With a pastor’s heart, Tony Merida delivers a practical manual that not only instructs, but also inspires. Merida reminds us that our local church—with all its quirks—is a family. This simple truth will stir your heart to love and will encourage believers in pews everywhere. -- Walter R. Strickland II (Assistant Professor of Systematic and Contextual Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary)
It’s fair to say that the contemporary church is doing a serious re-think about church membership. We are recognizing that we have bred a consumerism that prioritizes self-satisfaction over selfless commitment to the purposes of Christ. Merida courageously enters the re-think with a sweet spirit, reminding us that the one who invited us to take up our cross for him also called us to be responsible for his corporate body as well as our personal souls. -- Bryan Chapell (Senior Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church, Peoria, IL, Former Chancellor of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO)
Not often do you find a book that is written for church members and which is both intensely practical and deeply theological. In , Merida helps you love not an idyllic church but church. -- Amber Brown (Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Redeemer University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
The kind of book that I want to put into the hands of every person in our church. It reads like a conversation with a wise friend over a coffee, patiently walking us into a compelling vision of what Jesus wants our church to look like. Each chapter comes loaded with practical and easily implementable next steps. -- Adam Ramsey (Lead Pastor, Liberti Church, Gold Coast, Australia; Network Director, Acts 29 Australia & New Zealand)
Through careful biblical instruction, good humour, and rich personal experience, Tony Merida encourages the reader to want to serve the church over which Jesus is Lord—responsibly, joyfully and wholeheartedly. This is a ‘must read’ for every church member. -- Frank Sellar (Moderator, Presbyterian Church in Ireland, 2016-2017; Minister, Bloomfield Presbyterian Church, Belfast)
This book reminds me why it was that, long before I became a pastor, I was thrilled to be a part of a local church. I commend it enthusiastically and hope that each member of my church will read, mark, inwardly digest, and live out the lessons learned. -- Alistair Begg (Bible Teacher, Truth For Life; Previous Senior Pastor, Parkside Church, Cleveland; Author, Pray Big and The Christian Manifesto)
Church feels complicated these days. People wonder if it’s even relevant anymore and we tend toward cynicism and individualism. In Tony Merida is like a big brother who explains what in the world the church is for. His eight reasons to love my church lifted my eyes off of myself and off the current cultural landscape and onto the beauty and wonder of God and how he designed his people to gather together with purpose, care, mission, and joy. This is a life-giving read. -- Jen Oshman (Author, Enough About Me)
It’s easy to say grand things about the church as an abstract concept. It’s possible to propound a high view of ‘the church’, all the while having a relatively low view of the actual churches we go to. This book is a pastor’s call to love ‘the church’ by loving our churches. Through eight short, punchy chapters, Tony encourages us to embrace all that God has for us in the motley crew that makes up the local church. -- Rory Shiner (Senior Pastor, Providence City Church, Perth, Australia)
Love Your Church is biblical and engaging, but above all it is timely. Many of our normal church practices have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging from this period many recognise the need to recalibrate our church life according to the teaching of the New Testament. This accessible book provides a wonderfully helpful tool in that process of re-thinking and evaluating our priorities. I warmly commend it. -- Angus Macleay (Rector, St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks)
Tony Merida provides a word-centred, Christ-exalting, accessible and practical GPS for every Christian to help them avoid the holes in the road and accelerate forward in ministry and mission together in the local church. I will enthusiastically hand this book out to the leaders and members of our church. -- Jonathan E. McLaughlin (Senior Pastor, Hamilton Road Baptist Church, Bangor, Northern Ireland)
I pray that every Christian would love their church, and I believe this book can help us get there! Tony writes with a pastoral heart and offers extremely practical help for every one of us to grow in love. I believe the world will be changed when we all learn to heed this call. -- Jenni Price (Women’s Ministries Director, The Grove Community Church, Riverside, California)
An excellent resource for all Christians seeking to understand the importance of being a part of a local church and the extraordinary blessings that come from being fully engaged and committed as a church member. If you’re struggling to commit to a local church because of past church hurt or any other reason, I implore you to give this book a read. -- Doug Logan Jr. (President, Dean of Grimké School of Urban Ministry, Author of On the Block)
This book does what it sets out to do—to help ordinary Christians to love Jesus and his church and to know how to do it. Not only is it a tremendously enjoyable book to read but it achieves the rare blend of taking deep Bible truth and presenting it in an engaging and winsome way. -- Simon Austen (Rector of St Leonard's, Exeter, Devon)
Jesus loves his church—his bride—enough to die for her. Often we can take our church for granted, be lukewarm or lazy (going through the revolving door of church life on someone else’s push). Yet to belong to the people of God is a great privilege and responsibility. Tony Merida shows us from the Bible the why and how of loving our church. His message is clear and urgent, because loving our church will have value into eternity. -- Al Stewart (CEO Anglican Youthworks, Sydney, Australia)
The best thing I could say about this book is that I love the church more after reading it. And I’m confident you will, too. Whether you’re new to a church, or you’ve spent your whole life in church, will help you experience the wonder of what God has designed you and me to experience as brothers and sisters in Christ. -- David Platt (David Platt, Lead pastor of McLean Bible Church in metro Washington, D.C. and founder of Radical.)
Jesus is perfect—he will never let us down. The church, however, is full of people who are not perfect and will let us down. Why bother with them? It’s because God is building a community of people who love him and who also love each other. Tony Merida’s eight great things about being a church member reach beyond his own church and culture. So, whether your church sounds just like his or a bit different, you’ll discover what church is for, why you should be part of a church, and why you will love being part of a church—God’s family. -- Liz Cox (Minister for Women and Community, St Giles' Derby, UK)
A great book—thoroughly biblical, honest, practical, and readable. It is very timely in its proper and elevated view of the glory of the local church. The eight main sections are worthy of thorough study and personal reflection. Read it, and get others to read it! -- Trevor Ramsey (President, Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland)
The time has come for us to face the music: the church is in crisis throughout most of the Western world. I think this reveals that many people have a misunderstanding of the true nature of the church. It is time for us to recapture the New Testament’s vision of Christ’s church. I am happy to commend Tony Merida’s timely book, which is a clarion call for us to fall back in love with Christ and his church. -- Winfield Bevins (Director of Church Planting, Asbury Seminary)
