Reading "Mission of the Church" Together
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So apparently What Is the Mission of the Church? has been released earlier than we expected. That's great! (Though I see that Amazon is still saying "Ships in 1 to 3 months." Wonder what's up with that.)
Somebody mentioned in a comment on an earlier post that it would be fun to read through WITMOTC as a group, and then have some interaction. I think it's a great idea. So here's the deal. Over the next 6-8 weeks, I'll post a section of the book here at 9Marks that you should read by a certain date, and then post some introductory comments on that section in another post. Then, for the next week or so, I'll try to interact with questions and thoughts that come in through the comments section.
A couple of things:
First, I haven't talked with Kevin about this. Maybe I'll be able to get him to drop his head in sometime, too, but just as truth in advertising, this is "Read the Book with One of the Authors," not necessarily both of us.
Second, please please please keep your comments and questions relatively short, and please limit it to one or two questions per post, not twenty at a time. I'm a pastor, and you'll help me by not posting article-length comments. Actually, again just as truth in advertising, my eyes have a habit of skipping over loooooooong comments, and I seldom ever click through to an article on another site. That kind of thing could step on entire days that I need to be using in ministering to my own church. So....that's fair warning.
I think this could be a lot of fun, and a good chance to discuss a really important topic. So here's the first bit of homework if you want to do this with me. The book is out there, so get yourself a copy of it (Kindle is fast), and read the first two chapters by next Monday, September 26. We'll spend that week discussing those two chapters here at 9Marks.
Have a great week, and I'll see you next Monday.
Greg Gilbert's Posts
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Thanks so much - this is really appreciated. I received my book, I think, only last week - reading together with one of the authors is an unexpected BONUS.
Initial question after reading chapter 1: You guys spend a good bit of time defining "mission" (and very helpfully so), but not much defining the other key term in the title - church. Why not?
Seems like a lot of the confusion over this issue is bound up in evangelical muddle-headedness about what, exactly, the church is. "The church" can be any old group of Christians, and so when there's any work for Christians to undertake together, it's assumed that "the church" is the one to do it.
One of the helpful insights that folks like Kuyper and his followers make is that the church isn't the only social institution where believers can (and perhaps should) work together. We can love our neighbors by working together in organizations that aren't the church, but at the same time aren't just a lot of individual Christians doing their own thing.
Great. Just bought the book on Kindle. I have been looking forward to this book for quite some time and is really excited about reading it with the author(s).
great question Jeff---I second your first question after ordering a dozen to hand out this will be great to walk through and get author's intent!
Marc Mullins
great question Jeff---I second your first question after ordering a dozen to hand out this will be great to walk through and get author's intent!
Marc Mullins
I would love to hear more on that question on defining the church: institution or body? Was the definition assumed if so what is it?
Received the book a couple of weeks ago. The chapter, "Are We Missing the Whole Gospel?" is worth the price of the book by itself. Great, solid stuff every Christian should read!
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