Book Review: Wrecked & Redeemed by Benji Kelley

Kelley, B. (2018). Wrecked & redeemed: Finding hope, freedom, and acceptance in Christ. Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House. ISBN: 978-1-63257-123-6

In his book, Wrecked & Redeemed: Finding Hope, Freedom, and Acceptance in Christ, Benji Kelley uses his own story of redemption as a springboard to call the church to be and do the things that will be necessary to reach this generation with the Gospel. The major recurring theme is that churches must offer both grace and truth to people who often have no experience with church and lives which are in ruins, and much of the book is given to helping leaders find the balance between these two. This includes encouraging churches to present Jesus as “the life of the party” by deliberately incorporating celebration and whimsy in order “to create environments that help lift the weight of the baggage” (68), and offer comfort and community. Churches must also be relentlessly focused on the mission of proclaiming the gospel message to the lost and lonely among us.

Kelley advocates for churches to move beyond the walls of their facilities and minister in the community, investing in and inviting people who are in desperate need of life transformation. They should endeavor to create environments that welcome people regardless of their history. They must then proclaim the whole gospel message boldly but compassionately.

Churches, Kelley asserts, must also be committed to racial reconciliation, including deliberately attending to the language and imagery used, hiring practices, etc. And they must do all of this with a consistent degree of urgency reflective of the reality that the gospel message is the key to unleashing God’s transformative power in a person’s life.

Kelley makes a number of excellent points, even if they are not particularly original. The familiar reminders are instead given a personal spin through Kelley’s use of stories from both his personal life and the church where he pastors. This spin also proves to dramatically drive home the point that these principles are not just abstract concepts derived from missiology and evangelism theory. Rather, they are practical necessities driven by the fact that the world in which we live, the communities in which we minister, and indeed our own friends and loved ones – people with names and faces – are in desperate need of Jesus.

That said, there were a few points of concern. For instance, in chapter 2, Kelley rightly accused most churches of using the greatest news in history, the gospel of Jesus Christ, to “bore people to death.” He then exhorted, “The church should be the most joyous place on the planet” (68) so that the gospel message may appeal to the rest of the world. However, it must be asked how the church should balance the joy of the Lord with the realities of living in a broken world. Is there ever a time when the church as a body should enter into lament or grief? Is there ever an occasion when the church should acknowledge that living in this world is tough, even if that means eschewing, at least temporarily, the celebration and whimsy that Kelley advocates?

Perhaps of greater concern, though, was the subtle insistence that the church, and the pastor, in particular, is the primary vehicle through which the gospel is presented. In chapter 4, in particular, Kelley related how the members of his church were to invest in redemptive relationships with lost people and then invite them to Christ and the church. On pages 101-102, he explains that most people in his church were expected to invite their friends and neighbors to church, where Kelley as the pastor would deliver the gospel message and prompt them to make a decision for faith. One wonders, however, if this pastor- and church-centric evangelistic methodology is an accommodation for church members who are afraid to share a gospel presentation, in which case they should be better trained and equipped, or the fruit of a leader who believes no one else in the church can present the gospel as well as he can.

One other point of concern was the author’s tendency to use as examples of his church’s effectiveness relatively new saints. On multiple occasions through the book, Kelley introduced the reader to people who had followed Jesus and belonged to the church for a year or less. While this could be seen as evidence that the congregation’s methods are effective at seeing people saved, one wonders where are the older saints who have been in the church for five years, ten years, and longer. Are they still there? Have they seen authentic, lasting transformation over the long haul? Or do we have only these select few who have managed to keep their acts together for a month or twelve?

This last concern is punctuated by the fact that Kelley in late 2022 stepped down from his position at newhope. One wonders how many of the people mentioned in this book are still in the church, following Jesus today.

Perhaps my greatest disappointment, however, was that this book was not what I was expecting. After reading the title and cover material, I expected it to be more of a personal testimony about how the grace of God attracted and transformed Kelley and then called him to start a church. Certainly, there are some personal anecdotes included in the volume, but the story is less a personal testimony than a treatise on what churches should be and do which just happens to include personal anecdotes.

All of this said, there is a great deal to appreciate about Wrecked & Redeemed, even if it is not especially original. Churches must heed Kelley’s insight and advice, as long as they do not give themselves so thoroughly to the cause of attracting new believers that they forfeit authenticity; lose focus on Jesus; and/or neglect to make lifelong, mature saints.