Sojourners and Strangers E-Book

Gregg R. Allison

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Foundations of Evangelical Theology
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 1139

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

What is a church? This can be a difficult question to answer and Christians have offered a variety of perspectives. Gregg Allison thus explores and synthesizes all that Scripture affirms about the new covenant people of God, capturing a full picture of the biblical church. He covers the topics of the church's identity and characteristics; its growth through purity, unity, and discipline; its offices and leadership structures; its ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper; and its ministries. Here is a rich approach to ecclesiology consisting of sustained doctrinal reflection and wise, practical application. Part of the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.

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“I believe that the doctrine of the church will be the most urgent locus of theological reflection over the next generation. In Sojourners and Strangers, Gregg Allison clears the ground by presenting a thoroughly biblical ecclesiology, at once comprehensive in scope and sensitive to nuance. A welcome addition to an important series.”

Timothy George, Founding Dean, Beeson Divinity School of Samford University; general editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

“This is a timely, thorough, biblical, practical, and helpful book on the church. It helps us to understand Jesus’ church, and to love her and serve her as Jesus does. Having heard Dr. Allison teach this content, I am thrilled it’s finally in print.”

Mark Driscoll, Founding and Preaching Pastor, Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Washington; Founder, Resurgence; Co-founder, Acts 29; New York Times #1 best-selling author

“The doctrine of the church is one that continues to divide Christians, and especially Protestants, from one another. Dr. Gregg Allison has grasped this thorny nettle and produced a book that presents both the basic principles that unite us and the controversies that continue to produce different ecclesial formations. He maintains his own conservative, Reformed Baptist convictions while being fair to those who hold other views, making his book a valuable contribution to our understanding of this vitally important subject.”

Gerald Bray, author, God Is Love

“I am a full-time pastor, and therefore I must be a full-time theologian. As a pastor, my highest calling is to honor Jesus by shepherding his flock. As a theologian, my highest calling is to laud Jesus publically as the hope of the world. Quite frankly, I need help as I deal with real life difficulties that I could not fictionally create. Dr. Allison’s work in Sojourners and Strangers is the most helpful, theologically driven manual for leading in the church. If you buy it, you’ll wear it out.”

Tyler Jones, Lead Pastor, Vintage21 Church, Raleigh, North Carolina; Regional Director, Acts 29 Church Planting Network; Founder, Advance the Church

“Gregg Allison’s Sojourners and Strangers is historically informed, exegetically driven, and theological precise. Even more, this timely tour-de-force ecclesiology displays a love for the church and is written for the church!”

Chris Morgan, Dean and Professor of Theology, School of Christian Ministries, California Baptist University

“No longer can one regard ‘evangelical ecclesiology’ as a contradiction in terms. Among the many recent evangelical volumes on the doctrine of the church, Allison’s will undoubtedly prove to be the standard treatment for years to come. This excellent book is biblically faithful, historically informed, and pastorally relevant. One need not agree with Allison on every point of interpretation to profit immensely from his insights. I struggle to think of another volume on the subject that combines both theological depth and practical wisdom in such readable fashion as does Allison. I cannot recommend it too highly.”

Sam Storms, Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; author, Chosen for Life and More Precious than Gold

“Dr. Gregg Allison has done a masterful job of writing a thorough yet practical analysis of the church. This volume is a ‘must read’ for any serious pastor or theologian who desires to look into the heart of evangelical ecclesiology. As a conservative Christian and pastor of a local church I am too quick to recommend or make decisions regarding the ‘practice’ of the local church with little thought of accountability or connectedness to the church both universal or historical. Allison brings such breadth and depth to the beauty of the church by tracing every section through the early church, Catholic Church, Reformation, and into our contemporary culture and times. I especially appreciated Gregg’s willingness to address prominent issues churches are currently struggling with—such as church governance or the ‘multisite’ movement. This book fills the void that has long existed in most evangelicals’ libraries!”

Jeffrey T. Gilmore, Senior Pastor, Parkview Evangelical Free Church, Iowa City, Iowa

“Writing an evangelical ecclesiology is a difficult task, due to the fact that evangelicals differ on many aspects of ecclesiology. All will not agree with the positions taken by Gregg Allison in Sojourners and Strangers, but all will profit from his detailed study. He is especially thorough in his treatment of polity and the ordinances, and goes down some seldom-explored paths in his opening sections. At points, his arguments require careful reading, but often open up new perspectives. I commend it to students of ecclesiology.”

John S. Hammett, Associate Dean for Theological Studies, Professor of Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; author Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches

“In this comprehensive treatment of the doctrine of the church, Gregg Allison brings a depth of doctrinal reflection, scriptural understanding, and practical wisdom to bear. Interacting with various ecclesiological perspectives throughout church history and today, he provides a balanced, biblical, and up-to-date treatment of topics from the characteristics of the church, to church government, to church ministry—all informed by his understanding of the paradoxical nature of the church as both part of the world and yet looking to another Kingdom. This work will make a major theological contribution to the expanding literature on the doctrine of the church.”

Justin Holcomb, Executive Director, The Resurgence; Lead Pastor, Mars Hill Church U-District; Adjunct Professor of Theology and Culture, Reformed Theological Seminary; co-author, Rid of My Disgrace

“Gregg Allison has done evangelicals a great service with a true theology of the church. In the endless stream of books and blogs on technique and pragmatics of doing church, Sojourners and Strangers gives an answer to the question ‘what is a church?’ that is superbly written, soundly biblical, theologically coherent, and practically applicable. His expertise in historical theology and his experience in leadership in a variety of types of churches enrich his profound biblical insights. It is a must read for all who are serious about leadership in the church of Jesus Christ.”

Gerry Breshears, Professor of Theology, Western Seminary

SOJOURNERSANDSTRANGERS

Foundations of Evangelical Theology Series

JOHN S. FEINBERG, GENERAL EDITOR

The Cross and Salvation

BRUCE DEMAREST

He Who Gives Life

GRAHAM A. COLE

No One Like Him

JOHN S. FEINBERG

To Know and Love God

DAVID K. CLARK

Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church

Copyright © 2012 by Gregg R. Allison

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

First printing 2012

Printed in the United States of America

Adaptations from Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011) are taken from Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, by Gregg R. Allison. Copyright 2011 by Gregg R. Allison. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture references marked NIV (1984) are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture references marked either NIV or NIV (2011) are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked NKJV are from The New King James Version. Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

The Scripture reference marked RSV is from The Revised Standard Version. Copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The Scripture reference marked NRSV is from The New Revised Standard Version. Copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The Scripture quotation marked HCSB has been taken from The Holman Christian Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-58134-661-9 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-3601-4 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-3602-1 EPub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3603-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Allison, Gregg R.

