CDM Archive

Discipleship Ministries of the PCA

Church Leadership

Overture 9

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chd-inside.jpgDo you think that the General Assembly should have answered Overture 9 in the affirmative and established a committee to study the issue of women’s involvement in diaconal ministry and report back to the 37th General Assembly?

The 36th General Assembly, after many hours of committee and floor debate, answered Overture 9 in the negative, declining to establish a study committee. This action was taken in spite of a minority report that attempted to persuade the assembly to answer in the affirmative. As the coordinator of Christian Education and Publications, under whose oversight the Women in the Church is positioned in the PCA, a number of people have asked my opinion on the issue.

As I sat on the second row of the assembly listening to the debate, several things came to mind that I believe should or could have been stated, which I picked up on when responding to those who later asked. This is an issue that if changed would require several constitutional changes, and there are ways to do that. Also, let me make it clear that the issue of women’s ordination, when finally allowed in the mainline Presbyterian Church, was one of the top issues which led to the forming of the PCA.

As I respond, be aware that I do so we a ring at least two hats. The first is not only as one of the organizers of the PCA in 1973, but also as the chairman of the original Constitutional Documents Committee. It was my responsibility, working with Dr. Morton Smith, Dr. Frank Barker, and the late Don Patterson to develop and present the Book of Church Order (BOCO), stating the PCA’s polity to the assembly. The BOCO had three parts. My responsibility was to read each section verbatim before the entire first three assemblies. I had to explain why the BOCO stated things as it did. This took many hours on the floor, including discussion and debate at times.

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One of the positions taken by the PCA at its inception was that ordination to office, elder or deacon, was for men only. Remember this was one of the major issues which led to the forming of the PCA, but also understand why.

After a number of years studying and debating this issue, the mainline church decided under the protest of a minority to allow women to be ordained to those offices. Though the more conservative arm of the church opposed such a position, it must be realized that much study by many scholars was reflected in that action. Those who finally formed the PCA simply believed it was not the teaching of Scripture. Therefore, to suggest that the present position of the BOCO does not reflect in depth study is inaccurate. One of the main problems revolves around the PCA’s present position reflected in the BOCO of positing authority in the office of deacon. Therefore, the first issue that would need to be solved is this: Is the office of deacon an authority office or only a service office? The present ordination vows in the BOCOare identical to that of the elders in asking the congregation if they would submit to the authority of the elders/deacons.

When the PCA became a particular denomination in December 1973,it did not do so without a history. The PCA was the result of a movement called the Continuing Presbyterian Church, a reference to the early Presbyterian Church in the United States before liberalism and neo-orthodox theology took control. Among the men who formed this southern church in 1861 was James Henry Thornwell. As a matter of fact, as you read the PCA’s original address to all churches adopted by the first assembly, it was called pristinely “Thornwellian.” What did that mean? The PCA was to be a “grassroots” church and not a top down church. The main court in the Presbyterian system is the presbytery. This had two main effects, especially as we developed the BOCO. First, being a grassroots church, we left as many issues to the local churches and presbyteries as we possibly could. For example, the BOCO did not address the issue of rotation of officers, a debated issue in our beginning. Nor did it address the issue of women teaching mixed adults or what form or forms should be used in worship, to name a few. We attempted to allow as much freedom and control to sessions and presbyteries as was deemed necessary.

This was a somewhat different approach than practiced by the northern mainline church that then followed the polity of Charles Hodge. The Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod that joined the PCA in 1982 also tended to follow the Hodge polity. How this played out was reflected in a conversation in 1974 with a good friend and brother from the RPCES. He said, “It appears to me the PCA’s approach is not to address issues unless they come to the General Assembly as an appeal from the lower courts. We on the other hand tend to deal with issues and write position papers at the Assembly level prior to such appeal. “He basically reflected the difference in the PCA. The PCA has had many study committees and adopted many position papers but only after the lower courts appealed to the assembly for help in determining issues. Following the “Thornwellian” procedure, the PCA has not been quick to establish study committees.

