1
12
3
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a25b4beabe4a88ee7abdaa83888a8030.pdf
621082e18e9ee27ce2c90176e9f901cb
PDF Text
Text
The Faith of the Church:
A Reformed Perspective on Its Historical Development,
By M. Eugene Osterhaven
(Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1982)
Book Review by
Richard A. Rhem
Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
Publication of Review Unknown
With the publication of The Faith of the Church, Professor M. Eugene Osterhaven
has given the Church and a generation of his students to whom he dedicates the
work a lucid and concise manual of Christian theology in which he has immersed
himself and which he has taught in a long and fruitful teaching ministry. His
students will not fail to recognize their professor in the discussion of the Faith as
it is here presented in its historical development from a Reformed perspective.
Osterhaven defines theology as “the deliberate and careful consideration of the
Christian faith.” Convinced of the necessity of theological reflection on the Faith
of the Church, Osterhaven finds the norm of theology in the Scripture and its
method in listening to the record of God's self-disclosure found therein.
Systematizing is a necessary activity of the human mind which “seeks to relate
whatever material is given it into an intelligible pattern” (p. 6), but theological
reflection must not be understood as barren intellectualism, for the faith of the
Church “comes out of the experience of God's people struggling to hear his Word
in the context of life.” (p. 7)
Following a discussion of method and approach, Professor Osterhaven deals with
Christian doctrines in the order of their historical development beginning with
“the Faith of Israel.” He deals with the doctrines of God, Jesus Christ, Scripture,
Man, Sin and Grace, Hope and History, and Atonement.
Then, reflecting his method of treating doctrine in its historical development,
Osterhaven deals with the Reformation (“The Recovery of the Gospel”) and goes
on to treat Justification by Faith, the Church and the Sacraments, giving an
excellent treatment of the thinking of Luther and Calvin on these subjects.
Chapters 13, 14 and 15 constitute an interesting and helpful discussion, which is
not common to manuals of Christian doctrine. Osterhaven discusses Luther’s
conception of “The Freedom of a Christian;” what he maintains is the key to
Calvin's theology, “Order and the Holy Spirit;” and, “Experiential Christianity,” a
© Grand Valley State University
�Eugene Osterhaven, Faith of the Church, Book Review by Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
discussion of religious experience as it grew out of the Reformation and found
expression in both the mysticism and activism of Dutch Pietism and Puritanism.
Chapter 16 deals with “Eschatology: The Kingdom, The Spirit, and The End.”
Osterhaven touched Eschatology earlier (Chapter 7) when discussing the thought
of Augustine but he takes it up here again to acknowledge the theological
development of the twentieth century in the face of the crisis of meaning brought
on by the cataclysms of history which have been a part of our experience. Brief
reference is made to Barth, Cullmann, and a more extended discussion of
VanRuler and Pannenberg concerning the place of history in the design of God.
Professor Osterhaven concludes this study with a chapter on “The Relevance of
The Faith,” “to focus on the relevance in such a world of Christian theology and
the faith of the Church” (p. 213). The author’s personal conviction is clear.
There is only one remedy for this world’s ills: God himself in the person of
Christ, God-become-flesh, who has effected redemption and opened the
way to reconciliation and blessing. That faith, the message of salvation
proclaimed by the apostles, and the theology which studies and articulates
it are as relevant today as ever. (p. 213)
Stressing the need for Christian foundations and understanding well theology's
critical function – “...reflection on anything and everything from the point of view
of the biblical revelation” (p. 217) – as well as theology’s universal nature,
Professor Osterhaven calls the Church to its task so to articulate the Faith that it
will “make possible the development of a true humanism.” (221f) Citing Pascal,
Osterhaven closes with the strong conviction that the true humanism is “a view of
man which sees him, though full of contradictions, as a creature made by and
meant for God.” (p. 223)
In being guided through the historical developments of the Faith of the Church,
one is immediately impressed with the author's thorough knowledge and
understanding of the material presented. This is no superficial survey of
Christian doctrine, but rather a concise summary of the main lines of the faith
made possible only by a life-long acquaintance with the material as well as a
serious commitment to the truth of the Faith confirmed in deep Christian
experience.
The Christian Faith here portrayed is the classic Reformed understanding. If any
criticism is to be offered, it is not for what is presented but for what is not
acknowledged; there is little cognizance taken of the seriousness of the criticism
of the Faith from within the Church through the sifting of the foundations by the
critical biblical studies of the last two hundred years and from without the
Church through the development of Post-Enlightenment thought, both
philosophical and theological, and the growth of secularism.
