The More Than 52 Churches Workbook: Pursue Christian Community and Grow in Our Faith
You’ve read More Than 52 Churches. Now it’s time to
put thoughts into action. This workbook will guide you—if you dare let it.
Consider 175
thought-provoking questions to propel your faith forward. Discover how the
narrative of More Than 52 Churches can help inform your church community
and reform your spiritual journey.
Explore
the diversity of Jesus’s church and your essential role in it.
Expand
your perspectives of worshiping God and serving Jesus.
Extend
your faith practices to embrace a more holistic perspective of what it means to
truly follow Jesus.
Casual Christians
need not apply.
More Than 52
Churches gave us more faith
communities to consider and more faith practices to ponder. Now The More
Than 52 Churches Workbook provides gentle, but challenging, questions to
turn stimulating ideas into life-altering change.
Move
from spiritually passive to practical.
Transform
from self-satisfied to self-sacrificing.
Change
from a church consumer to a church champion.
Then contemplate the
three keys to becoming an engaging church and the essential role you play in
making that happen.
If you feel it’s time to move from the sidelines and get into the game, The More Than 52 Churches Workbook provides the plan to get you there.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
There’s a half hour span between the two services. As we wait, we recognize many people, waving “Hi” to some and enjoying meaningful conversation with others. Time passes quickly as we wait for the contemporary service to begin.
The stage is reset, with the orchestra section removed. This gives more room for the contemporary worship team of eight, the same group that concluded the “blended” service thirty minutes ago.
There are three on guitar, a bass guitar, two on keys, a drummer, and a backup vocalist.
The worship leader doubles as a keyboardist, while two guitarists also have mikes and sing backup. However, the other instrumentalists also sing along with glee. They play three songs, all different from the first service.
Their contemporary sound borders on light rock but lacks the edge I hoped to hear. “Safe” is the best description. Aside from the music, most of the other elements of the service are the same, albeit with some tweaking.
The message is a repeat, too, but ends differently. This time, after a moment for rededication, the pastor leads the congregation in a salvation prayer.
My wife likes this as a nice reminder of our decision to follow Jesus, but I fear people could too easily misunderstand it, assuming they need to “get saved” every week.
The pastor invites people desiring prayer to come forward afterwards to meet with the prayer teams. I so appreciate offering to pray for people, but few churches do this. Why?
The service ends with the worship team leading us in the same song that ended the first service. This time they play with more gusto.
The congregation disperses quickly, and we are among the last to leave, happy for the connections we experienced today with friends and acquaintances.
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
The church has two services: a “blended” celebration, followed by a contemporary one. We go to both, starting with the blended service.
For their blended service, traditional organ music engulfs the space during the prelude, prompting enthusiastic applause.
On stage, an orchestra of fifteen plays for the opening song set. The amplified vibrato of the song leader fills the air.
Though rousing, I question their self-description of this being a “blended” service, for it seems most traditional.
Today’s theme is “True Sacrifice.” Members of the military, home for a time, are recognized and invited to come forward.
Their sacrifice for country is celebrated, noting that while being far more than the sacrifice of most people, it is also far less than the sacrifice of Jesus.
After applauding their service to our country, we stand for the Bible reading, first reciting 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
Then our leader reads today’s text from Mark 14 and 15.
When finished, we affirm in unison: “This is God’s word, and we believe it is true.”
The teaching focuses on Jesus’ death, his sacrifice for us. Their senior pastor is an outstanding communicator, delivering his message with excellence and conviction.
To portray the anguish of “the cup” Jesus endured, they play a clip from The Passion of the Christ featuring the Garden of Gethsemane.
To wrap up the service a different worship team emerges, a contemporary ensemble to lead us in the final hymn, thereby fulfilling the “blended” promise of the service.
The pastor invites visitors to come to the front after the service to meet him.
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Over the years there have been times when I couldn’t go to church. I’m not talking about the Sundays I was ill or traveling. Instead, I’m referring to times when the church canceled its service.
These have included weather-related problems, power outages, no heat, and construction issues. Each of these instances affected only one Sunday, and the next week everything returned to normal.
However, I can now add another reason to this list of why churches may close: to stop the spread of a potentially deadly virus in the midst of a health pandemic.
When this occurs, we stay in our home for church. We have house church.
