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A Well-Ordered Church
A brief, non-technical study of the doctrine of the church.
- GenresChurchEcclesiology
190 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2015
7 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
William Boekestein
19 books17 followersWilliam Boekestein (M.Div., Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) is Pastor of Immanuel Fellowship Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He previously pastored Covenant Reformed Church in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Before that he taught in a Christian School for several years. He and his wife have four children.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 1, 2015
In our day in the US, the church is thought little of, even by many Christians. Oh, they attend church but probably not with any regularity. In a recent study, for example, regular church attendance was defined as three times in eight weeks. In other words, a regular attender attended church less than half of the time. This fact, more than any other, indicates the low view of the church held and practiced by many Christians.
This book is an attempt to address that problem. It is a non-technical work on ecclesiology, the study of the church. Underlying the book is the view expressed in the title of a nineteenth century work by Stuart Robinson: The Church of God An Essential Element of the Gospel. The book is divided into four parts: the church’s identity, its authority, its ecumenicity, and its activity.
As to the church’s identity, the church belongs to Christ. He is its head, and in him the church finds its unity. As to the church’s authority, it comes from the Bible to the church through Christ’s appointed officers. As to the church’s ecumenicity, there is an internal ecumenicity, which is expressed in the mutual edification of churches within a denomination. There is also an external ecumenicity, in which churches of different denominations work together for the sake of the gospel. The activity of the church is multiform, including teaching, worship, witnessing, and discipline.
The book presents a standard Reformed view of the church. This is seen in two primary ways: first, in its references to the Scriptures as the basis for all principles regarding the church; and second, in its frequent reference to Reformed doctrinal confessions and catechisms. Each chapter is accompanied with questions for discussion and additional reading. There is an additional bibliography at the end of the book. Most of the additional reading material is non-technical, and easily understood by the average church member.
No one will agree with everything presented here. But the reader who is interested not only in the “what” of the church, and not only in the “why” of the church, but in his own relation to the church will find this a stimulating aid to his thinking about the church.
This book is an attempt to address that problem. It is a non-technical work on ecclesiology, the study of the church. Underlying the book is the view expressed in the title of a nineteenth century work by Stuart Robinson: The Church of God An Essential Element of the Gospel. The book is divided into four parts: the church’s identity, its authority, its ecumenicity, and its activity.
As to the church’s identity, the church belongs to Christ. He is its head, and in him the church finds its unity. As to the church’s authority, it comes from the Bible to the church through Christ’s appointed officers. As to the church’s ecumenicity, there is an internal ecumenicity, which is expressed in the mutual edification of churches within a denomination. There is also an external ecumenicity, in which churches of different denominations work together for the sake of the gospel. The activity of the church is multiform, including teaching, worship, witnessing, and discipline.
The book presents a standard Reformed view of the church. This is seen in two primary ways: first, in its references to the Scriptures as the basis for all principles regarding the church; and second, in its frequent reference to Reformed doctrinal confessions and catechisms. Each chapter is accompanied with questions for discussion and additional reading. There is an additional bibliography at the end of the book. Most of the additional reading material is non-technical, and easily understood by the average church member.
No one will agree with everything presented here. But the reader who is interested not only in the “what” of the church, and not only in the “why” of the church, but in his own relation to the church will find this a stimulating aid to his thinking about the church.
December 26, 2023
"Solo Cristo nos salva, no la iglesia. Y no obstante, Cristo nos salva a través del ministerio de la iglesia. Eso incluye el ministerio de los pastores que proclaman a Cristo, en el poder del Espíritu; los ancianos que gobiernan, y los diáconos que sirven a nuestras necesidades físicas. Con qué abundancia nos provee el Rey Ascendido, no solo en su vida, muerte y resurrección, sino también en su ascensión, el envío del Espíritu en Pentecostés, y el ministerio de los apóstoles"
Este libro aborda de una forma sencilla la base bíblica de la Iglesia. Está dividido en cuatro secciones: identidad, autoridad, ecumenicidad y actividad. Puede que el contenido no sea muy profundo pero es presentado con una gran base bíblica y ejemplos de cómo implementan los autores los conceptos presentados en sus propias iglesias. También tiene un amplío sustento en confesiones históricas.
Es un libro de facil lectura, con preguntas que se pueden utilizar para discutir en grupo cada capítulo. Hay un buen equilibrio entre contenido teórico y práctico. Me pareció una excelente introducción a la doctrina bíblica de la iglesia
Este libro aborda de una forma sencilla la base bíblica de la Iglesia. Está dividido en cuatro secciones: identidad, autoridad, ecumenicidad y actividad. Puede que el contenido no sea muy profundo pero es presentado con una gran base bíblica y ejemplos de cómo implementan los autores los conceptos presentados en sus propias iglesias. También tiene un amplío sustento en confesiones históricas.
