The Living Church

Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor

By John Stott

(hardcover)

Also Available in

paperback

Product Details

Line: IVP Books
Length: 180 pages
Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches
Binding: hardcover
Published: November 2007

ISBN-10: 0-8308-3486-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-3486-0
IVP Order Code: 3486

Related Subjects

Church
Pastoral Resources

Preface: "Emerging Churches"
The Postmodern World
Acknowledgments and Abbreviations

1 Essentials: God’s Vision for His Church
A Learning Church
A Caring Church
A Worshiping Church
An Evangelizing Church

2 Worship: Glorying in God’s Holy Name
Biblical Worship
Congregational Worship
Spiritual Worship
Moral Worship

3 Evangelism: Mission Through the Local Church
Forms of Evangelism
The Church Must Understand Itself: Its Theology
The Church Must Organize Itself: Its Structures
The Church Must Express Itself: Its Message
The Church Must Be Itself: Its Life

4 Ministry: The Twelve and the Seven
An Every-Member Ministry
The Pastoral Ministry
The Example of the Apostle (The Shepherd)
The Invasion of False Teachers (The Wolves)
The Value of the People (The Sheep)

5 Fellowship: The Implications of Koinonia
Our Common Inheritance
Our Common Service
Our Mutual Responsibility
Some Practical Illustrations

6 Preaching: Five Paradoxes
Biblical and Contemporary
Authoritative and Tentative
Prophetic and Pastoral
Gifted and Studied
Thoughtful and Passionate

7 Giving: Ten Principles
Springing from the Trinity
Creating Equality According to Our Means
Careful Supervision and Friendly Rivalry
A Harvest with Symbolic Significance
The Result: Thanksgiving to God

8 Impact: Salt and Light
The Truths of Salt and Light
Weapons for Social Change
Christian Distinctives

Conclusion: Looking for Timothys in the Twenty-First Century
A Threefold Appeal
Where Are the Timothys?

Three Historical Appendixes
Related in Different Ways to the Living Church
Historical Appendix 1: Why I Am Still a Member of the Church of England
Historical Appendix 2: I Have a Dream of a Living Church
Historical Appendix 3: Reflections of an Octogenarian

Notes
Scripture Index