The Living Church

The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor by John Stott

This is an excellent book! As you might already know I am very intrigued by the Church. I love her, and I believe in her, and I serve her, and I am honest enough to acknowledge that she has flaws, and I care enough to try to fix them. So, I really enjoy a voice like Stott's speaking up about her. John Stott is an 87 year old pastor in London. He has written many works and has been a part of the ministry for almost 60 years!?! I admire the work he is doing now in what he calls the "major world" as he teaches and encourages young pastors in the global growing Christian church through the Langham Partnership.
http://www.langhampartnership.org/

This book from start to finish is filed with priceless wisdom. Stott has clearly thought through the different functions of the Church and has saturated his book with Biblical evidence for his emphasis... Actually, I think the man is saturated himself and this is an outpouring of his love for the word and the bride. This book was very refreshing to me because I myself am concerned for the western church and I know that Stott helped me to look back through history to envision the Church that Christ was willing to die for and that he has called myself and so many others to sheperd.

If you are looking for a solid book on the Church then I highly highly recommend The Living Church by Stott.