The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Louisville, KY 40280
27640 DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
November 3, 2014
taught in conjunction with the Sojourn Network Conference November 3-5, 2014
Gregg R. Allison, instructor
SYLLABUS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Issues concerning the nature of the church and the practice of ministry in and through the
church will be examined. Various areas are treated in this seminar, e.g., historic
understandings of the marks of the church, Baptist ecclesiology in comparison and
contrast to other traditions, the relation of church and para-church organizations, and the
role of the church within the larger culture.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Develop the students’ overall doctrine of the church by considering crucial biblical,
theological, historical, denominational, practical, and contemporary cultural issues that
influence ecclesiology.
2. Advance the students’ convictions regarding the nature, purpose, ministries, marks,
purity, unity, offices, government, and ordinances of the church.
3. Engage the students in a critique of several contemporary developments in
ecclesiology.
4. Stimulate biblical and theological discussion of important practical issues (e.g., sole
pastor vs. elder-led vs. elder-ruled church government, roles of deacons and deaconesses)
in ecclesiology.
5. Highlight for students the distinctives of Reformed, Baptist, complementarian,
missional ecclesiology.
REQUIRED TEXTS
main texts:
Gregg R. Allison, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church (Wheaton,
IL: Crossway, 2012): read the entire book
Timothy Keller, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your
City (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012): read the entire book
choose one general work on the doctrine of the church:
Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely
Methods, Re:Lit Books (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008)
John Hammett, Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary
Ecclesiology (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2006)
Edmund P. Clowney, The Church (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1995)
David Smith, All God’s People: A Theology of the Church (Eugene, OR: Wipf &
Stock, 2004)
Michael S. Horton, People and Place: A Covenant Ecclesiology (Louisville, KY:
Westminster John Knox, 2008)
Everett Ferguson, The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today (Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996)
advanced reading from a moderate evangelical or non-evangelical perspective (you
may substitute one of these books for a general work on the doctrine of the church)
Gary D. Badcock, The House Where God Lives: Renewing the Doctrine of the
Church for Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009)
Brad Harper and Paul Metzger, Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and
Ecumenical Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2008)
Miroslav Volf, After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998)
Donald G. Bloesch, The Church: Sacraments, Worship, Ministry, Mission. Christian
Foundations (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002)
Wolfhart Pannenberg, Spirit, Faith, and Church (Westminster, 1970)
Wolfhart Pannenberg, The Church (Westminster John Knox, 1983)
Jürgen Moltmann, The Church in the Power of the Spirit: A Contribution to
Messianic Ecclesiology, trans. Margaret Kohl (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1975)
Peter Hodgson, Revisioning the Church: Ecclesial Freedom in the New Paradigm
(Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1988)
Michael Jinkins, The Church Faces Death: Ecclesiology in a Post-Modern Context
(New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999)
Gabriel Fackre, The Church, Sign of the Spirit and Signs of the Times, The Christian
Story: A Pastoral Systematics, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007)
choose one popular-level book:
Darrin Patrick, Church Planter: The Man, the Message, the Mission (Wheaton:
Crossway, 2010)
Robert Lewis and Rob Wilkins, The Church of Irresistible Influence: Bridge-Building
Stories to Help Reach Your Community (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001)
Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger, Simple Church: Returning to God’s Process for
Making Disciples (Nashville, TN: B & H, 2006)
Rodney Harrison, Tom Cheyney, and Don Overstreet, Spin-Off Churches: How One
Church Successfully Plants Another (Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2008)
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Everyday Church: Mission by Being Good Neighbors
(Nottingham: Inter-Varsity, 2011)
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church: A Radical Reshaping Around Gospel
and Community (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008)
Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger, Simple Church: Returning to God's Process for
Making Disciples (Nashville, TN: B & H, 2006)
Jim Belcher, Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional
(Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2009)
Chris Bruno and Matt Dirks, Churches Partnering Together: Biblical Strategies for
Fellowship, Evangelism, and Compassion (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014).
