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How all church members can be like Jesus by caring for each other.
Jesus commands his disciples to love one another and promises that “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples” (John 13:35). But what does genuine care for those in our church family look like?
This warm, practical book by Dwayne Bond goes beyond specific pastoral-care roles and responsibilities, and explores how all church members can love and care for one another in the rhythms of ordinary life.
In response to Jesus’ great love for us and the example he set, readers will explore how to honour one another, serve one another and bear each other’s burdens, as they seek to walk together as a family in the midst of a divided culture. They will see that following Jesus' command to love one another deeply and practically will bring great joy as well as commending the gospel to those around them, as people see lives changed from the inside out.
This wonderful resource is not only a useful tool for church care teams but for every church member as each is encouraged to play his or her part in making people feel cared for and connected to the church family.
There are discussion questions with action steps at the end of every chapter, making this book ideal to read as a small group or even as a whole church. Bulk deals and free downloadable worksheets are available.
This is one of the books in the new Love Your Church series, which is being written by a collection of Bible teachers from Acts29. It is designed to inspire every church member to love their church in practical ways by casting a biblical vision of what it means to be a local community of God’s family. The series will explore what it means to belong, to welcome, to gather, to care, to serve and to honour one another, and to witness and send people out to spread the gospel. Choose the resources that cover the areas most helpful to your particular church-family needs.
Introduction
| Contributors | Dwayne R. Bond, Jonathan D. Holmes |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781784988722 |
| Format | Paperback |
| First published | April 2025 |
| Dimensions | 128mm x 198mm x 10mm |
| Weight | 0.16 kg |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 144 |
| Publisher | The Good Book Company |
One of the blessings of being a child of the living God is that we are not saved to be alone but saved to be part of a people who have all received the gracious, merciful, loving care of our Father in Christ Jesus. And one of the joys is that we get to be part of showing and experiencing that care through and to each other. In this wonderful addition to the ‘Love Your Church’ series, Dwayne encourages us to see what it looks like to truly be a church that cares, loves, and carries each other’s burdens like Jesus in a culture that is divided, fractured, and in desperate need of gospel hope. Stimulating, challenging, and wonderfully encouraging!
Churches are meant to be visible communities of love, support, encouragement, and care—because we know the Savior who ‘cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7). Dwayne Bond is one of the most caring men you could ever meet. He lives the biblical principles and practical examples that fill his excellent and needed book Care. Take this Christ-centered, edifying, and authentic book to heart because someone will need you soon.
This book is a must-read for church leaders and small groups! Dwayne Bond brilliantly unpacks why loving the church truly matters and how we can overcome the barriers that often keep us from caring for one another. Each chapter gives hopeful direction on how the church, with all its diversity, can become a loving family. This is a book rich with practical insights that will deepen our love for Christ and one another in powerful ways.
In Care, Dwayne R. Bond shares a heartfelt and convicting call to Love Your Church by Walking Through Life Together. He begins with a fundamental truth: we cannot love God and idols. When idols capture our hearts, our ability to love others is deeply compromised.
Bond calls out common cultural idols—racism, politics, and especially social media. Regarding social media, he writes, “Our longing to be the most significant person in the room robs the people in the room around us of our love.” That line really hit home.
Christ’s Love Displayed in Community
God’s love is relentless and steadfast. Christ’s love enables us to serve, honor, and build one another up. This is not just a private spiritual reality—it’s meant to be put on display in the local church, through real-life relationships.
Bond outlines five dynamics of unconditional love in a divided culture. Two that stood out most to me were: commit to forgiving others as I have been forgiven in Christ and count the cost of unconditional love. True love is costly—it means absorbing the offense and laying it on Christ’s shoulders.
Cross-Cultural Love in the Church
In Chapter 6, Bond focuses on the multiethnic church. He challenges us to love each other by learning from each other. This means intentionally building meaningful connections with believers from different cultural backgrounds—a vital step in unity and growth.
Bond’s message is a much-needed call to live out our faith not in isolation, but together, in grace and truth. Above all, this book reminds us that love truly is the more excellent way.
I received a media copy of Care and this is my honest review.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this Love Your Church series. The series currently includes the following titles:
- Honor, Belong, Gather, Welcome, Serve, Send, Witness (Preorder)
These have been such encouraging and challenging books for churches and their members. This new addition is no exception.
The book is structured with eight chapters:
- Why loving the church matters
- What gets in the way of caring for one another
- Loved by a loving Savior
- One Anothering in action
- Unconditional love in a divided culture
- When multiethnic church becomes a loving family
- Out of the church and into the world
- Our future hope
Each chapter concludes with an Action Steps section. You will find simple, yet profound actions that Bond challenges his readers to accomplish as they move towards loving their church by learning and implementing care towards others. All of us have the capacity and ability to love and care for others. Walking through life together is discipleship. Discipleship is exactly what Christ did day in and day out while on this earth.
Essian also includes a small group discussion guide. For each chapter, there are questions that will create good fellowship and conversation among small groups.
This is a critical resource for any church member to read. Walking through life with others is how we show love, care, and joy for the the glory of Christ.
I received a copy of the book from The Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review.
