A Place to Belong: Learning to Love the Local Church

by Megan Hill

Overview

Christians know church is important, but sometimes it doesn't seem worth it. An eclectic assortment of people with differing personalities, political views, and parenting styles can make for awkward interactions and difficult connections. What's the point of putting in the tough work to build relationships? But the Bible says God's people ought to be bound together. It uses words like beloved, brothers and sisters, saints, and fellow laborers to describe their mutual relationship in the church. In this book, Megan Hill answers a common question of churchgoers: What's so great about the church? With rich theology, practical direction, and study questions for group use, Hill encourages and equips both first-time visitors and regular members to delight in being a part of the local church—no matter how messy and ordinary it seems today. It is only when God's people begin to see one another as the Lord sees them that they will truly find a place to belong.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433563768
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	04/16/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	184
File size:	888 KB

About the Author

Megan Hill (BA, Grove City College) is the author of several books, including Praying Together; A Place to Belong; and Meg Is Not Alone. She also serves as the managing editor for the Gospel Coalition. A pastor's wife and a pastor's daughter, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four children, where they belong to West Springfield Covenant Community Church (PCA).

Megan Hill (BA, Grove City College) is the author of several books, including  Praying Together;  A Place to Belong; and Meg Is Not Alone. She also serves as the managing editor for the Gospel Coalition. A pastor’s wife and a pastor’s daughter, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four children, where they belong to West Springfield Covenant Community Church (PCA).

Table of Contents

Introduction 11

1 Beloved: Loving the People God Loves 17

2 Called: Our One Testimony 29

3 Church: We Gather to Worship 43

4 Flock: Receiving Care from a Shepherd 57

5 Body: No Unimportant Parts 71

6 Saints: Holiness Is a Community Project 85

7 Brothers and Sisters: Members of the Family 99

8 Gospel Partners: We Have Work to Do 113

9 Multitude: Part of Something Bigger 127

Acknowledgments 141

Study Questions 143

Notes 157

Bibliography 165

General Index 171

Scripture Index 177

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A thousand messengers point us to the good news of a personal relationship with Christ, but this book contains something precious: the good news of a corporate one. Megan Hill has written a love song for the church, a celebration of the communion of saints in all its present practicality and all its future glory. Her message stirred me to greater love for the fellowship of believers and greater longing for the day when Christ and his bride are at last fully and finally united.”
—Jen Wilkin, Bible teacher; author, Women of the Word; None Like Him; and In His Image

“This book is positively, intelligently, and helpfully countercultural. It pushes back on our individualism, cynicism, and consumerism and winsomely calls us to invest our lives—indeed find our lives—in something we may be tempted to think is simply not worth the trouble—the local church.”
—Nancy Guthrie, Bible teacher; author, Even Better than Eden

“Megan Hill’s love for the church and her Savior shines on every page. She possesses an uncommon gift for engaging illustrations and applications. Her theology of the church is biblical, and her instruction winsome as she clarifies what it means for the church’s members to share in each other’s gifts and graces. Readers will find themselves thanking God for his gift of ‘a place to belong.’”
—Charles M. Wingard, Dean of Students and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; author, Help for the New Pastor: Practical Advice for Your First Year of Ministry

“Megan Hill encourages us to think biblically about the church rather than just experientially or emotionally. This book celebrates our ‘blessed belonging’ that is our privilege as God’s covenant people. It is also an accessible tool to prepare us as his bride as we await our bridegroom’s return.”
—Karen Hodge, Coordinator of Women’s Ministries, Presbyterian Church in America; coauthor, Transformed: Life-taker to Life-giver and Life-giving Leadership