Serve: Loving Your Church with Your Heart, Time and Gifts

by Steve Robinson, Brian Howard (Foreword by)

Overview

This book looks at the gospel of Jesus and the example of Jesus to motivate us to serve our church family sacrificially with our energy, time and gifts.

This is a great book for Christians who have grown weary over time, those who need help in identifying their gifts and gaining the confidence to offer them, and church members who are lacking the motivation to get started.

As we look to the example of Jesus, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), we will be excited and equipped to use what God has given us to serve others with a renewed sense of purpose and joy. We will also see that we do not need to have any particularly impressive gifts or emulate anyone else in order to answer Jesus’ call to love one another.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784989163
Publisher:	The Good Book Company
Publication date:	10/01/2023
Series:	Love Your Church
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Steve Robinson is Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Liverpool and Director of the Cornerstone Collective. He also leads the Acts29 church-planting network in the UK. Steve is married to Sian, and they have four children. He's a passionate Liverpool supporter.

Brian is President of the church-planting network Acts29. He has more than 30 years of proven leadership experience as a leadership coach, nonprofit executive, church planter, lead pastor, and business owner. Brian holds a master’s degree from Talbot School of Theology.

Table of Contents

Section One: Why Would I Serve?
1. You Were Saved for This
2. We Serve Because He First Served Us
3. Good and Faithful Servant
Section Two: How Can I Serve?
4. Serve As the Person God Has Made You to Be
5. Serve with What God Has Given You
6. Serve Where God Has Put You

Editorial Reviews

One of the wonderful privileges of belonging to God’s family is that we get to serve him by serving one another. But it doesn’t always feel like a privilege. It’s easy to lose our sense of purpose and motivation, and become weary and discouraged. In this delightful book, Steve reminds us of the ‘who’ and ‘why’ of our serving. This book left me humbled by my Saviour’s example, grateful for opportunities to reflect his servant heart and determined to joyfully follow his example.

Carolyn Lacey (Author of 'Say the Right Thing' and 'Extraordinary Hospitality (for Ordinary Peopl

I was so strengthened by this book. Steve Robinson gets right to the heart of many barriers church members face when we don’t know where or how to serve, or when our passion to serve runs dry. This book is chock-full of Scripture, wisdom, and helpful stories. It’s motivating rather than guilt-inducing, uplifting rather than overwhelming. Read it with your friends from church and be encouraged and equipped to start serving—or keep serving—together!

Jen Oshman (Author

Steve Robinson has written a very helpful book. With humility, humour and pastoral insight he reminds us who we serve, why we serve and how we serve. Church leaders and church members alike will benefit enormously from careful meditation on this book. And churches who integrate these principles into their rhythms and posture will be attractive and authentic witnesses to the Servant King who sends us into the world he loves as his ambassadors.

Philip Moore (European Director

I can’t think of anyone better suited to write a book on this subject! I have had the privilege of watching this brother lovingly serve his family and his church through some of the toughest seasons imaginable and he has done so humbly, faithfully and in ways that modelled dependence on and devotion to Jesus. I pray that what’s written in these pages will encourage and inspire you to serve the Son of Man who didn’t come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for you.

Dai Hankey (Acts 29 church planter in Cardiff and author of Hopeward)

Consumerism used to be one vice among many—yet today it’s one of the most widely-agreed-upon foundations for the good life. We desperately need a more compelling vision. With pastoral warmth and biblical wisdom, Steve Robinson calls us back to the beauty of being conformed into the image of the one who came not to be served but to serve. I’m confident this book will help equip many to give their lives away for the glory of God and the good of others.

Josh Kouri (Lead Pastor

In this world of swagger, Jesus calls us not to be served but to serve—him, one another, and the whole world. That happens beautifully as we come together in churches with our Lord’s servant heart. Thank you, Steve, for writing this book and inspiring all of us to give our hearts away! (President

This little gem reflects the cheerful and humble servant-heartedness of its author… and his Servant-Saviour! Here is encouraging, wholesome, down-to-earth biblical wisdom for serving God and his church with a smile as the people God has created us to be, with the gifts God has entrusted to us, in the circumstances God has placed us in.

Richard Coekin (Senior Pastor of Dundonald Church

Drawing on 20 years of church leadership experience, Steve teaches us how and why we should serve in the church, motivates us to follow the example of Jesus from a heart of love for him, and encourages us to persevere in service. Study questions make this short book ideal to read and discuss in small groups. Every church will be strengthened if they read this stirring challenge.

John Stevens (National Director

This little book is simple, clear, warm and practical. It’s definitely worth a few pounds of anybody’s money.

Mez McConnell (Director of 20 schemes)

Serve is a gift to Christ’s church. It calls us into joyful and costly labours driven by a hope-filled and realistic vision of the church. If you are wondering whether you can serve your church family, what this might look like or how to go about it, you will find much wisdom and warmth here. There is a great joy in serving alongside Jesus, in the hard times as well as the easy. Steve knows this personally and his book invites us to this sort of Christlike ministry.

John Hindley (Pastor of BroadGrace Church

In this warm, pastoral book, Steve Robinson provides us with a resource that is biblically rich and deeply relatable for why serving one another is vital to being a healthy church. Read it to remember how Jesus has meaningfully included us in his work. But even more than that, read it to remember the glory and beauty and example of the God whom we are serving.

Adam Ramsey (Lead Pastor

This little gem reflects the cheerful and humble servant-heartedness of its author… and his Servant-Saviour! Here is encouraging, wholesome, down-to-earth biblical wisdom for serving God and his church with a smile as the people God has created us to be, with the gifts God has entrusted to us, in the circumstances God has placed us in.

Richard Coekin (Senior Minister

Serve is a gift to Christ’s church. It calls us into joyful and costly labours driven by a hope-filled and realistic vision of the church. If you are wondering whether you can serve your church family, what this might look like or how to go about it, you will find much wisdom and warmth here. There is a great joy in serving alongside Jesus, in the hard times as well as the easy. Steve knows this personally and his book invites us to this sort of Christlike ministry.

John Hindley (pastor of BroadGrace Church