Understanding the PCA’s organizing principles helps to explain why questions troubling the church which the local courts have not been able to conclude are appealed to General Assembly; and if enough concern is there, the General Assembly usually appoints a study committee. Overture 9, if studied and enacted, would require several constitutional changes; and it has not been the PCA’s method of procedure to change the BOCOby a study committee.

I was further asked, “Does the PCA need to study this issue of the possible ordination of women deacons?” I now put on my second hat and respond as the CEP Coordinator, which includes the Women in the Church. When the PCA was formed, the mainline church from which we left had a very significant women’s ministry. The PCA, in attempting to follow Scripture, wanted to continue the vital ministry of women. It was placed under the oversight of CEP for two reasons. Its focus was two fold- spiritual growth and assisting the officers in carrying out mercy ministry, which by the way, the PCA sees as closely related to diaconal ministry. During my years as coordinator of CEP, we have intentionally focused on those two founding points. God has done some fantastic things through the gifted women in the PCA. We have held local church and presbytery training conferences. Finally, we have conducted several strategically important denominational conferences focusing on both spiritual growth and mercy ministries. Those conferences have actually moved the PCA forward in the principle and practice of mercy ministries. For example, it was the gathering of 4,000 women in 1999 in Atlanta under the banner of mercy ministry that encouraged CEP and Mission to North America’s biannual mercy ministries conferences. Women have been key players in those conferences. Several of our women sit as advisory members on a number of the assembly ‘s committees and agencies.

Over the years with our CEP ministries, we have chosen to focus our energies on the function of ministry and not the form . We have attempted to encourage local churches and presbyteries to have that focus. As a result, the PCA is stronger in its theology and practice. Under the oversight of CEP, our women’s ministry has chosen not to spend energies on things other than ministry and growth action. The ministry at the assembly level has intentionally focused on training women to minister to women, as well as training in assisting elders and deacons in the local church ministry. WIC has been a valuable part of CEP’s ministry from the beginning. Its annual Love Gifts have enabled the committees and agencies to do some outstanding ministries. Their prayers and encouragement have been one of the PCA’s main strengths. As I have met with women across our church, I have not heard or experienced PCA women wanting to do anything but minister and make kingdom disciples.

I conclude my answer with two final thoughts.

One, whether or not a women should or should not be ordained to the office of deacon has not hindered PCA women from being a strategic part of the PCA’s ministry.


Two, written into our BOCO are the procedures to follow when issues relating to the BOCO need to be addressed. Whether or not Overture 9 followed those procedures, I will leave to the judgment of those who dealt in depth with the overture.

As I have stated many times in Equip to Disciple, knowing our history and tradition is vital to dealing with issues that confront us today. This does not keep us from studying and receiving further insight into issues just as we have done in the past. However, some of the things I am presently reading and studying could almost lead me to conclude that there are those who really believe they are the first generation ever to consider this or that issue, when church history is full of those who have done so before us.

What About Liberation Theology?

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Sadly, Christians have not been fully and properly sensitive to all of the oppressed and needy people in our society.

Written in the early twentieth century, The Fundamentals were a series of twelve volumes of articles designed to define the Christian faith against attacks, and people who subscribed to the principles were called fundamentalists. (The word is now often used to describe “fundamentalist” Christians who bomb abortion clinics, “fundamentalist” Mormons who live in strange compounds, and “fundamentalist” Muslims who commit suicide bombings.) Of all of the hundred articles in the series, only one touched on the church ‘s responsibility in a society of need – except for those that discuss evangelism. Have we improved on that lack of emphasis? The church has often not even spoken to “cases extraordinary,” when it was appropriate to have done so.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, harsh attacks sought to deny the authority of the Bible. It was claimed that the Bible was based on mythology, that Jesus was not the Son of God in any real sense, that His role in history was as a teacher of the moral life, and that Christians and churches were called to be an influence for “good,” however that was defined in society. Man was thought to be inherently good. Two world wars dispelled that view, and out of that background arose what was called the social gospel. Its various viewpoints challenged the Bible. Theologians, seminaries, and their churches affirmed, for example, the following kinds of statements:

1. The Bible is a record of some events, with added mythological meaning that accumulated after the events. The Gospel of John, for example, with a much more developed doctrine of Jesus’ Deity, was written perhaps far into the second century long after John died.
2. The Bible does not contain propositional revelation, because there is no such thing.
3. The Bible is the Word of God written, in the sense that God did some things in history, and then men recorded and interpreted the events.
4. The Bible is not the objective Word of God. It is not the Word of God when it is closed; it becomes the Word of God when it speaks to me in my experience.