Sojourners and strangers : the doctrine of the church /

Gregg R. Allison.

p. cm.— (Foundations of evangelical theology series)

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 978-1-58134-661-9 (hc)

1. Church.  I. Title.

BV600.3.A45       2012

2012015397

262—dc23

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

SH  22  21  20  19  18  17  16  15  14  13  12

15  14  13  12  11  10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

Dedicated to Pastor Bruce Boria and the Gifted Leaders of Hinson Memorial Baptist Church Portland, Oregon 1997–2003 Together, We Lived The Doctrine of the Church and Pastor Daniel Montgomery and the Gifted Leaders of Sojourn Community Church Louisville, Kentucky Something from Nothing

CONTENTS

Series Introduction

Preface

Abbreviations

PART ONE: FOUNDATIONAL ISSUES

CHAPTER 1:  INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIOLOGY

Ecclesial Background and Experience

Basic Idea of the Church

Ecclesiology as a Doctrine

The Scope of Ecclesiology

The Sufficiency of Scripture

Other Sources

The Methodology for Ecclesiology

Continuity and Discontinuity between the Testaments

Biblical Language: Prescription versus Description

Basic Approaches to Ecclesiology

Concluding Question: Is Ecclesiology an Important Doctrine?

CHAPTER 2:  THE CHURCH OF THE NEW COVENANT

The Concept of the Church

The Concept of Covenant

Covenants That Were Operative before Christ

The Church of the New Covenant

The Inception of the Church

The Relationship of the Church and Israel

The Relationship of the Church and the Kingdom of God

The Identity of the Kingdom of God

The Church and the Kingdom as God’s Universal Rule and Eternal Dominion

The Church and the Kingdom as Israel

The Church and the Kingdom as Belonging to the Son of Man/Davidic King

The Church and the Kingdom as an Inaugurated Reality

The Church and the Kingdom as an Eschatological Reality

PART TWO: THE BIBLICAL VISION— CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER 3:  CHARACTERISTICS REGARDING THE ORIGIN AND ORIENTATION OF THE CHURCH

Introduction

The Church Is Doxological

The Church Is Logocentric

Logos: Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God

Logos: Scripture, the Inspired Word of God

The Church Is Pneumadynamic

Affirming the Church as Doxological, Logocentric, and Pneumadynamic

CHAPTER 4:  CHARACTERISTICS REGARDING THE GATHERING AND SENDING OF THE CHURCH

Introduction

The Church Is Covenantal

The Church in New Covenant Relationship with God through Christ

Church Members in Covenant Relationship with One Another

The Church as Covenantal: Some Specifications

The Church Is Confessional

Personal Confession of Faith in the Saving Lordship of Jesus Christ

A Common, Corporate Confession of the Church’s Faith

A Proposal

The Church Is Missional

The Church Is Spatio-temporal/Eschatological

PART THREE: THE VISION ACTUALIZED— THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER 5:  THE PURITY AND UNITY OF THE CHURCH

The Purity of the Church

The Reality of More-Pure and Less-Pure Churches

The Unity of the Church

Foundations of Church Unity

Maintaining Church Unity

CHAPTER 6:  CHURCH DISCIPLINE

Definition and Its Biblical Support

Two Key Texts and Their Application to Church Discipline

Matthew 18:15–20

1 Corinthians 5:1–13 (with 2 Corinthians 2:5–11)

Other Matters Requiring Church Discipline

Heretical Teaching

Divisiveness

Idleness

Leadership Failures

The Practice of Church Discipline

PART FOUR: THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER 7:  THE OFFICES OF THE CHURCH

The Office of Apostle

The Apostles and Their Qualifications

The Ministries of the Apostles

The Cessation of the Office of Apostle

The Office of Elder

Qualifications

Responsibilities

The Limitation of the Office of Elder to Qualified Men

The Complementarian Position

The Egalitarian Position

Responses to the Egalitarian Position

A Challenge from the Complementarian Position

The Office of Deacon/Deaconess

The Office of Service

Qualifications and Responsibilities

The Accessibility of the Office of Deacon to Both Men and Women (Deaconesses)

CHAPTER 8:  TYPES OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT

Introduction

The Supreme Headship of Jesus Christ

Historical Types of Church Government

Episcopalianism

Description

Biblical and Theological Support

Misapprehensions and Misgivings

Presbyterianism

Description

Biblical and Theological Support

Misapprehensions and Misgivings

Congregationalism

Description

Biblical and Theological Support

Misapprehensions and Misgivings

Varieties of Congregationalism

Single Pastor with Board of Deacons

Plurality of Elders

CHAPTER 9:  A MODEL OF CHURCH GOVERNANCE

Support for Strong Connections among Congregational Churches

Biblical Examples

Lessons Learned from Episcopalianism and Presbyterianism

Historical Precedents

Intense Longing for Cooperation

A Proposal for the Governance of Congregational Churches

Excursus: Multisite Churches

Biblical Support

Theological Support

A Multisite Church Model

PART FIVE: THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER 10: BAPTISM

Sacraments and Ordinances: General Discussion

A Brief History of the Development of Baptismal Theology and Practice

Baptism in the Early Church

The Turn to Infant Baptism

Reformation Changes to Baptism

Martin Luther

Huldrych Zwingli

The Anabaptists

John Calvin

Post-Reformation Developments

The Current Theological Divide between Paedobaptism and Believer’s Baptism: Who Is to Be Baptized?