Here are some ideas to have church
at home.
Duplicate a Typical Service
We could plan for and provide the
elements of one of today’s church services in our home. This means having
someone lead worship, pray, and teach a lesson at our house church. If we
wanted, we could even take an offering.
This provides the opportunity for better interaction and greater participation. It also requires a great deal of preparation for those who will lead.
The more people who will gather in our home to experience this type of church, the more meaningful this can become. Doing this one time would be hard. It would be even more challenging to sustain it over many weeks.
Participate Online
As an alternative, we have many options online that can bring a church service into our home. These include podcasts of sermons, videos of services (either in part or in full), and live streaming.
From the comfort of our home we can listen to messages or watch services as they take place. This allows us to experience the main elements of a church service with little preparation or effort.
What we lack from this approach, however, is community. Aside from our small gathering of family or friends who sit in our living room to experience our house church, we have no opportunity to interact with others.
These online options do not include the ability to connect with other followers of Jesus.
Just Hang Out
To address the lack of community that will occur when we passively tap into online church services and resources, we have the option to get together with the goal of spending time with each other (see Hebrews 10:25).
Of course, if only the people in our house—who we’ve already been hanging out with all week—are present, we won’t gain much more in doing so on Sunday.
However, if we can invite friends or neighbors over, this could provide meaningful, spiritual community—if we pursue it with intention.
Follow Paul’s Advice on a House Church
Each of these three approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. However, Paul gives us some ideas of what we could do for house church in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:26).
For now, don’t focus on Paul’s list but let’s look at the phrase that precedes it: “each of you.” This suggests an egalitarian house church, where everyone can participate, and everyone can take turns ministering to one another.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Exploring Christian Practices That Lack Biblical Support
For years I’ve told people that I strive to write from a Christian worldview. That’s what I believed I was doing.
I even regularly prayed that God would empower me to do so, that each word I wrote would embrace, support, and advance a Christian worldview.
However, I realized I don’t always write from a Christian worldview. In fact, I often question a Christian worldview because too much of it isn’t biblical.
Too often I can’t find support in Scripture for many of the practices, traditions, and beliefs that most Christians include in their worldview.
As a result, my prayer has changed, asking God that I will consistently write from a biblical worldview. This is how I honor him and encourage others.
What’s a Worldview?
First a definition. A worldview is
a set of perspectives through which we view and understand our world. More
specifically, it’s a group’s collection of beliefs about life and how we fit
into our world.
This means that a biblical worldview sees the world and our role in it through the lens of Scripture. The Bible informs those with the biblical worldview how to think and act.
Similarly, a Christian worldview is the set of beliefs that Christians have about their faith. The basis for this assemblage of ideas should be the Bible. If this were the case, a Christian worldview and a biblical worldview would be synonymous.
Unfortunately, there’s a disconnect. Too many things that comprise Christian perspectives and practices lack a biblical mandate. These topics often come up in my writing.
A Christian Worldview
Christian means to be like Christ, that is, to be like Jesus. As Christians (a word I usually avoid because it means different things to different people) we want to be like Jesus.
The Bible is the best source to help us understand how to be like him (WWJD).
Our Christian worldview should emanate from Jesus, through the Bible.
Yet Christians hold many beliefs
that don’t have a biblical basis. Christians pursue practices that lack a
biblical mandate. Yes, this includes me. But I’m trying to shed these erroneous
Christian pursuits that lack biblical support.
A Biblical Worldview
Because some ideas that we accept
as Christian don’t have much of a biblical origin, I base my faith and my
writing on what God says in the Bible. It’s more important than writing about
what other people think is Christian—even if it offends.
When I read and study the Bible—both to inform my life and my writing—I strive to do so without interpreting it through the lens of traditions I’ve been taught and the practices I observe.
I don’t look for justification of our present Christian reality in the Bible to reinforce what we do and believe. Instead I seek to study the Bible to inform my perspectives and reform my practices.
Differences Between a Christian and Biblical Worldview
Over the years I’ve noticed many
disconnects between what I read in the Bible and how society practices our Christian
faith. This often includes my own practices and pursuits.
I can’t list them all in a short blog post. Even a book wouldn’t provide enough space.
