Q&A - And The Shofar Blew

So many churches today have become large, impersonal churches. What kind of church do you belong to and was this story based on your experience with a particular church?

While I myself was never involved in a church like the one in the book, the story is based on what I heard from many people I talked to who were concerned about what was happening in their church. It also came out of my reading books on church growth. There is in our culture an overemphasis on numbers and buildings and size. Big is considered important and small is unimportant. It's easy to get off base by just a degree or two at first, but pretty soon you can find yourself way off course. Of course, a small church can fall away too; it's not about size, but focus. Jesus is the cornerstone, the heart, everything.

In my church, one summer we did a study on Experiencing God. As a result of that, the church decided to help plant two new churches rather than build one big building.

What questions do you explore in this book?

Through the story line and the characters, I wanted to bring to light such issues as: What does a Christ-centered church look like? How far should a church go in order to reach out to the unchurched? What does true discipleship look like? How does lasting spiritual growth happen—through programs, or in some other way? How should one evaluate the effectiveness of a church or its pastor? What does godly submission in a wife look like? How are the sins of the fathers—even celebrated spiritual leaders like Paul Hudson’s father—passed on to the children if there’s no repentance? How does one confront sin in love, rather than anger?

What advice would you give a reader who is searching for a church home?

Look for a church that focuses on Christ. Is the Bible central? Are the leaders focused on pleasing God or man? Who is the cornerstone? Run if all you hear about is a building program!

Once success is measured in terms of numbers rather than genuine spiritual growth, watch out! There’s a fine line between sincerely wanting to reach out to the community, and beginning to cater to newcomers to the point where sermons are watered down so as not to “offend” anyone—especially those whose deep pockets are necessary to fund the never-ending building projects.

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