Key Tenets of Infant Baptism (or Paedobaptism)

Key Tenets of Believer’s Baptism (or Credobaptism)

Evaluation of Believer’s Baptism by Paedobaptism, and Rejoinders by Believer’s Baptism

Evaluation of Paedobaptism by Believer’s Baptism, and Rejoinders by Paedobaptism

The Practice of Believer’s Baptism

The Mode of Baptism

The Meaning of Baptism

Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

Miscellaneous Matters for Believer’s Baptism

CHAPTER 11: THE LORD’S SUPPER

Historical Development: The Early and Medieval Church

The Five Principal Views of the Lord’s Supper

Catholic Transubstantiation

Lutheran Consubstantiation (or Sacramental Union)

Zwinglian Memorial View

Calvinist Spiritual Presence View

Anabaptist and Baptist Views

Biblical and Theological Framework

The Institution by Jesus Christ

The Pauline Tradition

My Perspective and Matters of Application

The Nature of the Lord’s Supper

Regular Observance with Biblically Prescribed Elements

Participants in the Lord’s Supper

Participation in a Worthy Manner

A Symbol of Church Unity

A Proleptic Celebration

PART SIX: THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER 12: MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH

Divine Enablement for Ministry: Spiritual Gifts

Apostles/Apostleship

Prophets/Prophecy

Teachers/Teaching/Pastor-teachers

Evangelists

Utterance of Wisdom and Utterance of Knowledge

Exhortation

Leading/Administration

Faith

Service/Helping

Giving

Acts of Mercy

Gifts of Healing

Working of Miracles/Miracles

Distinguishing of Spirits

Kinds of Tongues

Interpretation of Tongues

Other “Gifts”

The Church Worships the Triune God

Defining Worship

Regulative Principle versus Normative Principle

The Church Proclaims the Word of God

The Church Engages Non-Christians with the Gospel

The Church Disciples Its Members

Christian Education

Community Life

The Church Cares for People

Prayer

Giving

Financial Support of Pastors

Assistance for Those in Need

The Church Is for and against the World

PART SEVEN: CONCLUSION

CHAPTER 13: SOJOURNERS AND STRANGERS

SERIES INTRODUCTION

Why another series of works on evangelical systematic theology? This is an especially appropriate question in light of the fact that evangelicals are fully committed to an inspired and inerrant Bible as their final authority for faith and practice. But since neither God nor the Bible change, why is there a need to redo evangelical systematic theology?

Systematic theology is not divine revelation. Theologizing of any sort is a human conceptual enterprise. Thinking that it is equal to biblical revelation misunderstands the nature of both Scripture and theology! Insofar as our theology contains propositions that accurately reflect Scripture or match the world and are consistent with the Bible (in cases where the propositions do not come per se from Scripture), our theology is biblically based and correct. But even if all the propositions of a systematic theology are true, that theology would still not be equivalent to biblical revelation! It is still a human conceptualization of God and his relation to the world.

Although this may disturb some who see theology as nothing more than doing careful exegesis over a series of passages, and others who see it as nothing more than biblical theology, those methods of doing theology do not somehow produce a theology that is equivalent to biblical revelation either. Exegesis is a human conceptual enterprise, and so is biblical theology. All the theological disciplines involve human intellectual participation. But human intellect is finite, and hence there is always room for revision of systematic theology as knowledge increases. Though God and his Word do not change, human understanding of his revelation can grow, and our theologies should be reworked to reflect those advances in understanding.

Another reason for evangelicals to rework their theology is the nature of systematic theology as opposed to other theological disciplines. For example, whereas the task of biblical theology is more to describe biblical teaching on whatever topics Scripture addresses, systematics should make a special point to relate its conclusions to the issues of one’s day. This does not mean that the systematician ignores the topics biblical writers address. Nor does it mean that theologians should warp Scripture to address issues it never intended to address. Rather it suggests that in addition to expounding what biblical writers teach, the theologian should attempt to take those biblical teachings (along with the biblical mind-set) and apply them to issues that are especially confronting the church in the theologian’s own day. For example, 150 years ago, an evangelical theologian doing work on the doctrine of man would likely have discussed issues such as the creation of man and the constituent parts of man’s being. Such a theology might even have included a discussion about human institutions such as marriage, noting in general the respective roles of husbands and wives in marriage. However, it is dubious that there would have been any lengthy discussion with various viewpoints about the respective roles of men and women in marriage, in society, and in the church. But at our point in history and in light of the feminist movement and the issues it has raised even among many conservative Christians, it would be foolish to write a theology of man (or, should we say, a “theology of humanity”) without a thorough discussion of the issue of the roles of men and women in society, the home, and the church.

Because systematic theology attempts to address itself not only to the timeless issues presented in Scripture but also to the current issues of one’s day and culture, each theology will to some extent need to be redone in each generation. Biblical truth does not change from generation to generation, but the issues that confront the church do. A theology that was adequate for a different era and different culture may simply not speak to key issues in a given culture at a given time. Hence, in this series we are reworking evangelical systematic theology, though we do so with the understanding that in future generations there will be room for a revision of theology again.

How, then, do the contributors to this series understand the nature of systematic theology? Systematic theology as done from an evangelical Christian perspective involves study of the person, works, and relationships of God. As evangelicals committed to the full inspiration, inerrancy, and final authority of Scripture, we demand that whatever appears in a systematic theology correspond to the way things are and must not contradict any claim taught in Scripture. Holy Writ is the touchstone of our theology, but we do not limit the source material for systematics to Scripture alone. Hence, whatever information from history, science, philosophy, and the like is relevant to our understanding of God and his relation to our world is fair game for systematics. Depending on the specific interests and expertise of the contributors to this series, their respective volumes will reflect interaction with one or more of these disciplines.

What is the rationale for appealing to other sources than Scripture and other disciplines than the biblical ones? Since God created the universe, there is revelation of God not only in Scripture but in the created order as well. There are many disciplines that study our world, just as does theology. But since the world studied by the non-theological disciplines is the world created by God, any data and conclusions in the so-called secular disciplines that accurately reflect the real world are also relevant to our understanding of the God who made that world. Hence, in a general sense, since all of creation is God’s work, nothing is outside the realm of theology. The so-called secular disciplines need to be thought of in a theological context, because they are reflecting on the universe God created, just as is the theologian. And, of course, there are many claims in the non-theological disciplines that are generally accepted as true (although this does not mean that every claim in non-theological disciplines is true, or that we are in a position with respect to every proposition to know whether it is true or false). Since this is so, and since all disciplines are in one way or another reflecting on our universe, a universe made by God, any true statement in any discipline should in some way be informative for our understanding of God and his relation to our world. Hence, we have felt it appropriate to incorporate data from outside the Bible in our theological formulations.