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J. I. Packer wrote that there are three final authorities in Christendom: Scripture, the church, and reason. He might well have added “experience” since for many people, “what I experience is what is true.” A focus on experience, allows considerable freedom in interpretation and expression.

An Example of Beginning with Experience


In the 1950s and 1960s, there were a number of Marxist movements in Latin America. They sought to gain political and other power for the many peoples in those countries who did not share in whatever wealth there was and had not political or civil power.

The Roman Catholic Church was an active force among many of these poor and deprived peoples. During this time, bishops, priests, and some Protestant scholars developed a Liberation Theology, which affirmed that God and Jesus were on the side of the Marxist revolutionaries and others claiming to seek civil rights for the masses.

While the Church at Rome affirmed the goals to bring equity for the peoples of Latin America, it also spoke against any alliance with godless Marxism and many of the tactics being employed. It affirmed that priests should not personally be involved in political affairs.

Recently. a small notice in a local newspaper bore this title, “Former Bishop Elected President of Paraguay.” The ruling party candidate conceded defeat, “signaling the end of six decades of one-party rule and handing victory to former Roman Catholic Bishop Fernando Lugo.” The article concludes, “News of the Lugo win sent thousands of his supporters into the streets of Asuncion in a massive celebration. Lugo, dubbed the ‘bishop of the poor,’ has vowed to help Paraguay’s poor and indigenous.”

In the United States, this Liberation movement has been supported by “Black Liberation Theology.” Psalm 103:6 and the constant reminders in our news media suggest that something needs to be said about this issue.

Before entering our brief journey into Black Liberation Theology, a few comments seem to be necessary.

1. I apologize to all of you for referring to color, white or black. It grieves me that this theological system is so racially divisive.

2. In recent newspapers, you have perhaps seen references to James H. Cone, a professor of systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He is one of the fathers of Black Liberation Theology. I am using his writing, particularly from the 1960s, to define this thought system.

3. A few comments about currently held views. During the past month I have talked with several people claiming to hold to Black Liberation Theology. They are evangelical friends who do not endorse the excesses of Professor Cone. I purposefully am only commenting about Professor Cone at this point.

The Future of the Church?

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Equip4thQtr2008.jpg

Perhaps I am a little biased on this subject, but I have to admit that each time I hear someone referring to high school students as the “future of the church” a part of me cringes, Don’t get me wrong. I agree with the idea that teenagers must be trained and equipped to one day become the leaders of the church. However, it seems to me that we do a disservice to the next generation if we treat youth ministry as a holding pen for students until they are old enough to do the real work of the church.

Just a few years ago, the Baylor University School of Social Work conducted a study where they found the students with the most mature, vibrant faith that carried on from the teen years to adulthood were those who were actively involved in the ministries of a church as teenagers and those who were engaged in meeting the needs of people in their communities. Given the overwhelmingly negative statistics concerning young adults and church involvement, I am willing to go out on a limb here and suggest that engaging teenagers in the life of your congregation is one of the more important things you can do in your student ministry. Stepping a little further out on the limb, let me also suggest that though the application of the Great Commission must be contextualized, the call to make disciples is equally as valid for the teenagers in your congregation as it is for the adults who inhabit your pews.

I was reminded of these truths again this summer as I had the privilege of directing Youth Excelling in Leadership (YXL), CEP’s denominational student leadership conference, and taking part in our sister conference, YXL Glorieta, held in Glorieta, New Mexico. The goal of both conferences is similar: to develop student leaders through the strong preaching of the Word. dynamic worship experiences, interactive leadership initiatives, leadership assessment, and the expansion of their biblical world and life view. One unique aspect of the YXL conferences is that the local church is asked to identify and recommend high school students that are ready for a week of intense Christian leadership training.

