Giving Church Another Chance, Todd Hunter

Why read this book
At a time when many people are re-thinking the value of the gathered church as a place of spiritual formation, Todd Hunter writes to encourage us to connect all we do in gathered worship with our everyday life.

About the author
Previously he was the national director of both the Vineyard Churches USA and Alpha USA. He’s now a bishop for the Anglican Mission in the Americas. He has a website where you can read more about his work and other books.

About the book: overview
When most people talk about church, they normally focus on what is happening on Sunday mornings and so concentrate on the quality of preaching, sung worship, seats and coffee and so on. The book wants us to view the activities of church worship as a springboard for the whole of life, rather than as ends in themselves.

About the book: main themes
The book reflects on the main liturgical ‘moves’ that happen in most churches: singing, scripture reading, the sermon, the offering, communion, receiving the benediction. These ‘moves’ are linked to the overall mission purpose of God for the world.
Hunter wants to see the life of the gathered church as being a spiritual discipline that will enable people to live well for Christ in the whole of their lives.

About the book: implications
Todd Hunter wanted to write the book to encourage people who either are new to church worship, or who have become so disillusioned with it, to re-engage with the church. For LICC readers, along with this encouragement, there is a chance to see how someone is re-imagining, he calls it re-practising, the disciplines of church worship for the sake of discipleship in everyday life. For those of us leading churches, this is crucial. We don’t need to be scrambling to become more ‘relevant’ to everyday life; we need to think about how we can become more ‘connected’ to everyday life. ‘Relevance’ can stunt our worship together, making it utilitarian. ‘Connectedness’ encourages us to think how our life together flows out into our experience of being scattered across towns and cities for most of the week.

Questions to ask of the book
1. To what extent does Hunter’s decision to join the Anglican Communion give him the ‘zeal of a new convert’, that may see liturgical life through rose-coloured spectacles?
2. There are few stories from people on the frontline showing how the practices of church have shaped their engagement in everyday life. Is this because there wasn’t room in a short book, or is it because they still need to be sought out?

Questions for the reader to answer
1. Would this book help everyone get a bigger perspective on why we gather to worship? As a participant is it obvious how your church services relate to ongoing life?
2. Recognizing that most Christian arguments are about doctrinal understanding rather than Christian virtues, he writes, ‘When was the last time you heard a debate between Christian leaders over the proper way to love those who are hurting us?’ (p29). Why is that? Do we assume that it will just come naturally? Is this why we never see these virtues as ‘skills’ that need to be nurtured?