Becoming God's Family by Carmen Joy Imes

ReviewsBooksBiblical Theology
Written By Anthony Delgado
WHY THE CHURCH STILL MATTERS

Carmen Joy Imes’s Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters (IVP Academic, October 28, 2025) addresses contemporary disillusionment with the church by presenting a biblical theology of God’s presence among His people. Completing a trilogy that began with Bearing God’s Name (covenant and law) and Being God’s Image (creation and identity), this volume explores the church as God’s chosen family, intergenerational and global, called to embody His mission despite scandals, polarization, and deconstruction. With endorsements from leading scholars and pastors, a foreword by Esau McCaulley, and resources like discussion questions and BibleProject links, Imes provides scholarly depth and pastoral care. Drawing from the full sweep of Scripture—from Abraham’s household to the church as the Spirit’s temple—she argues that God’s presence has always been tied to a gathered community, not isolated individuals, and that remaining in the church is central to Christian life and God’s redemptive plan.

Many Christians today are asking hard questions about church: Why does it matter? Why should I stay? Isn’t faith personal enough? These questions are pressing in the wake of scandals (#ChurchToo), political polarization, and the rise of deconstruction. Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters (IVP Academic, Oct 28, 2025) is a new book from biblical scholar Carmen Joy Imes, framed as a biblical theology of God’s presence in the community of faith, this volume explores how the local church is not just a human institution but God’s chosen family, designed to embody His mission across generations and nations.

1. Publication Details

Title: Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters
Author: Carmen Joy Imes
Publisher: IVP Academic (InterVarsity Press)
Release Date: October 28, 2025
Format: Paperback, 5.5 × 8.5 in
Length: 256 pages
Suggested Retail Price: $22.99
ISBN: 978-1-5140-1032-7
Foreword: Esau McCaulley

This book will be available through standard retailers (Amazon, Cokesbury, Indigo) as well as Logos (Reader Edition), ensuring broad accessibility for pastors, students, and lay readers. See Preorder at Amazon.com and Logos.com.

2. About the Author: Carmen Joy Imes

Carmen Joy Imes is a respected Old Testament scholar committed to making biblical theology accessible to the church. She currently teaches at Biola University and has earned a reputation for connecting careful scholarship with pastoral sensitivity. Her writing often emphasizes how the Old Testament aids understanding of the New, noting continuity in God’s redemptive plan.

Imes’s public ministry includes blogging, podcast appearances, and an active presence on social media. She regularly engages with issues of church life, belonging, and faith deconstruction—making her especially suited to write a book addressing why the church still matters today.

3. Previous Works

This new book forms the third entry in an informal trilogy:

  • Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (2019) — a study of covenant and law.

  • Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters (2023) — an exploration of the imago Dei in Genesis and beyond.

  • Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters (2025) — completing the arc by focusing on the gathered people of God.

Together, these volumes trace the arc of creation, covenant, and community, showing how God’s presence with His people has always been the heart of the biblical story.

4. What is Becoming God’s Family About?

Imes describes this book as “a biblical theology of the presence of God in the community of faith.” At its heart, the book argues:

  • The church is God’s family, global and intergenerational.

  • God has always intended His presence to dwell among a people, not just with isolated individuals.

  • Current disillusionments (abuse, division, deconstruction) do not erase the biblical vision of the church as central to God’s plan.

Imes specifically writes for:

  1. Those considering leaving the church.

  2. Those who have already left but remain curious.

  3. Pastors and leaders seeking a narrative-driven ecclesiology.

  4. Readers of her previous books who want to see the story completed (This is me!).

The book balances scholarly grounding with pastoral care, offering resources like discussion questions and BibleProject links at the end of each chapter.

5. Table of Contents

  • Foreword (Esau McCaulley)

  • Introduction

  1. The Family of Abraham

  2. Growing Pains

  3. Family Dysfunction

  4. Divided Family

  5. Kicked Out of the House

  6. Processing Family Trauma

  7. Family Drama

  8. Family Reunion

  9. The Family Business

  10. A New Temple

  • Acknowledgments

  • Appendix: Resources from BibleProject

  • Discussion Questions

  • Notes

  • Sidebar Notes

  • Bibliography

  • Scripture Index

This outline shows that Imes engages the whole biblical story, from Abraham’s household to the church as the new temple of God’s Spirit.

6. Endorsements and Reception

The endorsements reflect academic credibility and pastoral insight:

  • Kaitlyn Schiess: calls it “refreshing and hopeful.”

  • A. J. Swoboda: describes it as “a breath of clean and hopeful air.”

  • Andrew Root, Carolyn Moore, Ed Stetzer, Daniel J. Treier, Mark Glanville, Joy E. A. Qualls, David W. Swanson, Evan Wickham, among others, affirm its biblical significance and pastoral timeliness.

Early readers highlight:

  • Accessibility of language.

  • Pastoral care and warmth.

  • The usefulness of chapter-end resources.

Average ratings trend strongly positive, with multiple five-star reviews.

7. Why the Church Still Matters

Theologically, this book reminds readers that God’s people are not an optional extra but His chosen vessel for family and mission. Throughout Scripture, God’s presence is tied to His people:

  • Abraham’s family (Genesis 12:1–3).

  • Israel’s temple (1 Kings 8:10–11).

  • Christ’s incarnation (John 1:14).

  • The church as temple of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).

To leave the church is to cut yourself off from God’s chosen means of revealing His presence in the world. For followers of Jesus wrestling with disillusionment, Becoming God’s Family is a challenge, but God has not abandoned His people, and His Spirit is still at work through the Church.

Conclusion

Carmen Joy Imes’s Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters is poised to make a great impact. It combines biblical theology, pastoral wisdom, and cultural awareness to remind readers that the church is still the center of God’s plan of redemption. With strong endorsements, accessible writing, and a supportive launch strategy, this book completes a trilogy that roots Christian identity in creation, covenant, and community.

For those discouraged, disillusioned, or simply searching for a deeper theology of church, Imes’s book is a timely and hopeful word.

Bible Verses on God’s Family and the Church

  • “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you.” (Genesis 12:2)

  • “I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.” (Exodus 29:45)

  • “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

  • “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20)

  • “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18)

  • “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22)

  • “You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26)

  • “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

  • “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24)

  • “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Anthony Delgado https://anthonydelgado.net
Next

[Review] EXPANDED: THE UNSEEN REALM