Sermon Tone Analysis

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Eric Meyer
CMN 7713: Biblical Foundations Of Ministry & Leadership
John Brown University
Professor: Dr. Robert V. Cupp
Sept. 23rd, 2008
 
Foundations of Ministry
An Introduction To Christian Education For A New Generation
Michael J. Anthony, Baker Books, 1992
 
*SUMMARY*
* *
* Author and Background*
 
Foundations of Ministry was written and edited by Michael J. Anthony.
He relied upon considerable help from additional authors, as well as the Christian Education faculty of Biola University~/Talbot School of Theology.
Mr.
Anthony is the associate provost and professor of Christian Education at the above mentioned universities.
He holds a Ph.
D. in educational administration from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.
D in education from Claremont Graduate School.
He is a consultant to numerous nonprofit boards and is an active speaker as Christian education conferences around the world.
*Purpose of the Book*
* *
“It is my desire to present an overview of the discipline (Christian Education) to the student who is new to the field of Christian Education.
This book is not intended to be the final word.
An introductory text should provide the reader with a concise look at the subject and then point him or her to additional resources for further reading and investigation.”
(9)
 
*Basic Contents~/Summarization*
 
This book is a very comprehensive look at the issues that affect almost all aspects of Christian Education in American churches today.
The authors and editor work from the point of view that these issues must be viewed through the lenses of scripture, biblical history, and changing culture.
Most of the chapters begin with a history of the issue, discuss the scriptural basis for the author’s perspective, and address cultural concerns of which the reader needs to be aware.
The book is divided into four sections.
The first section defines the foundational principles from which the authors will work to advance their theories of education in the later sections.
For example, in chapter 1, the author states, “According to scripture, the church is an organism.
It is the body of Christ incarnate in the world today.”
(15)   By the end of this section, the importance of theology, church history, personal and corporate ministry philosophy, human development, psychological foundations, cross-cultural perspectives, and the issues intrinsic in morals and faith development have been defined.
Once the authors have defined their scriptural, historical, and cultural foundations, they define the methods to utilize in addressing different ministries, and the benefits of those ministries to the church body.
The second section discusses how to minister to different age groups and single adults.
The third section teaches organizational and administrative procedures, and the last section discusses specialized ministries.
*Strengths~/Weaknesses*
* *
This book is an outstanding resource.
There are few weaknesses that I found, and many strengths.
Since there are so few weaknesses in my opinion, I will begin with those issues.
For such an amazingly easy to read text, the initial appearance is very technical.
While this may be a petty complaint, I hope that potential readers are not dissuaded from picking up the book because of the cover.
For example, the author is listed boldly on the cover as, “Michael J. Anthony, and the Christian Education Faculty of Biola University~/Talbot School of Theology.
That gives me the impression of a text aimed at scholars, yet the target market is readers new to Christian Education.
A second weakness comes from the chapter called Counseling Ministries in the Church.
One of the key messages iterated throughout the book is that ministry needs to be done in a team and in a small group environment.
Here is one of the fundamental comments in the book from my opinion, “Although 42% of people (needing counseling help) turn (first) to their pastors, pastors say they are not trained to handle the complex problems coming to them and are burning out from their counseling load…Pastors need to sort out what they are called to do: preach, facilitate equipping the body, counsel, administrate, or develop a helping ministry.”
(338)  This chapter goes on to teach the fundamentals of hiring or teaching counselors.
This is an amazingly complex issue that can not be handled easily by personnel not equipped to handle this ministry.
I am surprised, and a bit disappointed that there is so much detail on how to train (especially when the pastors themselves are not trained), but no mention is made of outside resources such as the Stephen Ministry.
One of the key strengths of this book is its organization.
Anyone interested in an aspect of Christian Education will probably find useful information contained within.
The authors do not just define terms, they build a strong biblical foundation for their beliefs and teaching methods, describe the benefits and challenges involved in each aspect of education, and give concrete examples of how to design an education program from scratch.
Also explained are ways to prioritize limited resources, and address the issues most critical to a particular congregation.
Since this text is not intended to be all things to all readers, very detailed sections of additional resources are listed after each chapter.
This book is also a resource that helps the reader to understand what key ministry needs their church might be missing.
The section that describes the benefits of missionary programs and camping programs are perfect examples.
Many people hear the word “missionary” in a negative light, but the chapter Mission Education in the Local Church describes in detail how mission work can strengthen the local church.
Regarding camping, on page 295, the authors say that 25% of all Christians were introduced to Christ at a camp.
If a church does not have a camping program, this chapter goes into detail on how to build one.
*Potential Value~/Uses in Real Life Ministry*
 