Es un libro de facil lectura, con preguntas que se pueden utilizar para discutir en grupo cada capítulo. Hay un buen equilibrio entre contenido teórico y práctico. Me pareció una excelente introducción a la doctrina bíblica de la iglesia
March 12, 2019
Fine introduction to Reformed church polity. If you are looking for a more nuanced treatment of various ecclesiological issues, this is not your book. If you are looking for a book to put in the hands of the average American Christian and even evangelical, then this is the best book I know of.
The book would be strengthened by application of the various principles they outline. Many churches agree with all of the principles discussed in the book yet look so different from one another, which is so confusing to me.
The book would be strengthened by application of the various principles they outline. Many churches agree with all of the principles discussed in the book yet look so different from one another, which is so confusing to me.
December 2, 2024
Great overview of what a true church looks like. Whether you are seeking to be a leader or just want to see how you can support the officers of your church, you would be wise to read.
August 26, 2015
In their book, A Well-Ordered Church: Laying a Solid Foundation for a Vibrant Church, William Boekestein and Daniel Hyde's goal is "to bring us back to the basics of ecclesiology, or the biblical doctrine of the church," (p. 14). To accomplish this they focus on four areas of ecclesiology as the foundation of a well-ordered church: identity, authority, ecumenicity, and activity.
This book is written from a Presbyterian view of ecclesiology, which greatly differs from the Reformed Baptist view. Boekestein and Hyde define the the visible Church as the "kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation" taken from the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), Chapter 25, (see p. 20). However, Jesus Himself tells us that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). From a Reformed Baptist perspective, the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (LBCF), Chapter 26 significantly departs from the WCF. In paragraph 2, we read that "[a]ll persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it...may be called visible saints; and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted." Therefore, the visible Church is not the Kingdom of God because "[t]he purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ," (LBCF, Ch. 26, para. 2).
The main weakness in this book is that Boekestein and Hyde do not always clarify when they are talking about the visible or the invisible church. For instance, the authors state that "Christ gave his life for his bride, which is the entire body of the elect (Ephesians 5:25-27)," (p. 21). I agree that Christ gave His life for the elect, but that's not the visible church. However, the authors go to say that an implication of this truth is that "the church owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the Lord," (p. 22). The true believers of Jesus Christ who make up the invisible church made are thankful for the free gift of salvation, but the unbelievers (who may be members of a local church) cannot be thankful because they are still at enmity with God (Rom. 8:7).
The visible church is a mix of believers and unbelievers. Because of their loose use of the word, the authors' analysis is not always biblical because at times they imply that all 'church' members are believers. It is important to differentiate between the visible and invisible church; however, the authors do not keep this distinction. This oversight significantly impacts the application portion of this book as suggestions are made that unbelieving church members can not accomplish.
The authors also downplay the visible and invisible church distinction and scoff at the idea that believers are members merely of the 'invisible church'", calling it a "Christ-less churchianity," (p. 20). I agree that local church membership is important, but unbelievers in the local church are not part of the Kingdom of God. As an example of their inconsistency, they state that "[w]e cannot incorporate non-Christian parts into the body," (p. 56), but then they say that "[a]s individual Christians are part of the local church, the analogy [in 1 Cor. 12:12] can be extended to say that individual churches are part of the universal church of Christ," (p. 59). Again, not all people in a local church are believers, therefore, all local churches cannot be part of the church of Christ.
Because of the differences in Covenant Theology and church government, I would recommend this book for Presbyterian believers. As a Reformed Baptist, I had many disagreements with the points of application recommended in A Well-Ordered Church.
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is written from a Presbyterian view of ecclesiology, which greatly differs from the Reformed Baptist view. Boekestein and Hyde define the the visible Church as the "kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation" taken from the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), Chapter 25, (see p. 20). However, Jesus Himself tells us that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). From a Reformed Baptist perspective, the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (LBCF), Chapter 26 significantly departs from the WCF. In paragraph 2, we read that "[a]ll persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it...may be called visible saints; and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted." Therefore, the visible Church is not the Kingdom of God because "[t]he purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ," (LBCF, Ch. 26, para. 2).
The main weakness in this book is that Boekestein and Hyde do not always clarify when they are talking about the visible or the invisible church. For instance, the authors state that "Christ gave his life for his bride, which is the entire body of the elect (Ephesians 5:25-27)," (p. 21). I agree that Christ gave His life for the elect, but that's not the visible church. However, the authors go to say that an implication of this truth is that "the church owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the Lord," (p. 22). The true believers of Jesus Christ who make up the invisible church made are thankful for the free gift of salvation, but the unbelievers (who may be members of a local church) cannot be thankful because they are still at enmity with God (Rom. 8:7).
