Book Review: Sifted by Wayne Cordeiro with Francis Chan & Larry Osborne

Ministry in the church is the greatest job in the world. There are many joys that come with that task of growing a church and helping Christian mature in their walk with the Lord. However, as with any job, there are also some struggles and heartaches that can come along the way. I have had my own share of heartache in ministry. Sifted by Wayne Cordeiro is a book for those in ministry about growing through those struggles, disappointments, and trials that come in ministry.

In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus said that "Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat." Sifting is done on the threshing floor to separate bad wheat from the good. Cordeiro writes, "Scripture tells us that the challenges we face in life happens for a reason, and the process of sifting refines us, revealing our weaknesses, exposing our self-dependence and inviting us to greater faith in God and greater dependence on his promises." This idea of being sifted in ministry can get rough and painful, but it will helps us grow as leaders in the church.

The book is divided into three parts. The first is called heart work as sifting deals with who we are a follower of Christ. Cordeiro said, "The heart is not about skill, gifting, or even calling. It's deeper still. It's the epicenter, the core of everything...The single best thing you can do during a time of sifting is to give yourself to the process and let God's work run its course." Heart work is when God works on us an individual.

Part two is home work which talks leaders and their home life. Every minister knows their home life is vital because 1 Timothy tells us those who cannot run their home should not run the church. Part two deals with rest, which can escape leaders at time, and loving your wife more than ministry.

Part three is hard work which talks about dealing with the sifting process as it happens. Cordeiro said, "Sifting is normal, the natural result of following and serving God in a broken world. It's something we should expect and something we should prepare for. We must be ready to persevere, to push through the difficult seasons, working with all our strength while depending on the grace of God to sustain us."

This book has great insights on dealing with the sifting process. Chan and Osborne do offer their wisdom, however, Cordeiro is the one who takes up majority of the book. I think the book might be more helpful if there were more insights from more church leaders. There were also times when the reader was asked questions and to write them in the book which did make it more interactive. I highly recommend this book to all church leaders because we will all deal with the sifting process as we continue to serve the Lord.

Thanks Zondervan for letting me review this book.