Customer Reviews
Meat for the Mission-minded - By: Jonathan Le Tocq, 10 Sep 2008 
Unorthodox but conservative, radical but thoroughly Biblical, provocative yet addictively enticing, Mark Driscoll journals with self-deprecating wit & wisdom the story of his missionary vision to plant a 1st century-values churchin the 21st century-culture city of Seattle. And he does soin such a way that will be most appreciated by those who are also seeking to restore New Testament Christianity into our modern world. Especially those who battle with applying the teaching of the New Testament into a culture which seems to have deliberately turned against the God revealedin Jesus Christ. This will appeal the most to those who are setting out, pinoneering & leading such new church plants or those pastors a few years down the line on this adventure.
I could not help but get caught upin his account, sharing frustrations, seeing opportunities to be grasped, rejoicing at the breakthroughs. Sometimes coming over harsh, Driscoll nevertheless spells & spits out what most of us are thinking, hoping & fearing, & so I would not expect everyone to understand or easily cope with some of the angst & thought processes he details. Not everyone is called to church leadership.
I like the way he systematically & chronologically takes us through the various stages of his church's growth, personally applying the lessons he has been learningin the process. This is a book that I did not find hard to read & I could not put down until I had finished.
I heartily recommend it to all those who love God, love his Word & want to part of his great missionin the world through the church.
Mark Driscoll - By: Ms. K. Marsh, 22 Jul 2008 
Mark Driscoll is the leader of Mars Hill Churchin Seattle, Washington. It is one of the largest churchesin the USA & currently has a membership of 8000 people. Confessions of a Reformission Rev. is his account of the growth of this megachurch.
Here is the Amazon synopsis:
This is the story of the birth & growth of Seattle's innovative Mars Hill Church, one of America's fastest growing churches locatedin one of America's toughest mission fields. It's also the story of the growth of a pastor, the mistakes he's made along the way, & God's grace & workin spite of those mistakes. Mark Driscoll's emerging, missional church took a rocky road from its startin a hot, upstairs youth room with gold shag carpet to its current weekly attendance of thousands. With engaging humor, humility, & candor, Driscoll shares the failures, frustrations, & just plain messiness of trying to build a church that is faithful to the Gospel of Christin a highly post-Christian culture. In the telling, he's not afraid to skewer some sacred cows of traditional, contemporary, & emerging churches. Each chapter discusses not only the hard lessons learned but also the principles & practices that worked & that can inform your church's ministry, no matter its present size. The book includes discussion questions & appendix resources. "After reading a book like this, you can never go back to being an inwardly focused church without a mission.
Even if you disagree with Mark about some of the things he says, you cannot help but be convicted to the inner core about what it means to have a heart for those who don't know Jesus." - Dan Kimball, author, "The Emerging Church". "...will make you laugh, cry, & get mad...school you, shape you, & mold you into the right kind of priorities to lead the churchin today's messy world." - Robert Webber, Northern Seminary.
I really enjoyed this book. I came across Mark Driscoll last year & have thoroughly enjoyed listening to his preaches so was looking forward to reading this book. It took me just over a day to complete the book, which is just under 200 pages long. Even my BF, who is a slow reader read this bookin a matter of days.
He writes honestly & humorously. There is a lot of theologyin the book, as well as practical advice, however, it is written simply & flows smoothly so it is so easy to read. He covers the complete growth of the church, from the first day to when they hit the 4000 people mark.
This book has opened my eyes to what happens behind the scenesin church leadership, the struggles pastors & elders face & has inspired me to step out & serve more at my local church - which has a membership of just under 1000 people at present.
I really enjoyed this book & would recommend it to everyone, even non-church goers.
9/10 - the theology & practical advice was sometimes a touch heavy-going.
Relevant, honest and Biblical - By: M. Erwin, 08 Feb 2008 This book has helped revive my commitment to church plantingin the UK. The divide between those committed to cultural engagement, & those afraid of culture seems to grow, but Driscoll cuts right through it.
I can appreciate that some may find his style offensive, but I am fed up with bland Christian books, & this is certainly not Bland. Driscoll retells the story of Mars Hill Church, Seattle from beginning to today, warts & all. He is honest about his own failures & weaknesses, & those who find his humour too coarse, or are offended by it are missing the point.
This is not a "how to" book on church planting, or church growth. It is a testimony to Gods faithfulness. IT underlines with clarity the fact that we can hold firm to the Gospel, & be culturally relevant - this is not an option, it is a must. Read this book.
Biff Bang Wallop - By: Mark Landreth-smith, 31 Jan 2008 Straight talking, hard hitting, biblical & funny - the remarkable journey of Mark Driscoll & Mars Hill Church. This book is not for the faint-hearted but is a timely challenge to engage with the culture with clear biblical churchmanship & oodles of faith. A book that demands not just to be read but acted upon.
Almost brutal, but good fun - By: Robert Bridgewater, 22 Jan 2008 This is a great book to have a look see how a Pastor with a biblically based theology works to reach out to a group of people who haven't grown up with a traditional Christian childhood. Refreshing, & I think many churches will have to go through his pain & changein order to reach people currentlyin their 20s & 30s. He takes a singular focus on building the church & shows tremendous drivein building a sound church. I'm not sure about the importance he places on being within a large church, but othewise this has enthused me about working to build a missional church at our place.