The visible church is a mix of believers and unbelievers. Because of their loose use of the word, the authors' analysis is not always biblical because at times they imply that all 'church' members are believers. It is important to differentiate between the visible and invisible church; however, the authors do not keep this distinction. This oversight significantly impacts the application portion of this book as suggestions are made that unbelieving church members can not accomplish.
The authors also downplay the visible and invisible church distinction and scoff at the idea that believers are members merely of the 'invisible church'", calling it a "Christ-less churchianity," (p. 20). I agree that local church membership is important, but unbelievers in the local church are not part of the Kingdom of God. As an example of their inconsistency, they state that "[w]e cannot incorporate non-Christian parts into the body," (p. 56), but then they say that "[a]s individual Christians are part of the local church, the analogy [in 1 Cor. 12:12] can be extended to say that individual churches are part of the universal church of Christ," (p. 59). Again, not all people in a local church are believers, therefore, all local churches cannot be part of the church of Christ.
Because of the differences in Covenant Theology and church government, I would recommend this book for Presbyterian believers. As a Reformed Baptist, I had many disagreements with the points of application recommended in A Well-Ordered Church.
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2015
Running a church isn’t easy. What is a church? What is worship? What does the Lord Supper represent? These are some of the questions this book will answer you.
William Boekestein and Daniel R. Hyde writes this book which aims at introducing the reformed church to it’s readers. First, the book starts by informing the reader that the authors are not keen to explain how a church should work from any other perspectives other than what the bible says. This reminds to be the primary text for the whole book. Boekestein and Hyde first tells the readers the identity of the church. They are reminded that the church consists of both the invisible and visible church, there is only one church and that Christ is the head of the church.
Next the authors bring up a touchy topic. They introduces the authority of the church. In this day and age, this may not be an pleasant topic to raise, but the authors make clear, if the bible says it, then we are to pay attention to what it says despite what we might feel about it. They also explains why and how the ministers of the church use their authority. Following which Boekestein and Hyde explains how a reformed church should interact with those who are of the same denominations and those of different denominations.
In the last section, Boekestein and Hyde talks about the activities of the service. These includes things like worship, teaching and evangelism. The authors explain clearly the rationale and basis of all these activities. Given that this is a book on the reformed churches, one should not expect the book to raise any alternate perspectives on such matters.
As one who is reformed, but who does not attend a reformed church. I have found this book to be especially enlightening. I have found that what I have learnt in this book will really help me in the future when I attend a reformed church. As such, I would recommend those who are attending a reform church to read this book. In doing so, you will see the biblical basis of why your church is ran in such a manner. This book is an introductory material and are broken down into short readable chapters that should be suitable for anyone who is high school and above. Boekestein and Hyde has written an excellent book for the reformed churches and some of them might want to see if this is a helpful book as an introduction to those who wants to learn about the reform church.
Rating: 4.25 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
William Boekestein and Daniel R. Hyde writes this book which aims at introducing the reformed church to it’s readers. First, the book starts by informing the reader that the authors are not keen to explain how a church should work from any other perspectives other than what the bible says. This reminds to be the primary text for the whole book. Boekestein and Hyde first tells the readers the identity of the church. They are reminded that the church consists of both the invisible and visible church, there is only one church and that Christ is the head of the church.
Next the authors bring up a touchy topic. They introduces the authority of the church. In this day and age, this may not be an pleasant topic to raise, but the authors make clear, if the bible says it, then we are to pay attention to what it says despite what we might feel about it. They also explains why and how the ministers of the church use their authority. Following which Boekestein and Hyde explains how a reformed church should interact with those who are of the same denominations and those of different denominations.
In the last section, Boekestein and Hyde talks about the activities of the service. These includes things like worship, teaching and evangelism. The authors explain clearly the rationale and basis of all these activities. Given that this is a book on the reformed churches, one should not expect the book to raise any alternate perspectives on such matters.
As one who is reformed, but who does not attend a reformed church. I have found this book to be especially enlightening. I have found that what I have learnt in this book will really help me in the future when I attend a reformed church. As such, I would recommend those who are attending a reform church to read this book. In doing so, you will see the biblical basis of why your church is ran in such a manner. This book is an introductory material and are broken down into short readable chapters that should be suitable for anyone who is high school and above. Boekestein and Hyde has written an excellent book for the reformed churches and some of them might want to see if this is a helpful book as an introduction to those who wants to learn about the reform church.
Rating: 4.25 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
October 2, 2015
A concise, but rich collection of reflections on the nature and purpose of the church. This would be a great book for a small group study, but I'd also recommend it to any pastor.
April 9, 2016
A good review of the basics of worship and how that should look in our church lives
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November 16, 2018Excellent read. Every man in the church will be helped in understanding how the Lord governs His church.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews