The Transforming Community: The Practice of the Gospel in Church DisciplineMark Lauterbach (Christian Focus, 2003)
Mention church discipline, and people either duck under the pews or leave the church. But Mark Lauterbach aims to resurrect this forgotten element of Christian community.
Lauterbach’s purpose “is not that we create perfect churches, but that we have in place the right metrics for assessing where problems are and the right principles for addressing them.”
If the church is to be the redemptive body God intended her to be, then discipline must be present.
“In every case [of church discipline], Paul applies the Gospel to the life of the church. He does not speak of morality only. … He works out the meaning of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as it speaks to every issue. We must keep the Gospel in the center. If we lose the Gospel, we lose everything.”
In a world of high divorce rates, murder, suicide, drug abuse, domestic violence, premarital sex, etc., the church must be a place where sins are dealt with redemptively and in love. Tolerating sin is not dealing with it. Tolerating sin corrupts not just the individual sinner alone, but the entire Body of Christ.
“Is church discipline really worth the cost? After all, people may get their feelings hurt, or they may stop attending church altogether.” Lauterbach apparently believes so. Without it, the church fails her scriptural mandate.
Lauterbach’s analysis is exceptional, but breaking down the theory and putting it into practice is the challenge.
I would have appreciated more instruction on implementing church discipline in an effective and positive manner. Overall, however, Lauterbach’s book is an excellent resource to understand the purpose of church discipline.
Todd Hallman, Luling, Louisiana
Beyond the BoxBill Easum and Dave Travis (Group, 2003)
Church consultants Bill Easum and Dave Travis identified several urban and suburban churches successfully implementing a radical new church structure. Their book encourages pastors to think of forms as not just “outside the box,” but “beyond the box.”
Catchy phrase aside, churches like Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Community Christian Church of Naperville, Illinois, are courageously and rapidly reaching their communities. Box details factors common to these growing churches: They share leadership among dozens of teams and lay pastors, with emphasis on equipping leaders. They focus on affecting an entire community and aren’t afraid to harness ecumenical cooperation to do it. Their commitment to multiplying ministry leads them to launch worship communities in multiple locations.
Small and rural churches have little hope of implementing these concepts in their entirety. But such churches teach us all that multiplying ministry is far more contagious than just adding one piece at a time.
Drew Zahn, Stratford, Iowa
The 7 Churches Not in the Book of RevelationGene Mims (Broadman & Holman, 2001)
Every pastor wakes up one day and fears he’s not where he wants to be. Motivation down. Church needy. Is it time to move on? Not necessarily, says Gene Mims. The pastor should consider whether his skills fit the congregation’s needs.
“One of the biggest reasons ministers are disappointed and unfulfilled today is that we want a church we don’t have, or have a church we don’t want.”
Churches are diverse, but predictable, Mims says, offering seven templates: the university church, the arena church, the corporate church, the machine church, the family chapel, the legacy church, and the community church. He describes the needs of each type of church and their picture of an ideal pastor.
The strength of this book is Mims’ concern for the pastors who can’t find their fit. “The greatest mistake of all: believing that the next church will be the right church.”
John E. Lee, Waukegan, Illinois
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