Theo 510 Journal Article Critique
JOURNAL ARTICLE CRITIQUE
of
Gangel, Kenneth O. “Marks of a Healthy Church.” Bibliotheca Sacra vol.158 no.632 (October - December 2001): 467-477.
THEO 510 LUO (fall 2012)
Survey of Theology
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
October 22, 2012
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION3
BRIEF SUMMARY3
CRITICAL INTERACTION4
CONCLUSION5
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY6
Introduction In the New Testament, the church can be referred to as the “local” church or the “universal” church. The local church is a place where assemblies of believers come together at a particular location and time. The universal church refers to the body of Christ. Many churches believe that they are healthy because they have a certain number of people on their membership roll. Healthy churches measure their spirituality according to God’s Word. This paper seeks to convey that healthy churches are measured in spiritual terms versus numerical terms; follow biblical instead of cultural patterns of ministry; are based on theological instead of sociological foundations; focus on ministry not a marketing model; and adopt scriptural not secular models of leadership. This will be done by examining Kenneth Gangel’s discussion on the different marks that can be used to gauge a healthy church in his article “The Marks of a Healthy Church.”
Brief Summary According to Kenneth Gangel, in his article “The Marks of a Healthy Church,” he seeks to “explain the characteristics of a healthy church using the measurements of the spiritual, biblical, theological, ministry model, and scriptural model of leadership.” To accomplish this Gangel cautions spiritual leaders not to get caught up in measuring church growth in numerical terms. They should accentuate the holiness and sovereignty of God through Bible study, worship, prayer, praise, and fellowship. In following biblical instead of cultural patterns, churches do not feel compelled to stay “up with the times” or get hooked on religious fads and slogans.
of
Gangel, Kenneth O. “Marks of a Healthy Church.” Bibliotheca Sacra vol.158 no.632 (October - December 2001): 467-477.
THEO 510 LUO (fall 2012)
Survey of Theology
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
October 22, 2012
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION3
BRIEF SUMMARY3
CRITICAL INTERACTION4
CONCLUSION5
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY6
Introduction In the New Testament, the church can be referred to as the “local” church or the “universal” church. The local church is a place where assemblies of believers come together at a particular location and time. The universal church refers to the body of Christ. Many churches believe that they are healthy because they have a certain number of people on their membership roll. Healthy churches measure their spirituality according to God’s Word. This paper seeks to convey that healthy churches are measured in spiritual terms versus numerical terms; follow biblical instead of cultural patterns of ministry; are based on theological instead of sociological foundations; focus on ministry not a marketing model; and adopt scriptural not secular models of leadership. This will be done by examining Kenneth Gangel’s discussion on the different marks that can be used to gauge a healthy church in his article “The Marks of a Healthy Church.”
Brief Summary According to Kenneth Gangel, in his article “The Marks of a Healthy Church,” he seeks to “explain the characteristics of a healthy church using the measurements of the spiritual, biblical, theological, ministry model, and scriptural model of leadership.” To accomplish this Gangel cautions spiritual leaders not to get caught up in measuring church growth in numerical terms. They should accentuate the holiness and sovereignty of God through Bible study, worship, prayer, praise, and fellowship. In following biblical instead of cultural patterns, churches do not feel compelled to stay “up with the times” or get hooked on religious fads and slogans.
Bibliography: Enns, Paul.The Moody Handbook of Theology.Revised and Expanded. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008. Gangel, Kenneth O. 2001. “Marks of a Healthy Church.”Bibliotheca Sacra,no.158 vol.632 (October - December) MacArthur, John F., “How Shall We Then Worship?” in The Coming Evangelical Crisis,ed. David Wells (Chicago: Moody, 1996), 181 [ 3 ]. Gangel, Kenneth O. 2001. Marks of a Healthy Church. Bibliotheca Sacra 9, no.28 vol. 632 (October - December). http://www.galaxie.com/article/5724 (accessed October 15, 2012). [ 10 ]. MacArthur, John F., “How Shall We Then Worship?” in The Coming Evangelical Crisis, ed. David Wells (Chicago: Moody, 1996), 181 [ 11 ]