"This is vintage Tolbert. I know of no one else who so effectively combines passionate faith with well-informed thought and reason. This book comes from a lifetime of obvious spiritual growth, personal study, and educated analysis of the Bible. If every lover of the church, both clergy and laity, would read this, congregations would be more loving and thus more orthodox, since correct living and believing go together."

— Bill Coates

"This is not a comprehensive or exhaustive study of the doctrine of the Church. Rather it is a series of reflections on what the church is, who the church is, and how the church should minister in the world today and respond to the present opportunities and challenges that too often are denied, sidestepped, or missed altogether."

— Alan Neely

"Malcolm Tolbert is a good and great man, and this is a good and great book. It is like a deep lake formed by the confluence of three rivers. The first is the wisdom that comes from a lifetime of respectful, critical study of the Bible, particularly of the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Paul. The second is the wisdom that derives from a life of self-awareness and of attentiveness to healthy human relationships. The third is the wisdom that comes from a lifetime of commitment to the well-being of the church, particularly of ordinary Baptist churches and their ministers. All who care for Christian community will want to read carefully Tolbert’s words."

— Fisher Humphreys