Impacting the city - Martin Scott

This book is actually co-written by Martin Scott, Mike Love (Leeds) and Sue Sinclair (Liverpool). The contributions by the co-authors are important, as they 'earth' Martin's prophetic vision in specific localities and situations.

If we are to take seriously 1 Thessalonians 5:20 - 'Do not despise prophecy', we should be taking heed of those with a prophetic voice in the body of Christ. Martin's prophetic input has been important for Guildford, and The City of the Bride builds on prophetic words he gave to Guildford in 2001. The book is therefore a 'must-read' for anyone trying to assess what God is doing in Guildford, and provides helpful clues as to the outworkings of various cross-church initiatives that have taken place in recent years - not least the revival emphasis.

The book also has good things to say about vision and values: which could help explain a lot as to the kind of church GCC is becoming. And there are interesting things to read about new apostles and old apostles. Mike Love maintains that the new apostles are more likely to be found working out their call in the world of the workplace rather than within the activities of our congregations, and a willingness for the church to give permission to new expressions of church is vital for the future of Christian witness in our nation.

More controversial are the final seven chapters, which set out the seven churches of Revelation as 'pattern' cities to which most modern towns/cities will tend to conform, and each of which is given keys to fulfilling its redemptive purpose. Nevertheless, there is much that the reader will find to identify with in the description of the final city, to which Guildford corresponds.

The book is on sale at £8.99, and some copies are still available through GCC.