Death by Church

Rescuing Jesus from His Followers, Recapturing God's Hope for His People

“It has been said that the best critique of the bad is the practice of the better. If this is true, then Mike Erre shows us ‘the better way’ in this book. Rather than offering us a church–centered view of the kingdom, he provides us a kingdom–centered view of the church. And with this shift, everything changes—as it ought to. All I can say is amen and hallelujah!”
—Alan Hirsch, author of The Forgotten Ways, founding director of Forge Missional Training Network

“Mike Erre reminds us that according to the Bible, there is no such thing as Lone Ranger Christianity. Unfortunately, while many love Jesus, they find the church irrelevant, and this should not be. Death by Church provides a no–nonsense, hard–hitting critique of the contemporary American Evangelical church along with a clarion call for it to be a countercultural communal outpost of the kingdom of God. Not content with hand–wringing, Erre provides a way forward that is a theological feast, at once rich in biblical theology and practical effectiveness. I highly recommend it.”
—JP Moreland, author of The God Question and Kingdom Triangle, distinguished professor of philosophy, Talbot School of Theology

“Death by Church is one of the few books that actually don’t leave you hungering for more. After you have finished the full course of this masterful meal, you will be full for days on end, feasting with leftover thoughts and enjoying tasty morsels of wisdom and insight. Rarely does a boxer in the ring stop throwing punches at his opponent and begin punching himself. This is a megachurch, culturally–savvy teaching pastor critiquing and challenging his own religious culture. That takes guts, and Mike pulls it off with amazing courage! This book will wonderfully aggravate some, confuse others, and challenge all! Mike is dead on with his scrutiny and patient in his application.

“The playing field of ministry has changed, and it is past time for all Christ–followers as well as leaders of local gatherings of disciples to passionately confess our consumeristic, self–absorbed, and self–aggrandizing ways in order to become the church God dreams we can be. If you have never been exposed to Mike before, trust me—he has a huge heart and is inviting people who love Jesus to travel a path that he is willing to travel himself. Mike is one of the few people I know whose spiritual curiosity and openness to the Spirit allows him to be led in places that surprise, delight, and inform. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.”
—Dr. Robin J. Dugall, pastor and adjunct professor in biblical studies at Azusa Pacific University

“As Mike Erre demonstrates here, the Bible’s sweep of kingdom theology lies at the heart of Jesus’ message and ministry. This faith is radically evangelical, community building, and socially concerned, demanding transformed lives that transform culture and are committed to justice, the poor, and the environment. Mike speaks with passion, truth, and the breathtaking sweep of the kingdom into the black hole of ‘tolerance’ and relativism that leaves everything up for grabs. This is a book for the whole church. It will ground new churches as they emerge and renew older churches with a proper theological grid for their life and ministry. This is a must read for our special moment in history, connecting us in a fresh way to Jesus, to each other, and to the world He loves and came to redeem.”
—Don Williams, author and former faculty member of Fuller Theological Seminary and Claremont MacKenna College

“Reading Mike Erre’s Death by Church is best compared to experiencing the annual Death by Chocolate Festival in Napa Valley. The aftertaste of ashes from burned–out living is followed by the taste and training of true sweetness and the foretaste of heaven.”
—Leonard Sweet, author and faculty member of Drew University and George Fox University

“Death by Church is a passionate and thought–provoking call to rediscover the meaning and purpose of the church. Mike Erre challenges current beliefs and inspires us all to capture the important mission of the bride of Christ. Because of its hope, clarity, and commonsense approach, Death by Church truly opens up the beautiful possibility of what could be.”
—Mike Foster, president of Ethur.org, author of Deadly Viper Character Assassins

“We are in the middle of an exciting and unsettling new reformation. New wine is bursting apart old wineskins, especially when it comes to our thinking about the church! In this bold and compelling work, Mike Erre helps Jesus’ followers wake up to the many ways the conventional Western understanding of the institutional church has harmed people and hindered the advancement of God’s kingdom. Erre calls on Jesus’ followers to recapture His original vision of the kingdom as a humble community of exiles who reflect God’s character in the way they worship God, care for one another, and humbly serve the world. I heartily recommend this book to all who have been understandably turned off to Christianity because of the ugliness of the church as well as to all who remain in the church but who sense that something profoundly important is missing.”
—Gregory A. Boyd, author, pastor, and former professor of theology

“I believe that slowly but surely, many Christians have unintentionally misdefined the church. This misunderstanding of what the church is or isn’t has been at the root of why the church has lost so much influence and effectiveness in our world. Mike not only clears up some of the ways we have strayed from the biblical and missional understanding of church, but he paints a future of hope and beauty along with practical ways to be the church Jesus intended us to be.”
—Dan Kimball, author of They Like Jesus But Not the Church

“While ceding no ground on traditional Christian doctrine, this thought–provoking book is a powerful bill of indictment and an inspirational template for church reformation that may resonate with believers and nonbelievers alike.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The author takes a very provocative look at today's church scene and brings together issues that it’s facing along with solutions on how we can be a better witness.  He definitely thinks outside the box.”
—BookBargainsAndPreviews.com

“The author gives a fresh idea of how the body of Christ ought to be demonstrating to the world the reality of being God’s people, but not neglecting the works of justice and mercy.”
—The Lamplighter