you may substitute another popular-level book with your instructor’s permission
choose one book on a contemporary issue:
Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand
Narrative (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2006)
Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger, Emerging Churches: Creating Christian
Community in Postmodern Cultures (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2005)
Scott McConnell and Ed Stetzer, Multi-Site Churches: Guidance for the Movement’s
Next Generation (Nashville, TN: B & H, 2009)
Darrell L. Guder and Lois Barrett, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the
Church in North America. The Gospel and Our Culture Series (Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans, 1998)
Craig Van Gelder, The Ministry of the Missional Church: A Community Led by the
Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007)
Craig Van Gelder, The Essence of the Church: A Community Created by the Spirit
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2000)
Brad House, Community: Taking Your Small Group Off Life Support (Crossway,
2011)
Mike Cosper, Rhythms of Grace: How the Church’s Worship Tells the Story of the
Gospel (Crossway, 2013)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Attendance at, and participation in, the entire class session as well as attendance of
the Sojourn Network Conference in its entirety (including breakouts).
Please come prepared to our class meeting for biblically and theologically sound and
constructive discussions. Make sure your contributions are thoughtful and helpful in
advancing class understanding. This is not a time for verbal processors to restate what
your instructor says in his lectures in order to digest the material. Because of the
condensed nature of this course, no absence is permitted for any reason.
2. Viewing of online lectures prior to course: View all course lectures before the
course begins on November 3.
Students will view all course lectures in conjunction with their reading, and will
indicate the percentage of lectures completed on the Pre-Course Assignment Report.
(along with course reading).
3. Pre-course reading assignments: Thorough reading of the assigned materials; all
reading due before the course begins.
Students will report on the percentage of reading completed. All students will upload
a document to Moodle, before the class begins on November 3, indicating the
percentage read of the following books: Sojourners and Strangers, Center Church, a
general work (personal choice), a popular-level work (personal choice), and a
contemporary issue (personal choice).
4. Post-course final paper. You will work on the following assignments as you write a
final paper. Follow these instructions for each aspect of your final paper assignment.
The page number in parentheses at the end of each point indicates approximately how
many pages that section should be. You do not need to follow them rigidly
(exception: the definition of the church must be no more than 100 words), but
significant divergence from what is indicated means that you are missing the point of
the assignment. This paper is not a scholarly exercise, but it should demonstrate that
you have absorbed the reading assignments and class lectures and discussions. You
should use the Bible (don’t write out biblical passages; just give the reference in
parentheses and explain how it supports the point you are making), the books you
read for the course, and other resources that you find helpful. Citations should be rare;
use footnotes when citations appear.
•
Define the church (using no more than 100 words): Your definition should be
limited to the local church (that is, you should not include a definition of the
universal, or invisible, or heavenly church) and should include all essential
elements (e.g., ministries, government) by which the local church is constituted.
You should not include biblical references; just provide a thorough yet succinct
definition.
•
Write a brief doctrinal statement setting forth your convictions on the two
ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (5 pages). This statement should be
one that you could incorporate in your church, so imagine that your audience is
the membership of a church that is putting together its foundational documents.
Write for that audience.
•
Write a brief policy statement setting forth your convictions on the exercise of
church discipline, defining the practice, biblically supporting it, and explaining
the process of church discipline as it will be carried out by the church toward its
members. Make sure that you are sufficiently specific in your explanation of the
actual process of church discipline (5 pages). Like the above point, this statement
should be one that you could incorporate in your church, so imagine that your
audience is the membership of a church that is putting together its foundational
documents.
•
Write a brief statement setting forth your model of local church governance.
Briefly lay out the responsibilities of each of the following entities: elder,
deacon/deaconess, and congregation. With biblical support, define their respective
roles and responsibilities, demonstrating how each entity functions within the life
of the church and relates to the other entities. Make sure that you are sufficiently
specific in your explanation of the actual responsibilities of these three groups (5
pages). Like the above points, imagine that your audience is the membership of a
church that is putting together its foundational documents and procedures.
