Loving the Church by John Crotts, Shepherd Press, 2010, 140 pages. If I have a relationship with Jesus, why do I need the church? I get together with other Christians on my own. Isn't that enough? What if I've been hurt by the church? What if it isn't meeting my needs? There are plenty of opportunities to serve God outside the confines of the local church, so is it even necessary? These are common questions and ones which John Crotts answers in Loving the Church: God's People Flourishing in God's Family. The church is not an option for Christians, but we often don't understand what the Bible teaches about its importance to God and the believer. Without this knowledge, we may end up leaving the local church to our detriment for a wide variety of reasons. Through the conversations of believers wrestling with these issues, Pastor Crotts uses their interaction to expose misconceptions about the church in the light of Scripture. He discusses the value of the ...