Letters to the Church

1.Chan opens by asserting that the Church is sacred — set apart, holy, precious to God in a way that nothing else on earth is. How does this land on you? Does the word "sacred" feel like a natural description of your church experience, or does it feel like a stretch?

1.Chan draws a sharp contrast between the church as a "gathering of acquaintances" and the church as a true family. What are the practical differences between those two kinds of community? Which more accurately describes what you have experienced?

1.Chan opens this chapter with the haunting question of whether our churches could function just as well without the Holy Spirit — because so much of what we do is explainable by human talent, planning, and resources. How does that question land on you? Is it unfair, or does it hit something real?

1.Chan argues that the consumer mentality — coming to church to have your needs met — is fundamentally at odds with the servant posture Jesus modeled and commanded. How did you first arrive at church: as someone coming to give, or someone coming to receive? Has that changed over time?

1.Chan opens with the Ezekiel 34 passage, where God pronounces judgment on Israel's shepherds for feeding themselves rather than the flock. What specific failures does God identify in that passage, and how does Chan argue those same failures appear in contemporary church leadership?

1.Chan uses the body metaphor of 1 Corinthians 12 to argue that the Church's structure is not a human invention but a divine design. What is the main point of Paul's body metaphor, and why does Chan think the modern church has largely failed to embody it?

1.Chan argues that the Church was never meant to be primarily a destination — a place people come to — but a movement, a people sent out. How does this reframing challenge the way most churches measure success (attendance, budget, programs)?

1.Chan opens by noting that the early church operated with a level of supernatural power — healings, deliverances, bold proclamation, transformed lives — that most Western Christians have either never witnessed or have given up expecting. Is that a fair description of your own experience? How do you account for the gap?

1.Chan's final letter is one of hope — even amid all the critique and challenge of the preceding chapters. Why do you think he ends this way? What would have been lost if the book had ended with the final challenge chapter without this note of hope?

1.Looking back at all eight chapters (plus the introduction and epilogue), which single chapter or theme had the greatest impact on you — the one that most unsettled, convicted, or inspired you? What was it about that chapter that hit hardest?