Book Review

The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, 2009, Matthias Media, Kingsford, Australia, ISBN 9781921441639, 183 pages, $21.95, hardcover.

Books on pastoral leadership, organization, and church growth proliferate with astonishing rapidity these days, and few have a truly meaningful impact on ministry. Fewer still derive their ideas from Scripture and build a ministry model on faithful exposition rather than cultural trends, personal experience, or rehashing of conventional wisdom.

Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, two Australian Christian leaders, have broken that mold with their insightful, Gospel-centric book, The Trellis and the Vine. The title flows from the book’s central metaphor of the vine (i.e. the work of the Gospel through preaching and discipleship) supported by the trellis (i.e. the administrative and support structures that facilitate the key functions of the Body of Christ). Both are crucial to the mission of the Church, but the trellis only exists to support the vine.

Marshall and Payne argue that the Western Church is often so preoccupied with “trellis work” in the form of programs, buildings, and member care that the “vine work” to which we are actually called suffers. They remind readers that Christ is the one at work in growing the vine, and that expanding the trellis follows growth of the vine rather than driving it. They call church leaders to take stock of where their congregations are spending time and resources and refocus on the Word and helping people be shaped into Christlikeness through discipleship.

After building a solid, scriptural foundation, the authors outline the practical side of the “mind-shift” they advocate. They propose that churches pursue a philosophy of training that steers everything they are involved in toward the growth of the vine. This training encompasses pulpit ministry (which is the training of the whole congregation in the Word), but extends to faithful exhortation of church members one-on-one to grow deeper in relationship with Christ and fulfill their calling.

Obviously, the commitment to individual discipleship is a responsibility that a single pastor (or even a pastoral team) cannot fulfill. To that end, Marshall and Payne recommend ministry apprenticeship by which members of the congregation who are strong in their faith be trained to walk with seekers and newer believers and to extend pastoral care to the whole body. They encourage leaders not to hoard talent, but to be constantly training individuals and be thankful, rather than discouraged, when some are called to move to other churches or to the mission field—this replication and movement of disciples is exactly how the early Church spread all over the known world in just a few decades.

Throughout the book, the authors attempt to ground all their recommendations in Scripture. They draw heavily on the ministry of Christ (and His focus on training a few core followers in the midst of His public ministry) and point out that even a strong personality like the Apostle Paul relied heavily on a vast network of co-laborers to do the work of the Gospel. Their ideas are sound, and their passion for drawing churches back to the biblical model of God-centered, God-driven spiritual growth oozes from every page.

If you are stuck wondering why your church is struggling and your ministry is stagnating, read this book. If your church is flourishing, growing by leaps and bounds, and blessing its members and surrounding community in astonishing ways, read this book. It presents a truly a one-size-fits-all model for ministry because it presents a clearly biblical picture of what church ministry should be. The last thing the Church needs is someone else telling us how to “do church,” and The Trellis and the Vine rightly tells us who we are as the Church, and lets the “doing” flow from God’s call on the lives of His followers.

Justin Lonas

Target: Pastors and Leaders
Type: Ministry/Discipleship/Organization
Take: Must Read