The Gospel-Driven Church: Uniting Church Growth Dreams with the Metrics of Grace

“In The Gospel-Driven Church, my friend Jared Wilson encourages us to consider the full weight of the gospel as the driver of the local church rather than metrics, which can be helpful but don’t tell the whole story. By changing the driver to the gospel, we are able to change the movement from “come and see” to “go and tell.” This book should soothe weary leaders’ bones and free them to point passionately to the beauty of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection.”

“Jared’s understanding of church history, theology, and pastoral ministry are combined with his passion for the gospel and the local church in this helpful and insightful book. While there continues to be a desire to “change the scorecard,” Jared paints a picture of what that looks like for ministry leaders. A must read for those in ministry leadership.”

“The Gospel-Driven Church serves as a sobering reminder that a growing attendance does not necessarily mean a growing number of disciples of Jesus. In this book, Jared gives an honest assessment of the modern church and a solid argument for why we need to adjust our idea of how to measure a church’s health. Pastors would greatly benefit from using this tool to make sure their church is moving in the right direction.”

“With humor, wisdom, and an easy-but-challenging writing style, Jared Wilson has offered a much-needed wake-up call to the American church. Whether you’re a church planter, a pastor, or simply a Christian who desires to see your church become as healthy as possible, The Gospel-Driven Church serves as a road map to help shake off the shackles of “cultural relevance” and transform our churches into what God has always intended them to be.”

“Jared Wilson contends that many churches remain unconsciously in the grip of the attractional worldview. Freedom comes by fearless inventory and swapping out the metrics by which we measure success. As one expects, Wilson is clear, winsome, and pulls no punches. Church leader, if you are looking to understand how God evaluates your hard work and whether it will produce lasting fruit, buy this book!”

“Jared has put into words what so many of us have felt in our guts. This book is the Magna Carta for gospel-centered change. ”

“Jared’s Prodigal Church helped us see the problem of pragmatism in the attractional church. “If it works, then work it” doesn’t work anymore (if it ever did!). Multiplying noses and nickels doesn’t equal faithfulness or fruitfulness. Now he offers some practical solutions to “put the gospel in the driver’s seat.” If you’re convinced that the church needs more gospel and less gimmickry, if you want less Christian “dos” and more of Christ’s “done” in your preaching, if you want the gospel to be more than a tagline at the end of message and more of an ecosystem at the center of church life, then The Gospel-Driven Church will help you get there.”

“It’s not enough to embrace the gospel. Our churches need to be shaped by the gospel. If you want to understand how to make this transition, you will love this book. I’m grateful for Jared’s theological and pastoral wisdom. I wish I could have read this book twenty years ago.”

“After twenty-five years of church ministry as a gospel-loving evangelical, I found The Gospel-Driven Church timely, challenging, and stimulating. This book is a call to the entertainment-addicted, consumeristic church culture of the West to abandon its growth fetish and recenter on the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”