Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods (Re:Lit: Vintage Jesus). Crossway Books, 2008.
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LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Though his ministry has been legitimately criticized, Mark Driscoll was once a strong influence in the emergent/missional conversation. The goal in his writings was to maintain an orthodox adherence to evangelical theological underpinnings while also capturing the better elements of the emergent church. This volume is similar to, though more popular than a book by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church. Both are written out of the experiences of the authors. And though Driscoll teams with an academic, Gerry Breshears, his work is less academic than convergent resources by Jim Belcher and Lieberbach/Reid that are listed in Theology of Mission – Convergent with Conventional.
This book is a follow-up on Driscoll’s volume, Vintage Jesus, which upholds the biblical and historical record of Jesus as the foundation of all faith and practice. In Vintage Church, the authors reflect their deep and passionate love for the church to be faithful witnesses of Christ. Specifically, they are interested in churches properly balancing the eternal truths of Scripture with timely, relevant methods designed to engage culture. They discuss the implications of this approach with regard to church leadership, preaching, baptism, communion, unity, and church discipline. They also offer some observations on what it means to be “missional,” and address topics such as multi-campus churches, and the use of technology.
The style of this book is very direct and to the point, typical of Driscoll, whose manner often made him a controversial figure. He is likely to be appreciated more by those who agree with him and who desire a clear articulation of their viewpoint. Others may encounter him as polarizing. It would be hard to come away from this book, however, without being challenged.
From the Publisher
Defines a biblical church as one that properly balances the eternal truths of Scripture with timely, relevant methods designed to engage the culture.
The latest book in the popular Re:Lit series picks up where Vintage Jesus leaves off, beginning with a focus on the person and work of Jesus and then exploring the confessional, experiential, and missional aspects of his church. This study grows out of the vintage concept of taking timeless truths from Scripture—truths about church leadership, preaching, baptism, communion, and more—and blending them with aspects of contemporary culture, such as multi-campus churches and the latest forms of technology, to reach people with the gospel.
While Vintage Church is helpful for pastors and church leaders, it is the kind of book you could hand to someone who has questions about ecclesiology but finds the very term ecclesiology intimidating. The authors put forth twelve practical questions about church doctrine and answer them in clear, biblical language that lay people and new believers can understand.
About the Authors
Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, one of the fastest-growing churches in America. He is president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network and the Resurgence Missional Theology Cooperative.
Gerry Breshears is professor of theology and chairman of the division of biblical and theological studies at Western Seminary. He has lectured at numerous Bible colleges and seminaries around the world and is a frequent guest on various radio and TV programs.
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See Resources in Related Areas
See Resource Guides on Related Areas:
- Missional Perspectives, Introduction
- Missional Church Resources, Introduction and Index
- Church Leadership and Renewal, Index to Resources
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