"The Local Church" (Edward W. Klink III)

TITLE: The Local Church: What It Is and Why It Matters for Every Christian
AUTHOR: Edward W. Klink III
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2021, (176 pages).
 

The Church has been around for over 2000 years since the beginning of the first century. Despite the great persecution and martyrdom of many, the Church has not only survived, she has thrived. From a small community in Jerusalem, Christianity has also spread to many parts of the world.  With growth comes diversity; with diversity, disagreements; and with disagreements, conflicts. This is the inevitable part of living together, made worse by politicking and various forms of power plays by different groups within and without. In the midst of heated conflicts, people tend to forget what is the meaning of Church and what they ought to stand for. Doctrines, theologies, and biblical principles become secondary while personal interpretations of what is right and wrong become primary concerns. The trouble worsens when worldly perspectives color such primary concerns. In order to made the local Church faithful to the Truth of the Word of God, we need to be constantly reminded about what the Church is and why it matters for every Christian. This is where Edward Klink's book comes in. Written as a catechesis for learning what Church is, Klink offers us five fundamental questions:

1. What isn't the Church? (Problem)
2. What is the Church? (Principle)
3. Why does the Church exist? (Purpose)
4. How does the Church function? (Process)
5. What is the connection between a Christian and a Church? (Participation)

The first question deals with four misconceptions about church. It is not a metaphor, social club, human institution nor voluntary society. All of these are popular but false representations of Church. By setting forth these misconceptions, Klink helps to clear the decks for a proper description of what Church actually is, which is the second question. Linking the Church back to God, we learn that the Church is a Body of Christ made for God and for His Glory, Power, and Purpose. The third question deals with the Purpose of the Church, which is to love God, obey Christ's commands, to witness for Christ outside, and to nurture the people inside. The fourth question leads us to learning about the Church's four primary responsibilities: Ministry of Presence; Priesthood service; Ministering Pilgrims; and Proclamation. There's even a "Job Description" for the local Church, put up in a one-page brochure format! Finally, we learn of the all important question of relevance between the Church and the Christian. Once again, Klink gives us a convenient four part answer, that the relationship is one of marriage, of family, of ministry associates, and of missionary associates. He ends the book with 20 common questions and answers to further the discussion of the local church. 

My Thoughts
The author walks his talk about loving the Church. Having served a decade in a theological school, and one year into his tenure status, he resigned from the school to pastor a local church. This is not something that people would easily do. Getting a tenure is increasingly difficult in theological schools. Moreover, with all the public bashing the church has gone through in recent years, it would be more likely that people would go the other direction, that is, to move from Church to seminary instead. Here, there is a personal element in the author's story. He shares intimate details about how the Church had impacted and helped his family while he was pursuing his PhD in St Andrews, Scotland. As strangers in a foreign land, it was the Church that gave him and his family much love, to make them feel at home. When the people of God live up to the original purpose of Church, there will be a lot more good things to be said. 

In terms of timing, I believe this book comes in handy amid the disruptions caused by the covid crisis. As churches grapple with difficult decisions pertaining to physical vs online worship, the way the Church operates in a covid era will challenge the way we do Church. Already, there is a sizeable decline in Church attendance pre-covid. With more people experiencing the convenience of sitting at home in comfort, worshiping with simply an Internet connection, it is easy to miss out on the meaning of Church. By urging us to go back to basics, we learn about the principles, the purpose, the process, the need for participation, and the practice of Church. While Klink gives us many compelling reasons why we should continue to serve and gather as a Church, the greatest reason is none other than love.  

Out of love for God, we worship. Out of love for one another, we serve. Out of love for the world that Jesus died for, we proclaim the gospel. The Church is an organism for constructive change, not an organization to obstruct change. 

Thanks to Klink's passion for the Church, he has produced a useful primer for us to remember what Church is and what Church means.

Edward W. Klink III (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is the senior pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church in Roscoe, Illinois. He previously served as associate professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He is the author of several books, including Understanding Biblical Theology and John, a volume in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade

---

This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.