GOD’S CHURCH FOR GOD’S WORLD FAITHFUL PERSPECTIVES ON MISSION AND MINISTRY Edited by T. A. Woolford & A. C. Young (IVP, June 2022) 240pp, paperback, RRP £19.60
At the recent Lambeth Conference, Bishop Michael Curry said, ‘We don’t need to make more Church-ians, we need to make more Christ-ians.’
God’s Church for God’s World is a collection of essays written by established voices and emerging leaders. Standing with feet firmly planted in the soil of evangelicalism (which is to follow evangelical doctrines), the editors argue that the Anglican Church is more divided than at any previous time and most of its sixteen contributors cite issues of sexuality as being the primary cause of this fracturing (although criticism of senior leadership is also a common theme).
The book claims to bring together opinions and testimony from across evangelical Anglicanism although only one contributor is not ordained and just five are women.
Divided into three parts, the first recounts the history of the Anglican Communion and the place of evangelicalism in the Church of England. Thought-provoking and informative, the contributors recognise the value of other expressions of faith within the classic tenets of scripture, tradition and reason. Part two is a series of personal testimonies and how the contributors have been called to and enacted their ministry. Within this section, after briefly describing her own calling, Esther Prior provides an excellent, objective reflection on women’s ministry and is the standout piece in the whole book.
The final part provides an interesting and informative commentary on the Church in Wales and a shorter chapter on matters in Scotland, a contribution notable for the pain experienced by its writer. This is followed by an account of a minister who left the Church of England and the reasons for doing so. As one whose feet were planted in the soil of evangelicalism but has flourished in broader meadows, this book provides food for thought for both Church-ians and Christ-ians to chew upon.
Richard Frost is an Anglican licensed lay minister and writes a blog at workrestpray.com.
