these situations.
