Reviewed by: J. J. Hanna, a Professional Writing Major at Taylor University. 

Introduction

Title: Seven Practices for the Church on Mission

Author: David E. Fitch

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Publication Date: 2018

Format: Print book; pocketbook, abridged version of Fitch’s book Faithful Presence.

Length: 132 pages

OVERVIEW

In this pocketbook, Fitch expertly unpacks seven of the most important practices for the modern church. He draws examples from the Bible to bring the gospel into the everyday lives of Christians in the twenty-first century. The author explains what it looks like to engage with these practices by using a metaphor of three concentric circles—the close circle, the dotted circle, and the semi-circle—to share how the practices affect day to day life in many social groups.

The seven practices are The Lord’s Table, Reconciliation, Proclaiming the Gospel, Being with the “Least of These,” Being with Children, The Fivefold Gifting, and Kingdom Prayer. Each chapter looks at ways the practice in question should be done biblically and gives examples from Fitch’s own church, Life on the Vine.

Mixing the practices of the church in the New Testament, the teachings of Jesus, and the current culture of twenty-first century America, Fitch provides instructions on how to readjust the path of the reader’s church, and he helps the reader better understand how one can best serve God within and without the church’s walls.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

5 stars

Suggested Audience

Christian adults looking to understand better what it means to love the world, serve the world, spread the gospel, and utilize spiritual gifts to the strongest extent.

Christian Impact

This book takes seven of the most important church practices (such as prayer, fellowship, reconciliation, evangelizing, and communion) and simplifies and explains how each of these areas affects the lives of the people in the church and how those people can then impact the world.

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