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This past summer, over 100 students and adults participated in YXL at Covenant College and another 85 took part in YXL Glorieta. In keeping with YXL’s theme of COMMIT, men such as Southern Methodist University RUF Campus Minister Chad Scruggs, Covenant College Chaplain Aaron Messner, and Assistant Pastor of Redemption Fellowship EJ Childs challenged students to explore more fully the commitment that Jesus expects from his disciples. The worship leader, Kirk Ward, Worship Director at New City Fellowship in Saint Louis, added music from around the world to encourage students to think more globally as they worship together. Add to the list a ministry project with Hope for the Inner City (www.hope4.org), paintball, caving in Raccoon Mountain, hiking on Lookout Mountain, and dozens of other leadership activities and YXL 2008 at Covenant College was a life transforming experience for not only the students who attended but for many adults there as well.

At YXL Glorieta, students were encouraged to RISE UP because “the resurrection changes everything.” Under the direction of John Ranheim, Development Director at Covenant Seminary, YXL Glorieta was a huge success. RUF campus pastors Justin Clement and Tom Franklin unpacked from Scripture the resurrection and helped students understand the implications of this event in their lives. Musician Ryan Anderson used his unique music style to draw students into wonderful worship experiences. The natural beauty of Glorieta, New Mexico, coupled with paintball, whitewater rafting, high ropes, and various leadership initiatives help set YXL Glorieta apart as a premier Christian leadership conference for PCA churches in the western United States.

However, it was during the nightly prayer times as I listened to high school students at both conferences crying out, grieving over personal and corporate sin issues, with almost childlike faith asking to be used of God that I realized again that students are more than just the future of the church.

I have been a believer for a little over two decades. For most of that time I have been involved in youth ministry. I am seminary trained and will soon possess the necessary credentials to be a pastor in the PCA, but I don’t know that I can recall many adult prayer meetings where prayers were offered with the sincerity and abandon that I experienced at YXL and YXL Glorieta this summer. let me go as far out on the proverbial limb as Ican this time and make one last suggestion. Perhaps the next time your church has a significant prayer need, you should move your teenagers out of the “future of the church” holding pen and into the ministry of your church by asking them to lead the prayer meeting. Based on my YXL experiences this summer, I have a sneaking suspicion that the adults of your church may be encouraged and challenged at the way the Holy Spirit can use young people to further the kingdom of God.

A Believing Community Learning to Live in Communion

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dick.jpgThe past two issues of Equip to Disciple have focused on the church and the important role it must continue to play in growing and expanding the kingdom of God. In this particular article, I want to focus your attention on the theme expressed in the title above; the church as a believing community learning to live in communion. As our Westminster Confession of Faith says in 26-1, “All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head by his Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces.”

A CONNECTED COMMUNITY

In the last issue of 2007, Dr.Charles Dunahoo stated in the editor’s section that the church is more and more being marginalized. In this connection he referred to J.I. Packer and John R.W. Stott’s descriptive term the “stunted ecclesiology” of the church. Some of the reasons for the church’s being pushed from the center of life are the lack of focus on community, the emphasis on individualism, and self-interest. Phil Ryken describes in his book The City on a Hill the problem of our culture as twofold: relativism and narcissism.1 The postmodern society rejects absolute truth; the only truth is what you discover for yourself; you have your story and I have mine. Self-love and instant gratification are driving forces in this day of radical individualism. These are the types of issues that fly in the face of the theology of the Communion of the Saints as stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 26. Ryken points out in another chapter, “Christianity has never been a private religion. It is personal of course, because it involves a personal relationship with Jesus Christ… But in coming to Christ…every single Christian gets connected to every other Christian. Our union with Christ brings us into communion with His church as members of a local congregation.”2

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In a book entitled A Peculiar People, Rodney Clapp writes, “It is important for the church in each time and place to embody and communicate the life of Christ exactly where it is. Christianity is not about compartmentalization or withdrawal: it is radically and relentlessly life encompassing. Christianity understood as culture is about a living tradition, a continuing argument, a still unfolding history.”3