© Grand Valley State University
�Eugene Osterhaven, Faith of the Church, Book Review by Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
The author calls us to the critique of modern culture and declares the relevance of
the Faith for our contemporary situation. The Faith here presented provides the
foundation for the task. One misses the wrenching that is involved in testing the
faith by the fires of modern criticism whose seriousness does not come to
expression. It remains for us to take the Christian foundations here so lucidly set
forth and translate them into the language of contemporary culture that the
ancient answers may continue to sound forth, demonstrating the relevance of
which the author has no doubt.
This is an excellent study which will be useful to the whole Church. It is a fitting
capstone to a long and effective teaching career and the strongest confirmation of
its truth is the life of the author, the life of a Christian man, deeply loved and
deeply respected by all who have had the privilege of sitting at his feet and being
shaped by his faith and life.
© Grand Valley State University
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Richard A. Rhem Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Religion
Interfaith worship
Sermons
Sound Recordings
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Rhem, Richard A.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Kaufman Interfaith Institute
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KII-01
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1981-2014
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
text/pdf
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RA-4-19820101
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1982-01-01
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Title
A name given to the resource
The Faith of the Church: A Reformed Perspective on Its Historical Development
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Church School Herald Journal
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard A. Rhem
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Description
An account of the resource
Book Review created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on January 1, 1982 entitled "The Faith of the Church: A Reformed Perspective on Its Historical Development", on the book The Faith of the Church: A Reformed Perspective on Its Historical Development, written by Eugene Osterhaven, it appeared in Church Herald. Tags: Faith, Church, Reformed, Theology.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Church
Faith
Reformed
Theology
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c98ed1ba14d80c16501702112864e9b8.pdf
5e8f57b3387a0f033e828d5486f103ce
PDF Text
Text
All in the Family
Article by
Richard A. Rhem
Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
Published in
The Church Herald
The Magazine of the Reformed Church in America
October 17, 1975, pp. 14-15, 18
I remember how it used to be at Grandma's. The whole family was there—aunts,
uncles, cousins, in-laws. They were all there one time or another. Some of the
clan came after the morning service for coffee while the kids were in Sunday
school. Others made their weekly pilgrimage to the five-acre celery farm on
Sunday afternoon. A few stopped after the evening service. (It made me a little
jealous that some of my cousins got to stay with Grandma during that evening
service. She peeled apples and cut them up into quarters. Sometimes she could
peel a whole apple without lifting the knife or breaking the long ribbon of red
peeling.) Grandma was always at the center of things. Grandpa was off to the side
a bit in his favorite chair, pipe stand at hand and several cans of Prince Albert
nearby. The air was tinged with blue because he alternated between pipe and
cigar, and the cigar was finally deposited in the bowl of the pipe to draw out its
last glowing ashes. The atmosphere was always the same—warm, familiar,
comfortable. Grandma was there and so love and security were there. It was
family.
There was one source of tension, however. There was a mixed marriage to
contend with. One of my aunts had gone off and married a Christian Reformed
boy from a couple of farms up the road. She joined the Christian Reformed
Church but was never really converted. She grumbled about it a lot. And from
that union sprang several cousins. The Christian Reformed Church did a good job
on them. They never seemed to know there was anything else.
Well, we lived in reasonable peace over the years of my childhood. When
Grandpa or Grandma had birthdays we all got together, and that was something
else. Once in a while the peace was shattered — when, for example, we got talking
about the Christian school or the upcoming Hope-Calvin game. Then the
atmosphere was warm too; in fact, sometimes it even got hot.
© Grand Valley State University
�All in the Family
Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
Those occasional sharp confrontations were gathered up into a larger bond that
had the toughness of love. I knew, without anyone ever telling me, that we were
really all one – one family. We could argue, raise our voices or grumble at each
other, but we belonged together; we belonged to each other.
Now many years later in the midst of my ministry I find myself on a “Joint
Christian Reformed-Reformed Church Committee for Study of a Theology of
Evangelism.” My experience on this committee has reminded me of my
experiences as a child in a family that had “mixed marriages.” There was always a
little rivalry, little points of tension, sometimes confrontation and sharply
differing perspectives. But, there was also always that sense of family. We belong
to each other and that which makes us one family is of far greater import than the
things that separate us.
There are many mysteries in life, but one of the greatest is how two churches with
the same national origins, the same polity, liturgical tradition and confessional
allegiance have been able to go their separate ways for over a century. Yet even
such a long period of separate existence has not been able to erase from our
corporate consciousness that we belong together, that we belong to each other.