•
Write a brief policy statement setting forth your convictions on church
membership. State your convictions for it, biblically supporting it and explaining
how the church should institute the process of church membership for its people.
Make sure that you are sufficiently specific in your explanation of the actual
process of church membership (5 pages). Again, this statement should be one that
you could incorporate in your church, so imagine that your audience is the church
body for whom you are putting together foundational documents. Write for that
audience.
•
Write a constructive analysis of the purity of your church, focusing especially on the
seven characteristics or identity markers of the church (as set forth in Sojourners and
Strangers) (5 pages). You should interact with the following three questions, in a
constructively critical manner:
o “In what areas is my church more pure?” Be sure to explain why you consider
these areas to be more pure.
o “In what areas is my church less pure?” Be sure to explain why you consider
these areas to be less pure.
o “What can I do in order to work for greater purity in my church?” Be specific
and realistic. An answer that is not acceptable is one that focuses on prayer for
your church (you should be doing that as a matter of course). Concentrate on
one or at the most two areas in which you can work for greater purity, and
write about how you can specifically engage your church in this area or these
two areas.
•
Answer the following question that someone poses to you: “What is the difference
between a missional church and a church that has missions as part of its
programming?” (3 pages). Make sure that your answer demonstrates your
familiarity with the readings and class lectures and discussions on this key point.
•
Interact with the three key topics in Center Church: gospel, city/contextualization,
and movement (7 pages). Specific questions to guide you will be supplied.
This paper should be around thirty-five (35) pages in length (double-spaced). Grading
will be based on the following criteria:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
•
awareness of key passages of Scripture properly interpreted
careful and sound theological reflection
familiarity with readings, class lectures, and discussions
ability to articulate doctrinal matters and policies for church members to
understand
skill in offering constructive criticism
good thinking that is accurate and persuasive
facility in following instructions
proficiency in writing in a clear, succinct, thorough, and understandable way,
avoiding misspellings, errors of grammar and syntax, and poor punctuation
a passion for the church and its head, Jesus Christ
This paper must be uploaded on Moodle by 11:55 p.m. December 5.
COURSE POLICIES
Course Grading:
Attendance and participation
Reading
Final paper
20%
40%
40%
Late Assignments: A final paper turned in late will be lowered 1/2 of a grade (e.g. B to
B-) for each three-day period it is turned in after the assigned date.
Questions Concerning This Course: Before asking your instructor a question about this
course, please carefully consult this syllabus to see if that question has already been
answered.
Note for Students with Disabilities: In order to ensure full class participation, any
student with a disabling condition requiring accommodations (e.g., tape recorders,
special adaptive equipment, special note-taking needs) is strongly encouraged to
contact the Garrett Fellow before the beginning of the course.
Note on Changes to the Syllabus: The professor reserves the right to modify
syllabus requirements and/or assignment due dates as deemed reasonable or
needful so to do. If changes are made, the whole class will be notified of the
changes and a modified syllabus (or relevant portion thereof) will be provided to
students.
COURSE OUTLINE
•
THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH: Sojourners and Strangers
o introduction to ecclesiology and the definition of the church
o the church of the new covenant
o the identity and ministries of the church: three characteristics regarding the origin
and orientation of the church (doxological, logocentric, pneumadynamic)
o the identity and ministries of the church: four characteristics regarding the
gathering and sending of the church (covenantal, confessional, missional, spatiotemporal-eschatological)
o the growth of the church: purity and unity
o the growth of the church: church discipline
o the government of the church: the offices of the church
o the government of the church: types of church government
o the government of the church: a model of church governance
o the ordinances of the church: baptism
o the ordinances of the church: the Lord’s Supper
o the ministries of the church
•
THE PRACTICE OF ECCLESIOLOGY: Center Church: Doing Balanced, GospelCentered Ministry in Your City
o the gospel-centered church
o the gospel and contextualization
o the missional church and gospel-movement