what church can be
an optimistic vision + some blueprints
Pastor and church planter Matthew Kruse's deeply loved hometown of Boston is a decidedly secular city where the gospel is primarily met with disinterest or disdain. The average Bostonian - wounded by one of the worst scandals in American church history and convinced that they have no need for "religion" - is out on church. And yet, by God's grace, Kruse has not only helped birth a beautiful and viable church that is thriving among the locals there, but he's also helped build a family of contextualized churches who are loving and leading New Englanders to the grace of the gospel.
In What Church Can Be, Kruse fuses theological exposition with personal memoir and a bevy of helpful blueprints into an optimistic and executable vision for leaders who are seeking to build healthy church cultures that foster gospel advance.
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Table of Contents
Why I Wrote
How This Book Works
Spin Class
Church will be death.
On recognizing the cost ... and paying it anyway.
“I do not account my life of any value, nor as precious to myself” v 24
O2
Church can be life.
On keeping gospel grace central to everything.
“I commend you to God and the word of his grace” v 32
Melanoma
Church can be holy.
On the relentless pursuit of personal holiness.
“How I lived” v 18
Open Books
Church can be honest.
On moving people from “all-set” to “you-know.”
“You know” v 18, 34
Lights
Church can be humble.
On having no rockstars but Jesus.
“With all humility” v 19
Tears
Church can be invested.
On giving ourselves emotionally to the work.
“With tears” v. 19
Scars
Church can be resilient.
On not avoiding opposition.
“Trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews” v. 19
Guts
Church can be bold.
On having hard conversations.
“I did not shrink from declaring” v. 20, 27
Thunder
Church can be anchored.
On loving and leading from the words of Scripture.
“Teaching you in public and from house to house” v 20
“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus” v 35
Outsiders
Church can be missional.
On moving toward folks who aren’t there yet.
“Both to Jews and to Greeks” v 21
X-Factors
Church can be daring.
On taking risks.
“Not knowing what will happen to me” v. 22
Glances
Church can be content.
On embracing our callings and capacities.
"My course and the ministry I received” v. 24
Love Letters
Church can be warm.
On stirring our affections for Jesus’ people.
“Care for the church, which He obtained with His own blood” v. 28
Wolves
Church can be orthodox.
On fighting heresies and those who tout them.
“Fierce wolves will come in” v. 29
Years
Church can be durable.
On marrying frequency and longevity.
“For three years I did not cease night or day” v 31
Fresh White Kicks
Church can be simple.
On refusing materialism.
“I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel” v 33
Hands
Church can be close.
On living in supertight community.
“These hands” v 34
Team
Church can be united.
On working together for gospel advance.
“Those who were with me” v 34
Hustle
Church can be ambitious.
On breaking a sweat.
“By working hard” v 35
Speed Bumps
Church can be compassionate.
On not running people over.
“We must help the weak” v 35
Super Glue
Church can be generous.
On giving (literally) everything away.
“It is better to give than to receive” v 35
Kites
Church can be dependent.
On actually praying.
“He knelt down and prayed” v 36