NEW HAVEN, Conn.—New England-based church planter, pastor and author Justin Kendrick presents a compelling case for connection in his latest title, “The Sacred Us: A Call To Radical Christian Community,” releasing September 6 from David C Cook and available for preorder now.   
 
With skyrocketing statistics of loneliness and isolation reported around the globe, Kendrick unpacks Christ’s model for living in community—a radically different way of growing meaningful friendships. “The Sacred Us” offers seven Bible-based principles that explore the substance of Christ-centered community: proximity that provides opportunity; vulnerability that creates connection; discipleship that sets direction; fun that amplifies grace; mission that drives adventure; sacrifice that matures love; and boundaries that sustain growth. 
 
Pastoring a network of churches that intentionally seeks to cultivate rich relationships rooted in scripture, Kendrick is a vital voice for congregations and individuals desiring to foster deep community. 
 
“We are living in a time when people are more connected than ever, yet loneliness and isolation are at an all-time high," Kendrick states. "In 'The Sacred Us,' I offer a radically different approach to building community, which I’ve applied to my own life. Some people think the church should be filled with all their best friends, but truthfully, the church is not a place of natural friendship as much as it is a place of supernatural friendship. When you join a team or go to work, you are with a group of people with a shared interest. But church is a gathering of people with a shared brokenness. We aren't from the same side of town or the same economic status, but we have a secret that no other community has—God's Spirit has knit us together.”
 
“This book punched me right in the gut…in the best way possible,” says Mary Marantz, bestselling author of "Dirt" and "Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots" and host of The Mary Marantz Show. “It is both a sounding alarm and a wake-up call that we were not meant to do this life alone. In a time when our world is simultaneously the most accessible and yet the loneliest we’ve ever been, where we pour our hearts out to social media only to realize there is no one to check in on us the next day, we are at an epidemic, critical, crossroads moment. Enter this book as our road map and field guide pointing the way back!”