Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods (RE: Lit: Vintage Jesus) [Hardcover]

Mark Driscoll (Author), Gerry Breshears (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 23, 2008 | Series: RE: Lit: Vintage Jesus

Defines a biblical church as one that properly balances the eternal truths of Scripture with timely, relevant methods designed to engage the culture.

The book in the popular Re:Lit series picks up where Vintage Jesus leaves off, beginning with a focus on the person and work of Jesus and then exploring the confessional, experiential, and missional aspects of his church. This study grows out of the vintage concept of taking timeless truths from Scripture-truths about church leadership, preaching, baptism, communion, and more-and blending them with aspects of contemporary culture, such as multi-campus churches and the latest forms of technology, to reach people with the gospel.

While Vintage Church is helpful for pastors and church leaders, it is the kind of book you could hand to someone who has questions about ecclesiology but finds the very term ecclesiology intimidating. The authors put forth twelve practical questions about church doctrine and answer them in clear, biblical language that lay people and new believers can understand.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Driscoll and Breshears have teamed up to provide a new generation of pastors and Christian leaders with a biblically sound, tartly relevant, and crisply practical guide to understanding the church. This book lives up to its subtitle, Timeless Truths and Timely Methods. The authors' wit, grit, and gravitas combine to make it an enjoyable and thought provoking must-read for twenty-first-century spiritual leadership."
—Rick Booye, Senior Pastor, Trail Christian Fellowship, Eagle Point, Oregon; President, Pacific Bible College, Medford, Oregon

"Having treated us to Vintage Jesus and Death by Love, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears team up again to provide a third installment that addresses the nature, life, and missional character of the church of Jesus Christ. Pastors, church members, and those who are just wondering about Jesus and his church will find this book to be very helpful. The expected topics-church leadership, preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper-are covered clearly and practically. What I especially appreciate is the discussion of often overlooked topics like church unity, discipline, and love, and the attention given to new topics like multi-site campuses and the use of technology. "Timeless" and "timely" are apt descriptions of this book on the church that is must reading!"
—Gregg R. Allison, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Vintage Church is a remarkable book. Mark and Gerry seek to be rigorously biblical and theologically faithful as they address the doctrine of the church. However, the real uniqueness to this book is its personal and practical insights. Remaining faithful to the gospel of Jesus, the authors help us think and see how to do church in a twenty-first-century context that presents both challenges and opportunities to the body of Christ. Timeless truths and timely methods indeed are woven together in a beautiful tapestry. This is a valuable work."
—Daniel L. Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Gerry Breshears and Mark Driscoll combine the thinking of a theologian with the experience of an innovative church leader to bring us fresh approaches to ministry that are more relevant without being less biblical. This book is an inspiring application of what it means for the body of Christ to be 'in the world but not of it.'"
—Dan Jarrell, Teaching Pastor, ChangePoint Church, Anchorage, Alaska

About the Author

MARK DRISCOLL is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, one of the fastest-growing churches in America. He is president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network and the Resurgence Missional Theology Cooperative.

GERRY BRESHEARS is professor of theology and chairman of the division of biblical and theological studies at Western Seminary. He has lectured at numerous Bible colleges and seminaries around the world and is a frequent guest on various radio and TV programs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Crossway (December 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433501309
• ISBN-13: 978-1433501302
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #217,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars They Don't Teach This Stuff In Bible College February 24, 2009

By Don Dudley

Format:Hardcover

Much is made about the Church, why it exists in its different forms, and where it is inevitably heading. Driscoll and Breshears tackle this and much more in this book. They start with the foundation of the Church (Jesus) and move out to ecclesiology, methodology, love, discipline, sacraments, and technology.

At first, I felt as though the book was an apologetic or defense against George Barna's book Pagan Christianity, a book which does a fine job at undermining the Church and causing division amongst God's people.

This book would make a great text for any serious church planter or seminary student. Every chapter is fully fleshed out well and they leave very few stones unturned. Since I have started pastoring (is "pastoring a word?) a church, I have thought things like; "they do not teach you that in Bible College." This book teaches you the things Bible Colleges leave out. In case you may have missed a point, at the end of each chapter is a question and answer session to help further the discussion and put a seal on anything that might not have been explained well in the preceding pages.

That is one of two points I really found where the book could use improvement. There were many pages in which the point felt over-explained. As I was reading through it, I couldn't help but think to myself, "I got the point, let's move on." I know there are some out there who take longer to get the point or who like to have things explained as thoroughly as possible, but those people are not me.

