Words'nTone

Over the years I have rarely taken chances on books with cliché titles, particularly those written about the church. But in this case I couldn’t help it: The title itself is a good summary of what I have been thinking for some time now, and after three papers on the Gospel of Mark (“Widows in Our” courts on Mark 12; “Wasted Evangelism” on Mark 4; and most recently “Idolatry and Poverty: Where the Public vs. the Private Isn’t Enough,” which examines Mark’s use of the Old Testament juxtaposition of Idolatry and Poverty) that conclude that social action can indeed be evangelism, I can say that there is truth in the cliché “externally focused church.” In fact, I did but the book and was very much intrigued with The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson. I was not disappointed. At the start, they summarize the marks of an outward, externally focused church:

• They are inwardly strong but outwardly focused.



• They integrate good deeds and good news into the life of the church.



• They value impact and influence in the community more than attendance.



• They seek to be salt, light, and leaven in the community.



• They see themselves as the “soul” of the community.



• They would be greatly missed by the community if they left (p 12).

Later they write:

“These churches look for ways to be useful to their communities, to be a part of their hopes and dreams. They build bridges to their communities instead of walls around themselves. They don’t shout at the dirty stream; they get in the water and begin cleaning it up. They determine their effectiveness not only by internal measures—such as attendance, worship, teaching, and small groups—but also by external measures: the spiritual and societal effects they are having on the communities around them. Externally focused churches measure not only what can be counted but also what matters most—the impact they are having outside the four walls of the church” (p 17).

This book heads the church in the right direction. Intriguing. And, this book is at least one that will help churches form that alternative community that seeks justice and mercy.

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