Please watch the Clipboard and The Envoy for further details on these events. Rethinking the Purpose of the Local Church By Charles Van Engen, Baker Book House, 1991. Reviewed by Mick Smith, Director of Supervised Ministerial Experience and Associate Professor of Christian Ministries. This is a book for leaders of local congregations facing the 21st century, not for missionaries. It is impossible for any Christian congregation to honor God, regardless of its size, facilities, programs, or excellence of leadership, if it fails to grasp the mission to which God has called it.
Every local congregation is a part of a purpose far bigger than itself.
To miss that purpose is to miss its reason for being. In his relatively brief book, Charles Van Engen develops the thesis that a local congregation can only become what it ought to be as it reaches out in mission to the world in the Name and spirit of Christ. Years of international experience give Dr. Van Engen a vantage point for seeing through the powerful American cultural influences that affect our customary discussions about the local church. He presents a clear, balanced biblical perspective on how the local church fits in the Kingdom of God and how it relates to the world. I am excited about the potential of developing from this careful work a self-study instrument that would help congregational leaders clarify their sense of mission and reorder their church according to the missionary purpose of God.