This is my fourth local books round-up of 2025, covering seven recent books from the local Christian community.
Again there is a range of topics. The write-ups are primarily from Amazon and publisher / author sites.
- Jodi Spargur: Mend: An Invitation from Jesus to Return to Land-based Repair (New Leaf Press)
Are you searching for a meaningful way to respond to the challenges of colonization?
Mend: An Invitation from Jesus to Return to Land-Based Repair offers a hands-on pathway for Christians in Canada and beyond to pursue a path of repairing right relations.
Centred around the story of Zacchaeus from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 19:1–27), this book serves as a guide, recovering repair as central to discipleship and the restoration of communities to health.
Let Mend invite you into a journey of hope, transformation and even joy – discover practical steps to embrace repair and experience the life-changing impact of following Jesus to repair the damage of the colonial project.
Praise for Mend:
- As the child of colonial settlers and European refugees, I was born into the tension of shame and gratitude for our history. I can relate to the nervous curiosity Jodi Spargur identifies with the Zacchaeus story. But I’ve also been welcomed out of the tree into the world of reconciliation. My Indigenous mentors tell me I need training to become a helpful partner, and that burden can’t be all on them. This book will be a critical facet of that training. – Bradley Jersak, Principal, St. Stephen’s University
- The whole unfolding of Zacchaeus’ transformation from self-protecting hoarder to generous restorer is such a profound way to couch the challenge/invitation of land back. And it feels promising and affirming, a compelling approach versus guilt-laden and crippling one, which does the opposite, as you point out. Thank-you! – Rena, a Metis grandmother and scholar
- Wonderful storytelling that stokes the imagination. Great analogies to help us understand present-day realities. Gather your communities to take next steps on this good path together, this is collective work. Read together and act together. I pray blessing on this holy project. It is good. Jesus, call us like you called Zac, or give us ears to hear that call! Zac, pray for us. – Steve Heinrichs, activist & editor of Unsettling the Word
A book launch in Vancouver September 13 particularly featured the impressive book cover by artist Randall Bear Barnetson of the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation, based in Vancouver. Spargur will host a film screening of Sugarcane at Pacific Theatre September 29 and at least one other local book launch event.
Randall Bear Barnetson and Jodi Spargur discussing the cover at the book launch.
Jodi Spargur is a settler of Nordic/German heritage living and working on the unceded territory of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples.
She is founder of Red Clover, which utilizes a wide network of relationships with Indigenous leaders to partner locally on the ground.
She has an MDiv from Regent College and is a PhD candidate with NAIITS, an Indigenous learning community exploring Indigenous theology and Christian ethics.
She has worked as a pastor (Kitsilano Christian Community), church planter (God’s House of Many Faces) and consultant (Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada).
- Jason Byassee, Albert Y.S. Chu, Tim Dickau, Ross A. Lockhart & Andrea Perrett, editors: The Continuing Witness of the Missional Church: Reflections on Darrell Guder’s Life & Teaching (Cascade Books)
For the last three decades, the growing field of missional theology has helped equip Christian communities to adapt to the challenge of Christian witness in a post-Christendom world.
For many who lead these ministries, one scholar in particular has offered a powerful and compelling vision of what it means to walk worthily in an increasingly secular context – Darrell Guder.
From Guder’s role as editor of Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, to his impact as a sought-after lecturer in seminary classrooms around the world, to his personal mentorship of young leaders seeking an effective witness of their own, Guder is treasured in both church and academy.
In recent years, Guder’s role as senior fellow in residence at St. Andrew’s Hall helped build the Vancouver-based Centre for Missional Leadership to equip ministries for contextual mission.
In recognition of Guder’s impact on the world of missional theology, this collection of essays celebrates Guder’s theological insight, while exploring the future priorities and possibilities for the missional church conversation in the years ahead.
Jason Byassee is senior minister of Eaton Memorial Church, Toronto, and former Butler chair in homiletics and biblical hermeneutics at Vancouver School of Theology.
Albert Y.S. Chu recently stepped down as director of the Centre for Missional Leader and is founding pastor of the Tapestry Church which has several campuses in Metro Vancouver.
Tim Dickau is an associate at the Centre for Missional Leadership and director of CityGate Vancouver.
Ross A. Lockhart is dean of St. Andrew’s Hall and professor of mission studies at Vancouver School of Theology.
Andrea Perrett was until recently an associate for new witnessing communities with the Centre for Missional Leadership and is an associate pastor at Capilano Christian Community in North Vancouver.
- Michael W. Goheen: The Core of the Christian Faith: Living the Gospel for the Sake of the World (Brazos Press)
Internationally renowned author and speaker Michael Goheen offers a roadmap for Christian discipleship in today’s complex world. In this accessible and transformative book, Goheen provides church leaders, pastors and Christians with a comprehensive framework to:
● reclaim the full power of the gospel;
● understand the Bible as a unified narrative of God’s redemptive plan;
● develop a deep missional identity; and
● navigate cultural challenges with biblical wisdom.
Drawing from years of speaking and writing experience, Goheen unpacks four critical components of Christian formation that equip believers to stand firm against cultural pressures, embrace their unique role in God’s kingdom and live out a holistic faith.
Accompanying videos make this book ideal for group study and personal reflection. Whether you’re a new believer or a seasoned Christian, The Core of the Christian Faith will challenge and inspire you to live out your faith with renewed purpose and conviction.
