The Church of England’s newest diocesan bishop has issued a call for churches to refocus on Jesus as the compass to navigate the changing terrain of the world. Bishop Steven Croft makes his case in his new book, Jesus’ People: What the Church should do next, released by Church House Publishing today.
Bishop Croft, who spent the last five years leading the development of ‘fresh expressions’ of church alongside traditional ones and is now Bishop of Sheffield, sets out a simple manifesto for a fresh vision for the church that crosses the divide between different traditions and approaches.
The short book has been described by Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the British Methodist Church, as “a passionately sane piece of prophecy to be ignored at our peril”.
Taking his cue from Jesus’ teaching about assessing the ‘fruits’ of endeavours (Matthew 7.20), Bishop Croft argues that “the source and the secret of lasting fruitfulness for any Christian community is not technique or good planning or the latest ideas".
"It does not rest primarily in great leadership or wealth or natural human ability. The source and secret of lasting fruitfulness is whether or not we are connected to and abiding in the vine: it depends on our connection to Jesus,” he says.
Having encouraged Christians to focus on the person and teaching of Jesus as their compass to navigate change, Bishop Croft moves on to look at the Beatitudes, Jesus’ teaching at the Sermon on the Mount.
He considers the need not only to build the church but also to change the world, and offers thoughts on finding the strength for change though Bible study, worship, fellowship and prayer. Each chapter ends with suggestions for reflection and discussion individually or in groups.
“Jesus’ People will challenge the reader to rethink both the role of Jesus in the church and that of the church in today’s society and culture,” comments Steven.
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