EMQ » April–June 2019 » Volume 55 Issue 3
By Jonathan Leeman, Christopher J.H. Wright, John R. Franke, and Peter J. Leithart
General editor, Jason S. Sexton.
Grand Rapids, MI: Harper Collins Publishers, 2017
198 pages
USD $16.99
Reviewed by Tim Pewett, missionary in Madrid, Spain and doctoral student in Intercultural Studies at Columbia International University.
It’s been said that ideas have consequences. In ministry and missions, perhaps nowhere is this more evident than attempting to answer, “What is the mission of the church?” Asked differently, how inclusive (broad) or exclusive (narrow) is the mission of the church? In Four Views on the Church’s Mission, Jason Sexton assembled key authors to represent differing positions within Protestant evangelicalism: Soteriological Mission (Jonathan Leeman), Participatory Mission (Christopher J.H. Wright), Contextual Mission (John R. Franke), and Sacramental Mission (Peter J. Leithart).
Dialogue around this question has increased since Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert published What is the Mission of the Church? in 2011. I counted at least twenty substantive references to their work and two facts stood out. First, every writer (except Franke) cited DeYoung and Gilbert. Second, Wright cited their book the most, making up 50% of all references. To read Four Views is indeed to have a conversation in light of DeYoung and Gilbert’s work.
Leeman’s Soteriological view slightly expands the narrower view of DeYoung and Gilbert, allowing for both a “broad” and “narrow” mission. The broad mission (for the church-as-its-members) is the “kingly” labor for all Christians to be disciples while the narrower mission (for the church-as-organized-collective) is the “priestly” work to make disciples.
In Wright’s Participatory view, the church’s mission is to cultivate the church (through evangelism and teaching), engage society (through compassionate justice and service), and finally to care for creation.
In Franke’s Contextual view, the church’s mission is to represent (be the image of God, the body of Christ, and the Spirit’s dwelling place) and extend (proclaim) the Gospel as a sign, instrument, and foretaste of the kingdom of God. The expression of mission will result in “fresh adaptations of the Christian faith as the message of the gospel spreads…” (128).
Leithart’s Sacramental view emphasizes the often-neglected role of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. He argues the mission of the church is broad. In principle, nothing is outside its scope as baptized believers are sent to live out their lives in the world. The mission is also political, the church should have an ongoing, public, and visible place in its work towards social justice.
Some readers may have a harder time working through vocabulary and concepts in Franke and Leithart’s essays. If there is any quibble with the book, it would have to be with the fact that authors did not have space to respond to the objections raised to their essays. In addition, as Sexton notes, all contributors were white males which does not reflect the diversity within modern evangelicalism.
How expansive or not is the mission of the church? While we have not achieved a unified and collective answer, there is growing clarity on the different positions and underlying reasons given in support, making this a good and timely read. Students, teachers, church workers, and missionaries will all find this book engaging and helpful. Importantly, the conversation is friendly and the tone respectful, something we should always agree on.
For Further Reading:
Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2011.
Craig Ott, ed. The Mission of the Church, Five Views in Conversation. Downers Grove, IL: Baker Academic, 2016.