The second nitpick I had (and this truly is a nitpick) was the assumption that churches had the same resources as Mars Hill (Mark's church) has in regards to technology and programmers. I think of the struggles I have had with my own church's website and I am a programmer.... I can only imagine churches that do not have a web developer working for them. I do understand the role technology plays in churches and the need to harness it and use it. Like I said, nitpick, I know.

I give this book Four out of Five Stars. It is well worth the read if you are planting a church, running a church, serving in a church, or a member of a church. I highly recommend it.

-Don- Read more ›

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical, Biblical, and packed with information. January 14, 2009

By Thomas Bullock

Format:Hardcover

Vintage Church, the third book from Driscoll/Breshears, combines scriptural insight with practical suggestions on how to be the church in the 21st century. The chapters on preaching, discipline, love, being missional, and transforming culture in particular are very helpful. I realize I just listed half the book as being my favorite part, but it's that sort of book :)

Three things that were especially helpful about this book:
- footnotes rather than endnotes, thanks for that...
- the "common questions" sections were very helpful (while Death By Love might be Driscoll's best work to date, some of the question sections in that book were pretty obscure)
- LISTS. All the way through the book you find principals of this, characteristics of that, ways to do this or that... and they're profoundly helpful to think through the different aspects of everything that is discussed. Because there's so many of them, though, I'd suggest reading through the book once and then working back through all of the lists scattered through the various chapters, to get a fuller sense of where your church is in relation to the ideas presented in the book.

A valuable resource, and I eagerly await Religion Saves and Doctrine.

T

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Handbook for Biblical Ministry February 18, 2009

By Erik Raymond

Format:Hardcover

It is very appropriate and timely for Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears to release a book on church ministry. Driscoll has become a bit of a model for young church planters through his Acts 29 network and various conference appearances. Therefore, a consolidated `volume' if you will is welcomed.

As with previous books from the authors' pens Vintage Church is intensely practical. Mars Hill Church in Seattle is the reoccurring lab of reference for church ministry. This is extremely helpful in a book like this seeing that it gives a lot of flesh and bones to the biblical priorities outlined.

If you were critical of some of Driscoll's previous books due to language or questionable references (as I was with Vintage Jesus) you will have little to complain about here. From my perspective this is the type of product that really quiets and encourages sincere critics who want to see Driscoll's work used greatly in the church. If you are a Driscoll hater, well, he couldn't do or say much that would ever satisfy you. The writing style remains engaging, biblical, funny, and real; which are all virtues from Driscoll's pen.

One of the main strengths of the book is the way in which the authors tackle weighty ecclesiastical issues without flinching. Chapters like, Who is Supposed to Lead a Church?, Why is Preaching Important?, What is Church Discipline?, and What is a Missional Church? are not necessarily soft chapters. The authors deal with the issues biblically and tactfully. And this is where I find real encouragement in this book. This book will be read by thousands of young church planters over the next decade.... Let's face it, as helpful as Dever's 9Marks or MacArthur's Master's Plan for the Church are, the book that young guys will be turning to, by virtue of Driscoll's popularity and influence, is Vintage Church. Chapters on the necessity of male eldership, church discipline and biblical ministry are so needed today. So, I for one am thankful that the book is well done, devoid of statements that promote immaturity, and centered on biblical ministry.

I should also say that I felt that some of the previous works were not as theologically tight as one might prefer. However, in this book the authors, on many occasions, find themselves saying a whole lot in a short space. For example in the chapter What is a Christian Church? the authors spend a good page talking about the distinction between the Nation of Israel and the Church. I really appreciated the theological care that was taken not only to include this but to speak clearly to it. They are demonstrating that theological precision is necessary in Jesus' church.

Further strengths include the sheer volume of footnotes (not end notes). Driscoll fills the book with Bible verses. This is so helpful and so refreshing when reading. In addition an appendix of the Mars Hill Membership Covenant is included. This was a helpful read. Other chapters on multi-campus ministry and the use of technology in ministry proved helpful as well.

The only real issue that I feel strong enough about to mention is Driscoll's definition of expository preaching. In the chapter entitled Why is Preaching Important? we read the following: "Expository preaching is simply going through a book of the Bible verse-by-verse" (pp. 91-92). Granted, the chapter goes on to give good reasons why one should do expository preaching (none of which I disagree with). However, it is the definition itself that is inadequate. I really like John Stott's statement in his classic Between Two Worlds:

It is my contention that all true Christian preaching is expository preaching. Of course if by an `expository' sermon is meant a verse-by-verse explanation of a lengthy passage of Scripture, then indeed it is only one possible way of preaching, but this would be a misuse of the word.

