Eight Convictions about the Local Church

Here’s a good roadmap for a church to follow:

1. BIBLE: The word of God does the work of God through the Spirit of God in the people of God;
2. LOCAL CHURCH: The local church is the primary place where the Kingdom of Heaven impacts the kingdoms of this world;
3. EXPOSITORY PREACHING: Consecutive expository preaching by the pastor-teacher is the best normal diet of the local church;
4. MEETINGS: The meetings of the local church are for both edification and evangelism (with no sharp distinction between these)
5. MINISTERS: The ministers of the local church are all its members;
6. FOCUS: The local church should focus on doing a few things really well;
7. SACRIFICE: The local church exits for the sake of others;
8. PRAYER: Prayer lies at the heart of the local church.

– Mark Ashton, former pastor of St. Andrews the Great (StAG), quoted in Persistently Preaching Christ; Fifty Years of Bible Ministry in a Cambridge Church, p 13.

Advertisements