In a similar vein Dr. Edmund Clowney in his book The Church writes, “When Peter describes the impact of Christian righteous deeds in a pagan world, he is thinking not of isolated saints, but of the people of God, called out of darkness into God’s light. Christian witness that is limited to private religious experience cannot challenge secularism. Christians in community must again show the world, not merely family values, but the bond of the love of Christ.”4 In other words it is not about “me and Jesus” or “you and Jesus,” but it is about us as a community of believers united to Jesus and to one another. The church is in need of continually being reminded of the connectedness it has both to Jesus Christ and to each other. Some in the church have failed to understand the meaning of community, and consequently have failed to experience the benefits of their salvation. There are others in this post-modern world looking for a place to connect and belong that will give meaning to their lives. The church today needs to demonstrate to the world what our Confession says.

In the article “Keeping the Church Front and Center” Dunahoo wrote, “The PCA has a great opportunity to make a difference for Christ and His kingdom but only if we practice our theory… We must come together with a working connectionalism that enables us to be all that God would have us to be.”5 This is where the Westminster Confession of Faith in Chapter 26,”Of the Communion of Saints,” teaches the church the practicality of a “working connectionalism.” Paragraph one states that saints are “obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.” In verse 7 of I Cor. 12, Paul writes of the “varieties of gifts given by the Spirit and to each given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, Paul then refers to the church as one body with many members. He says that “God has composed it [the church] that there be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.” In verse 27 Paul writes, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” How often do leaders ask themselves and the church how they are doing in the public and private caring for one another for the common good of the community of believers? How well connected are the saints in the local church? Who are those on the fringe, the seemingly friendless? What should the church be doing to correct conflict that may cause division and lack of care for its members?

LEARNING TO LIVE IN COMMUNION

In the Westminster Confession of Faith 26-2 “Saints by profession are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Which communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.” In an age which demeans authority and devalues accountability, it behooves the church to instruct the congregation in the responsibility of being “obliged to the performance of duties,” and “bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion” because of profession in Christ. The “profession” is the public profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and the commitment to live a life of holiness, as well as to support the work and ministry of the body and be subject to the authority and government of the church. In an age of post-modernism, individualism, and privatization of faith, such profession as described is quickly forgotten as members settle into their life in the church. Any obligations and binding as had been vowed seem to fall by the wayside as time moves forward. Maintaining a holy fellowship and communion in worship can often get squeezed as priorities change. Weekend schedules of work and entertainment become excuses for not participating in fellowship and communion. Sundays become a time of personal relaxation and pleasure.

Mutual edification is lost as believers only think about their personal feelings of self-gratification. The shift from spiritual services (what can I do for others) to a consumer mentality (what has the church done or not done for me) begins to seep into the hearts and minds of those who have not been assimilated and taught what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ and family of God. Where does a “working connectionalism” come into play? How does the church bring such a connectionalism back into focus?

In Ephesians 4:15 the church is instructed by these words, “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Reformed Presbyterians are known for their knowledge and systemizing of truth. We are after all a creedal church. However, we must question where the love is as we proclaim the “doctrines of grace.” This love should be manifested as a self-sacrificing love where one looks not upon his own interests, but upon the interests of others. Encouragement of others in spiritual growth is the goal for the building up of the body in love.

Such speaking is not always easy when believers do not see themselves as needing instruction, correction, or reproof. Sometimes it takes on the character of “tough love.” The apostle Paul instructs Timothy in his pastoral epistles in this manner in II Timothy 2:24-26.”And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” Our obligations and commitments should have growing in maturity in Christ as their goal.

The local church has a wider arena in which to practice its communion. In the PCA, there is a structural foundation in place to help local churches to demonstrate in a visible manner what it means to live in communion by sharing with one another the gifts and graces given by the Holy Spirit. “Communion as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.”6 This structure is of course the presbytery and general assembly. Calling the PCA a connectional church means the Communion of the Saints should be manifest for all the world to see. Churches should not just be interested in building their own congregations, but should be interested in displaying a concern for the wider metro and state communities by planting new congregations, joining in united worship services, pooling resources to minister to the needs of the poor and needy, and evangelizing and discipling people with the gospel. With the multi-ethnic society in communities growing so rapidly, the gospel speaks to breaking down the walls of hostility and bringing into existence the manifestation of the Communion of Saints as a foretaste of the glories of heaven.

