Stop Dating the Church!: Fall in Love with the Family of God (Lifechange Books) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Jack and Grace met through a mutual friend..." (more)
Key Phrases: God's Word, New Testament, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Putting in their hour or two on the weekend, many Christians take the rest of the week off, neglecting the church and her needs. It’s not a serious relationship. Some shop around, looking for a church that suits their lifestyle. It’s dating, with no assurances, no obligations. Bestselling author Joshua Harris calls Christians to stop playing the field and commit, just as Christ is committed to us, His bride. In his new book, Harris explores the ramifications of Ephesians 5:25–32, which proclaims the intensity and the breadth of Jesus Christ’s love for His church. God has designed us to build our lives around a local church; we cannot be indifferent or uninvolved. Rather, we must be in love with and committed to God’s plan and purpose through the church. Are you dating the church, or are you committed?

Are You Dating the Church?

We are a generation of consumers, independent and critical. We attend church, but we don't want to settle down and truly invest ourselves. We're not into commitment — we only want to date the church.

Is this what God wants for us?

Stop Dating the Church reminds us that faith was never meant to be a solo pursuit. The church is the place God grows us, encourages us, and uses us best. Loving Jesus Christ involves a passionate commitment to His church — around the world and down the street.

We can't be apathetic. It's time to fall in love with the family of God.

Story Behind the Book

Like all my books, this one is very closely tied to my own journey. I’ve been a church-dater. And I’ve learned just how good it is to get serious about the church. I want to see my generation get a hold of God’s purpose and plan for the local church, too. The same month this book is released I’ll become the senior pastor of my church. This awesome responsibility is being passed on to me by my mentor, C. J. Mahaney, a pastor who has faithfully served for over 26 years. So this book is marking a very important transition in my life. The church isn’t some other generation’s responsibility—it isn’t somebody else’s business. I have to take responsibility. I have to be passionate and committed to it. Through the pages of this book, I’m calling my generation to do the same.

About the Author

Joshua Harris speaks nationally and has led New Attitude, conferences for college students that aims to spread a love for biblical truth combined with a passion for the presence of God. Joshua lives outside Washington, D.C. , in Gaithersburg , Maryland , where he has been executive pastor at Covenant Life Church since 2001, and will resume role of senior pastor in fall 2004. This role allows him to focus his energy on his young family and the church he feels God has called him to serve. His bestselling books include I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Boy Meets Girl, and Not Even a Hint. Joshua and his wife, Shannon, have two children, Emma Grace and Joshua Quinn.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (September 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590523652
• ISBN-13: 978-1590523650
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,545 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Accessible Book, March 5, 2005

By	Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Josh Harris is all grown up. The man who brought us I Kissed Dating Goodbye when he was just twenty-one, and who is best known for bringing courtship to a whole new generation, is now senior pastor of a large and growing church and no longer speaks at conferences. Stop Dating The Church is his first book targetted at an audience wider than merely teens and parents of teens.

Harris believes that many, and perhaps even the majority of Christians, have a fear of committment to the church. Rather than committing to a local body of believers, most Christians "date the church," refusing to commit to a long-term relationship. He says, "This is my third book on relationships, but it's unlike any of my previous books...this book is about how you should relate to the family of God" (page 12). In Failing to commit to the church, we cheat ourselves, we cheat our church community and we cheat the world.

Over the next six chapters, Harris explains the beauty of the church, our need for the church, what committment to a church involves, what to look for in a church, and how to make Sunday the best day of the week. He draws liberally from the books and teachings of Charles Spurgeon, Don Whitney and John Piper, and builds convincing, biblical arguments. Chapters five and six are particularly engaging. The fifth chapter lays out ten criteria by which to choose a church. The sixth chapter provides some suggestions for redeeming Sunday and restoring it to a place of distinction whereby we use it deliberately as a day to refuel our spiritual batteries.

I must admit that this is the first of Harris' books that I have read, and I was thoroughly impressed by his committment to Scripture, to expository preaching, and to the historic tenets of Protestantism. The men under whose influence he has grown seem to be theologically-sound, showing that he has a true committment to biblical doctrine.

There is not much in this book that has not been said elsewhere more thoroughly and perhaps even more convincingly. But what this book adds to the discussion is accessibility. It should appeal to many young people who already know and appreciate Harris' ministry, and will engage young people who may shy away from longer treatments of the subject. Weighing in at only 129 pages (and small pages at that) this is a book that can be read and digested in a couple of hours. It will undoubtedly benefit all who read it and I give it my recommendation, especially to young people who are disillusioned by the church and may be turning their backs on her.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's YOUR favorite day of the week?, October 9, 2004

By	Ricky Alcantar (El Paso, Texas) - See all my reviews

Think the church is just a nice place? A kind of optional thing? An idea whose time has passed?

Buy this book and let Joshua Harris redefine the church for you in light of scripture. It doesn't matter whether you've been attending church for a month or a lifetime, we all too quickly forget why the church is so important. Using engaging illustrations and an easy writing style, Josh uses scripture as pencil to sketch out God's plan and design for the church. An absolutely outstanding resource!

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Church Needs This Book!, October 22, 2004

By	FJC "Flynn" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

The church is central to God's plan to evangelize the world and build his people up in the faith--after all, it is called the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, and the temple of God! But somehow American Christians have come to think that the church is optional or even irrelevant to their Christian lives. Joshua Harris has written this book to show that we are social animals, saved by God to live our Christian lives in the context of a local church. Not only is this essential for our own spiritual well-being, it is the primary way in which we are called to minister to other believers, and to evangelize unbelievers.