As to the specific design of this series, our intention is to address all areas of evangelical theology with a special emphasis on key issues in each area. While other series may be more like a history of doctrine, this series purposes to incorporate insights from Scripture, historical theology, philosophy, etc., in order to produce an up-to-date work in systematic theology. Though all contributors to the series are thoroughly evangelical in their theology, embracing the historical orthodox doctrines of the church, the series as a whole is not meant to be slanted in the direction of one form of evangelical theology. Nonetheless, most of the writers come from a Reformed perspective. Alternate evangelical and non-evangelical options, however, are discussed.

As to style and intended audience, this series is meant to rest on the very best of scholarship while at the same time being understandable to the beginner in theology as well as to the academic theologian. With that in mind, contributors are writing in a clear style, taking care to define whatever technical term they use.

Finally, we believe that systematic theology is not just for the understanding. It must apply to life, and it must be lived. As Paul wrote to Timothy, God has given divine revelation for many purposes, including ones that necessitate doing theology, but the ultimate reason for giving revelation and for theologians doing theology is that the people of God may be fitted for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16–17). In light of the need for theology to connect to life, each of the contributors not only formulates doctrines but also explains how those doctrines practically apply to everyday living.

It is our sincerest hope that the work we have done in this series will first glorify and please God, and, secondly, instruct and edify the people of God. May God be pleased to use this series to those ends, and may he richly bless you as you read the fruits of our labors.

John S. Feinberg

General Editor

PREFACE

“What is a church?”

At first glance, this question appears to be easily answerable. For nearly two millennia, churches have been planted and expanded, have birthed other churches and gone out of existence, have advanced and regressed, have united and divided. Whether the “sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5) or covert converts meeting underground in the catacombs of Rome or in barns in eastern France, whether an 800,000-member church in Korea or a house church in Seattle, whether a storefront church in Beirut or a thatched-roof hut in Zimbabwe, the reality of churches is undeniable. And it seems that we know what a church is.

Upon further reflection, the question “What is a church?” presents a quandary. One reason for this, as hinted above, is the vast diversity of groups, assemblies, even denominations laying claim to the title “church.” One such entity, the Roman Catholic Church, insists that it and it alone is the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” church.1 Opposed to this claim since their inception, Protestant churches have articulated the “marks of the church,” essential elements that distinguish “true” churches from the “false” (i.e., Roman Catholic) church. Among these Protestant churches are hundreds of variations, including many different types of evangelical churches. Though certainly not as diverse, the Orthodox Church has its various national manifestations—the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and so on. This dizzying array of remarkable and oftentimes confusing diversity renders any answer to the question “What is a church?” quite complicated. Indeed, Howard A. Snyder, focusing his attention on just evangelical churches, has remarked, “I will argue that while there is such a thing as evangelical ecclesiology, we might more appropriately speak of evangelical ecclesiologies, in the plural, and ask what each variety might contribute to the whole.”2

Snyder articulates a second reason for the difficulty in answering the question “What is a church?” “Today, evangelical ecclesiology is (as usual!) in major transition.”3 He could have said this with reference to most current evangelical doctrines. On my bookshelves I have numerous theological works with words like “reforming” and “revisioning” in their titles. It seems, indeed, that most if not all evangelical theological formulations—e.g., the doctrine of God, theological anthropology, the atonement of Christ—are up for reconsideration and restatement today. The doctrine of the church is no exception, as a growing number of evangelicals are addressing and seeking to reformulate ecclesiology. If once there was a paucity of reflection on the doctrine of the church, it is certainly no longer the case today as a steady stream of books on evangelical ecclesiology are being published (not to mention conferences, training summits, websites, blogs, and the like).4 And I doubt that this situation is what it is because of what J. C. Hoekendijk wrote: “In history a keen ecclesiological interest has, almost without exception, been a sign of spiritual decadence. . . .”5 Without commenting on the state of spirituality today, I do take the current “keen ecclesiological interest” as an encouraging sign. But the growing amount of material on the doctrine of the church and the transition underway in evangelical ecclesiology complicate attempts at answering the question “What is a church?”

For these and other reasons, the task set before me—to write a new evangelical ecclesiology as part of Crossway’s Foundations of Evangelical Theology series—was daunting. Yet, I was encouraged to take it on by John Feinberg, my former professor, good friend, and general editor of the series. His work with me on this volume has been immense, challenging, beneficial, and greatly needed. I deeply appreciate his friendship and editorial work. I can say the same for Al Fisher at Crossway, for he kept me focused on the task and was always an encouragement personally. Bill Deckard is a master editor whose meticulous corrections and fine suggestions have made this a better, more readable book. Informally, numerous other people have contributed to this book by way of reading and critiquing it, including my former colleagues at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and my current colleagues at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Special mention must be made of Gerry Breshears, Bruce Ware, Steve Wellum, Chad Brand, Peter Gentry, and Greg Wills.

Several of my Garrett Fellows as well as participants in my Systematic Theology 3 course, my PhD seminars on ecclesiology, the PhD colloquium on ecclesiology at SBTS, and friends have read and commented on rough drafts of chapters and/or the entire work. Special thanks goes to Reid Monaghan, Aaron O’Kelley, George Cochran, Chris Bosson, Ryan Lister, Chris Bonts, Chris Clemans, Wayne Shealey, Matt Wireman, Greg Gilbert, Jason Allan, Oren Martin, Jeremy Kimble, Micah McCormick, Karl Schumacher, Jinse Kim, Soon Park, Jeremy Pierre, Lee Tankersley, Toby Jennings, Greg Jackson, Joshua Boswell, Timothy Harris, Michael Galdamaz, Michael Williams, Robbie Sagers, Phillip Bethancourt, Matthew Barrett, Luke Stamps, Kevin Webb, James Risner, Jedidiah Coppenger, Ryan Bishop, Ryan Brandt, Eric Britt, Grant Gaines, Ricky Hardison, David Knierim, Brent Parker, Darryl Pepper, Kenneth Reid, Adam Winters, Michael York, Matthew Claridge, Sung-Hyun (Joseph) Baik, William Brooks, Derek Brown, J. T. English, Joshua Jean, Walter (Scott) Lamb, John LaRue, John Morrison, Seth Osborne, Daniel Patterson, Andrew Record, David (Gene) Roberts, and John Wind. Several churches—Good Shepherd Community Church (with Steve Keels) near Portland, Oregon; Sojourn Community Church (with Daniel Montgomery) in Louisville, Kentucky; Grace Community Church (with Rod Bunton) in Tallahassee, Florida; Calvary Baptist Church (with Matt Burton) in Elgin, Illinois; All Nation’s Church (with Bob Altstadt) near Cincinnati, Ohio; Vintage21 Church (with Tyler Jones) in Raleigh, North Carolina; Immanuel Church (with Ray Ortlund Jr.) in Nashville, Tennessee; and my “Missional Ecclesiology” courses for Re:train (with Mark Driscoll/Mars Hill Church/Acts 29) in Seattle, Washington—have allowed me to experiment on them as I have taught parts of this book in sermons, retreats, Sunday school classes, courses, or special forums. Being the chairman of the board at Hinson Memorial Baptist Church in Portland and working with the leadership there (Bruce Boria, to whom this book is dedicated, and scores of others) taught me much about ecclesiology and actually how to “do church.” Their help has been immensely beneficial. Additionally, being an elder at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville and working with the other elders (Daniel Montgomery, to whom this book is also dedicated, and many others) is teaching me much about leading and shepherding a multisite church. Again, their help is so beneficial. Whatever appears here that is deficient or in error is my responsibility, not theirs. Throughout the writing of this book, my family—Nora, Lauren and Troy, Hanell and Mike, and Luke—was a constant source of encouragement, and I am continuously thankful for their support.