Finally, the ministries of the General Assembly can aid and assist local congregations to experience the worldwide Communion of the Saints as they send missionaries out to the nations of the world. Today it is even more a reality for both young and old to experience the Communion of Saints as many groups travel for short term ministries to believers in other countries. Phil Ryken edited a book called The Communion of Saints: Living in Fellowship with the People of God, one of the best and most comprehensive studies on the subject. Ryken says, “A Christian can go anywhere in the world and immediately experience the love and embrace of brothers and sisters whom he or she has never met. Stronger than the bonds of blood relationships are the ties that bind one Christian to another, even when they cannot speak the same language. “Further along there is this statement regarding Revelation 7:9-10, “This is the culmination, the end toward which God is moving all human history-the worldwide community of saints worshiping before his heavenly throne… The history of the church is the story of the progress of the communion of saints.”7

Today, the church and the PCA have not been able to experience fully what it means to be in the Communion of Saints. Our challenge is to continue to pray and strive to bring it to fullness through the gifts and graces of the Lord Jesus Christ. A “working connectionalism” is hopefully the goal of every congregation in the PCA, so that Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:15,”we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” provides impetus toward corporate maturing in true communion.

1 Philip Rykin, City on a Hill: Reclaiming the Biblical Pattern for the Church in the 21st
Century (Wheaton, IL: Moody Publishers, 2003), 18.

2 Ibid., 77.

3 Rodney Clapp, A Peculiar People: The Church As Culture in a Post-Christian Society
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 188.

4 Edmund Clowney, The Church: Contours of Christian Theology (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1995), 16.

5 Charles Dunahoo, “Keeping the Church Front and Center,” Equip to Disciple, issue 4
(2007): 11.

6 Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms, (Lawrenceville, GA: Christian Education
and Publications, 2007), 26-2.

7 The Communion of Saints: Living in Fellowship with the People of God, Philip Ryken, ed.
(Phillipsburg: NJ: P&R Publishing, 2001), 154-155.

Children in Communion

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Children in Communion

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This may sound like a dangerous topic in our circles, but there is so much we are missing. We do not allow children to take the elements, but why do we ignore them while the rest of us participate? Let’s think through some history.

In Jewish homes throughout the centuries, the Passover was one of the most important celebrations of the year in which a family participated together. While it is the father who would review Hebrew history and tradition on this night, a very unique responsibility was given each year to the youngest child, remembering that at least for one year each child would have been the youngest. It was a treasured position for the youngest child to be able to ask this most important question: “Why is this night different from all the others?” The father would then tell the family the story of Israel’s history from the time of Abraham.

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This tradition serves several purposes. It teaches the family every year about who God is and what He has done for His people. It keeps sacred the traditions that hold a family together. It utilizes a teaching method of question and answer. The meal, and all that goes on at the Passover, teaches the truths of who Christ is and what He has done (even though the Jews do not see that). It also places the children in a position of honor; they are given the privilege of asking this all-important question.

What does this have to do with the church today? There is a big emphasis currently on “intergenerational worship,” but what does that mean? What place do children have in worship, other than feeling like ignored spectators? Communion can be one of those important times when a child can be made to feel a part of the service while being taught what it is all about. Think of it this way, can you imagine the excitement each child in the church would have as they anticipate some upcoming Lord’s Supper when they would have the privilege of asking the question before the congregation: “Why is this celebration different from all the others?” This then becomes the opportunity for the pastor to teach again the truths of what communion is and why we do it as we do. This teaches not only the children, but also the adults. It helps the children to understand how important they are to God and also helps them to understand that one day they too will be able to participate fully in the elements as full members of the covenant community, of which they are already a part.

Why not try this for a few months and see if it does not give a deeper meaning to this important part of our worship.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Missional Church: What Does it Mean?

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Editor’s note: Question: I am being asked more and more what the term “missional church” means. Does it mean what we have generally thought regarding missionaries leaving and going to other parts of the world to evangelize and church plant? Often those questions have been asked in relation to discussion on the negative and narrowing impact of much of the modern church growth philosophy, especially as it relates to the church and the kingdom. There are some helpful books being written on the topic of the mission church. I am still awaiting one on the missional kingdom, although this book has an excellent chapter on that general topic.

