Why Would Anyone Go to Church?: A Young Community's Quest to Reclaim Church for Good - Paperback

by Kevin Makins (Author)

There are plenty of reasons to criticize, judge, and even walk away from the church. Many of us have been hurt and rejected. We may see church as insular and irrelevant. Despite this, Kevin Makins believes that the church still matters--perhaps more than ever.

When Kevin was 23 and didn't know any better, he started a congregation with some friends who were on the edge of faith. Together they hoped to discover if the church was worth fighting for. In this brutally honest account, he shares their story of becoming a community of misfits, outcasts, and oddballs who would learn that, even with all its faults, the church is worth being a part of . . . and must be reclaimed for good.

If you've been burned or burned out by the church, if you've been silenced or misunderstood, if you've left or never even joined in the first place, this candid, hopeful book is your invitation to consider what you miss out on when you give up on church--and what the church misses out on when it gives up on you.

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A young community discovers why, despite everything, church still matters

There are plenty of reasons to criticize, judge, and even walk away from the church. When Kevin was twenty-three and didn't know any better, he started a congregation with some friends who were on the edge of faith. Together they hoped to discover whether the church was worth fighting for. In this brutally honest account, he shares their story of becoming a community of misfits, outcasts, and oddballs who would learn that, even with all its faults, the church is worth being a part of . . . and must be reclaimed for good.

If you've been burned or burned out by the church, if you've been silenced or misunderstood, if you've left or never even joined in the first place, this candid, hopeful book is your invitation to consider what you miss out on when you give up on church--and what the church misses out on when it gives up on you.


"My generation is searching for things we've lost: a sense of community, a sense of the sacred, healthier lifestyles, and places where our best values and ideas are encouraged and practiced. Kevin does the hard work--intellectually and practically--of championing church as a potential resolution to these searches."--Shad (Shadrach Kabango), artist and host of Netflix's Hip-Hop Evolution

"I love Why Would Anyone Go to Church? for its unvarnished, unflinching honesty; incisive, beautiful writing; authentic belly laughs; and for the many moments I had to put it down, gut-punched by the sheer holiness and humanity in these pages. It made me fall in love with the church again, despite myself."-- Jonathan Martin, author of How to Survive a Shipwreck and Prototype


Kevin Makins is the founding pastor of Eucharist Church in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada, which has been recognized as one of the most creative and innovative churches in the country. A frequent speaker at conferences and churches, Kevin also performs one-man shows in bars and makes videos for thousands on YouTube. His audience includes the faithful and the skeptical, those hungry to learn, and those who just want to hear a good story. He lives in an old house downtown with his wife, kids, and housemates.

Author Biography

Kevin Makins (MDiv, Heritage Seminary) is the founding pastor of Eucharist Church in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada, which has been recognized as one of the most creative and innovative churches in the country and spotlighted on national television and radio outlets, in newspapers, and on podcasts. A frequent speaker at conferences and churches, Kevin also performs one-man shows in bars and makes videos for thousands on YouTube. His audience includes the faithful and the skeptical, those hungry to learn, and those who just want to hear a good story. He lives in an old house downtown with his wife, kids, and housemates.