Finally, something else Snyder said (actually, the continuation of his earlier comment) gave me great encouragement to write this volume: “Today, evangelical ecclesiology is (as usual!) in major transition. Precisely for that reason, it faces a large opportunity. What better time to elaborate an ecclesiology that is soundly biblical and evangelical, prophetic and movemental, theologically coherent and sociologically aware, and functional for effective witness to the kingdom of God in an age of rapid globalization?”6 Though I have not aimed at all these elements and have formulated my doctrine of the church with reference to other core values, I have appreciated Snyder’s challenge to elaborate this ecclesiology. Whether I have succeeded in the task awaits your reading and assessment and, ultimately, the evaluation of Jesus Christ, the head of the church and the one who redeems and guides “sojourners and strangers” (see 1 Pet. 2:11).

___________________

1Although segments of the post–Vatican II Church largely minimized this exclusivist claim to be the only true church, Pope Benedict XVI clarified the issue by reiterating the historic position of the Church: because it and it alone possesses apostolic succession, the Catholic Church is the only true church. Accordingly, the Pope specifically denied that Protestant churches constitute true churches. See the motuproprio (July 10, 2007) of Pope Benedict XVI, “Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine of the Church,” http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html, accessed June 17, 2011.

2Howard A. Snyder, “The Marks of Evangelical Ecclesiology,” in EvangelicalEcclesiology: Reality or Illusion? ed. John G. Stackhouse (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 77. Such a comment is substantially different from the notion of multiple, divergent ecclesiologies that reflects a presupposition that the New Testament is itself so characterized by different theologies (and, hence, ecclesiologies) that any attempt to amalgamate those diverse strands so as to fashion a somewhat unified theology (or ecclesiology) is both naïve and impossible. See, for example, Graham H. Twelftree, People of the Spirit: Exploring Luke’s View of the Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009), 3. Snyder’s idea is also different from “unsynthesized surveys of New Testament ecclesiologies” (Markus Bockmuehl, “Is There a New Testament Doctrine of the Church?” in Scripture’s Doctrine and Theology’s Bible: How the New Testament Shapes Christian Dogmatics, ed. Markus Bockmuehl and Alan J. Torrance [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008], 36). An example of such a survey is Markus Bockmuehl and Michael B. Thompson, A Vision for the Church: Studies in Early Christian Ecclesiology in Honor of J. M. P. Sweet (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1997).

3Snyder, “Marks of Evangelical Ecclesiology,” 103.

4For example, the following significant works on ecclesiology have been published in the last two decades: Edmund Clowney, The Church (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995); David Smith, All God’s People: A Theology of the Church (Wheaton, IL: BridgePoint, 1996); Everett Ferguson, The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996); Craig Van Gelder, The Essence of the Church: A Community Created by the Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2000); Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical, and Global Perspectives (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002); Donald Bloesch, The Church: Sacraments, Worship, Ministry, Mission (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002); Brad Harper and Paul Metzger, Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008); Michael S. Horton, People and Place: A Covenant Ecclesiology (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2008); Gary D. Badcock, The House Where God Lives: Renewing the Doctrine of the Church for Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009).

5J. C. Hoekendijk, “The Church in Missionary Thinking,” International Review of Mission 41 (1952): 325.

6Snyder, “Marks of Evangelical Ecclesiology,” 103.

ABBREVIATIONS

ANF

Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, Philip Schaff, and Henry Wace, 10 vols. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994).

BAG

W. Bauer, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (1st ed.) (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957).

BDAG

W. Bauer, F. W. Danker, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (3rd ed.) (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999).

BECNT

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

CQ

Church Quarterly

ICC

International Critical Commentary

JETS

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

NICNT

New International Commentary on the New Testament

NIGTC

New International Greek Testament Commentary

NPNF 1

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, Philip Schaff, and Henry Wace, 14 vols. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994).

NPNF 2

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, Philip Schaff, and Henry Wace, 14 vols. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994).

PNTC

Pillar New Testament Commentary

SBJT

Southern Baptist Journal of Theology

WTJ

Westminster Theological Journal

ZECNT

Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

I

FOUNDATIONAL ISSUES

CHAPTER

ONE

INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIOLOGY

ECCLESIAL BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

To begin with the obvious, if you are reading this book, you are probably involved in a church, so you have already experienced the reality of the doctrine that I am treating. The same is true of most other doctrines: we experience the reality of the doctrine of God as we relate personally to him as Father, the doctrine of humanity as bearers of the divine image, the doctrine of sin as those fallen from what we should be, the doctrine of salvation as those rescued from our depravity and corruption, and the like.

These experiences shape our theology of God, humanity, sin, salvation, and other doctrines.

