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R. Scott Pace on His New Release, Student Ministry By The Book

February 13, 2019 by Lindsay Lewis 1 Comment

Student Ministry by the Book: Biblical Foundations of Student Ministry

by Ed Newton and R. Scott Pace

We recently spoke with co-author R. Scott Pace to discuss his new book Student Ministry by the Book: Biblical Foundations of Student Ministry. Read on to find out more about why Pace and Newton wrote this timely volume:

What motivated you to write this book?

I have a great, personal love for students and their families, and my passion is to see the next generation spiritually nourished and nurtured. I hope to be able to equip others who serve in the area of student ministry within the local church, and ultimately to see students grow into fully devoted disciples through these programs. 

Are you working with students at the moment?

I am involved in my local church ministry through various speaking and discipleship capacities, including serving student ministries by speaking at conferences, camps, and retreat weekends. Over the last 20 years, I have served as a pastor in a variety of full-time and interim capacities, and I have always loved working with students. 

How does your book support the ministry of the Church?

Student ministry and ministry to families of students is a primary demographic in the local church, and this particular ministry is absolutely essential to the church. Our book seeks to train, equip, and encourage those who lead and serve in this crucial ministry area. 

Who do you see benefitting most from this volume?

I think that student pastors, leaders, and parents will all find it helpful in their ministry. Particularly, I believe that those training for student ministry leadership in an academic or internship setting will benefit greatly from this book. It can serve as both a primer on the subject of student ministry and as a foundational classroom resource.

R. Scott Pace currently serves as the Johnny Hunt Chair of Biblical Preaching, associate professor of preaching and pastoral ministry, director of the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Ministry, and the director of the Hunt Scholars Program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. Scott’s greatest passion is for his family. He and his wife, Dana, have been married since 1999. They have four children – Gracelyn, Tyler, Tessa, and Cassie.


Description

The field of youth ministry is often driven by fads and trends. Leaders attempt to reach students by chasing the ever-changing tides of teenage culture, but their heartfelt and painstaking efforts are often met with a lack of authentic spiritual transformation. Student Ministry by the Book addresses these and other common missteps by providing a biblical philosophy and practical guide for youth ministry. Student pastors, youth leaders, and parents of teens will all benefit from this thoroughly biblical and practical approach, designed as a handbook for starting, strengthening, and sustaining a youth ministry in the local church.

Endorsements

“This is a book that is just as beneficial to a parent as it is to a youth pastor. I can’t wait to give copies to the student ministry team at our church!”

—Brent Crowe, vice president, Student Leadership University

“If you want to be more than an activities director and begin to build student disciples, this is the place to start.”

—Andy Harrison, student ministries specialist and Falls Creek program director, Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma

“I enthusiastically recommend Student Ministry by the Book to every youth pastor and person preparing to be one. This one belongs in your library.”

—Richard Ross, professor of student ministry, J.M. Price Chair of Religious Education, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

 

Details

Hardcover

160 Pages

$19.99

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Filed Under: Discipleship, Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: Biblical Theology, Discipleship, Leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Student Ministry

Eschatological Discipleship: A Review

June 1, 2018 by Barnabas Piper Leave a Comment

by Andrew Spencer

Trevin Wax is one of the most incisive cultural commentators in the evangelical community. He has a talent for moving past pearl clutching about trends in pop culture by asking foundational questions about the ideas that animate to moral activity in entertainment and society. His recent book, Eschatological Discipleship is an overt presentation of the theological analysis that is evident in the background of Wax’s popular books and blogs.

Eschatology is the oft neglected and frequently abused topic in Christian systematic theologies. As Wax notes, discussions of the end times in seminary courses tend to be stuck on the end of the course syllabus and often are the first to get axed when discussions of soteriology and ecclesiology run long at the beginning of the semester. More often, the term eschatology is understood to mean endless debate about the nature and timing of the rapture, the intrigue of the mark of the beast, and various theories on the millennium.

This book gets beyond the most common pitfalls of eschatological debate to focus on the core issue of eschatology as it is woven throughout Scripture. In particular, Wax emphasizes the idea of eschatology as a source for telos; it is the theological topic that provides the best evidence for the meaning of life. In other words, eschatology is not primarily about charts and timing, but about providing a lodestar of eternal purpose to navigate life in ever-changing times.

In Eschatological Discipleship: Leading Christians to Understand their Historical and Cultural Context, Wax does something few treatments of the topic do: he offers an analysis of the eschatologies of worldviews that compete with Christianity. His analysis of the eschatology of the Enlightenment, the Sexual Revolution, and Consumerism are unique in their revelation of the unspoken, but evident meaning encoded in those rival systems of meaning. This book provides a framework for discussing the often-obscured theologies of those movements.

Wax begins the book with a chapter defining the term eschatological discipleship. He argues, “eschatological discipleship is spiritual formation that seeks to instill wisdom regarding the contemporary setting in which Christians find themselves (in contrast to rival conceptions of time and progress) and that calls for contextualized obedience as a demonstration of the Christian belief that the biblical account of the world’s past, present, and future is true.” (p. 41) This definition makes clear Wax’s aim, which is to present a theological argument that unquestionably leads to obedience.

