Book Review :: Transformed: A New Way of Being Christian

There is a shift coming in the conversation about “missional church”. There is a shift away from explaining missional church in negative terms to using positive explanation. More and more voices are no longer talking about what is wrong with traditional forms of church and they are declaring boldly all of the beauty and wonder of church lived outside of the walls. A life of freedom and grace. A life of everyday wonder lived in the shadow of the glory of a savior.

If this is the kind of discussion about the missional church that you are after then Transformed: A New Way of Being Christian by Caesar Kalinowski is a great place to start.

Kalinowski is a founding member of Soma Communities in Tacoma, Washington. The insights that he shares in this book come directly from his experiences there. He shares stories and threads them through the foundation of Soma’s way of expressing church: “A Family of Missionary Servants that are called to be disciples who make disciples.”

This baptismal identity forms the basic outline for the book:

1. Family

2. Servants

3. Missionaries

4. Disciples

Kalinowski drives each of these into the heart of the reader with warm stories and biblical truth. The reader that accepts these to be true, the one that walks in this identity, will be one that feels that they are a dearly loved child of God growing in the compassion to serve and the courage to go to all people.

What next? Kalinowski sets being before doing as he places the identity of the Christian first and the rhythms of a life surrendered to the Gospel next. He sets those rhythms out as:

1. Story-Formed

2. Listen

3. Eat

4. Bless

5. Celebrate

6. Re-Create

Each of these is littered with examples and wonderful ideas to put into practice around your neighborhood right now. This is not difficult or a to-do list of ways to “get people to go to church”. But rather this book offers inspiration and encouragement to be the church right where you are. You can reach people by living in the identity of who God called you to be.

If you are looking for an introduction into missional church for yourself or want a great way to introduce others then you need to buy this book. Read it. Share it.