Because this may sound reasonable to some but disconcerting to others, let me clarify what I mean by it. As a systematic theologian and contributor to this Foundations of Evangelical Theology series, I firmly maintain that the source—the sole source—and the starting point of our theology is Scripture, the Word of God. So when I affirm that our experience shapes our theology, I am not advocating that experience should contribute to the content of our doctrinal formulation or be the jumping off point for it, because Scripture holds those honored positions. But our experience does influence our theology. And this is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the doctrine of the church: our weekly engagement in our church’s worship service, our observation of how our church baptizes people, our participation in our church’s celebration of the Lord’s Supper, our engagement in our church’s missional endeavors to make the gospel known, our involvement in our church’s compassionate concern for the poor and marginalized, and much more influences our ecclesiology.1

If our ecclesial background, our church experience, shapes our theology, then it has influenced my formulation of the doctrine of the church that you are about to read. Accordingly, I want you to know the broad contours of my ecclesial background. I was raised in a “liberal” church in which a good Sunday would find my minister reading from the latest Time magazine, while a bad Sunday would feature an interpretation of his dreams. Congregational and denominational money was funneled to support such radical movements as the Black Panthers and Students for a Democratic Society. Yet, it was in that church, through a parachurch movement of that very denomination, that I was genuinely confronted with the gospel of Jesus Christ and experienced the saving work of God in my life. And I was not alone in this; scores of people in that church had similar experiences and made professions of faith in Christ. When we turned to our pastor for guidance in how to continue and grow in this newfound Christian life, he dismissively assured us that our recent experience would pass in a matter of a few weeks or months. And he was correct. Lacking any follow-up and discipleship, I and most of my friends shelved Christianity and drifted away from our conversion experience.

The following year, however, I became involved in another parachurch movement, Campus Crusade for Christ, through which I learned to make progress as a Christ-follower. I also became seriously involved in evangelism and discipleship of others, while minimally being connected with a local church. Eventually, this element of church involvement became more pronounced, and I even became co-pastor of a small evangelical Baptist church in Switzerland while continuing my work with Campus Crusade. Primarily, this increased local church association was with Baptist churches (Italian-Swiss Baptist, Baptist General Conference, Conservative Baptist) and the Evangelical Free Church of America. Most recently, my teaching career has brought me into association with churches in the Southern Baptist Convention.

This quick tour is intended to highlight one thing: my association with parachurch movements and my membership in various churches and denominations has shaped me and influences this present work on ecclesiology. This ecclesial background forms part of the preunderstanding2 that I bring to my formulation of doctrine, including my theology of the church. Certainly, many other factors contribute to my theological worldview: my deep appreciation for historical theology, particularly that of the early church and the Calvinist wing of the Reformation;3 my strong commitment to the first five ecumenical councils (Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon, and Constantinople II; I also lean favorably toward Constantinople III); my cross-cultural experience; my complementarian view of human genderedness; my continuationist (not cessationist nor Pentecostal) view of spiritual gifts; and many other elements. But important for the purpose of this book, my ecclesial background and experience exert an influence on my doctrine of the church.

And so it surely is with all who read this book. Your ecclesial experience influences your ecclesiology, whether that is a well-developed, studied conviction concerning the church, or a subconscious, intuitive sense of what constitutes the church and its ministries.

To the degree that your church background intersects with some aspects of my experience, you will likely feel at home with my presentation. Likewise, to the degree that your ecclesial experience diverges from some aspects of my background, you will likely find yourself at odds with my ecclesiology. In either case, it is my hope that you will follow appreciatively the development of my ecclesiology—particularly as I ground it on Scripture, the source and starting point of theology—and that you will be benefited by the work at hand.

BASIC IDEA OF THE CHURCH4

So that you may know the basic direction in which I am heading in this book, I offer at its outset a summary of my ecclesiology, beginning with a definition of the church.

The church is the people of God who have been saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and have been incorporated into his body through baptism with the Holy Spirit. It consists of two interrelated elements: the universal church is the fellowship of all Christians that extends from the day of Pentecost until the second coming, incorporating both the deceased believers who are presently in heaven and the living believers from all over the world. This universal church becomes manifested in local churches characterized by being doxological, logocentric, pneumadynamic, covenantal, confessional, missional, and spatio-temporal/eschatological. Local churches are led by pastors (also called elders) and served by deacons, possess and pursue purity and unity, exercise church discipline, develop strong connections with other churches, and celebrate the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Equipped by the Holy Spirit with spiritual gifts for ministry, these communities regularly gather to worship the triune God, proclaim his Word, engage non-Christians with the gospel, disciple their members, care for people through prayer and giving, and stand both for and against the world.

Each element of this definition requires a brief explanation at this point and will be discussed more fully as the book progresses.

The definition emphasizes at the outset that the church is the people of God or, in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, “the communion of saints.” In keeping with the title of this book, the church is composed of a particular people: “sojourners and strangers” (see 1 Pet. 2:11). In contrast with some common notions today,5 it is not a building (e.g., the red brick colonial-style building with white pillars and a steeple just a few blocks down from where we live), a denominational tag (e.g., the Presbyterian Church USA), a national or state church (e.g., the Lutheran Church of Sweden), avatars worshiping together in the virtual world of Second Life, or the Catholic Church (with its claim that “the one Church of Christ . . . subsists in the Catholic Church”).6 Rather, the church is people; specifically, the church is the new covenant people of God. Though the people of God have existed from the beginning of the human race (one thinks especially of the people of Israel who lived under the old covenant), the church (adhering to the new covenant) did not exist prior to the first coming of Jesus Christ.7 He is the Redeemer who accomplished salvation through his atoning death and resurrection for the people of God who compose the church. It is through the gospel, and a response to it of repentance from sin and faith in Christ, that Christians have been saved (and by this term I mean all aspects of the mighty work of God that are commonly regarded as comprising salvation, including election, effective calling, regeneration, justification, union with Christ, adoption, sanctification, and perseverance). An additional aspect of the salvific work of God—one that is often overlooked but relates directly to the identity of the members of the church—is the incorporation of Christians into the body of Christ as he baptizes them with the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, all who are “in Christ” are de facto “in the church” and constitute its members.

