Prototype, by Jonathan Martin

Jonathan Martin has built a ministry around helping people know who they are in God.  As founding pastor of Renovatus, "a church for people under renovation," he tells great stories about lives changed through life in their community and in their growing knowledge of "what it means to be a beloved child of God."  His new book Prototype: What Happens When You Discover You're More Like Jesus Than You Think? tells the stories of Martin and the other "liars, dreamers, and misfits" at Renovatus.

Martin is a gifted, thoughtful writer, who clearly embraces the power of the carefully written word.  He grew up in a Pentecostal preacher's home, and certainly reflects a respect for the Pentecostal tradition, but his writing does not recall the extemporaneous, emotion-laden sermons of a stereo-typical camp meeting. Rather, it reflects a commitment to careful exposition and well-crafted passages.

The book's "hook," that Jesus is the prototype for us as we "become awake to God," doesn't grow into much of a theme, serving more as a background idea.  Even after reading the book, the subtitle strikes me as kind of odd.  Am I more like Jesus than I thought before?  I hate to quibble over a title, but it didn't seem to completely fit.  Nevertheless, I have little if any quibble with the content of Prototype.  Martin hits on key themes of following Jesus and living together in community.

The accompanying DVD has 6 sessions, each with a 10-12 minute video segment and discussion guide.  The artfully produced videos essentially provide an abridgment of a portion of the book, narrated by Martin, along with visuals to illustrate or demonstrate the topic.  Prototype is a decent read, with many thought-provoking and challenging passages, but a small-group discussion guided by the videos would be much more enriching than simply reading the book.

Check out Martin's church and personal web sites, and the book web site for sample chapters and videos:
http://pastorjonathanmartin.com/
http://renovatuschurch.com/#/home
http://prototypethebook.com/

Thanks to the Tyndale Blog Network for the complimentary review copy of the book and DVD!