THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH is not another denominational manual. It is a plumbline (Amos 7:7-8). For too long, the Body of Christ has been measured by tradition, titles, nomenclature, tourism and tribe. This book will offend traditions on the one hand and reveal Christ on the other (Mark 7:13, 2 Cor. 3:18).
This book is for believers who are tired of religion without relationship; who desire their leaders to be willing to tear up their titles and to take up towels (John 13:15). It is for those entrepreneurs who desire to make a profit without profiteering. It is for those saints who are confused by “tribulation salvation” and “Holy Land” doctrines. It is for anyone who wants to be a “Smyrna” in a “Laodicean age” (Rev. 2:9).
My heart’s desire is that they see the Christian Church as Christ sees Her.
Purchase a single paperback copy
Hard copies can be printed on demand at Amazon KDP. They are available at cost. If there is any small surplus from the print-on-demand version, it will go to the READ REAP Mission in Nigeria, founded by the author, putting bibles into the hands of orphans, and supporting distribution of the book to people who cannot afford to pay.
Bulk purchase
If you would like to purchase paperback copies in bulk for ministry use, please get in touch. Tell us how many of each book you would like to purchase and your delivery address, and we will come back to you with the price once we know the delivery cost.
About the book
This book is the first book in the series of the same name. Here is the author's introduction to the book:
When most people hear ‘church’, they picture a building with a steeple, a Sunday program, or a denomination on a signboard. But the Bible never defines the Church in that way.
I wrote this book because after 30+ years of walking with Christ, and 7 years leading READ AND REAP MISSION, I saw a dangerous gap: We know our local assembly, but we do not know His universal Body.
We have reduced the Church to a place we attend instead of a people we become. We have made it an event instead of an identity. And in doing so, we have lost power, purpose, and our place in God’s agenda for the earth.
The truth is: The Church is not one thing. She is many things at once – a mystery too large for a single metaphor.
That is why Scripture calls her: ‘A People called out from the world’… ‘A Family bound by blood stronger than biology’… ‘A Spiritual Building and A Temple where God Himself dwells’… ‘A Kingdom with laws, culture, and a King’… ‘An Extension of Heaven to Earth – God’s colony planted in a hostile territory’… ‘The Body of Christ and The Engaged of Christ – His very flesh, his awaited Bride’.
Across 18 chapters, we will journey through history, theology, and practical reality to recover the Church’s true face. From ‘The Church, In History’ to ‘The Church, A People with One Lifetime Chance’, you will discover that she is not unnamed, unfruitful or unimportant. She is ‘The Israel of God’, ‘A Royal Priesthood’, ‘The Truly Circumcised People set apart for one glorious assignment’. Under every chapter reads a rider, brief and concise enough to hint at what to expect.
Who is this book for?
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The discouraged believer who feels that the Church has failed.
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The faithful worker who labours but cannot see the blueprint.
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The next generation, like the orphans we serve, who must inherit more than physical buildings.
How to use this book
At the end of every chapter, you will find evaluation questions and answers for personal reflection, family devotions, or group study. Do not rush past them. The Church is not a concept to admire; she is an identity to become.
Chapters like ‘The Church, Her Workers’ and ‘The Church, A Giver Group’ will especially challenge you. Because if we truly lived them, no orphan in our cities would lack school fees. No child would go to bed without physical food and without spiritual food – the Word.
Beloved, this book is my plumbline. READ AND REAP MISSION is not just a charity. It is one expression of The Church, A Ministry of Ministries.
My prayer is simple: that by the last page, you will no longer go to church. You will know that you ARE the Church and that you only get one lifetime to be her.
The Church has been by principle unnamed for too long. It is time she knew her name.
Michael James Ekperikpe (Evangelist)
Team Lead, READ AND REAP MISSION
Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Email: readreapbscph@gmail.com.
Tel: (+234) 7053417736.
Website: readandreap.org.
All Scripture quotations on this website are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
No part of the books "THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH", "THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN WORSHIP", "THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN TRADITION" or "THE TRUTH ABOUT CHDISTIAN UNITY" by Michael James Ekperikpe may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other, without the prior written permission of the publisher, save as follows:
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Books First Published For Bulk Print: July 2026.
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