Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice [Paperback]

Jonathan R. Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2007

What is it that we are called to do as the church? In Why Church Matters, a Christianity Today 2007 Book Award Winner, Jonathan Wilson offers compelling insight into this question by examining how Christian practices are centered on gathered worship. He discusses how worship is work, witness, and warfare; how it grounds us in the good and the true and the beautiful; and how it teaches and shapes us in the language of faith. He then fleshes out his vision for the church by looking in depth at three practices--baptism, communion, and foot-washing. Wilson's insights will be valuable to everyone involved in churches today--pastors and laypeople, seminary professors and students, and church leaders.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Jonathan Wilson provides an ecclesiology of the church as 'practice,' founded on the practice of worship. The book is written from and for American evangelicalism--which to a partly outside observer like myself may be surprising. I do indeed recommend it. The writing is lucid; the diagnoses are judicious; and the exhortations are wise--perhaps because the author, while academically credentialed, writes from long and various pastoral experience."--Robert W. Jenson, coauthor of Conversations with Poppi about God

"The maturing evangelical movement needs to hear the voice of Jonathan Wilson. Why Church Matters is a prophetic call to return to the foundations of ministry in the biblical narrative and historic witness of the church, eschewing all temptations to be formed by the cultural narrative."--Robert Webber, author of Ancient-Future Faith

"A provocative look at how different church would be if it stopped living for itself and instead lived for God's kingdom purpose. With a critical but kindly eye, Wilson critiques current practices and suggests renovating and adding to them. This book pleads for openness to God-enabled, God-directed 'churching,' instead of the self-interested group of individuals church often is. It will make you think hard."--Michael Quicke, author of 360-Degree Preaching

"How do you measure the value of a church's theology, the worth of its public pronouncements, or the accuracy of its self-understandings? For Jonathan Wilson the answer is clear: examine the all that a church puts into its practice of ministry. Wilson moves the reader forward through a concise and carefully crafted argument with a skillful economy of language that maintains his precise and clear focus. Why Church Matters presents its readers--lay, pastoral, or scholarly--with new and timely insights that will stimulate fresh thinking, deeper devotion, and renewed action from within the community of faith as it seeks to fulfill its missional mandate."--Paul M. Beckingham, Carey Theological College

"If the evangelical movement is to stay healthy, it must develop a stronger ecclesiology. Wilson shows us the way forward: developing in the church the 'vibrant and vital practices of the gospel.'"--Kevin A. Miller, Christianity Today International

About the Author

Jonathan Wilson (PhD, Duke University) is the Pioneer McDonald Chair in Theology at Carey Theological College in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the author of God So Loved the World.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587430371
• ISBN-13: 978-1587430374
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An innovate approach to ecclesiology, June 8, 2007

By 

Cameron J. West "caffeine-fiend" (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice (Paperback)

This book resonated deeply with me because of the way if differs from usual ecclesiological approaches. Though prescriptive or descriptive approaches (ie: "What can be synthesised from the raw biblical data?" or "How can we account for the variety of ecclesiologies?") aren't invalid , Wilson's 'determintive' approach asks a far more timely question, namely, "Why does church matter?" This question has immediate relevance for low- and high-church Christians and not just potentially disaffected emergents.

Sadly, some have failed to see the value of Wilson's question, and so appreciate any of his answers. This highlights the importance of the first chapter in which Wilson defines the scope and explains the methodology of his approach; remember he is proposing "why" rather than asking "what?" or "how?" -- these are valid approaches (as has been shown by other more-than-competent theologians), but they are not Wilson's.

Central to Wilson's approach is a particular understanding of practices as those things which link the life of a community to its telos. In tracing his understanding of telos through the work of Alasdair MacIntyre back to Aristotle, he makes a distinction between the technical term (the telos is determinative of the community and its practices) and the popular use of its equivalents (a group will often set its own 'goals' or 'objectives').

In short, church matters because 'church' is how a community practices the gospel, and thereby participates in its telos, the kingdom of God -- that is, it's how they demonstrate that they are authentically Christian.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, March 21, 2011

By 

Leng Xiong (Colorado) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice (Paperback)

This is a great book for seeing theology and practice combined. It can be somewhat heavy on the theological side but does a good job on setting it on its foundation to look at the practical side. I would recommend this book to any person.

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Well Written., February 17, 2011

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N Good - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice (Paperback)

I felt that this book did a good job of dissecting the practices of the church in light of theological discussion. There were several important themes that ran throughout the book, two of which were the telos (overarching purpose of the church) and the necessary link between theology and practice. Wilson does an excellent job of fully explaining both of these ideas and carrying them into each chapter and page. Overall, I felt that he raised viable questions and provided some insightful answers.
If I was to offer one critique it would be that he had included more references to Scripture. There were times where I would have liked to have known where he got an idea and other times where I thought ideas were wonderfully grounded in Scripture with no such reference.