Broken but Beautiful: Book Launch

Gospel-Centered Discipleship is excited to announce the launch of our latest book: Broken but Beautiful: Reflections on the Blessings of the Local Church, edited by Benjamin Vrbicek.

“I will build my church,” Jesus said. “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The ministry of Gospel-Centered Discipleship “exists to cultivate writers and resources that make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus.” Broken but Beautiful is a collection of some of our best writers and our best resources celebrating the local church.

If you’ve been around the church for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced hurt, whether from leaders or fellow members. We understand; most of us have scars too. But the local church is the bride of Christ and God’s plan to bless the world. These eclectic essays highlight many of those blessings, from how local churches have faithfully cared for the children of divorced parents to the many ways the body of Christ lifts our eyes from our morbid introspection—all while highlighting the wonderful truth that, through all the sin and sorrow, Jesus continues to build his church.

Broken but Beautiful is edited by Benjamin Vrbicek and has contributions from many of the Gospel-Centered Discipleship staff writers and editors, as well as other writing partners of the ministry. Contributions are included from Rob Bentz, Lara d’Entremont, Timarie Friesen, Brianna Lambert, Chrys Jones, Erin Jones, Glenna Marshall, Timothy M. Shorey, Tom Sugimura, James Williams, Jeremy Writebol, and others.

Table of Contents

        Preface | Benjamin Vrbicek     vii

1     She Is Broken, and She Is Beautiful | Glenna Marshall     1
2    Missing Church Is Missing Out | Timothy M. Shorey     7
3     How God Humbled Me through a Church I Didn’t Agree With | Lara d’Entremont     11
4     The Dearest Place on Earth | James Williams     17
5     The Unexpected Blessing of a Rural Church | Stephanie O’Donnell     21
6     The Local Church Helps Rid Me of Morbid Introspection | Chrys Jones   27
7     The Church Is Not a Meritocracy | Jessica Miskelly     33
8     A Family of Redemption for Children of Divorce | Chase Johnson     39
9     The Warmth of the Local Church for the Suffering | Brianna Lambert     45
10    The Singles Among Us Deserve a Better Church Culture | Denise Hardy     51
11    Love Your Church Anyway | Heidi Kellogg     57
12    For the Love of Liturgy | Erin Jones     63
13    God’s Good Design of the Local Church | James Williams     69
14    Finding Beauty in the Local Church in Our Age of Social Media | Cassie Pattillo     75
15    The Hands of Grace | Amber Thiessen     79
16    How the Church Shapes Us on Our Faith Journey | Rob Bentz     83
17    On the Other Side of the Church Split | Abigail Rehmert     89
18    Dear New Mother, Embrace the Body of Christ | Lara d’Entremont     95
19    The Gold Mine in the Local Church | Chrys Jones     101
20    The Local Church Is a Sandbox | Timarie Friesen     105
21    Unless the Seed Dies | Tom Sugimura     111
22    Redeeming Love Has Been My Theme and Shall Be Until I Die | Timothy M. Shorey     115

         Epilogue | Jeremy Writebol     119

         Notes     121
         Author Bios     123
         About Gospel-Centered Discipleship     127
         Resources from Gospel-Centered Discipleship     129

About the Editor

Benjamin Vrbicek is the lead pastor at Community Evangelical Free Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the managing editor for Gospel-Centered Discipleship. He and his wife, Brooke, have six children. He earned an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary. Benjamin is the author of Don’t Just Send a Resume and Struggle Against Porn, and coauthor of Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World. He blogs regularly at Fan and Flame, and you can follow him on Twitter.

You can buy the book on Amazon or Gospel-Centered Discipleship.