BOOK PREVIEW

What is the role of the local church in its community?  Is the church called by God to bear witness to a watching world in a particular way?  Are we to keep the church and its message culturally relevant in a rapidly changing world?  If so, how?  The way we answer these questions will shape our self-understanding as a church and determine how we approach the task of doing ministry.  

Under the banner of 'relevance' many churches have radically altered their public face and muted the biblical message in order to persuade people that church attendance is a good investment of their time.  Their strategy is to attract people to the church's public gatherings by adopting entertaining and culturally familiar forms of communication; this will provide opportunity to demonstrate the relevance and usefulness of the Christian message.  Evangelism then is reduced to packaging the product properly and having a good marketing plan.  Style becomes more important than content and the pastor's work becomes that of promoter and motivational speaker, rather than the proclaimer of divine truth.  Without intending to the church becomes just another venue for self-improvement talks and group therapy sessions.  This is not the role of the church.  The church's call is far more profound and prophetic than this. 

In this small book I present what I consider to be the eight essential tasks of the church.  These are not newly discovered or the result of a survey of what people would like the church to be.  This profile of the church and its role in the common life of any community is found in scripture.  The Bible sets the agenda for the church's life and witness.  This does not mean, however, that we ignore the cultural complexion of our day and refuse to speak to the pressing issues where culture challenges biblical norms.  The church has to be sensitive to cultural trends and must speak in a language people understand.  But, even though we are to speak with cultural sensitivity, we must first acknowledge that the church's mission and role in the world is firmly fixed in the timeless revelation of scripture.  What makes the church relevant I any generation or cultural context is the message of the gospel.  The gospel's redemptive message addresses the most urgent need of man.  Sin and estrangement from God mars the humanity of all men everywhere.  And it is only the Christian gospel that speaks to this human condition and provides the remedy.  This is why the Christian message is always relevant and never loses its appeal.

The mission of the church is to call people into a life of Christian discipleship.  The church is to support and encourage believers in their struggles of faith and provide a community that nurtures Christian character and vision in its members.  What distinguishes the church is that it is called to be a gospel-centered community, a worshiping community, a confessing community, a proclaiming community, an edifying community, a serving community, a thinking community, and a praying community.  I think these eight tasks form the core of the church's call and role in the world.  

Stan Way