Fall 2023 · Vol. 52 No. 2 · pp. 165–168
Book Review
Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community without Judgmentalism
Mark D. Baker. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2021. 246 pages.
It is no small task to put the nature of Christian community into conversation with a theoretical model pulled from the field of mathematics. It is even more challenging to attempt to ground this conversation in the day-to-day life of the church, but this is exactly what {166} Mark D. Baker undertakes in his book, Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community without Judgmentalism. Building on the research of cultural anthropologist Paul Hiebert, who “borrows from mathematical set theory to describe three different ways to categorize people” (21), Baker engages three “sets”—bounded, fuzzy, and centered—as categories that describe the approaches Christian communities take to forming groups. These various categories attend to issues of self-definition, affirmation of shared beliefs, discernment of the pathway to faithful living, and ultimately, communal belonging, each in their own way. The book is divided into four parts: (1) Defining the Paradigm, (2) Foundation of a Centered-Set Church, (3) Discipleship in Community, and (4) Centered Ministry. Baker begins by establishing key terminology as drawn from the theoretical foundation upon which his argument is built. He then discusses how this can be understood within, and applied to, Christian communities.
Baker’s discussion of the three paradigms or sets that function in group formation is essential for understanding the remainder of his argument. A bounded set is one with a “clear, static boundary line that allows for a uniform definition of those who are within the group” (21). A fuzzy set is one where “the boundary line is removed—or at least less clear” (21). A centered set creates a group by “defining a center and observing people’s relationship with the center” (23). In a centered set, people may be closer or further away from the center, but this proximity is not the relevant metric of assessing their belonging. Rather, their orientation towards or away from the center is the key. Throughout the book, Baker argues that observing this directional movement creates space for both clarity and inclusion. Instead of tripping over an excess of rules that focus on actions rather than the person (bounded) or falling into the trap of the “whateverism” (fuzzy), centered-set approaches to faith and community extend a genuine and compelling invitation to journey together towards the center. This journey helps both individuals and communities discern and pursue alignment with the center in their belief and their practice. In the context of Christian community, Baker proposes that the center is God—specifically, God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Baker acknowledges that it is easy for a God/Jesus center to slide into bounded or fuzzy thinking, and so he clarifies: “The center is not a list of our beliefs about Jesus, but the person of Jesus” (64).
Baker, a professor of mission and theology at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary, weaves the story of his own faith journey throughout the book. His beginnings in a bounded approach to faith, which he trades in for a fuzzy approach in young adulthood, are eventually replaced with a centered approach. He describes experiences on the mission field, in university classrooms, and in his personal relationships that invited him to reconsider {167} the heart of Christian community and common commitment. Throughout Centered-Set Church, Baker discusses the opportunities for growth and transformation offered by a centered-set approach to church. He writes, “A centered church . . . will continually remind us of the gospel of Jesus Christ and will reorient us to the God of the center again and again” (79), and later, “for people to progress toward the center we must directly address anything that impedes their progress” (141). For Baker, movement towards the center is a journey that will invite and require change.
This book is written for those on the frontlines of Christian ministry: pastors, small group leaders, parachurch workers, youth group leaders, and Sunday school teachers (14). It is accessible and its content is rooted in the nuts and bolts of church life. A key feature, and contribution, of Baker’s book is that he not only writes it for practitioners but engages their wisdom and their experience throughout. He does what many academics fail to do—he puts in the hard miles to test how this theoretical model holds up in the real world. He provides many examples of how a centered-set approach has been applied in a variety of church settings. He also returns again and again to challenges, pitfalls, and frequently asked questions when it comes to leaving behind bounded or fuzzy thinking in favor of a centered approach.
The inherent challenge to embracing a centered-set approach to Christian community lies in the ease with which the notion of “the center” can simply become a slight of hand that repackages bounded or fuzzy thinking. For those formed in bounded communities, the way in which the center is defined can, very quickly, become a more palatable way of grouping all the rules that previously provided the security of drawing lines to identify who is “in” or “out.” For those formed in fuzzy communities, a Jesus-shaped center can be leveraged as a conflict-avoidant posture that over-emphasizes our need to “just focus on Jesus,” allowing harms and polarizations that must be addressed to fester and spread. Baker attempts to engage these challenges, but there are times where even his carefully curated examples show signs of tipping one way or the other.
To return to Baker’s own quote, “The center is not a list of our beliefs about Jesus, but the person of Jesus” (64). It is here that we encounter both the opportunity and the risk of committing to this centered way of being church together. If Jesus is truly at the center, and if, as people of faith, we commit ourselves to relationship with God and with one another, then in our life together we will find that we will be changed. Deeply held values and time-honored traditions may give way. As we journey, we will need to let go of some things, and we will need to take up some things if we are actively being formed by the center—Jesus Christ. Baker provides {168} the church with a valuable map for the journey of being a centered-set church, if we are courageous enough to pick it up.
