I recently listened to an interview in with Thom Rainer shared how surprised he has been by the response to his little book, "I Am A Church Member." We recently purchased a full box of them and included them in a three week discussion in our small groups. The response was great!
In this book, Rainer attempts to move from a consumer-oriented view of church membership to a missional orientation. In other words, being a church member is not about what you get from it (the privileges of membership) but is about what you are able, and expected to give. As I read the short book, I heard and felt the pain of pastors of decades past who bear the scars from controlling, selfish, and down-right sinful church members demanding to get their way in their church. Coming from congregational ecclesiology that is often idolized by Southern Baptists, Thom is the guy to write this book! (Although pastors from any ecclesiology can resonate with his words.
I love Rainer's description of the church as NOT a cruise ship. (His story about the transition from ocean liners offering practical transportation to luxurious cruise ships offering indulgence.) Rainer demonstrates that he is in touch with the struggles between pastors and church leaders to keep the mission of the church at the forefront of our minds.
The only negative feedback I have read about this work is that the tone is sometimes harsh and demanding. Yes, his words are strong. I wonder if this critique stems from viewing Rainer as a pastor/leader who is vying for the power in the church. This book might be better received if written from a lay-person. Regardless, I have heard so many church-loving/serving non-clergy folks praise this book as the book that needs to be read by every church member.
The negative feedback I would add is that the study questions at the end of each chapter are, well, terrible. Some of them are "duh" questions (in which the answer is so obvious). The others ask the reader to find several passages in the Bible that support a main point in the chapter. I am glad they are labeled "study" questions, since they are not "discussion" questions at all. With the widespread influence of this book, I am surprised that I could not find good group discussion questions anywhere!
So, if it is helpful to anyone, I offer to the world the discussion questions we used in our groups. There are only a few per chapter, but they seemed to work with our groups.
Feel free to download, edit and use these discussion questions. If you like them, please leave a comment and let me know if they are helpful!
Discussion Questions set 1
Discussion Questions set 2
Discussion Questions set 3
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