A Prescription with Everlasting Results

How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life

Written by Rebecca McLaughlin

Series: The Gospel Coalition (30 Books)

Publication Date: 10.28.25

Published by: Crossway

Genre: Nonfiction, Christian Living, Christian Spiritual Growth

4 Stars!

There is something strangely settling about holding a book that feels like a prescription pad for the soul… a little volume where Scripture and science stand together and quietly testify to what God has said all along. We are meant to gather. We are meant to worship. We are meant to be formed in community under His Word. How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life reads like a high-quality wellness consult with eternal implications, offering evidence without noise and truth without theatrics. Rebecca McLaughlin simply lays the research on the table, and the clarity of it surprised me more than once.

The data reads almost like a doctor whispering a cure. Harvard’s human flourishing research, shaped and explained by Professor VanderWeele, points again and again to the same conclusion. Weekly church attendance strengthens the mind, steadies the heart, nourishes the body, and lengthens life. And tucked inside these pages is that unforgettable line… “This book isn’t a pillbox. But it does contain a prescription.” A weekly rhythm that could add several years to your life and restore joy to your days. What a breathtaking affirmation of God’s design for His people.

McLaughlin approaches the evidence with a steadiness I appreciated, never rushing past the data, always honoring the God who heals and restores. Each chapter feels like a diagnostic result returning to us with the same message. When we remove ourselves from the fellowship God provides, the cracks start to show. Loneliness grows. Hope fades. Compassion thins. Even our cultural convictions wobble because we were never meant to walk this life alone. Study after study echoes a truth Scripture established long before the research existed. We thrive when we worship together.

One part of this little book reached me with unexpected weight. Our shared belief that every human life carries worth did not rise from modern thought. It began with the God who breathed life into us, who calls every person loved, who anchors dignity in Himself. When that foundation is forgotten, the clarity we rely on slips away. And as the final chapter unfolds, McLaughlin lifts our eyes to the reality no wellness trend can fix… every one of us will step into death. Yet for those who trust in Jesus Christ, there is a hope stronger than the grave, a life that does not end, a promise held by the only One who conquered death and gives everlasting life.

For readers who love high-quality, fact-rooted books that honor Scripture, this one is a refreshing gift. Short, accessible, and deeply grounded in truth, it left me grateful all over again that God’s commands are never burdens. They are lifelines. When we follow Him, we receive the blessing of His wisdom and the nearness of His presence.

Ideal for readers who treasure faith-rich nonfiction, for anyone curious about the relationship between worship and well-being, for pastors gathering tools for outreach, and for every seeker who longs for a reminder that the weekly rhythms of worship and community are not optional extras… they are the very prescription the Great Physician has written for our good, for His purpose, and His glory!

I received a digital ARC of How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life from Crossway via NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review in any way or for any reason. My honest and unbiased opinions expressed in this review are my own. I focused on its faithfulness to Scripture, the writing style, the pacing, and the content, ensuring transparency and reliability.