Gregg Allison

Missional Ecclesiology series: Click | View Series Dr. Gregg Allison is teaching a course on Missional Ecclesiology at the Resurgence Training Center this fall. Find out more at ReTrain.org. From the seven essential characteristics of the church (discussed in Part 1 and Part 2) flow the ministries of the church: The church worships the triune God; proclaims the Word of God; engages non-Christians; disciples its members; cares for people through prayer, giving, support of its pastors, and assistance for its members; and stands both for and against the world.

The Church Advancing

As it engages in these ministries, the church moves forward “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). This movement is away from immaturity—“children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph. 4:14)—and toward maturity—“we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. 4:15).

Divine and Human Work

Furthermore, this movement must be born of divine grace and assisted each step of the way by divine grace, but it also demands intense effort from each and every member of the church. So Christ, “from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:15-16). This dynamic of the divine and human dimensions working together—Christ doing his part, which only he can do, in ways appropriate to his divine agency; Christians doing their parts, which only they can do, in ways appropriate to their human agency—will bring about the growth of the church. Specifically, the church works toward its own growth through the exercise of spiritual gifts, the pursuit of purity, the maintaining of unity, and church discipline. To be continued. Check out some of Dr. Allison’s books:

• Getting Deep: Understand What You Believe About God and Why
• Jesusology: Understand What You Believe About Jesus and Why
• A Theology for Christian Education

He also has two new books coming out in 2010: one on the doctrine of the church and the other a historical theology which will be the companion to Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.