Both denominations in their respective Synods of 1973 adopted
recommendations that a joint committee be formed. The committees of each
church responsible for Inter-Church relationships had been working together in
“concentrated dialogue” since 1969. This dialogue had issued in a formal meeting
of the two churches in the fall of 1972. The experience of that event was reflected
in a Conference Statement, which gave thanks to God “for the unity he gave us
during our deliberations.” The Conference heartily endorsed the following
recommendations and covenanted together to implement them.
1. That we recognize, reaffirm and publish the positions taken by our
respective Inter-Church Relations Committees in 1966 and 1987, the
substance of which is herewith submitted:
a. Joint work on liturgy to explore common concerns, suggest and
foster similar patterns of worship and liturgy in our two churches.
b. Joint planning be used in church extension to avoid overlapping
so that Kingdom resources and witness be used most effectively.
c. The encouragement of local exchanges between churches
including pulpit fellowship.
d. Overseas mission efforts done in a cooperative manner whenever
possible.
© Grand Valley State University
�All in the Family
Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
There was much more to the Conference Statement dealing with cooperative
efforts on the denominational, classical and congregational levels and in the area
of publication. The statement ended with an eloquent call to action, pleading,
The mercies of God that what we have envisioned we, together with many
others, may now bring into being so that his name may be glorified, his
church may be made victorious and his people may rejoice in the blessings
that flow from the unity we seek.
Against this background the Joint Committee CRC/RCA for Study of Theology of
Evangelism was born. Five members from each church were appointed and the
first meeting was held in December of 1973.
Two churches in the Reformed tradition must necessarily discuss theology in any
coming together. Furthermore, there is wisdom in focusing on the imperative
that rests upon the whole church, the sharing of the Gospel with all men. Unity
arises not so much out of discussion of abstract principles as out of engagement
in the execution of the mission of Jesus Christ. Evangelism, telling good news in a
world of bad news, is a natural place to begin to search for our unity. Happily, we
on the joint committee can testify that we sensed a warm fellowship in our
common search for some word to speak together concerning the grace of God
which has appeared in Jesus Christ.
The issue of our committee's work thus far is a Manifesto On Evangelism. That
may seem to be a rather meager result. Yet, I think when the Manifesto is studied
it will prove itself a carefully formulated and profoundly significant statement. In
the preamble to the Manifesto, the committee acknowledged that it had narrowed
its task to sharp focus, hoping to make a distinct contribution to current
discussion from our Reformed perspective as well as lifting into prominence a
theme which is central to the biblical revelation and strangely absent from much
of the material on evangelism; that theme being the Kingdom of God.
We were aware of other discussions on the theme of evangelism. We sensed a real
struggle in the Christian community at two points:
First, how are word and deed related in Christian witness? Is social action, born
of Christian conviction, evangelism? Is evangelism oral testimony only, and are
deeds of demonstrated Christian concern in connection with that testimony
merely optional? But behind this tension lies a more fundamental concern. What
is the word, the message, in evangelism? What is the message which deeds are to
demonstrate? (Preamble to the Manifesto).
It was the Committee's judgment that the historic Reformed accent on the
Kingdom of God was a key to a meaningful solution to these questions. In various
study papers prepared by members of the group the Kingdom theme surfaced
again and again. Furthermore, we felt there was a lack of concern with the
Kingdom idea in much contemporary discussion, although it is certainly a central
© Grand Valley State University
�All in the Family
Richard A. Rhem
Page 4
biblical motif. We opted to make a concise statement which expresses our unity
in the understanding of our evangelistic task as well as the central theme of our
proclamation in word and deed.
The Manifesto itself is divided into three sections: The proclamation of the
Kingdom, the signs of the Kingdom and the imperative of the Kingdom. The
opening paragraph evidences the inclusiveness of the Kingdom theme, which
allows it to overcome the false antithesis between word and deed which has so
long plagued the church.
We share the newly expressed concern of believers everywhere to understand the
nature of evangelism and its place in our total task. We deplore our own
tendencies in thought and action to separate Gospel proclamation from
compassionate ministry. We believe that both are rightly understood only in the
light of the Bible's pervasive theme—the Kingdom of God.
Strong proclamation of good news is immediately affirmed in the first section and
that section is concluded with the statement “that all ‘evangelizing’ in the New
Testament sense of the term includes the joyous proclamation of God's saving
rule, together with the call to repent and believe the Gospel.”
But the Manifesto continues in the second section, “the proclamation of God's
Kingdom rule brings with it the reality proclaimed,” and after a discussion of
what that entails specifically, we go on to affirm
that all evangelizing in the New Testament sense of the term is
accompanied by the signs of God’s Kingdom among his people and springs
from their active concern for the full deliverance and restoration of all to
whom the Gospel is addressed.