Knowing that it’s incomplete and without assigning any priority, here’s a quick list of some of the things most Christians accept as correct, even though there’s not much support, if any, for them in the Bible.
These often comprise their Christian worldview. Here are six considerations:
1. Go to Church on Sunday
I go to church most every Sunday. I’ve done so my whole life. But I’m still looking for a command in the Bible where Jesus, or anyone else for that matter, tells us to go to church each Sunday.
Yes, we’re to not give up meeting together, but that verse doesn’t say weekly or on Sunday (Hebrews 10:25).
2. Fold Your Hands, Close Your Eyes, and Bow Your Head When You Pray
My parents taught me to do these things as a child, and my wife and I taught them to our children.
Yet I’m still looking for a verse in Scripture to back up this practice. Though I often assume all three of these postures when I pray, I’m more likely to skip them.
3. Tithe to Your Local Church
I’ve often heard preachers implore the parishioners to tithe to the local church—that is, the organization that pays their salary.
The tithe was an Old Testament command, which averaged about 23 percent a year, not ten. It went to support their national religious infrastructure, not local gatherings.
The New Testament contains no command the tithe. Instead we see a principal that all our possessions belong to God, which we must steward wisely to take care of ourselves and to bless others.
4. The Prayer of Salvation
Many people teach that to become a Christian you need to pray and ask Jesus into your heart. Jesus never said that. In fact, he gave different instructions to different people.
The most common and general command was a call for people to follow him.
No prayer, no altar call, and no commitment card. Instead we simply do a U-turn (repent) and follow Jesus. (See my book How Big Is Your Tent?)
Most church services have two components: music and message, but sometimes they seem more like a concert followed by a lecture. Other services focus on worship and Communion, the Eucharist.
The Bible records all these things, and the early church did them, but I’m having trouble finding any verses that commands these activities or shows them as a regular practice that happened each Sunday.
Instead the early church focused on meaningful community, something that most churches today struggle to fulfill with any significant degree.
6. The Lord’s Supper
Our practice of communion is another custom that diverges from the biblical narrative.
I understand communion (an extension of Passover) as a practice that should happen at home, with our family, as part of a meal, and as an annual celebration in remembrance of Jesus.
Instead it’s become a Sunday ritual that happens at church, apart from a meal, and with little familial connection.
Parting Thoughts
The above list may offend you. I
get that. Writing about these things makes people mad. It challenges what we
hold dear. We want to maintain the status quo.
Suggesting that these practices aren’t biblical can rattle the traditions that we cherish. Pursuing faith from a biblical worldview is an ongoing struggle for me. But this is one way that I work out my salvation (Philippians 2:12).
In doing so, I use the Bible to better inform, and then reform, how I practice my Christian faith. It’s not a comfortable path, but this journey takes me in the right direction.
I hope you will travel with me as we move closer to Jesus.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Today is a doubleheader: a traditional service followed by a contemporary one. Aside from an older crowd, there’s little to suggest a traditional service is about to occur.
Everything gives off a progressive vibe, from the informal space, to the padded chairs, to round tables in the back and large screen up front, to the array of musical instruments.
Accompanied by piano, keyboard, and trumpet, our worship leader stands behind the pulpit, keeping time with his hands. We sing old hymns with the words displayed overhead; there are no hymnals.
Interspersed among the songs are announcements, a prayer, an offering, and a video testimony, foreshadowing the sermon.
Between services is a pastor’s breakfast for guests. We enjoy Belgium waffles, sausage, fruit, coffee, and juice. Besides us, there’s another couple, and the pastor and his wife, with two members serving as our hosts.
After getting to know us and sharing the church’s vision, the pastor excuses himself for the next service. I’d like to talk more with the other visitors, but if we do, we’ll miss the contemporary service.
Aside from different songs and instruments, other contrasts exist as well. The first service was brightly lit, whereas this one uses only indirect and natural light. The stage was rearranged and the pulpit, removed.
An hour ago everyone was our age or older. Now we are among the eldest. We see families and young kids, but aside from the worship team, not many youth. The first service crowd was friendlier, whereas now there’s less interaction.
Today we experienced a traditional service that wasn’t as formal as we expected and a contemporary service that was not as outgoing as we anticipated, but overall we worshiped God and experienced community.
