The Connecting Church - Hardcover

Randy Frazee

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0310233089 ISBN 13: 9780310233084

Publisher: Zondervan, 2001

Synopsis

The development of meaningful relationships, where every member carries a significant sense of belonging, is central to what it means to be the church. So why do many Christians feel disappointed and disillusioned with their efforts to experience authentic community? Despite the best efforts of pastors, small group leaders, and faithful lay persons, church too often is a place of loneliness rather than connection. Church can be so much better. So intimate and alive. The Connecting Church tells you how. The answer may seem radical today, but it was a central component of life in the early church. First-century Christians knew what it meant to live in vital community with one another, relating with a depth and commitment that made 'the body of Christ' a perfect metaphor for the church. What would it take to reclaim that kind of love, joy, support, and dynamic spiritual growth? Read this book and find out.

About this title

About the Author

Randy Frazee is the senior minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he teaches and leads in partnership with pastor and author Max Lucado. Prior to Oak Hills, Randy served as teaching pastor at Willow Creek and as senior pastor at Pantego Bible Church in Fort Worth, Texas, for fifteen years. He is also the author of Making Room for Life and The Christian Life Profile Assessment Tool. Frazee and his wife, Rozanne, have four children and one granddaughter. SPANISH BIO: Randy Frazee es ministro principal de la iglesia Oak Hills de San Antonio, Texas. Es author de The Connecting Church, Making Room for Life, The Christian Life Profile, y Renovation of the Heart Student Edition. Es graduado del Dallas Theological Seminary. Frazee y su esposa, Rozanne, tienen cuatro hijos.

Reviews

Pastor and consultant Frazee begins with a problem that many church leaders admit only hesitantly: small groups, widely hailed as a means to achieve authentic community, often fail to achieve the hoped-for experience of "life together." This book follows the story of Frazee's congregation, Pantego Bible Church in suburban Dallas/Ft. Worth, in its efforts to "take [the small group movement] to the next level." Frazee's proposal is no quick fix; it belies megachurch stereotypes by taking a countercultural stand against the individualism and consumerism that Frazee says plague contemporary American life. Drawing on biblical models as well as sociological research and urban planning principles, Frazee makes a strong case that the mobility and privacy of "American Dream" suburbia fosters a spirit of fragmentation and isolation that is unworkable as a basis for authentic community. Frazee recommends "consolidating relationships," opting out of multiple activities and superficial social circles in favor of "a circle of relationships that produces a sense of genuine belonging." Small groups emerge as a necessary but insufficient ingredient for attaining Frazee's vision of "biblical community." The author's fondness for lists and systematization make for a dense read at times, but the human insights and real-life examples that really drive the book have a powerful appeal. Given the popularity of small group spirituality, and its potential discontents, this book should find a wide audience.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0310233089
• ISBN 13: 9780310233084
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256