Book Review: The Trellis and the Vine
The Trellis and the Vine
Church growth
2021
216
All Christian ministry is a mixture of trellis and vine. There is vine work: the prayerful preaching and teaching of the word of God to see people converted and grow to maturity as disciples of Christ. Vine work is the Great Commission. And there is trellis work: creating and maintaining the physical and organizational structures and programs that support vine work and its growth. In The Trellis and the Vine, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne answer these urgent questions afresh. They dig back into the Bible's view of Christian ministry, and argue that a major mind-shift is required if we are to fulfil the Great Commission of Christ, and see the vine flourish again. This new edition of The Trellis and the Vine contains a discussion guide for groups and ministry teams working through it together. It also now includes an index of Bible verses referenced throughout the text. --from publisher description.
The Trellis and the Vine is a book written by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne that is written for Pastors and other leaders in full time ministry. The concept is that you should be focusing more on your vine (people) rather than your trellis (building/etc). I found this valuable as a non-full time ministry person, and understand now where I should let myself be worked on, and how I should handle my personal ministries, such as my small group and usher team. I believe this book is for everyone.
This book covers the entire spectrum of ministry, whether it’s identifying people at different levels, identifying pieces of your ministry that you should shut down, or steering you back into what discipleship is. He even calls out that Sunday sermons are important, but not enough.
As a non-Pastor reader, I found the strengths in this area being how I can approach my small group and the people around me. It opened my eyes that everyone is at a different level in their life with God, and no everyone needs a single approach of “go read all the Bible in great detail”, and let’s call it all set!
I would especially recommend this book for anyone in leadership is a struggling church. These tools can help you understand where you should focus yourself, your congregation, and your church’s offerings.
The finally thing that caught my eye was his final chapter. This opened my eyes that perhaps I should be thinking about myself as the Pastor of my small group. It was also semi-prophetic in talking about a “what if”situation about a pandemic. I won’t spoil the surprise.
By this book.
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