Michael Goheen (PhD, University of Utrecht) is professor of missional theology at Calvin Theological Seminary. He is also professor of missional theology and director of theological education at the Missional Training Center, Phoenix. Goheen is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including The True Story of the Whole World, The Drama of Scripture, Living at the Crossroads, A Light to the Nations and The Church and its Vocation. He was pastor at New Westminster Christian Reformed Church from 2007 to 2015 and now splits his time between Surrey and Phoenix, Arizona.
- Danielle Strickland, editor: Need to Know: Empowering Female Leadership & Why It’s Essential for the Future of the Church (100 Movements Publishing)
Version 1.0.0
Our church is grappling with a crisis marked by declining attendance, political polarization and culture wars. Amidst this crisis is the persistent exclusion of women. How can we truly embody Jesus’ vision for the church when we silence and sideline over half the congregation?
Even when women are permitted to lead, they are frequently overlooked and left out of decision-making. The result? A depleted church with women leaving in droves.
Why have we limited women’s contributions? Consider what transformation might be possible if we choose to learn from and listen to women gifted to lead. It’s past time we elevated the voices of those closest to the issues and best equipped to provide meaningful solutions.
Need to Know draws on the perspectives of 21 authors.– a diverse company of predominantly female voices who impart personal experience, theological analysis, and historical study. (Some, including, Aaron White, Meghann Jaeger and Bob Ekblad – the latter just across the border – are local.)
They challenge the prevailing structures, examine the benefits of empowering leadership and envision a future where women and men lead together. This book is an essential resource for every church leader to create a more equitable and thriving church.
Danielle Strickland has written seven books, has a podcast called The Right Side Up and speaks to people at events all over the world. She leads Boundless Communications Inc. which launches creative exploits like Women Speakers Collective (liberating voices of women around the globe), IMBY (a tiny home movement In My Backyard), Brave Global (preventing human trafficking), Infinitum (a way of living deeply) and Hagar’s Voice (support and advocacy for survivors of abuse). She lives in Vancouver with her three sons and husband Steve.
* S.M. Dunning: Suzy and the Magic Turnip (Friesen Press)
Like the Inklings who inspired him, Dunning weaves faith, myth and imagination into a sweeping epic. His new book, Suzy and the Magic Turnip, is the first volume of The Perilous Times Saga that follows Suzy, along with her friends, into strange and dangerous worlds.
The second book, Suzy and the City of the Plain, is close to being released, while a third installment, Suzy and the Time of Changes, is already complete in draft form. He has also published Trolls on Mars: A Love Story under the playful pen name Justan Thyme.
There will be a book launch today (September 18) at Norma Alloway Library on the TWU campus.
Stephen Dunning – a lifelong devotee of myths, faerie tales, and epic adventures – taught young adult and fantasy literature as a professor of English at Trinity Western University for decades.
Now retired, his imagination was initially stimulated and then shaped by the Oxford Inklings He and fellow TWU professor Monika Hilder are founders and co-chairs of the Inklings Institute of Canada. He has a PhD in English Literature from Cambridge University, which he attended as a Commonwealth Scholar.
- Darrell Johnson: That You May Live: How the 10 Commandments Lead to Human Freedom (Canadian Church Leaders Network)
After setting the people of Israel free from bondage in Egypt, God spoke 10 words to promote and protect the freedom of His people.
Ten words that were crucial in forming Israel’s identity as a newly liberated nation, rescued from slavery in Egypt, breathing the fresh air of freedom for the first time.
Today these 10 words are famously known as the 10 Commandments.
In a day of increasing moral ambiguity and uncertainty, in the midst of the cacophony of differing voices and differing visions of the good life, these 10 words are an invitation into a life of true human flourishing:
- For those seeking right relationship with God and others.
- For those looking for guidance in a fractured and broken world.
- For those longing for moral clarity in all the confusion.
God gives us these 10 Commandments:
- Ten Words endorsed by the Creator of all things.
- Ten Words that reflect His character to us.
- Ten Words designed by the Creator to bring freedom and life to His people.
That You May Live walks the reader through the power and continued relevance of the 10 Commandments for us today.
Darrell Johnson has been preaching Jesus Christ and His gospel for over 50 years. He has served a number of Presbyterian congregations in California, Union Church of Manila in the Philippines and the historic First Baptist Church in the heart of Vancouver.
He has also taught preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, and Regent College and Carey Theological College, both in Vancouver. He is now serving as part of pastoral team at The Way Church in Vancouver.
He and his wife Sharon have been married over 50 years. Together they have raised four children adopted from four different countries of the world, and now enjoy loving 11 active grandchildren!
- Steve A. Brown: Jesus Centered: Focusing on Jesus in a Distracted World (Fedd Books, 2021)
Through personal stories, biblical insights and practical strategies, Jesus Centered will equip you to: be led more by Jesus; live and lead more like Jesus; lead more to Jesus
Jesus Centered will help you be captivated afresh by Jesus and centre your life and leadership on the One who matters the most.
Somehow I missed this book when it came out, but noticed a review in the MB Herald recently. The reviews in general have been very positive.
Steve Brown became President of Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford in 2024, after leading Arrow Leadership for 12 years. He has written several books.
Go here to see many earlier ‘Local books’ articles.