Sacred Space for the Missional Church

"It was Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan who first coined the phrase 'the medium is the message,' and Dr. Bill McAlpine, another Canadian, reminds readers that the gospel message is expressed not only in words but inescapably through the spaces in which Christians gather and worship. In a detailed and well-informed study that incorporates honest reflection on his own spiritual pilgrimage, he invites other Christians to reflect more deeply on what their buildings are saying about God."

--John Drane

author of The McDonaldization of the Church



"In his well-researched and insightful book, William McAlpine examines what has been overlooked and often disregarded in the church today: the critical importance of the physical building that a congregation occupies. As he wisely observes, though pragmatism usually determines a building's structure, why is it that we still long for a sacred space for a wedding or funeral? This is a seminal work that transcends the limited boundaries of architecture or style, for McAlpine has fostered a biblical conversation on the Church's role in culture, which bears our attention. I enthusiastically recommend this book."

--Ravi Zacharias

author of Can Man Live Without God and The Grand Weaver



"Bill McAlpine is right and I think we know it . . . In our appropriate pursuit of functionality and stewardship, our sacred spaces have somehow been muted. Bill challenges our preconceptions, encourages our dreaming, points to different pathways, and invites to refreshed plausibility structures that could allow our sacred spaces to again declare God's grace boldly even as we preach of it. These feel like ancient truths deeply needed for our future realities."

--Clyde Glass

Lead Pastor

Southview Alliance Church, Calgary