Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many…
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
(1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 17-20 NIV)
Much of the time, when we study the passage from 1 Corinthians 12 that talks about us being part of the body of Christ, we look at it with an individual application: Each individual brings their own unique contribution to the body of Christ. But recently Joe and I have discussed if the passage is applicable at a collective level, too: Each congregation of believers worships and lives out its faith a little differently based on the context of where it does ministry, its history and the gifts and personalities of its people, which means it collectively makes a unique contribution to the Kingdom.
We can agree or disagree about whether they should exist and bemoan the disagreements and schisms at their origins, but each of the resulting denominations and movements in the Church have their own expression of the Christian faith, too. Each has its own history, theology, and unique makeup of congregations, and we would hope they each have something beneficial to bring to the ecumenical table. The Church of God is no exception.
In this series, which we’re calling “Church of God at the Crossroads,” we will be looking at the Church of God’s historic vision—its historic beliefs as to the kind of church that pleases God—outlined in Dr. Gilbert Stafford’s Vision for the Church of God at the Crossroads (Warner Press/Church of God Ministries 2002). As Stafford describes it, these values are “the fabric of what it means to be God’s church.” We will be discussing each of these values, how they find unique expression in the Church of God, and how this unique expression benefits the Church as a whole. We will have two posts scheduled for each topic, and if the conversation takes off, we might have more. The seven themes are:
- We are called to be a gospel church. (first post) (response)
- We are called to be a Bible church. (first post) (response)
- We are called to be a born-again church. (first post) (response)
- We are called to be a holiness church. (first post) (response)
- We are called to be a unity church. (first post) (response)
- We are called to be a kingdom of God church. (first post) (response)
- We are called to be a missionary church. (first post) (response)
We’re looking forward to embarking on this journey and hope you’ll come along with us and join in the conversation in the comments sections.
I love this book for how it might contribute to our corporate imagination about who the Church is in the world. As we observe the multiple expressions of being church, in what way(s) can we say that each is faithful to the triune God? Christians in every age have been called to be faithful. However, how that faithfulness looks in the 21st century is a critical question. Will the Church also in its diverse expressions be a witness to God’s kingdom: as Sign; Foretaste; and as Servant. –anticipating a great conversation among Christians from all contexts.
Thanks for your readership and participation, Dr. Lewis! “Imagination” is a key word here, I believe, because it forces us to think forward, into God’s preferred future. Faithfulness in the 21st century is indeed a critical question.
Thank you, David. Your description of “imagination” is precisely what I had in mind. I look forward to this conversation. Keep up the good work!
David – really excellent description of “imagination.” And further, to both your point and Dr. Lewis’ point, I think Dr. Stafford’s work is critical to helping us understand how faithfulness will look in the 21st Century, specifically for who God has called and continues to call the Church of God (Anderson) to be. What is it that we are continuing to be called to bring to the ecumenical table? How should we understand our own identity as a called body of believers within the universal church?
To add to the thoughts about the uniqueness of other groups, denominations, etc., as a part of the greater fellowship of Christ. Several years ago I worked for a Christian Music radio station in advertising sales. I met Christian business men and women in a wide variety of churches and we worked with a wide variety through the station.
During this time I became convinced God also gives spiritual gifts to different church groups. The various Mennonite and Amish groups clearly have the gift of service and they have taught the greater church so much from their giftedness. The pentecostals and some of the high church groups have taught us much about worship from widely divergent worship styles, and the greater church has benefited from them both. The Baptists, particularly the Southern Baptists, but really most of them, simply by exercising their evangelistic gifts, have made us all better evangelists. There are many other examples, but I think you get the point. Thank God for spiritual gifts, individual and corporate.
Perhaps our (ChoG, AI) fellowship has a spiritual gift in regards to our ability to work with both the liberal and conservative wings of the church. One place I was pastor I belonged to two different pastor groups, one conservative and one liberal. I was the only pastor present for both. This may be stretching it a bit, and I’m not sure what spiritual gift that would be, but I do think it is a ministry many of our pastors are involved in.
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