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  • Platforms to Pillars: Trading the Burden of Performance for the Freedom of God's Presence

Platforms to Pillars: Trading the Burden of Performance for the Freedom of God's Presence

Available Formats

Format: Paperback
Your Price: $15.99
Expected Availability: 4/1/2025

Product Description

A biblical response to living in a platform society.

Platform: A mentality, a way of approaching life, which promises to reinforce our uniqueness, deliver on our desires, and offer validation and visibility.

A platform society emphasizes individualism and performance. It's rooted in the belief that self and personal desires are preeminent. In Platforms to Pillars, cultural expert Mark Sayers explores how platform mentality is misshaping our contemporary world and contrasts this to the biblical call of Christians to live as pillars.

By looking at the ancient world—a world remarkably similar to our own—Sayers explores the flaws of a platform society. Sayers takes a deep dive into the influence and allure of digital platforms on individuals and society, and he invites readers to envision a legacy that lives beyond themselves. Like columns in buildings, human pillars provide support and strength. They work together to create space for others, partnering with God as He advances His kingdom in the world. Human pillars fortify and protect community through virtue and character and pass these values to others.

Sayers shows us how to delight in God's presence, enjoying the freedom that flows from belonging to Him. A much-needed corrective, Platforms to Pillars models a biblical and better way for Christians to live.


About the Author

Mark Sayers
MARK SAYERS is the lead pastor of Red Church. Passionate about spiritual renewal and the intersection of faith and culture, he is the author of numerous books, including A Non-Anxious Presence and Reappearing Church. He also hosts the Rebuilders podcast. Mark lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife, Trudi, their daughter, Grace, and twin boys, Hudson and Billy.

Endorsements

"With surgical precision and pastoral discernment, Mark Sayers reveals the cultural forces shaping our lives—forces so familiar we've stopped seeing them. But he doesn't leave us in despair. Instead, he charts a bold, practical path toward authentic faith that works in the real world, not just in theory. For anyone feeling caught between cultural pressures and Christian faithfulness, this book is your map forward."
—Carey Nieuwhof, author, speaker, and podcaster

"In an increasingly distracted, tech-addicted, celebrity-driven culture, Platforms to Pillars is a timely reminder of why Christian faith stands in stark contrast to the spirit of our age. There is so much to appreciate here: Mark's keen critical analysis of the cultural forces shaping humanity. Discerning scriptural engagement that sheds light on how we can respond. And an urgent message that, when our world seems ready to crumble, it will be those formed as pillars, not those with platforms, who will make the difference. Mark Sayers is the kind of clear and cogent thinker the church needs in an era of digital distraction and dizzying change. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand where our twenty-first century world is heading and how Christ-followers can meet its challenges with courage, wisdom, and grace."
—Justin Brierley, author of Why I'm Still a Christian and host of The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God podcast

"This is a fascinating book—insightful and inspiring. It warns us of some of the dangers of platforms (especially digital ones) and encourages us, as the apostle Paul did in Galatians, to live as pillars following in the footsteps of Jesus."
—Nicky Gumbel, pioneer of the Alpha course

"This is an important message—prophetic yet practical—from one of the freshest thinkers and most trusted leaders in the Western church today."
—Pete Greig, bewildered founder of 24-7 Prayer International; Senior Pastor, Emmaus Rd Church UK

"Mark is always fascinating to listen to and highly insightful to read. When I first heard him speak on this subject it felt like a vital prophetic call for this cultural moment. This book will inspire and challenge you with a vision of what the church can be."
—Stephen Foster, Rector of St Aldate's Church, Oxford

"Mark's prophetic voice has a unique way of both confronting and resonating at the same time. Platforms to Pillars is one of those wake-up moments for the church—a transformative call to reimagine our purpose in an age of self-promotion. Mark's message of trading transient platforms for the lasting impact of being a pillar in your community profoundly impacted me. As someone committed to the long journey of investing in one place, this book challenged and inspired me with a beautiful vision of giving my life to a people and a place rather than a platform for my own name and benefit."
—Dave Lomas, pastor of Reality San Francisco; author of The Truest Thing About You

"Mark Sayers has written an incredible and timely book. As many are reflecting on the crisis of leadership in the church and the way forward, Mark paints a beautiful and biblical picture of the leaders and disciples we need who honor God without giving in to cultural standards. Culturally insightful, prophetically pointed, and biblically faithful. This book is a must-read."

—Jon Tyson, pastor and author, church.nyc

"If you only read one book this year, read this book. In Platforms to Pillars Mark unpacks the greatest challenge facing our generation and provides wisdom and insight on how to move forward. Knowing the difference between a platform and a pillar can be the difference between fulfilling your God given purpose or not." 
—Christine Caine, founder, Propel Women & A21

"Mark Sayers has a remarkable gift for explaining us to ourselves. In Platforms to Pillars he takes us on a journey from ancient Egypt to Silicon Valley, showing us the roots of our performative and anxious society, and contrasting it with the peaceful freedom that is found in the presence of God. Illuminating and wise."
—Andrew Wilson, teaching pastor, King's Church London

Product Details

ISBN: 978-0-8024-3472-2
Publish Date: April 2025
Dimensions: 5.25 x 8
Format: Paperback