This is a strong call to the church to think outside the box. If the church continues to stay insulated from society it will become an outsider to the needs of society. The challenge that has been laid before us as leaders in the church is to begin to think about how our church can fit into the gap that governments have left. Which is a role the church historically has occupied.

When the church steps into the gap and not only lives in community but creates community we are stepping into that great commission in a way that reflects the heart of the Father. This book challenges what has become normal for churches, leave the inner cities and retreat where the grass is green and the "mess" of culture cannot reach. But when we build belonging we are able to become high grace people and challenge our own preconceived ideas and notions of what church is and should be.

If I were to just review John Cleghorn's "Building Belonging: The Church's Call to Build Community and House Our Neighbors" from a purely critical perspective, I suppose it would truthfully be a 4-star review. However, the book itself is as missional as its topic - proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Easter’s Home at Caldwell Presbyterian Church.

It's that church, Caldwell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, that's at the beating heart of this engaging, informative and motivating book.

The essence of the book is simple - embracing love and creating community to house our neighbors and recognize our shared humanity.

Cleghorn, the pastor at Caldwell, writes vividly about living in a world where soaring housing costs have created remarkable instability. Alongside this, congregations within these communities are dealing with increased societal division over ideologies, racial lines, class disparities, and a widening chasm of perspectives. There's a void in connection, a central theme throughout "Building Belonging," and Cleghorn paints a picture of how churches now have an opportunity to take a key role in the changing landscapes.

"Building Belonging" is about the growing nationwide movement toward a radical transformation of how congregations utilize their material and relational landscapes. "Building Belonging" looks at both sociological and theological dimensions - a refreshing approach rather than the usual straightforward "Jesus will provide" approach that is both unhealthy theology and condescending toward those in need.

While Caldwell is largely centered here, Cleghorn gives tremendous credit to a number of congregations with unique and innovative approaches to addressing the need to build or re-build community.

Caldwell, like so many other churches, was a once vibrant faith community that had dwindled greatly over the years. Reduced to an estimated dozen members, the congregation had even voted to shut its doors before a pastor, a transitional pastor really, stepped in and helped plant a vision of another way that Cleghorn is now guiding the congregation toward bringing to life.

"Building Belonging" equips ministers, congregations, and non-profits to look at the unfolding narrative of unaffordable housing and to reach out for available resources to foster another way toward access, equity, and justice. Far from just a book of inspiration, "Building Belonging" offers practical guidance, a roadmap, toward transformative processes that can tackle significant issues on the local level.

I finished "Building Belonging" feeling not just inspired to get involved but equipped to do so. With an appendix and additional resources as valuable as the book itself, "Building Belonging" is a vital resource for contemporary congregations looking to answer the call to build community and truly bear one another's burdens.