‘I Am a Church Member’ becomes No. 1 CBA best-seller Print
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Tuesday, 03 December 2013 05:03 PM America/New_York

IAmAChurchMember-webThom S. Rainer’s I Am a Church Member (B&H Publishing Group) has topped the CBA best-sellers list for three non-consecutive months: September, October and December.

Published in May, I Am a Church Member has started a conversation about the attitudes and responsibilities of church members rather than the functional and theological issues. The book was written after Rainer drew an exceptional response when he posted a 500-word declaration about church membership on his blog in January 2012.

Churches are embracing the message of I Am a Church Member, using it as a way to establish new standards for membership to have a more active and effective congregation, B&H said. I Am a Church Member seeks to remedy the outbreak of inactive or barely committed church members, addressing without apology what is expected of those who join a body of believers, including serving and giving.

“It is clear that I Am a Church Member is a much needed resource for the church today,” said B&H President Selma Wilson. “We are amazed, humbled and driven by the incredible response we have seen from churches who have been moved to action through this message.”

I Am a Church Member was also recently published in Spanish, and B&H plans to take the message of the book to the global church.

In May 2014, B&H will publish Rainer’s Autopsy of a Deceased Church. Also developed from a popular blog post, his new message will address the problem of dying churches through the lens of what can be done to save them.

Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, has had success on the CBA charts before, as he coauthored the No. 1 CBA best-seller Simple Church, published in 2006 by B&H.