The church consists of two interrelated elements, commonly referred to as the “universal” church and “local” churches. The universal church is the company of all Christians stretching from its inception (accomplished by the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and created by the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost) to Christ’s second coming at the end of this present age (or, more specifically, the rapture of the church prior to his return).8 It incorporates both the deceased believers who are currently in the presence of Christ in heaven and the living believers scattered throughout the world.9 Whereas the former aspect of the universal church is gathered together as the “heavenly” church, the latter aspect does not assemble, does not possess a structure or organization, does not have human leaders, and does not have a specific space-time address. These intangibles do not render the universal church any less real, however, as the next point demonstrates.10

This universal church (at least its living members) is manifested (by Christ, its head, and the Spirit) and manifests itself (through Christians associating themselves with one another) in local churches,11 which are characterized by seven attributes.12 The first three are characteristics regarding the origin and orientation of the church: it is (1) doxological, or oriented to the glory of God; (2) logocentric, or centered on the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ, and the inspired Word of God, Scripture; and (3) pneumadynamic, or created, gathered, gifted, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The final four are characteristics regarding the gathering and sending of the church: it is (4) covenantal, or gathered as members in new covenant relationship with God and in covenantal relationship with each other; (5) confessional, or united by both personal confession of faith in Christ and common confession of the Christian faith; (6) missional, or identified as the body of divinely called and divinely sent ministers to proclaim the gospel and advance the kingdom of God; and (7) spatio-temporal/eschatological, or assembled as a historical reality (located in space and time) and possessing a certain hope and clear destiny while it lives the strangeness of ecclesial existence in the here-and-now.

Local churches are led by qualified and publicly recognized men who are called pastors or elders (or bishops or overseers) who have the responsibilities of teaching sound doctrine, governing (under the headship of Christ), praying (especially for the sick), and shepherding (leading through exemplary lifestyles). These assemblies are also served by deacons, qualified and publicly recognized men and women who serve Jesus Christ in the many church ministries. Because of divine grace and provision, local churches possess both purity and unity; because of sin, however, they must also pursue greater purity and maintain unity through both divine aid and Spirit-empowered human effort. When their members persist in sin, churches exercise discipline for the purposes of restoring erring members and rectifying entrenched sinful situations, restraining such sin-saturated realities, and preserving the honor of Christ and their own reputation. Churches also develop strong connections with other churches for the purposes of cooperative and more effective ministry, the sharing of resources, mutual accountability, and the like. And they celebrate the two ordinances of their covenantal relationship with God through Christ: the initiatory new covenant rite of baptism and the continuing new covenant rite of the Lord’s Supper.

Church members are equipped with gifts, given by the Holy Spirit, and they exercise those spiritual gifts in carrying out the ministries of the church. These ministries are: worshiping the triune God, proclaiming his Word through the preaching of Scripture, engaging non-Christians with the gospel, discipling their members through education and sharing in community life, caring for people through prayer and giving, and standing both for and against the world by helping the poor and marginalized through holistic ministries and denouncing the evils wrought by sin.

From this definition one can see my basic orientation to ecclesiology: from the ontology or nature of the church flow the church’s functions. As will be discussed later, a third category of approaches to this doctrine—teleological approaches—exists. I will subsume this category under my ontological orientation for reasons to be discussed then.

My task throughout this book is to explain and support this doctrine of the church. Before embarking on this task, however, I must address a number of foundational issues. These introductory matters will set forth how I will construct my ecclesiology.13

ECCLESIOLOGY AS A DOCTRINE

As a locus, or topic, commonly included among the other loci of systematic theology—the doctrines of Scripture, God, angels, humanity, sin, Christ, Holy Spirit, salvation, and eschatology—ecclesiology comes from two Greek terms, ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), or church, and λόγος (logos), or word/study. Accordingly, ecclesiology is the study of the church, and this doctrine treats the issues of the church’s definition, covenantal relationship with God, relationship to Israel and the kingdom of God, characteristics, governance, ordinances, and ministries. As a doctrine of evangelical theology, ecclesiology considers biblical affirmations about the church and synthesizes all those teachings into a coherent whole, thereby setting forth what evangelicals are to believe today about the church. This systematic theology of the church is developed in conjunction with other disciplines. “Exegetical theology seeks to determine the meaning of biblical texts. Biblical theology describes the progressive revelation found in Scripture by examining the theology of its various groupings (e.g., the theology of the Pentateuch and the theology of the Synoptic Gospels). It also traces the many themes in these biblical groupings and notes their development over time. . . . Historical theology is the study of the interpretation of Scripture and the formulation of doctrine by the church of the past.”14 Through solid interpretation of all relevant texts of Scripture treating the topic of the church (exegetical theology), careful consideration of themes about the church in, for example, Pauline literature and Peter’s writings and how they relate to each other (biblical theology), and aided by wisdom from the past in terms of a chastened tradition concerning the church (historical theology), a systematic theology of the church—ecclesiology—is developed.

THE SCOPE OF ECCLESIOLOGY

The Sufficiency of Scripture

The preceding section emphasized the importance of Scripture in the construction of ecclesiology. Such attention to the Word of God is a hallmark of evangelical theology and flows from, inter alia, the Protestant affirmation of the sufficiency of Scripture. As Wayne Grudem explains, “The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.”15 In terms of how this attribute of Scripture is relevant for the doctrine of the church, the issue becomes, is Scripture sufficient for the construction of our ecclesiology? The answer will fall somewhere in three different camps.

The first view is that Scripture is not sufficient for the development of ecclesiology. Most evidently, this is the position of the Catholic Church. Because of its commitment to divine revelation being transmitted through two distinct modes—sacred Scripture and holy Tradition—the Church “does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone.”16 Catholic Tradition, therefore, provides further divine revelation for the Church in terms of its formulation of ecclesiology. In a very different way—informally, rather than formally—other churches and denominations hold to the insufficiency of Scripture, erecting church traditions (e.g., how the Lord’s Supper is served, the placement of the pulpit in the sanctuary, the use of hymns rather than choruses) that rival and perhaps even trump Scripture for authority in determining their ecclesiological doctrine and practices. All of these different perspectives deny for different reasons the sufficiency of Scripture for the development of ecclesiology.

