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Disappearing Church: From Cultural Relevance to Gospel Resilience Paperback – February 2, 2016

by Mark Sayers (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 379 ratings
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When church and culture look the same...

For the many Christians eager to prove we can be both holy and cool, cultural pressures are too much. We either compartmentalize our faith or drift from it altogether—into a world that’s so alluring.

Have you wondered lately:

  • Why does the Western church look so much like the world?
  • Why are so many of my friends leaving the faith?
  • How can we get back to our roots?


Disappearing Church will help you sort through concerns like these, guiding you in a thoughtful, faithful, and hopeful response. Weaving together art, history, and theology, pastor and cultural observer Mark Sayers reminds us that real growth happens when the church embraces its countercultural witness, not when it blends in.

It’s like Jesus said long ago, “If the salt loses its saltiness, it is no longer good for anything…”

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  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Moody Publishers
  4. Publication date
    February 2, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.41 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0802413358
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0802413352
  8. See all details
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a non anxious presence a non anxious presence a non anxious presence a non anxious presence
A Non-Anxious Presence Disappearing Church Reappearing Church Strange Days
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Price $10.99 $4.58 $8.57 $5.87
Focus How a Changing and Complex World will Create a Remnant of Renewed Christian Leaders From Cultural Relevance to Gospel Resilience The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture Life in the Spirit in a Time of Upheaval

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

How a church disappears . . .

For the many Christians sold on proving we can be both holy and cool, cultural pressures are too much. We either compartmentalize our faith, or drift from it altogether—into a world that’s so alluring.

  • Why does the Western church look so much like the world?
  • Why are many of my friends leaving the faith?
  • How can we get back to our roots?

Disappearing Church will help you with questions like these and guide you in a thoughtful, faithful, and hopeful response. Weaving together art, history, and theology, pastor and cultural observer Mark Sayers reminds us that real growth happens when the church embraces its countercultural witness, not when it blends in.

It’s like Jesus said long ago, "If the salt loses its saltiness, it is no longer good for anything . . ."

About the Author

MARK SAYERS is a cultural commentator, writer and speaker, who is highly sought out for his unique and perceptive insights into faith and contemporary culture. Mark is the author of The Trouble with Paris and The Vertical Self. Mark is also the Senior Leader of Red Church. Mark lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Trudi, daughter Grace, and twin boys Hudson and Billy.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Moody Publishers (February 2, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802413358
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802413352
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.41 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 379 ratings

About the author

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Mark Sayers

Mark Sayers

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MARK SAYERS writes about the intersection between faith and culture. Mark is also the Senior Leader of Red Church. Mark lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Trudi, daughter Grace, and twin boys Hudson and Billy.

marksayers.co

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
379 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book insightful, accessible, and helpful in understanding the cultural moment. They describe it as an excellent, great work by Mark Sayers.

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InsightReadabilityStrength
22 customers mention "Insight"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's insight good, accessible, and amazing. They say it's helpful in understanding why evangelicals are lining up behind the Trump administration. Readers also mention the book is interesting and thought-provoking. They mention it'll impact their ministry in many ways.

"This book is a great, succinct, and accessible analysis of our cultural moment...." Read more

"Mark Sayers, with sharp perception and magical dexterity, disects our cultural place in time...." Read more

"...Chapter 2 draws out an interesting history of how the north American church (and apparently the author homeland of Australia as well) is obsessed..." Read more

"Great analysis of the western church and offers real solutions to address it. A must read for anyone in ministry" Read more

13 customers mention "Readability"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book excellent, insightful, and a great work. They say it helps them understand the times they live in.

"This book is a great, succinct, and accessible analysis of our cultural moment...." Read more

"...It was fairly insightful.Chapter 3 is very good...." Read more

"...still offering good news to the culture that seduces us." An excellent book." Read more

"Excellent book. His thesis regarding why the church is seemingly disappearing is well articulated...." Read more

3 customers mention "Strength"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's strength to be astute insights and a robust challenge to bring the gospel to our current world.

"...This is not a happy, encouraging book. It's tough medicine...." Read more

"Fantastic. A solid and theologically balanced approach to truly engaging a changing culture. A must read for pastors and leaders alike." Read more

"Astute insight and fairly robust challenge to bring the gospel to our current culture...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Casey
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Cultural Analysis!
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021
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This book is a great, succinct, and accessible analysis of our cultural moment. Sayers identifies a lot of issues that might otherwise be difficult to name. This book points out the problems, but you'll be disappointed if you're looking for solutions.

For those, you have to get his *Reappearing Church* but I didn't find it quite as insightful as this volume.
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5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books for Christians in a western context
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2018
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Mark Sayers, with sharp perception and magical dexterity, disects our cultural place in time. He names the things about our moment that have, from history, put the church in the place we occupy today. A place influenced by hedonism, a mistaken missiology and a resurgent Gnosticism: the idolotry of self. He is not wallowing in cynicism but he brings it all back around to what he calls “gospel resilience” and the reestablishment of communities with strong ties.

I have found myself unmistakably changed by this book. A single look outside the window at our world and it’s easy to feel that so much is bent out of shape and the resulting head fog leaves many Christians uncertain how to navigate our post-Christian culture. With clarity and insight Mark Sayers diffuses the fog and helps us to realize our calling and purpose as a Jesus following creative minority in the caustic, secular world.
3 people found this helpful
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Hello From Here
4.0 out of 5 stars Astute insight and fairly robust challenge to bring the gospel to our current culture.
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017
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Summary: It is a deep look at our culture and how Christianity fits into it. Sayers is gospel guy, calling the church back to its faithful orthodoxy, the Bible and courageous creative response in light of the new cultural landscape.

