Gathered by Christ: The Overlooked Gift of Church

Find Comfort in the Church

The phrase “I like Jesus, but I’m not sure about the Church” is a widely popular one in today’s society. Through our fallen world of sin, humans—including those within the Church—can hurt others and push people out the door rather than inviting them in. Those this has happened to can feel discouraged and confused, or they don't see the value in coming back to the community of believers.

Author Christa Petzold empathizes and understands how Christians in the Church have hurt others, but she brings light and emphasis to the ways that Jesus sees the Church as His community of believers, founded securely on Him and His Word. Dive into the gifts that He brings His believers through the beauty of the Church, weekly worship, and more in Gathered by Christ.

"Sin, division, confusion, false teaching, and hypocrisy—seeing these in the Church is enough to make anyone want to walk away. This may be how our experiences have led us to see the Church, but how does Jesus see her?"

Gathered by Christ will be available to order from CPH starting in April.

Concise. Accessible. Beautifully written. Christa’s book is a gift to our church as it reminds us of the gift that is the Church.

—Stephanie Neugebauer, MA, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; pastor’s wife and mother

While acknowledging the pain that sin has caused in churches, Christa Petzold points us back to the Church as a beautiful gift of God through which He continually points us to Christ!

—Tara Darling, director of Christian education, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Mount Vernon, Iowa

Petzold gets right at the heart of what it means to be the Body of Christ, skillfully weaving together a case for Christian ecclesiology that uses the tools of theology, history, and a keen observation of our current cultural condition.

—Dr. Joel Oesch, professor of theology at Concordia University Irvine, author of Crossing Wires: Making Sense of Technology, Transhumanism, and Christian Identity

Insightfully grounded in Scripture, informed by ample references to Church history, and illustrated by practical examples, Petzold’s book leads the reader to see the Church from Jesus’ perspective as the Body of Christ—the very family of God.

—Rev. Dr. Glenn K. Fluegge, director of the Cross-cultural Ministry Center and professor of theology at Concordia University Irvine

About the Author

Christa Petzold is a pastor’s wife and stay-at-home mother of four. She holds a master’s degree in theology from Concordia University Irvine and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and Lutheran secondary education from Concordia University Wisconsin. She lives with her family in Bartlett, Illinois, and spends her time homeschooling, teaching theology, writing, reading, and studying Church history. She and her husband, Jonathan, are the authors of Male and Female: Embracing Your Role in God’s Design.

Find Comfort in the Church

Features of Gathered by Christ

What Others Are Saying

About the Author

Fill out this form to download a free chapter