Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

church

A Short Bibliography on the Church

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Timothy Savage, The Church: God’s New People (The Gospel Coalition Booklets; Wheaton: Crossway, 2011), 27 (numbering added):

  1. Belcher, Jim. Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2009.
  2. Calvin, John. “The External Means or Aims by Which God Invites Us Into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein.” Institutes of the Christian Religion. Book 4. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960.
  3. Carson, D. A. Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church: Understanding a Movement and Its Implications. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.
  4. Chester, Tim, and Steve Timmis. Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.
  5. Dever, Mark. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000.
  6. Dever, Mark, and Paul Alexander. The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2005.
  7. DeYoung, Kevin, and Ted Kluck. Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion. Chicago: Moody, 2009. [Cf. my review.]
  8. Edwards, Jonathan. “A Farewell Sermon.” In The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1979.
  9. Keller, Timothy. Gospel Christianity. Studies 7 and 8. New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2003.
  10. Packer, J. I. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Chap. 3. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1991. [Cf. my summary.]
  11. Stott, John. The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2007.
  12. Strauch, Alexander. Biblical Eldership: Restoring the Eldership to Its Rightful Place in Church. Colorado Springs: Lewis and Roth, 1997.

Making the Transition to Elder Governance

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This book just came out this month, and it looks like one that will serve some churches well:

Daniel Evans and Joseph Godwin Jr. Elder Governance: Insights into Making the Transition. Eugene, OR: Resource, 2011. xvii + 120 pp.

Description:

When the leadership of Patterson Park Church looked for a book explaining the process of transitioning from a board-run church to an elder-led form of church government, a structure they had come to believe was more in line with Scripture, they found none. God honored their efforts and two of their elders decided a book still needed to be written. Elder Governance: Insights into Making the Transition examines church government from a biblical and historical context and tells the story of Patterson Park’s transition. The authors are hopeful that God will use their experience to help others considering such a transition.

Table of contents: [Read more…] about Making the Transition to Elder Governance

Fear of Change

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Why do so few churches have a plurality of elders?

Benjamin L. Merkle suggests three reasons in 40 Questions about Elders and Deacons (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2008), 188–91:

  1. Lack of Qualified Men
  2. Lack of Biblical Knowledge
  3. Fear of Change

Some of his shrewd observations about fear of change apply to more than changing a church’s polity (pp. 189–90, numbering added):

Fear is a motivating factor in the lives of many people, and fear of change often is what holds back a church from adopting and implementing plural eldership.

[Pastors fear change.]

  1. Pastors fear that the congregation will reject their ideas.
  2. They fear that the church will split if they try to change the constitution or bylaws in regard to church government.
  3. They fear that their efforts will fail and the church will be worse off than before.
  4. They fear having to do the hard work of educating the congregation about eldership.
  5. Other pastors fear that they might lose some of their power and authority in the church. Newton agrees: “At the root of much opposition to plural eldership are pastors who fear the loss of their authority in the church.”

Those in the congregation are also fearful.

  1. They fear that things might not be as comfortable as they are now. [Read more…] about Fear of Change

Six Sociological Characteristics of Cults

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Ron Rhodes, The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions: The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 31–34:

SOCIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTS

I noted previously that even though cults should be defined from a theological point of view, we can nevertheless gain valuable insights into certain aspects of the cultic mentality from sociology. . . .

[1] Authoritarian Leadership

Authoritarianism involves the acceptance of an authority figure who exercises excessive control on cult members. As prophet or founder, this leader’s word is considered ultimate and final. . . .

Often this authoritarianism involves legalistic submission to the rules and regulations of the group as established by the cult leader (or, as in the case of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, submission to the Watchtower Society). Cult members are fully expected to submit, even if they do not agree with the requirements. Unquestioning obedience is compulsory.

[2] Exclusivism

Cults often believe that they alone have the truth. The cult views itself as the single means of salvation on earth; to leave the group is to endanger one’s soul. . . .

[3] Isolationism

The more extreme cults sometimes create fortified boundaries, often precipitating tragic endings (we have already mentioned the tragedies in Waco and Jonestown). Some cults require members to renounce and break off associations with parents and siblings. . . .

[4] Opposition to Independent Thinking

Some cultic groups discourage members from thinking independently. The “thinking,” as it were, has already been done for them by the cult leadership; the proper response is merely to submit. . . .

[5] Fear of Being “Disfellowshiped”

It is not uncommon in cults that people are urged to remain faithful to avoid being “disfellowshiped,” or disbarred, from the group. Again, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a prime example, for a person can be disfellowshiped merely for questioning a Watchtower doctrine. . . .

[6] Threats of Satanic Attack

Finally, some cults use fear and intimidation to keep members in line. Members may be told that something awful will happen to them should they choose to leave the group. Others may be told that Satan will attack them and may even kill them, for they will have committed the unpardonable sin. Such fear tactics are designed to induce submission. Even when people do muster enough courage to leave the group, they may endure psychological consequences and emotional baggage for years to come.

Sadly, some Christian groups share these characteristics to some degree.

Related (update on 3/31/2017): Here’s my attempt to explain how to interpret and apply the Bible:

Seven Essential Elements of an Effective Shepherding Ministry

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That’s the title of chapter 9 in this book:

Timothy Z. Witmer. The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2010. 268 pp.

Excerpts (pp. 193–224):

Fail to include one of these elements and the plan will be deficient and likely to falter. . . .

  1. An effective shepherding ministry must be biblical. . . . [U]nless the shepherding ministry is founded on biblical convictions, it is unlikely to survive. . . .
  2. An effective shepherding ministry must be systematic. . . . [T]here must be a plan. If shepherding the flock is something elders are called to do, it is important to have a well-considered strategy to accomplish the task. . . . [Read more…] about Seven Essential Elements of an Effective Shepherding Ministry

Church Planting Is for Wimps

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That’s the provocative title of a little book I recently couldn’t put down once I started reading it:

Mike McKinley. Church Planting Is for Wimps: How God Uses Messed-up People to Plant Ordinary Churches That Do Extraordinary Things. IX Marks. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. 126 pp. [Cf. Mark Dever’s interview of Mike.]

The title may mislead you to think that this isn’t a book for you, but it’s instructive on many levels for church leaders in general—not just for those who are planting or revitalizing churches.

Mike is a witty, self-effacing writer, and the book is light and entertaining, serious and insightful. I probably laughed out loud while reading it about as frequently as I do when reading Carl Trueman. Highly recommended.

Pitfalls and Benefits of Small Group Bible Study

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My church’s small groups started meeting together again last night, and this week I benefited immensely from reading this practical and insightful new book:

Orlando Saer. Iron Sharpens Iron: Leading Bible-Oriented Small Groups That Thrive. Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2010. 142 pp.

In the opening chapter (which you can read here), Saer explains three pitfalls and four benefits of small group Bible study (pp. 10–22):

Potential Pitfalls of Small Group Bible Study

  1. The vertical pushed out by the horizontal: they can turn into little more than social groups.
  2. The message sidelined by the method: members can become addicts to one way of encountering God.
  3. The blind led by the blind: meetings can become simply opportunities to pool ignorance.

Benefits of Small Group Bible Study

  1. A good place to listen to God: each can help the others study the Bible.
  2. A good place to talk to God: each can pray for the others in an informed way.
  3. A good place to care for one another: each can carry the others’ burdens.
  4. A good place from which to reach the lost: members can work together to advance the gospel.