The word tov is Hebrew for “good”. In Genesis 1, after each day of creation we are told “God saw that it was tov.” In numerous places we are told that the Lord is tov, and that Jesus is tov. “Goodness” is listed as one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

The church is the Body of Christ, the visible representation of God in the world. The church therefore needs to develop a culture that embodies God’s character, that is tov.

Instead, the church often borrows concepts and qualities from the business world to build empires on human values. These churches quickly become toxic because they have been built on the wrong foundations. Often the toxicity comes to the surface when women accuse the celebrity pastor of sexual misconduct, bullying or other disrespecting behaviour. Then the institution turns into self-defence mode, trampling over its vulnerable members.

The authors list 7 practices that help churches to become “tov”:

• Nurture empathy
• Nurture grace
• Put people first
• Tell the truth
• Nurture justice
• Nurture service
• Nurture Christlikeness

This is a well-written book, an easy read that will help the church to refocus on its true calling as followers of Christ.

At times it is confronting to think about how our churches might betray Christ, and how easy it is when challenged to lash out at accusers. We are called to a higher calling, and even at our hardest times, we must remain obedient to Jesus. We do this best when we work to build our churches on these principles of “tov.”