The original title of this book is 'The Compelling Community'.
It can be translated as 'an eye-catching community', 'an eye-catching community', or 'an attractive community'.
This is a church community that makes people who come into contact with it feel, 'Ah, there's something different here!' and that is why they cannot take their eyes off it.
This can only happen if the church community shines a strong light of supernatural evidence.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Everyone wants community and wants to build community.
However, according to the authors, even within the evangelical community, there are many instances of errors in building community through human means.
This book diagnoses the problems of communities built on things other than the gospel (such as similarities in social status, similarities in age, and commonalities in various moral agendas), and clearly presents the concept of a supernatural community that can be built only by the supernatural power of God.
And it presents very practical suggestions on how to build such a community and the obstacles that hinder such a community.


Building a supernatural community rooted in a culture of informal discipleship and care is not optional.
It is a requirement that all churches must obey.

But it is at this point that I want to challenge you.
I think we're always building community without taking the gospel into account.
Let's leave aside the liberal churches I mentioned earlier.
I am concerned about the evangelical church.
It's not that we're trying to deny the gospel as we build community.
Rather, my concern is that, despite our best intentions, we are building communities that can thrive without the gospel.
--- p.27

Within the “Gospel Plus” community
The relationships that are formed are based entirely on the addition of other elements to the gospel.
For example, Sam and Joe are both Christians, but the real reason they are friends is because they are both single men in their forties, or because they share a passion for literacy, or because they work as doctors.
--- pp.30-31

Let us compare this community with a “gospel-revealing” community.
The relationships formed within a community that “reveals the gospel” are based solely on the truth and power of the gospel.
This community is characterized by a deep concern for one another, despite having little in common other than their belief in Christ.
--- p.31

Instead of asking them to demonstrate a supernatural depth of commitment toward other Christians (which is a unique characteristic of faith), we ask them to demonstrate the lowest level of commitment possible for new believers.
We tell them, “Just get involved.
“We don’t have any expectations,” he says.
--- p.44

Because people are brought into the church as consumers, there is no essential commitment to others within the church.
Therefore, we must artificially create such a commitment.
How can we do this? Through ministry based on similarity.
--- pp.44-45

When the gospel is first preached in a certain area, the Holy Spirit performs miraculous signs.
But once the gospel takes root there, a miraculous community is established. 2) This is the realization of the words of John 13:35.
In other words, evangelism becomes more powerful through a community that confirms the gospel.
When we abandon the supernatural character of such a community, we compromise evangelism.
--- p.55

Growth in dedication is a good thing.
However, the notion that one must grow before becoming devoted is unbiblical.
We will look at this in more detail later, but the basic level of commitment to the church that every believer must bear is quite deep.
My point is not that we must have a complete commitment to the local church from the beginning, but that a fairly high level of commitment must be made from the beginning.
--- p.80

This diversity was probably the first thing that attracted me to our church.
In our church, I've seen older generations who started coming in the 1940s hanging out with the generation that just came of age in the 1990s.
Surprisingly, they moved as one community.
Young people visited nursing homes and spent Friday nights, and octogenarians vacationed in Cancun with young people in their 20s.
--- pp.108-109

Local churches must speak out strongly on moral issues.
However, it is very rare for moral authority to correspond precisely to any detailed public policy.
Therefore, Christians may have differing views on government policies, yet they must find ways to unite within the more ultimate reality of God's kingdom.
--- p.109

Fifteen years ago, our church began to ponder the question, “How can we foster a culture of discipleship?”
We realized that the problem was much more difficult than it appeared.
It wasn't enough for people to simply have intentions and build spiritual relationships with one another.
The real problem was that people did not realize that discipleship was one of the absolute conditions for following Jesus.
What was needed was a change in culture, not a change in behavior.
--- pp.130-131

Christ entrusted the ministry of the church with the word not to bring about change, but to equip others to bring about change.
The Sunday morning sermon is the starting line, not the finish line, of the ministry of the Word.
It is only the beginning of true ministry.
The believers must receive the word of God there and put it into practice throughout the week.
--- p.132-133

When a church has a competent pastor, the congregation tends to neglect caring for one another and prefers to delegate the work to “trained professionals.”
As time passes in this state, the depth of devotion among church members becomes shallow.
Therefore, only when there is no trader can the church members step forward and care for the grieving widow, which can result in the strengthening of the entire community.
When the minister fills the need, the congregation becomes reluctant to step forward, and as a result, the opportunity to truly realize the unity of the saints is lost.
--- pp.203-204

Participating in church activities may feel more comfortable than working on the difficult task of building relationships.
An overly tight church schedule only exacerbates the problem.
--- p.209

Since the local church community is the confirmation of the gospel message, it is very foolish to preach the gospel in isolation from the church.
Trying to preach the gospel alone is like leaving the excavator alone and trying to dig the ground with a toy shovel.

--- p.287