Going Deep - Book Review

Don’t be intimidated by the title of this book.  When I selected to review the book Going Deep, by Gordon MacDonald, I had no idea that the book would shake me awake from my doze into the land of mediocrity.  Tomorrow’s church is headed for trouble without an abundance of “deep people,” according to the author, who bases the premise of his book around Richard Foster’s statement that there is a desperate need today “not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”    Through a fictional account of a pastor and the people in his New England church, the author explains his points in an entertaining style.

The idea of what it means to cultivate deep people and how to accomplish it is illustrated through the dialog of a core group of people who have a dream of ensuring their church is sustainable in the years to come.  Deep people are people who have a reverence for Jesus, care for others, remain calm with certainty in the face of difficulty, make Christ and spiritual things real to others, and are someone people look to for inspiration, guidance, and assurance.  Deep people don’t just happen – they must be cultivated, nurtured, and trained.  The story continues in sharing the steps of how this church took action into growing deep people through a diverse group of people with differing personalities.

While this book was long, it was a joy to read.  The short chapters and writing style made it easy to pick up and read a few minutes here and there.  Besides, I always think it is fun to study and learn when you don’t even realize you are doing it – to get lost in a story of another life but find perspective and ideas to pull back into my own.  If you are looking for something to inspire you to be a better spiritual leader or searching for ideas on how to disciple people, I highly recommend this book.

To comply with regulations by the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, I am disclosing that BookSneeze® provided me a complimentary copy of this book.  I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.