The final section of the Manifesto deals with the imperative placed upon us in
light of the Kingdom that has come in Jesus Christ for we testify to our conviction
that “the Gospel of the Kingdom brings the only hope for lost mankind.”
In our committee deliberations it was obvious that we were not all at the same
place. It was obvious, too, that both churches were at different points, spoke out
of differing contexts and had to speak to differing expectations and concerns. It
was most interesting to observe, however, that differences of opinion did not
always follow denominational lines. And perhaps the greatest realization to arise
out of our study and discussion together was the fundamental unity that is ours
both in our understanding of the Gospel and in the high sense of urgency in
making it known to all men.
The most significant feature of our joint committee is the fact that we are meeting
each other, studying and praying together, enjoying table fellowship together and
coming to appreciate each other. The results of such coming together have
already been significant in terms of personal relationships established and
© Grand Valley State University
�All in the Family
Richard A. Rhem
Page 5
mutual respect and trust that have developed. This has led us to recognize each
other and the importance of working together in cooperative ventures, the
utilizing of the resources of our respective churches to the greatest possible
advantage and the seeking of a common purpose, the furtherance of God’s
Kingdom in the world. The removal of distrust, suspicion and a spirit of
competition inevitably results when we come together and place ourselves at the
disposal of the Lord of the Church for the execution of his mission.
We are not bothered by our separate denominational existences. Our energies
need not be swallowed up in trying to merge two denominational structures.
Rather we are open together to the Spirit’s leading, seeking ways in which we may
bear effective witness to the Christ who has made us together a part of his Body.
In the light of this challenging mission that unites us, we have a new recognition
of the fact that we belong together, we belong to each other, because together we
belong to him.
© Grand Valley State University
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Richard A. Rhem Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Religion
Interfaith worship
Sermons
Sound Recordings
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Rhem, Richard A.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Kaufman Interfaith Institute
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KII-01
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1981-2014
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
text/pdf
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RA-4-19751017
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975-10-17
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Title
A name given to the resource
All in the Family
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Church School Herald Journal
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard A. Rhem
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Description
An account of the resource
Article created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 17, 1975 entitled "All in the Family", it appeared in The Church Herald, pp. 14-15, 18. Tags: Church, Reformed, Ecumenical, Team Ministry.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Church
Ecumenical
Reformed
Team Ministry
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bc864ccbef36ac2a85efc0d55d2f76bf.pdf
c63018e70d94a903da880350327a1d3f
PDF Text
Text
Let’s Close Half Our Churches
Article by
Richard A. Rhem
Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
Published in
The Church Herald
The Magazine of the Reformed Church in America
November 10, 1973, pp. 11-12
Sound Radical? Perhaps. But perhaps it's time for radical surgery on the church
in order to bring it to health and vitality, able effectively to carry out its mission
of reconciliation. We have too many congregations doing their own thing,
building their own buildings, paying their own overhead and offering their own
programs to the community in competition with too many other congregations
doing the same thing. If there was a day for church extension (and I'm sure there
was) now is the time for church deletion. We are not here to see how many new
Reformed congregations we can build. We are not here to preserve the identity of
congregations, even though they have outlived their mission. We are not being
called to maintain a church merely for the convenience of a few who refuse to
make an adjustment in the pattern of their church life.
These are hard words, but we need hard words. Too long we have argued against
change and new structures and modes of church life on the basis of sentiment,
nostalgia, or obstinacy, cloaking our real feelings with pious arguments which no
one dared to attack.
The day when we could afford that kind of luxury is past. We are not only failing
to dent contemporary secular culture, we are not even keeping up with the exploding world population. The challenge of the day calls for radical streamlining
of the Body of Christ. This will come to roost effectively by concentrating not on
the multiplication of congregations, but on the re-grouping of the people of God
into effective communities of worship, fellowship, and ministry.
What’s involved? The willingness to die in order to live - a sound gospel principal
(John 12:24-26). Jesus’ words are addressed to individuals, but they are not
without relevance to congregations as well. If it is really our primary aim to bring
Christ to the nation, then we must be willing to put all else on the line.
© Grand Valley State University
�Let’s Close Half Our Churches
Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
The successful church will be the church that is a many-splendored thing – able
to approach our culture from various angles with a wide variety of opportunities
which will appeal to a wide spectrum of interests and needs. This can only be
accomplished by a team ministry that offers specialization in several spheres.