Properly speaking, `exposition' has a much broader meaning. It refers to the content of the sermon (biblical truth) rather than its style (a running commentary). To expound Scripture is to bring out the of the text what is there and expose it to view. The expositor prizes open what appears to be closed, makes plain what is obscure, unravels what is knotted and unfolds what is tightly packed." (pp. 125-126)

I bring this up only because too many people outside of the camp unfairly sully expository preaching as being a running verse by verse commentary. But in reality it is much more, as Stott indicates.

Overall I like the book and think it (along with Death by Love) are Driscoll's best yet. Read more ›

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Handbook for Church Planters, Very Practical... February 27, 2009

By Seth McBee

Format:Hardcover

Vintage Church sets up to be the continuation of where Vintage Jesus left off. Vintage Jesus upset some people as they thought that Driscoll took too many liberties in describing who Jesus was. Although I disagree with them, it is hard for me to see where those same people will have issue with this book. This book is set up to be an open an honest discussion of what the church is. At some point, if you are a pastor of a church, you will be challenged by Driscoll and Breshears and even rubbed the wrong way in their description of what a church should look like.

This is not because they are purposely trying to demean churches, but they are taking the modern church and testing them to Scripture. Driscoll himself even shows in some places that he wishes that they were better at, or where they have corrected Mars Hill over the years. Again, this is exactly what makes Driscoll so attractive, he is honest with his mistakes while pointing out others. He hammers on emergent church designs and also the traditional fundamental churches, to make sure they return to the true calling of the church as a whole.

What I believe this book will turn out to be is a handbook for church planters or those who are desiring to test what they are doing within their churches. The book is set up like the others that Driscoll has done in recent years. Meaning, he puts forth a topic through the Scriptures and culture and then Breshears answers commonly asked questions on that topic of the chapter. Vintage Church sets up everything from answering questions on preaching, ordinances and church discipline to how to utilize technology as a church. This book is very practical and reminds me of "The Deliberate Church" by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander.... The difference is that Driscoll and Breshears cover more ground and looks more into the culture and missional aspects of the church.

In the end, the readers for this book will be pastors and elders, and not as many congregants will enjoy this book like they did with Vintage Jesus. This doesn't make the book bad, it just makes it targeted. I felt that the book was really a grown up version of Confessions of a Reformissional Rev. That book told the story of the beginning of Mars Hill, and this tells the current story. This is my only "gripe" with this book is that it seems to more of a polemic for the current way that Mars Hill is doing things. So, when you get to topics like "What is a Missional Church" and "What is a Multi Site Church" the descriptions are more of what Mars Hill is doing and less of a general look into these topics. But, should I really expect anything less of a book written by a pastor who believes (as do I for the most part) his church is doing the correct mission of Christ?

I also did enjoy the reminders to big churches that not all churches should be big, and the reminder to small churches, that not all churches should be small. Criticism of each other usually comes from each side of the issue, but Driscoll and Breshears really exhort each one to do the calling that Christ has called them to. But, because Driscoll's church is huge, some of his practical wisdom on how to live out church are going to fly over the head of those pastors in small churches. Some of the things discussed in technology and multi site are just not going to be able to be utilized by small churches. This is fine though, because the book is for all to read, not just big churches or small churches.

Although this book could have been titled, "Vintage Mars Hill" or "Confessions: Part II", the book delivers a very good understanding of the church. My favorite part of the entire book was simply, "What is a Christian Church?" Driscoll puts to shame those who believe that online churches, or coffee shop churches are true churches. Driscoll walks through what a church should include to be a true Vintage, or Scriptural, church. I very much enjoyed this description so that one does not get together with a friend for coffee and call it church, or a church gets off target and loses focus of what a church should encompass.

If you are a church planter, or one that is about to engage in new church plant, pick up this book. If you are a leader in a church that is looking to restructure or desire to test yourself to make sure that you are a biblical church, pick up this book. If you are a dated church that desires to reach today's generation, pick up this book. You will not be disappointed. I would also highly recommend that one pick up The Deliberate Church and The Master's Plan for the Church
alongside Vintage Church for great study and great resources on the Christian church according to Jesus. Highly Recommended. Read more ›