Also, at our September 2006 Christian Education and Publications committee meeting, we studied a book entitled Breaking the Missional Code, by Ed Stetzer and David Putman. While we did not agree with some of the conclusions, we agreed that the book raised important questions that the church should be able to discuss as it relates to the missional church.

Though there is so much that could be said on this issue or topic, the book reviewed here will at least introduce the concept to those not familiar with it.

Dictionary of Mission Theology: Evangelical Foundations, John Corrie, ed., with Samuel Escobar and Wilbert Shenk, IVP, 2007,461 pages,$25.60 (#8930)

The West is now not the only major player involved in global missions. With many third world Christians coming to theological maturity and entering the worldwide field of missiology, the more familiar names connected with missions like Wheaton College and New Haven are being expanded to include Nairobi, Manila, and Sao Paulo. Missions has become global. Everybody is doing missions, as should be the case; but this is forcing a rethinking of our traditional concept of missions.

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Much of the newer emphasis in North America regarding the “missional church” is also challenging us to reconsider our Western paradigm of missions, which has tended to see missions as something primarily focused on evangelism and independent church planting, disconnected from holistic theology and especially the church. The church, for example, has been viewed from a pragmatic position as a place where we only get missionaries and support for their mission effort. This has been described as the typical western pattern of doing missions.

At the same time the North American church is being challenged to rethink its concept of missions, this kind of rethinking is going on globally by those involved in missions from around the world. The hope is that a newer and better grounded missiology will emerge. However, as I read many of the books being written from and for both arenas, I conclude that it is simply an attempt to return to a more biblically based paradigm. We have so romanticized missions in recent years and made it an individualistic focus that we have failed to ask good and hard questions about God’s intention, both for the church and the kingdom.

That is no longer the case as this book and a number of others are reminding us. For example, some of the questions involve the connection of missions to the local church. Is missions something a church does or is it something a church is? Does missions simply involve evangelism and church planting or is there more from God’s perspective? Another question relates to the church and kingdom. So much of our missiology has reflected not only a misunderstanding of missions and the church but it also has not brought front and center the place of the kingdom and how the kingdom concept impacts our missiology.

In this volume, John Corrie writes that in the past we have failed in three major areas, thus setting the agenda for rethinking.

1. We have failed to consistently integrate missions and theology. This has caused two results-a divide between missions and theology and a separation of the missional concept from theology.

2. We have not always understood the importance of an interrelation with missions, theology, and context; hence much effort by missionaries has been to communicate a Western version of missions.

3. In Evangelicalism, we have not incorporated a holistic view of missions, theology, context, and evangelism. Therefore, we have narrowed a view of missions to simply deal with one’s personal relationship with God rather than reconciliation with God, with others, and with creation.

Corrie suggests the old Western view of missions tends to teach and emphasize converts and church plants but has little emphasis on making disciples. Maybe that is why some are saying that globally the church is a mile wide and an inch deep. This book addresses those kinds of issues.

I was so pleased with Corrie’s section on the kingdom of God. We agree that the kingdom concept is the missing link in understanding God’s mission from His perspective. He says that most of the mission movements “often see little or no role for the kingdom of God in society, politics, or creation. For many, their sole aim is to plant churches.”

The section on the church by Tormond Engelsviken of Norway also challenges us to rethink a number of things about the church, especially as it relates to its missional role in the world. He underscores, with others writing in this area, that the church is not simply a sending agency for missionaries; the church in its very nature is missional.

The topics in this dictionary are alphabetically arranged and also include topics on enculturation, accommodation, syncretism, and the sovereignty of God. This will be an important book as these kinds of discussions continue. Corrie says that it is written for church leaders, missionaries, students of missions, those involved in the teaching and practice of worldwide missions, and the non-specialists. I encourage all these categories of audiences to read this book, especially church leaders, in order to further explore the many definitions of a missional church. The church is only partially, at best, demonstrating a missional perspective.