The Good: Sayers uses illustrations very effectively. Thy have wide range from islands traditions changing how they reacted to the Tsunami (134ff), movies (Safe 53 and Her 89), to Al-Qaeda versus Islamic state comparisons(109ff).

Sayers talks of Christianity's "soft power (p. 10)" and the page before quotes another claiming Christianity is full of "thousands of quiet kindnesses.”

Chapter 2 draws out an interesting history of how the north American church (and apparently the author homeland of Australia as well) is obsessed with “relevance.” It was fairly insightful.

Chapter 3 is very good. It starts out with the often-cited Chinese sociologist given credit to the rise of the west no to guns, political structure, or but in sum, “we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity (41).”

The real gem in chapter 3 is the first, second and third culture explanation. First cultures “believe in many gods(43).” Second cultures “are rooted in the Judeo-Christin ethic (43).” Third cultures “define themselves against second cultures ($45).”

This insight into modern religious culture is tremendously astute. A partial solution offered here in the narrative is given in the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, “to become a creativity minority…is not easy, because it involves maintaining strong links with the outside world while staying true to your faith, seeking not merely to keep the sacred flame burning but also to transform the larger society of which you are a part (page 50).”

Chapter 4 lost me for a little. The talk about Gnosticism didn’t match up with what my seminary and undergrad profs talk about Gnostic teaching. But Sayers is using this is a similar way to many others currently. Sayer’s new Gnosticism seems combo of Zen Buddhism/Mindfulness, New Age thought, Secular Humanism and self-help movement, and the Prosperity Gospel. It seems Sayer’s is labeling a combo of all the threats to Christianity currently in one title. But I now found out there is a fairly large focus to this new label.

Here is a solid quote from Chapter 4. “Gnosticism is an attempt to retain the fruits of Christianity and the solace of faith while maximizing the individual’s authority. It is the post-Christian impulse par excellence (59).”

Part 2 (chapters 5 +) follows this outline:
New Cultural Landscape (A) + Faithful Orthodoxy (B) + Courageous Creative Response (C) = Revitalization of the church and culture (D)

He does a fairly accurate job to present solutions that aren’t simplistic and actually seem like they could work in the real world.

Chapter 9 has a stand out idea. “Institutions are our beliefs and ethics enfleshed. They bring ideas down from the ether and ensure that they are operating within actual life of a community (132).” Sayers solution to helping the church rise and through it the gospel is strengthening the institutions that purport ideas. For the gospel to flourish churches need to flourish. He quotes Andy Crouch, “Institutions are the way the teeming abundance of human creativity and culture are handed on to future generations (135).”

Sayers ends the book with a call to abide in Christ. “To do this (abiding and making an impact) … we must again learn to abide in the Father (167).”
15 people found this helpful
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Michelle Pope Welch
5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Book About the Modern Church
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2017
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Mark Sayers has written a book that should be on every pastors shelf, indeed on every Christ followers shelf as well. He has obviously spent many hours working with God on the reasons behind the decline in the Church as a whole. I love one of the lines in the book which says "In a world where friends are added with a button and the beautiful, blank faces of stock photography stare out at us, church and faith offer us true, face-to-face encounters." As Mark points out, it is only with these encounters that we can live out the words of Christ in Matthew 28:19-20. Gnosticism has indeed reared it's ugly head in the modern church in new, stealthy ways that make self seem more important than obedience to God's calling in our lives. As Mark says "the enemy is not outside the ramparts, it is inside the castle." It is time for the Church to sit up and take notice. "To learn to abide in Christ, we also must break from the lures that surround us, while still offering good news to the culture that seduces us." An excellent book.
2 people found this helpful
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Andie Farnham
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2023
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Great analysis of the western church and offers real solutions to address it. A must read for anyone in ministry
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Trell M.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Kingdom is alive and well!
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2019
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What a refreshing analysis of the state of the church today. I'm so tired of hearing about culture wars and how the secular left is what ails America. This book details the decline of "Christianity" in the western world and it's implications for the church. It highlights how individualism has shaped our culture, Christian and non Christian alike! This book offers not only a message of hope but also a path forward for the church.
One person found this helpful
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Albo
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best reads I have dug my eyes into in a long time.
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2019
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There is so much in every chapter that requires us to sit down with different sets of the contemporary church and have a genuine scripture values discussion concerning what we would see the church becoming.

On a global perspective, this book I feel fails to accommodate the the movement over what is happening in the wider church that is two-third centric and ignores the reverse influence of this expression of Christianity... maybe I need to read the reappearing church to engage this conversation more.. so here we go,
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JH
4.0 out of 5 stars good read
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2022
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Excellent book. His thesis regarding why the church is seemingly disappearing is well articulated. And it is also helpful in understanding why people come to church yet are not committed to it.
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Top reviews from other countries

Ron Clifford
5.0 out of 5 stars insightful and timelessly relevant
Reviewed in Canada on July 2, 2022
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With an engaging and captivating writing style, Mark Sayers walks the reader through a clearly thought out presentation of why maintaining scriptural integrity in a culture of capitulation to social trends and deconstruction is so vital to the Church.
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anthony opoku-mensah
5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2024
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I found the book not just touching on some reality but very revealing and left me reflecting on my own journey.
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Jasmine Ho
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia on June 6, 2018
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A must read book!
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Daunavan Buyer
5.0 out of 5 stars So Good
Reviewed in Canada on October 29, 2019
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This book is so good. It’s a bit of a challenging read as Sayers is brilliant and thinks at such a deep level but this book is important for church leaders to read and understand.
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Daniel
5.0 out of 5 stars Transcendent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2019
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I found the begging of the book a bit slow. But later it picked up powerfully. I found the gnostic chapter rather interesring.
It's a great essay about today's post-christian culture. Very relevant
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