The second view is that Scripture is wholly sufficient with regard to ecclesiology. This sufficiency extends not only to all general areas on which Christians of all stripes find themselves in agreement (e.g., the church is the body of Christ, with Christ as the head and officers or ministers functioning as leaders of local churches under his lordship). It also encompasses all specific areas that have historically divided the church (e.g., a specific form of church government). For example, Robert Reymond, articulating a Presbyterian ecclesiology, explains,

[O]ur Presbyterian forefathers, taking the sufficiency of Holy Scripture seriously with respect to church government, appealed to Scripture alone. . . . They perceived clearly that to believe that the Word of God is insufficient in its instruction for ordering the church’s government and affairs is, first, to imply that Christ is not adequately or effectively ruling over and guiding his church, second, to overturn Christ’s unique and absolute headship over his church, and thereby, third, to open the door for men to substitute their wills and desires as the standard of what should be ordered and done in Christ’s church.17

While some would disagree with Reymond’s specific interpretation of sufficient Scripture—which in his case results in the Presbyterian model of church government—this does not mean that they would disagree with his contention that Scripture is sufficient, even for matters of ecclesial oversight. Indeed, most congregationalists would insist that the sufficiency of Scripture demonstrates that their model of church government is the correct one.18 It is the interpretation, not the sufficiency, of Scripture that is the issue, for Scripture is considered to be wholly sufficient for the development of ecclesiology.

The third view is that Scripture is sufficient in all those areas in which it aims to be sufficient with regard to ecclesiology. For example, proponents of this perspective may hold that Scripture is sufficient for prescribing the essential marks of the church to be the preaching of the Word of God and the administration of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Thus, and because of the sufficiency of Scripture in this realm, for any church to be a true church, it must focus on these two elements. At the same time, these proponents may hold that Scripture is not sufficient with regard to the form of church government that should be adopted. Though Scripture indeed addresses the matter of governance, other sources contribute to the determination of how the church is to be governed. A case in point is the Anglican Communion. According to the preface to the Ordinal of the Book of Common Prayer, “It is evident unto all men diligently reading holy Scriptureand ancient Authors, that from the Apostles’ time there have been these Orders of Ministers in Christ’s Church: Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.”19 As far as the churches of the Anglican Communion are concerned, the threefold ministry does not derive solely from Scripture but from both Scripture and the writings of the early church Fathers. Moreover, these churches do not affirm that the three-tiered ministry was instituted by apostolic decision; rather, they claim it has been in place since the apostles’ time (with no comment on the extent of the apostolic responsibility for the threefold division). This example demonstrates the third position, which affirms the sufficiency of Scripture for what it aims to be sufficient in, while denying such sufficiency for other aspects of ecclesiology.20

My personal position on this matter is that Scripture is wholly sufficient with regard to ecclesiology (the second position). This view will become particularly important and apparent when I address the issues of worship and church government. But my affirmation of Scripture’s sufficiency will be evident throughout this book as I make constant reference to Scripture, wherever it makes affirmations that are pertinent to ecclesiology.

Other Sources

Several other sources vie for consideration in the formulation of the doctrine of the church, and I want to address two in particular: the social sciences and liturgical theology.

Given the interdisciplinary context in which scholarly theological discussions are developed today, a comment about interaction with other disciplines, especially the social sciences, is in order. Though a fairly recent addition to the “evangelical toolbox” for theological construction, the social sciences (e.g., anthropology, psychology, sociology) have become paramount in the last several decades, and many evangelicals are turning to them for building their doctrine of the church.

A leading example of this was Stanley Grenz, whose theological method included the source of culture (in addition to the sources of Scripture and historical theology).21 For example, Grenz explored the idea of boundaries, looking at both biblical affirmations and set theory.22 From the latter came two notions of sets: a “bounded set” and a “centered set.” Grenz applied set theory to ecclesiology:

Viewing the category Christian as a bounded set launches us on a quest to determine which beliefs and practices identify persons as Christians and separate them from non-Christians. It leads as well to a keen desire to differentiate clearly between persons who are Christians and those who are not, doing so on the basis of outward manifestations such as adherence to certain beliefs and conformity to certain practices. . . . (V)iewing the category Christian as a centered set shifts the focus away from attempts to define the church by appeal to its boundaries. Rather the emphasis is on Christ as the defining center of the church, and the church is seen as a people gathered around—or in relationship to—Christ.23

Whatever one may make of this proposal, it serves only as an example of how social science considerations can be called into service for the formation of ecclesiology.24

Without minimizing the important role of the social sciences, given the fact that I am charged with the task of constructing a theology of the church—and that such doctrine is to be developed from Scripture, not from these other disciplines—I will not bring social science considerations into the formation of my ecclesiology.25

Because of the growing interest in liturgical theology as a source for ecclesiology, a comment on this discipline is in order. Liturgical theology, in its primary sense, can be defined as the discipline that studies the nature, attributes, and mighty works of God (theology, used in its narrower sense as the doctrine of God, or theology proper) employing as its source the liturgy—the actual experience of worship—of the church (liturgical).26 In the hands of some theologians, liturgical theology has taken on a secondary sense. In this case, it can be defined as the discipline that studies the nature, attributes, and ministries of the church (theology in its broader sense as the doctrines of Christianity, including ecclesiology), employing as its source the liturgy—the actual experience of worship—of the church (liturgical). Liturgical theology developed from “the formula lex orandi est lex credendi (‘the rule of praying is the rule of belief’),”27 emphasizing that the liturgical practices of the church at worship—its singing, praying, celebrating the ordinances, and the like—shape its doctrinal formulation and, specifically for our purposes, its ecclesiology.28

As already highlighted, it is a matter of fact that our church experience exerts an influence on our ecclesiology, and part of that church experience is our experience of the church at worship—the church’s liturgy. How a church performs a baptism, for example, is determined, certainly, by its theology of baptism. At the same time, however, and in some cases more strongly, the church’s actual regular administration of this ordinance is determined by how the church has always practiced baptism.29 So it is with the church’s celebration of the Lord’s Supper: certainly, the narratives of Jesus’ institution of this ordinance (Matt. 26:17–30 and par.) and the Pauline tradition (1 Cor. 10:14–22; 11:17–34) provide the biblical parameters governing the church’s theological understanding of the Lord’s Supper. At the same time, however, and in some cases more strongly, the church’s actual regular administration of this ordinance is determined by how the church has always celebrated the Lord’s Supper.30

Acknowledging with appropriate gravity the influence of the church’s liturgy, as an evangelical who champions the authority of Scripture over all things—including the church’s actual doctrines and practices—I must and do place liturgical theology in a ministerial role in the development of my ecclesiology.31 All doctrines, traditions, and practices are to be chastened by Scripture, which is the norma normans (the norming or determining norm), not the norma normata (the normed or determined norm).32