In most areas the traditional pattern of congregational life which remained
practically unchanged for over half a century is no longer effective in
accomplishing the mission of the church. We can no longer take for granted the
loyal, almost automatic response to the traditional church program. People will
not necessarily be there just because there is a meeting.
Nor ought we attempt to coerce people through guilt or fear. The old loyalty to
which once we could appeal and the family and community pressures which held
a congregation together, whether or not there was a creative ministry that was
meeting people at their point of need, can no longer be counted on and we ought
not to regret that loss. We are now in a position to allow the winds of the Spirit to
shape us into new forms of church life and ministry that will elicit the free
response of people who make up our largely secular culture.
But the task is demanding and will require the special gifts and specialized
training of the professional ministry, as well as the commitment of the total
Christian community.
I believe the key to building successful churches lies in the development of a team
ministry that can recruit, train, and motivate the Body of Christ to carry out its
ministry in the world. Paul conceived of the pastor as one who equipped God’s
people for doing the work of ministry. The congregation can no longer be
understood as the recipient of ministry carried out by a trained professional who
becomes their private chaplain, but rather must be viewed as the instrument of
ministry in the total cultural setting of which it is a part. This is not a new idea,
but what is being demonstrated in various places throughout the church today is
that effective recruitment and training issuing in effective ministry and church
growth can take place more readily where there is a team of professionals that
can utilize their specialized gifts for the building of the whole Body.
Team ministry offers several advantages over the single-pastor organization.
First, it allows for the most efficient and effective use of the professionally trained
ministry. Team ministry allows a person to exercise his best gifts in an area for
which he is especially fitted. Many men with fine gifts and dedication flounder
when they must carry the total program of a congregation’s life and witness.
When the leadership is frustrated, the whole program gets bogged down and
everything is done with mediocrity. We cannot allow the Lord’s work to be done
with mediocrity. Let the one gifted in administration, administer; the one gifted
in counseling, counsel; the one gifted in education, educate. Then each area of the
church’s life will receive the leadership of a specialist and the total program will
have upon it the mark of excellence.
© Grand Valley State University
�Let’s Close Half Our Churches
Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
With a team ministry a wide spectrum of ministries can be inaugurated: small
groups, singles’ ministry, youth ministry, ministry to the aging, etc. There is a
vast reservoir of willing volunteer labor in the church but it must be tapped,
equipped and channeled into meaningful service. With a staff of trained
professionals to administer, lay-participation increases.
With a multiplication of ministry comes the increased usage of facilities. Church
buildings have traditionally been our poorest examples of Christian stewardship large sanctuaries and beautiful educational units used very few hours per week.
With a team ministry and a wide spectrum of ministries, the facilities will be in
use seven days a week.
When a congregation can offer a wide-ranging program appealing to a wide
spectrum of interests and meeting the needs of the whole person, it will grow,
and as it grows it will be able to support a growing mission to its community and
world.
Every congregation has a certain given overhead, but why should each little group
of one hundred or two hundred families duplicate each other in building
facilities, administrative costs and ministerial service? Why can we not fill the
sanctuary three times on Sunday morning as well as once? What difference does
it make if we develop two or three different congregations on the same locations?
Instead of three costly buildings, there will be one. Instead of three ministers
trying to do everything and succeeding with only some things, and doing nothing
with excellence, could not three men join together, each doing well for the
congregation what he is especially gifted to do.
And finally, the benefit of team ministry will be experienced in the mutual
support the team members are able to give to each other. When one is alone
trying to do too many things, succeeding in only some, and being frustrated in
others, the ministry can become a very depressing business. But when there is a
team working together, each one is released to exercise his best gifts, and finds in
his colleagues support and affirmation which enables him to function more
effectively and find fulfillment and satisfaction in his vocation.
Let us build the kingdom, not through the multiplication of congregations, but
through the building of multi-staff congregations, which can then become
effective communities of Christian worship and ministry.
© Grand Valley State University
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Richard A. Rhem Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Religion
Interfaith worship
Sermons
Sound Recordings
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Rhem, Richard A.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Kaufman Interfaith Institute
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KII-01
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1981-2014
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
text/pdf
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RA-4-19731110
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-11-10
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Title
A name given to the resource
Let's Close Half Our Churches
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Church School Herald Journal
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard A. Rhem
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Description
An account of the resource
Article created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 10, 1973 entitled "Let's Close Half Our Churches", it appeared in The Church Herald, pp. 11-12. Tags: Church, Reformed, Community of Faith, Team Ministry.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Church
Community of Faith
Reformed
Team Ministry