A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing

A Church Called Tov addresses how churches can move forward after recent revelations of abuse in respected congregations including Willow Creek, Harvest, Southern Baptist churches, and Sovereign Grace churches. The book argues that abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse occur across churches of all sizes when communities fail to establish cultures that resist abuse and promote healing and safety. Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer, a respected theologian and former Willow Creek member, explore the Hebrew word tov—translated as "good"—as a framework for church transformation. The book examines how this concept can help Christians and churches live as imitators of Jesus, identifies toxic patterns and warning signs of abuse within church leadership and congregations, and outlines a path toward creating safe and healthy communities marked by justice, truth, and grace. The authors present tov as a map to guide churches from their current state toward what the body of Christ should be, offering a way to prevent devastating abuses from repeating and to foster genuine goodness and healing within church communities.