In three chapters, Wax presents a biblical theology of eschatological discipleship, beginning with the Old Testament, then focusing on the Gospels and Acts, and concluding with a survey of the topic in Paul’s letters. It becomes evident through this survey that all of Scripture encourages Christians to ask, “What time is it?”, so they can understand their culture and how they should live in their particular context to the glory of God.

Chapter Five presents the idea of eschatology within non-Christian thought, which leads the way into the helpful analysis of the next three chapters. In the sixth through eighth chapters of the book, Wax performs a critical analysis of the eschatology of the Enlightenment, the Sexual Revolution, and Consumerism, which all compete with Scripture to dominate the worldviews of Christians in our age. In the final chapter, Wax shows how his presentation of eschatological discipleship can enhance the practice of evangelical theology and equip every church member to better respond to the confused theologies around them.

Trevin Wax is one of the most gifted writers among evangelicals. This academic book is no exception. The prose is clear and the arguments careful. He manages to raise concern about the real problems within the dominant culture of the West without calling for withdrawal or reflexive combativeness. Eschatological Discipleship is a specimen of Christian scholarship in its most helpful form: theologically precise and readable.

Those who have read other books by Wax will likely see the connection between another of his recent books, This is Our Time: Everyday Myths in Light of the Gospel, and this volume. Eschatological Discipleship makes clear the theological framework that This is Our Time presents in a practical, popular format. The close connection between the two books offer an example for Christian scholars for how to translate scholarship for broad consumption and how to most efficiently steward their research by pitching their arguments to multiple audiences.

Eschatological Discipleship is a useful resource for pastors and scholars seeking to understand the contours of contemporary culture better. Theologically informed laity will likely find this book an accessible and informative volume, too. This is a book that will have enduring value for its analytical content and exemplary argumentation.

 

Andrew J. Spencer is a member of CrossPointe Church in Monroe, MI. He regularly writes at EthicsAndCulture.com.

Filed Under: Discipleship, Reviews Tagged With: Discipleship, Reviews, Trevin Wax

Now Available: Eschatological Discipleship

April 2, 2018 by Barnabas Piper Leave a Comment

Eschatological Discipleship: Leading Christians To Understand Their Historical and Cultural Context

Trevin Wax

Description

Discipleship is eschatological in nature, because the church that makes and receives disciples is eschatological in nature.

Often eschatology is thought to refer only to “last things” doctrines. However, eschatology in its broader sense encompasses the Christian view of time and the future of the world, informing both one’s evangelism and ecclesiology. Failing to relate the eschatological dimension to discipleship leaves one with an incomplete worldview, imbalanced discipleship, and eventually, a tragic inability to model the Christian way of life.

By answering questions like “What time is it?” and “Where is history going?” Trevin Wax helps Christians view the past, present, and future biblically, and shapes their understanding of following Jesus.

Endorsements

“Eschatological Discipleship is a brilliant book. In it, Trevin Wax argues that Christian discipleship cannot be reduced to the transmission of timeless truths that float above history and culture. Instead, Christian discipleship always and necessarily involves confronting the ideologies and rival eschatologies of our own contemporary context. In our own era, he argues, we must confront the Enlightenment, the Sexual Revolution, and modern Consumerism as rival eschatologies, exposing them as frauds and offering the gospel as our one-and-only hope.”

—Bruce Ashford, provost and dean of faculty, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Trevin Wax’s Eschatological Discipleship is a much needed book that teaches that followers of Jesus are shaped in their thinking and actions by Jesus’s kingship, and by the coming kingdom. God’s future—including our future in it—constructs a worldview and supplies us with wisdom for living in the current age. Ultimately, every worldview, whether secularist or Islamic, has a view of the ‘end.’ By knowing God’s plan for the end, we will be better equipped to work for the kingdom here on earth.”

—Michael F. Bird, lecturer in theology, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

“With the publication of Eschatological Discipleship, Trevin Wax has solidified his role as an important Christian voice for the next generation. The call to biblical faithfulness, serious cultural engagement, careful worldview thinking, and long-term eschatological discipleship is masterfully and winsomely presented. Wax has provided us with a clearly written, insightful, well-researched, and illuminating work that will be essential reading for thoughtful Christian leaders in the church and in the academy. It is a genuine joy to recommend this outstanding work.”
—David S. Dockery, president, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“Discipleship and eschatology are not often thought of in tandem. Discipleship is about following Jesus here and now, while eschatology is about what happens then and there. But in this important book, Trevin Wax shows the coinherence of these two biblical themes. An impressive theological study written with an eye for Great Commission reflection and praxis.”

—Timothy George, founding dean, Beeson Divinity School of Samford University

“It is not a matter of whether eschatology will shape the church’s life but only a matter of which one. Discipleship, a burning need in the syncretistic American church, surely needs to be re-envisioned in terms of equipping God’s people to more and more live out of a biblical eschatology of the kingdom. In this book Trevin Wax takes up this challenge and encounters the two most powerful rival eschatologies of our day—the Enlightenment notion of progress and Consumerism. I pray that God will use this book to enable the American church to reimagine discipleship in its missionary setting.”