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Let the journey of discovery continue in this poignant sequel to 52 Churches. This time we take a wider swath as we visit more of Jesus’s churches. More variety. More cringe-worthy moments. And more of God at work.
Yes, you’ll get all this in More Than 52 Churches.
More education, more entertainment, and more insight.
Only you won’t have to endure the gut-churning apprehension
of walking into a different church each Sunday. Yuck! Instead experience the
journey vicariously week by week, church by church.
Join Peter and his wife as they bravely—some might say
naïvely—seek what God teaches as they engage with more local branches of
Jesus’s church.
More Than 52 Churches is ideal for anyone who leaves
church on Sunday (or left for good) wondering what went wrong.
More Than 52 Churches is an essential guide for church leaders, an insightful journey for church members, and a hopeful encouragement for church visitors.
If 52 Churches left you wanting more stories, More Than 52 Churches is sure to deliver.
More Than 52 Churches is an insightful journey for church members, an essential guide for church leaders, and a hopeful encouragement for church visitors.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
As I blog about the churches we visit, I desire to focus on the positive. While each congregation has their good points and their weak areas, my goal in my posts is to share their more encouraging moments, to celebrate what is right.
Today, I find that hard to do.
Perhaps I’m weary from our sojourn, that the pull to return home overshadows the allure of adventure. Possibly, I’m just tired of singing hymns with Old English words to the drone of organ music.
Maybe too many people have greeted me with a smile and handshake, desiring for our return, but never bothering to share their name or ask ours. Could it be I’ve heard too many messages that divide Jesus’ church rather than unify it?
Or is fifty-two weeks simply too long to flitter about from one church to the next? Perchance, I am merely tired.
In my book, there will indeed be a chapter for today’s destination. But right now, my words paint too disparaging a view of this Sunday’s visit.
Time, I pray, will produce a better perspective, not one dripping with unwarranted praise but celebrating the positive without ignoring the negative. Today my perspective is out of balance.
I arrived at church with high expectation but ended up disappointed. Though this congregation isn’t innocent in this regard, I suspect most any church would have suffered the same fate from me today.
It’s an issue of bad timing as much as anything else.
I’ll end by encouraging you to contemplate the single note I jotted down from today’s sermon from 2 Corinthians 9:6-15: “There’s a connection between giving and redemption.”
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
What would you learn if you visited 52 churches? How might that change the way you treated visitors at your church?
You don’t need to go to a boatload of churches. Peter
already has. The 52 Churches Workbook is the perfect tool to gain
valuable insights without the pain and hassle of going to a different church
every Sunday for a whole year.
Merely thinking about making your church better isn’t
enough. It’s time to act.
With over 200 thought-provoking questions to propel you and your church forward, you’ll explore:
How to greet visitors well.
The importance of making a good first impression and a parting memory.
The way one person can make the difference between success and failure.
Best practices from churches that treat visitors well, along with what to avoid.
Why a website is critical and shouldn’t resemble a dating profile.
The 52 Churches Workbook is the perfect companion for
52 Churches, but it also works great as a standalone book for those who
haven’t read 52 Churches.
Don’t go another Sunday without this essential resource. Perfect for leaders and members.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith
Visit fifty-two churches
in a year? Am I crazy? Maybe.
I spent a year visiting a different Christian church every
Sunday: Protestant mainline, evangelical, and charismatic, Roman Catholic, and
more.
I visited a church just like yours. I’m positive.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll
cringe.
But 52 Churches doesn’t rip at the modern
church. It’s not a church-shopping romp or a mean-spirited journalistic exposé.
Instead it’s a gift that offers encouragement, hope, and support to the
Christian Church. And I share some suggestions too.
Written as
narrative, 52 Churches calls us to embrace
all the branches of Jesus’s church and expand our practice of worshiping God.
And I invite you to join me on this personal, spiritual sojourn of discovery.
Read 52 Churches for education, read it for
entertainment, and read it for the insight gained only from visiting a boatload
of churches.
52 Churches
is ideal for church leaders, church members, and church outsiders. And if you’re
still reading this, it’s perfect for you too.
Peter DeHaan, PhD, often makes religious people squirm, but spiritual seekers cheer. He’s not trying to be provocative, but he seeks truth, even if it makes some people uncomfortable.
He yearns for Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
Peter earned his doctorate, awarded with high distinction, from Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
