The Living Church

Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor

By John Stott

(hardcover)

Also Available in

paperback

Product Details

Line: IVP Books
Length: 180 pages
Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches
Binding: hardcover
Published: November 2007

ISBN-10: 0-8308-3486-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-3486-0
IVP Order Code: 3486

Related Subjects

Church
Pastoral Resources

"Gold on every page."

"Vintage Stott: faithful, rigorous biblical exposition; crystal clarity; challenging contemporary applications with plenty of punch; great wisdom."

"The reader is given a vision for a church whose roots are deeply biblical and whose touch reaches a dying world."

"Exceptional clarity, profound concern and strong counsel."

"Inspiring and nourishing reading."

"A gem of a book, which every committed Christian needs to read. Here is the heartbeat of a godly minister of the gospel."

"While many high-profile churches come and go, All Souls, Langham Place, in the heart of London has maintained its spiritual vitality and mission commitment over many decades. Its effectiveness has depended not on a formula for success but on an unswerving commitment to fundamental biblical principles. The Living Church establishes the foundations for a biblically balanced approach to ministry that is comprehensive in its scope and expressed with John Stott's characteristic clarity. It provides a valuable resource for church leaders seeking to revitalize existing churches and for those birthing new faith communities."

"I have relied on John Stott's books for decades as both guides to practice and nourishment to belief. Our church, Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, has attempted to incarnate all that I, and a generation or more of Christians, have learned from him. This new book promises to be just as helpful in navigating modern controversies and issues."

"Young pastors with a love for Jesus' church will be blessed by this timely gift from one of the most important evangelical voices."

This short, well-organized book is perhaps most useful for those clergy and laity who are directly involved in ministry.

I'd like to be able to say that this is a book for pastors, but it's just as much for the flock as it is for their shepard. Stott takes his decades of experience in pastoral ministry and missions and whittles it down into basically an annotated outline of what the Church as a whole should look like. . . .a Survival guide of sorts, teachign what is vital to the life of the church.

Stott has earned a close reading through his more than 50 years of faithful service to the church. He understands the dangers facing the church and the urgent need for "God's new community" to be biblically strong and outward looking. He seeks a biblical middle ground between emergent churches and those traditional ones that have become complacent.

As the subtitle claims, these are the "convictions of a lifelong pastor." Turning 87 in April, Stott, an inveterate list-maker, has had plenty of time to develop his convictions.

It is biblical. It is encouraging, and it is instructive. His insights are to be found on every page. He writes with conviction and candor, without rancor or provocation. And as a man in his late 80s, he demonstrates a joyful wisdom too rarely observed in aging pastors and scholars.

"While Stott offers a special word to young ministers, his message is applicable to both clergy and laity of all ages."