—Michael W. Goheen, director of theological education, Missional Training Center, and adjunct professor of missional theology, Covenant Theological Seminary

“The philosopher Martin Heidegger famously defined human existence as ‘being-toward-death,’ a posture that generates anxiety in view of our limited time. Trevin Wax does him one better: the Christian life is a matter of being-towards-discipleship, and discipleship is a matter of being-towards-end-time. Disciples take their bearings from the story of Jesus, especially its end: the hope of resurrection. Wax convincingly sets out the biblical basis for ‘eschatological discipleship’, which means the importance of waking up (and staying awake) to the reality that our citizenship in heaven begins now.”

—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, research professor of systematic theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

 

Details

Paperback

288 Pages

$29.99

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Filed Under: Discipleship Tagged With: Discipleship, New Releases, Trevin Wax

4 Principles at the Heart of Discipleship

November 29, 2016 by bhacademic Leave a Comment

by Michael Kelley

Simplicity is a beautiful thing.

following-christIt’s also a very elusive thing. We live in a day and time when everything seems to be more complex than the next thing, whether in terms of technology, relationships, or what kind of coffee to buy (or not to buy). We are complex people with complex feelings about complex issues. That’s why when you stumble upon something simple, no matter what it is, it’s immediately appealing (or at least it is for me). The bright light of simplicity shines forth good and straight and true in the midst of the dull bulbs of complication.

Is it possible, though, that we also have a love of complexity? That though we express a desire out loud for life to be simpler, we secretly treasure the complex in our hearts? I think that may in fact be true when it comes to something else we have a knack for complicating – discipleship.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Discipleship, Pastoral

4 Cultural Characteristics that Make Discipleship an Uphill Battle

October 11, 2016 by bhacademic Leave a Comment

by Michael Kelley  

william_blake_-_christ_giving_sight_to_bartimaeus_-_google_art_projectOne of the primary terms the Bible uses to describe our relationship with Jesus is the word “walk.” It’s a good word; it has the connotation of a forward progression. We aren’t meant to have a stagnant relationship with our Lord; instead, we are making forward progress in intimacy and obedience.

But there are certain characteristics of our culture that make this walk seem like it’s going uphill. These are attributes that are so infectiously true of the environment we live in that they inevitably work their way into our own lives just because we are humans at this given place and at this given time. Unfortunately, though, these cultural characteristics are also obstacles to discipleship, this long walk in the same direction with Jesus. It’s important, then, for us, the people of the walk on the way to recognize some of the factors that make this walk so arduous sometimes. 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Discipleship, Pastoral

How to Integrate Theology and Human Development

October 6, 2016 by bhacademic Leave a Comment

by James Riley Estep, Jr. and Jonathan H. Kim

christian-formationfRobert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” (1949) poses the dilemma of a traveler confronted with two paths—one frequently traveled and the other less but more “longing for wear.” He pens, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood: And sorry I could not travel both: And be one traveler, long I stood.” The only resolution Frost provides is: “I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Christian educators, as well as many others in the practical ministries field, face the same dilemma.

The Christian educator is caught between two roads: the theological and the theoretical. The theology road is traveled frequently by theologians and by all those professing Christian faith, while the theory road is congested with those participating in the scientific community—in this instance, those who engage in the social sciences. But must we choose? Is there not a new path—a third way—to travel through the woods?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Academia, Discipleship

Learn How to Mentor from Augustine

July 21, 2016 by bhacademic Leave a Comment

by Edward L. Smither

457-2182Twenty-first-century Christian leaders ought to consider seriously Augustine’s thoughts on mentoring in a trinitarian community of Christian friends. The peoples of the Western world are largely in a hurry to accomplish and pack more into their schedules. This race, aided by the speed of increasing technology, tends to squelch human relationships. The church, particularly evangelical Protestants, seems to be in a similar hurry; and discipleship ministries, though well programmed and efficient, are often entirely lacking Augustine’s notion of community.

Though his monasticism should not necessarily be imposed on the modern church, the church would do well to slow down and place more emphasis on quality relationships in which there is spiritual depth. Would it be too radical for mentors and disciples to eat an unrushed meal together and talk about their spiritual lives? Could two peers shut off their cell phones and pursue theological dialogue over coffee? What about pausing at some point in the day and praying with a fellow disciple?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Church History, Discipleship, Pastoral

4 Ways to Fulfill the Great Commission

July 14, 2016 by bhacademic Leave a Comment

by Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey

great commissionThere are four ways to fulfill the Great Commission.

1. Go

The Great Commission cannot be fulfilled without intentionally pursuing the lost. Just as He was sent by His Father, Jesus has sent us out in a deliberate quest to win nonbelievers to faith in Christ (John 20:21, 31). Those who are sent are disobedient until they go.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Discipleship, Evangelism, Missions, Pastoral

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