Patterns of Ministry among the First Christians: Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged

by Kevin Giles

Publisher:

Cascade Books

, 2017

Overview

This new edition of Patterns of Ministry Among the First Christians tells the story of how the first Christian leaders emerged and, with the passing of time, developed. The book includes sections on Jesus and Paul and their understanding of Christian leadership, on bishops, deacons, elders, apostles, prophets, and teachers, and on ordination. The focus is primarily on the first century but historical development is noted. The author also discuses the ways the New Testament may speak to the present.

Praise for Patterns of Ministry among the First Christians

“With engaging and sometimes witty prose, Giles explores Scripture honestly to discern patterns of church leadership. Giles shows how Scripture challenges many assumptions about ministry in most churches today. I have learned from this work, and I find his conclusions eminently fair, balanced, and reasonable, and most of them persuasive.”

—Craig S. Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary



“Kevin Giles offers a welcomed update to his compelling account of the ministry and offices of the early church. A judicious and balanced treatment on everything the New Testament says about spiritual gifts, servant leadership, and leading a group of Christian believers in community. Sure to be a popular volume.”

—Michael F. Bird, Lecturer in Theology, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia



“Down the centuries, church traditions of varying kinds have allowed huge growth to take place in the garden of church leadership which has smothered the original plants that were there. Expertly using the tools of scholarship, Giles hacks it all down to expose the original patterns of ministry. He wears the scholarship lightly and has produced an eminently clear book which drives us to radical conclusions with which the contemporary church needs to engage. This should be compulsory reading on all ministerial training courses and read by any concerned with church leadership.”

—Derek Tidball, Former Principal of London School of Theology; author of Skilful Shepherds and Ministry by the Book: New Testament Patterns of Pastoral Leadership



“I highly recommend Patterns of Ministry among the First Christians as it meets a great need for right understanding of Biblical Leadership in the time we live. It is an extraordinary, well written, and well documented book on how leadership and church structure is expressed in the New Testament, helping us to avoid simplified and rash conclusions in applying these principles in the twenty-first-century.”

—Kent Jakobsen, Principal, Danish Pentecostal Bible College  

Product Details

• Title : Patterns of Ministry among the First Christians: Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged
• Author: Giles, Kevin
• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• ISBN: 9781625641595

About Kevin Giles

Dr. Kevin Giles is an ordained Anglican minister and worked in parish ministry for almost forty years before he retired from St. Michaels Church in North Carlton in 2006. He studied at Moore College in Sydney, Durham University in England, and Tübingen University in Germany. As a widely published author, his books include, Created Woman (Acorn, 1985); Patterns of Ministry Among the First Christians (Collins-Dove, 1989); What on Earth Is the Church? (IVP, USA, SPCK, England, 1995); Count Me In: A Confirmation Workbook (Acorn, 1992); Making Good Churches Better (Acorn 2001); The Trinity & Subordinationism (InterVarsity, 2002); Jesus and the Father: Modern Evangelicals Reinvent the Doctrine of the Trinity (Zondervan, 2006); Better Together: Equality in Christ (Acorn 2010); and The Eternal Generation of the Son: Maintaining Orthodoxy in Trinitarian Theology (InterVarsity, 2012). In addition to these, he has published more than fifty scholarly articles. He is a contributor to the IVP Dictionaries of Jesus and the Gospels and The Later New Testament & Its Developments, and the Zondervan Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. His research interests include the church, conflict in the church, ministry in the Bible and the modern world, the ministry of women in the apostolic age and today, and the Trinity.

He has lectured part time at a number of theological seminaries and Bible colleges in Australia and as a visiting lecturer to various places overseas. He is married to Lynley, a marriage educator and counselor. They have four adult children and nine grandchildren.