The Road We Must Travel Again

The Road We Must Travel Again Returning to the Place We Were Meant to Live By Marc Estes Not Just a Book. A Bold Return. The Road We Must Travel Again isn’t another leadership manual or church growth strategy; it’s a holy summons back to where the Church belongs. It’s about rediscovering the dusty, disruptive, mercy-filled road Jesus walked… and returning to the place we were always meant to live. Marc Estes writes with honesty, hope, and bold biblical clarity, calling believers, pastors, and church leaders to get off spiritual autopilot and return to proximity, presence, and power. Through the unforgettable lens of the Good Samaritan, this book challenges everything we think we know about evangelism, compassion, discipleship, and what it really means to love our neighbor. If you’ve ever sensed that the Church has drifted from her mission… you’re not wrong. This book is your wake-up call. The Crisis We Can’t Ignore Let’s be honest. We’ve never had more buildings, bigger platforms, or stronger digital reach. And yet, proximity has faded. Presence has weakened. Power has leaked. We’ve become disturbingly good at walking by. The Jericho Roads of our culture are full of the wounded, emotionally exhausted, spiritually disoriented, mentally overwhelmed, and socially isolated. And while we host conferences and count clicks, people are bleeding out on the margins. This book refuses to look away. It names the problem. It shakes the dust off our feet. And it calls us back to the only road where revival still breathes, the one Jesus never stopped walking. The Fire at the Center At its core burns one holy conviction: the Church becomes unstoppable the moment it starts loving like Jesus. The Good Samaritan isn’t a sweet story; it’s a rebel anthem. A defiant declaration that we’re not here to preserve comfort but to collide with suffering. To cross divides. To kneel in the dirt. To bandage the wounds others ignored. Marc challenges leaders to trade convenience for compassion, flash for faithfulness, and Sunday-only relevance for Monday-morning love. It’s gritty. It’s biblical. It’s filled with humor, heartbreak, and holy confrontation. Who This Book Is For This message grabs everyone, from pastors to parking lot volunteers. • Pastors and preachers who feel the pull toward something deeper than metrics and programs. • Church staff, boards, and volunteers who want to stop filling slots and start changing lives. • Millennials and Gen Z leaders disillusioned by hype but still hungry for purpose. • Boomers and seasoned saints who know the Church was made for more. If you carry spiritual influence and believe the Church’s best days are ahead, this is a book and challenge for you. A Glimpse Into the Journey Each chapter is a mile marker. A mirror. A map back to mission. • Chapter 1: The Road We Are On A brutally honest look at our divided, weary world, and the Church’s silence. • Chapter 2: It’s a Matter of the Heart Before Jesus sends us out, He asks us why. Motives matter. • Chapter 3: Who Is My Neighbor? Compassion doesn’t check IDs. It just moves toward pain. • Chapter 4: Left for Dead A culture wounded by fear, addiction, and injustice. Will we see people or just systems? • Chapter 5: When Religion Walks By Busy churches that don’t make a difference. A warning for all of us. • Chapter 6: Living Where They Are At The Samaritan didn’t shout from across the road, he crossed it. • Chapter 7: The Compassion Collision Real love breaks rules, crosses lines, and changes lives. • Chapter 8: Dispensing Healing for a Wounded World We’re called to carry more than opinions, we carry healing. • Chapter 9: Carriers and Collaborators Discipleship means walking the long road with people. Not just decisions, transformation. • Chapter 10: It’ll Cost You Something Compassion is expensive. But revival is worth every drop. • Chapter 11: A Multiplying Moment The Church must move from maintaining to multiplying. • Chapter 12: Go and Do Likewise Jesus didn’t suggest a better path. He commanded one. What You’ll Walk Away With • Clarity – A deeper vision of what real ministry looks like in today’s culture • Conviction – A mirror held up to our hearts, methods, and missional drift • Courage – Practical, Spirit-empowered steps to lead with compassion • Hope – A vision for the Church that heals, helps, and actually shows up This is not a comfortable book. But it is a healing one. And once you finish the last page, you won’t want to go back to business as usual. About the Author Marc Estes has lived this message from the trenches, not the sidelines. As former lead pastor of a vibrant multi-site church and now the CEO of VisitorReach™, Marc equips thousands of churches across the nation to expand their reach and reimagine their mission. His voice blends spiritual authority with hard-earned wisdom and unwavering hope for what the Church can still become. He doesn’t write from theory. He writes from the road. It’s Time to Return If you feel it in your spirit, that we’ve drifted from our assignment… If you long to trade performance for purpose, platform for people, and safety for Spirit… If you are looking for a tool to equip your leaders and teams... Then it’s time to return to the road we were always meant to travel. Buy the book today! Rally your team. Hit the road. Because the Church isn’t done, and the road still calls.