Terry L. Cross - The People of Gods Presence: An Introduction to Ecclesiology

This work offers a doctrine of the church for Christians in the twenty-first century. The precise theological location of this ecclesiology will be explained throughout this book and its companion volume, Serving the People of Gods Presence . However, in terms of type or genre, this work is one of constructive theologylike building a house with rooms that are fitting to both ones environment and personal taste. Nonetheless, the theological foundation will be built on Scripture and in particular on the revelation of God in human flesh, Jesus Christ. The style of the house and the features will be informed by those thinkers within the movement of Christianity who have gone before us and blazed a trail of ideas in relation to their times. Constructing a theological house is a rather apt metaphor for the task of this work, but writing a constructive theology of the church that others will read is quite daunting. It is like inviting strangers into ones mental construction to render judgment on the dimensions of each room, the placement of doors and windows, and the adequacy of the decor.

A number of years ago, David Ford expressed rather precisely the sentiment with which I wrote this book: It is riskier to come up with a constructive position, an attempt to design a habitable contemporary dwelling. At every step in the process one is aware of the immense power of the demolition experts with flourishing businesses, of the overcautious insurance and lending companies, of those who protest at ones building going anywhere near their own... , and those who seem quite content that no actual dwellings be built at all if they cannot meet their own impossibly ideal specifications. is an important part of the writing process to be sure, but too much focus on how others will perceive ones theological house can halt construction.

So why am I daring to construct a house that details my understanding of the church? Why not just critique other housessomething with which I am vastly more comfortable? As will be shared in the introduction, I believe that radical shifts are required of the Christian church in this century, the most fundamental of which is a theological renewal of understanding the nature and mission of the church.

Therefore, the reader should understand that my writing is in the form of a proposal, not a set-in-stone system that is always right. Even in my most stringent writing I recognize that I could be wrongthat I may need the engagement of others to help flesh out the reality of the community of faith for our times. Nevertheless, the church seems to be in such a condition today (especially in Western societies) that changing the drapery over the windows is not going to help. What I am proposing is really nothing less than building a new theological house from the foundation up, not rearranging furniture or dressing up our already existing houses with laser light shows and condensed fog to create a sense of mystery that we think will appeal to people.

Perhaps it is important at this point that I share some aspects of my church background so that the reader may better understand some influences for the concepts in this book. My own approach to the doctrine of the church arises from three major arenas: my pastoral experience with three different local churches; my theological and biblical study; and my early years of being shaped by Christians in a small, rural church in Michigan. Trained in systematic theology, I engaged in almost twelve years of pastoral ministry during different segments of my career. Raised as a Pentecostal, I have served classical Pentecostal churches as well as an independent charismatic church. I have been connected with the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) all my life and am currently an ordained bishop in that denomination. However, I have also worked across denominational lines in the ecumenical movement, representing the Society for Pentecostal Studies at the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA for nine years. I am well aware that the proposal in this book will not fit many communions of the Christian faith, but I believe that parts of the proposal may provide a beneficial dialogue partner for them.

My training at Lee College (TN) introduced me to hermeneutical and language skills to begin a lifetime of Scripture study.

Yet it was only as I engaged in the day-to-day task of pastoral work that I began to ask questions of my theological training and of Scripture. From among the conflicting duties demanding my time, how was I supposed to choose which to perform firstif at all? Why did the work of ministry seem to fall entirely on me, the pastor? Should the people of God also be involved in doing the work of ministry? How might that come about? I began to engage in a desperate search to determine what God intended the church to be and do. That search, begun in the throes of pastoral work in the 1990s, has continued over the years as I have shifted from pastoring to teaching theology at Lee University to future pastors, teachers, missionaries, and ministers of Gods work.