This is a book that ought to be in every minister’s (lay or professional) library.
It is a “ministry filter” that the will point out areas of weakness in a church’s education programs.
The career professional may already understand most of the issues defined in this book, but there are so many solid examples of how to run ministries that there will probably be new ideas for even the most senior minister.
The culture issues our society faces are integrated throughout this book, and are defined as critical to church health.
“It has been estimated that a culture undergoes significant change every three to seven years.
If this is true, the church that stays on the cutting edge will be the one that understands why and how change is needed.”
(68)  That “why and how” are interwoven throughout the book.
The authors have included many resources through out the book that can immediately be used to strengthen education ministries.
Key examples are the “Fowler’s Seven Stages of Faith Development”, and Age~/Ministry Implications Charts which define the developmental stages of people throughout their life spans, and then offer ministry implications for each age.
If you need help with job descriptions, there are even several examples.
If a minister wants to study a particular educational ministry in depth, many additional resources are listed at the end of each chapter.
*Relevance to Course*
* *
This book is directly relevant to the coursework.
Many of the exact concepts that we are learning are addressed, such as Getz’s lenses.
In fact, much of the book appears to be written with Getz’s views in mind.
The 2 core ministry functions of evangelism and edification are also discussed.
Philosophy of Ministry is a concept that is fundamental to the structure of this book.
In many of the chapters, one of the key steps in determining how to design an education program is to first address the church’s or the teacher’s philosophy of ministry.
While not explicitly stated in the book, the concepts of function and form are described throughout.
The first section of the book focuses on key functions of the church, while the remainder describes forms of education.
The authors do go to great lengths to discuss the importance of the essential functions of exalting, evangelism, establishing (teaching maturity), encouraging, equipping, and empowering.
They use the acronym WIFE  to describe the key edification functions where W = worship, I = instruction, F = fellowship, and E = expression, and then describe evangelism as an outreach function.
While the authors describe their intent to be teaching the fundamentals of Christian Education, they know they are speaking to the leaders of the church who will be establishing these programs.
Since they have an audience of leaders, much attention is given to the needs of leaders, and the training of future leaders.
There are no throw away chapters here, all have key insights from a leadership perspective.
The rest of this presentation highlights key quotes from each chapter.
My intention is to give the reader a flavor of the text prior to making the purchase commitment.
*INTRODUCTION:*
* *
“Discipleship is at the heart of Christian Education, and the process of becoming a disciple of men and women is deeply entrenched in the contents of this book.
It is my hope that the message contained in these passages will strengthen the reader to be a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
*PART ONE.
FOUNDATIONS OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRY*
* *
*Chapter 1:  Putting Ministry in Perspective*
* *
“If not careful, the business procedures of the church can so overwhelm believers that they view the church as nothing more than an organization with a Christian emphasis.
But the church is not an organization.
According to scripture, the church is an organism.
It is the body of Christ incarnate in the world today.”
(15)
“The Christian Education ministry of the local church must be comprehensive and balanced.
It should take into consideration the outreach needs of its community as well as the growth needs of its local congregation.”
(23)
“No church should try to be all things to all people” (23)
“This organization of themes is called Bible doctrines.
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