A Church Called Tov

Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing

By: Scot McKnight, Laura Barringer

Narrated by: Michael Beck

Christian Book Award - Finalist 2021 (print)!!

What is the way forward for the church?

Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches―from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. Respected author and theologian Scot McKnight and former Willow Creek member Laura Barringer wrote this book to paint a pathway forward for the church.

We need a better way. The sad truth is that churches of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse. Abuses occur most frequently when Christians neglect to create a culture that resists abuse and promotes healing, safety, and spiritual growth.

How do we keep these devastating events from repeating themselves? We need a map to get us from where we are today to where we ought to be as the body of Christ. That map is in a mysterious and beautiful little Hebrew word in Scripture that we translate “good,” the word tov.

In this book, McKnight and Barringer explore the concept of tov―unpacking its richness and how it can help Christians and churches rise up to fulfill their true calling as imitators of Jesus.

©2020 Scot McKnight and Laura McKnight Barringer (P)2020 Tyndale House Publishers

A must read!

All church members should read this book, especially if you have been caught up in “system” type church where church becomes an organization filled with many programs and to do’s and peoples hearts are far from God. Churches that worship filling seats, focus solely on evangelism, giving, discipleship and fellowship, that have leaders who were taught to follow human rules and pass them on, who carry narcissistic tendencies and miss the entire point of what it means to follow Jesus. The book like all book isn’t perfect, take what you may from it.

humbling

An unbelievably raw and honest review of how church members can recognize, and support healing on a journey to TOV.

Piercing and Powerful

This was a great book. It struck a beautiful balance between honest evaluation of church culture while offering a template for what Christ-centred churches should look like. I highly recommend it.

Tov - Good

This is a book that covers all potential harms of the abuse of powers in a church. As the shift from Christ centered foundations move to corporate foundations within the church it reveals a call for “leadership” rather than pastoral guiding and growing within God’s truth in love and grace. There are many real examples within this book of how humans have fallen away from God’s intentions for the Body of Christ.

It is very worthy of your time to consider listening or reading this book and discussing it with your friends. To further your action, I’d even suggest praying and contemplating how this may apply to your church, and, further, how you can be an active participant in being TOV to grow TOV. It takes only one willing to plant the seed to grow the roots. Everyone’s actions and participation matters.

Great Resource

This is an amazing book that helps people through non-tov church experiences and helps guide church pastors and elders toward becoming a tov church. I only wish I had read this years ago!

should be required reading

every pastor, leader, and member needs to read this book and put it's principles into place because these are biblical principles that the American church is lacking.

Loved this!

This really helped me with wounds I have from leaving an unhealthy church network. I would definitely recommend.

Good (pun intended) but Triggering

This was a really good book being honest about the current state of the church. Trigger warning if you’re currently in a difficult place within your church. Seeing this in a larger context, not just one’s local community can be disheartening.

What a healthy church looks like

This book was so healing - it painted a picture of a healthy church, and gave me practical ideas to cultivate healthy habits in myself, as well as give me what I should be looking for!

Mostly good

I honestly did enjoy this book. I understand what Scot came out of with Willow Creek because I came out of something very similar. While there is loads of good content, such as the desire for empowering people to see all people simply as image bearers, I also see what concerns me to possibly be throwing out the baby with the bath water. I think there are many things he warns against that can be good. So I say read this book and read it with an open mind. There are many different churches because the body of Christ is full of unique individuals who will reach people uniquely. I do not believe there is a one size fits all approach for the church. Other than, as Scot concludes, Christ-likeness.