Baptists and the Emerging Church Movement: A Baptistic Assessment of Four Themes of Emerging Church Ecclesiology

by David Mark Rathel

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2014

Overview

In Baptists and the Emerging Church Movement, David Rathel examines the major ecclesiological proposals of the emerging church movement. Though many theologians argue that the emerging church movement emphasizes epistemology, Rathel contends that its primary concern is ecclesiology. Emerging church leaders offer a number of important ecclesiological proposals, including restructuring traditional church leadership models to accommodate the rise of postmodernity, changing the mission of the church so that the church may strike a more “missional” tone in contemporary culture, removing the categories of “in” or “out” within the church body, and adopting the multi-site church model. In assessing these proposals, Rathel draws upon historic Baptist convictions about the nature of the church, using Baptists’ ecclesiological distinctives and long history of ecclesiological thought as a helpful reference point. This book will not only serve as a guide for those who wish to learn of emerging church ecclesiology, it will also be an aid to Baptists who wish to evaluate recent trends in ecclesiology in light of their denominational distinctives.

Praise for Baptists and the Emerging Church Movement

”David Rathel has put together an important work explaining why the gospel is central to understanding how to minister in and through the church in today’s postmodern climate. His work is well researched, his conclusions sound, his advice helpful, and his writing style is both accessible and enjoyable. This is a good place to jump into the larger discussion of how and why ministry method has its roots in the timeless doctrines of the faith."
--Mark Liederbach, co-author with Alvin L. Reid of The Convergent Church

“David Rathel’s work on four themes in emerging church ecclesiology is a valuable contribution to contemporary ecclesiological discussion. He helpfully recognizes the breadth and diversity of the writers who wrote under that banner and evaluates their contributions, both positive and negative, on the important topics of community, worship and preaching, missional ministry, and church leadership in an irenic and insightful manner. His critique will resonate most completely among those who share his Baptistic ecclesiology, but all will find him a faithful guide into the discussions on these topics that are continuing, even if no longer exclusively among those identified as emerging."
--John S. Hammett, author of Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches

Product Details

• Title : Baptists and the Emerging Church Movement: A Baptistic Assessment of Four Themes of Emerging Church Ecclesiology
• Author: Rathel, David Mark
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Publication Date: 2014
• ISBN: 9781630873721

About the Author

David Mark Rathel received the Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. After completing some doctoral work at Southeastern Seminary, he transitioned to St. Mary's Divinity School at the University of St Andrews in order to complete a PhD under the supervision of Dr. Steve Holmes. He presently live in St Andrews with his wife, and is currently writing his PhD thesis. David served as a Baptist minister in the United States for a total of nine years before moving to Scotland. Since arriving Scotland, he has served various churches by providing pulpit supply and short-term pastoral care.