The Teaching Ministry of the Church

by William R. Yount (Editor)

The second edition of The Teaching Ministry of the Church makes a major overhaul of its predecessor, increasing the content from eighteen to twentythree chapters and contributors from six to thirteen. These writers assert the need for such an expanded update is due to our everchanging world. For example, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, proliferation of religious sects, and secularization of our culture greatly increase the importance of ensuring the church produces fully developed, biblically informed followers of Jesus.
 
To that end, The Teaching Ministry of the Church presents a full overview of Christian education in four major sections: Theological Foundations, Biblical Foundations, Preparation for Teaching, and Structuring the Teaching Ministry of the Church. Within this framework, a step-by-step plan for establishing and maintaining an effective teaching ministry among preschoolers, children, youth, and adults takes shape.

Key chapters: �The Bible as Curriculum,” �The Church’s Role in Teaching,” �Creating an Unforgettable Learning Experience,” and �Equipping Teachers.”

Genres: Church, Education, Discipleship, Teaching

464 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2008

Reviews

[Bret James Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The goal of this book is to provide a biblical and theological rationale for the church's teaching ministry. Yount meets this goal in a logical and interesting way.

First, the aesthetics of the book are fine. They are not phenomenal, but the layout is sensible, the artwork is decent, and there are indices for Scriptural, subject, and author references. For an academic book, this is adequate.

Yount is actually the editor of various essays that make up the chapters of the four parts into which the book is divided. The authors are knowledgeable and experienced, and Yount does an above-average job of tying the chapters together into a coherent whole. Many books of this sort fail in this regard, appearing as a cobbled together grouping of similarly themed articles involving a lot of redundancy, but Yount has avoided this. Kudos to him.

Part One of the book sets the theological foundation for the teaching ministry of the church. This provides a conceptual theological rationale justifying Christian education at the theoretical level. This part also explains the rest of the book and how the chapters mesh into a holistic study of the subject.

Part Two deals with the biblical foundations for Christian education. This is the scriptural basis of the topic. The aspects of God as the model teacher, the Bible's function in the teaching process, and the specialized roles of the various elements that make up the church are explored.

Part Three is focused upon preparation for teaching. It covers the preparatory work for the educator. Core concepts and the needs of specific types of learners such as children and adults are addressed.

Part Four deals with structuring the teaching ministry of the church. This section includes evaluation of curricula and teaching ministries as well as dealing with administration of teaching programmes and equipping teachers.

Yount's book is about the church as an institution, so it is designed for corporate use, but much of the information is relevant to the solo practitioner, too, such as a missionary or Christian in a witnessing situation. Some of the information can also be applied to one-on-one situations. Knowing the needs and types of learners and the theological and biblical foundations of education should benefit all Christians since witnessing is integral to the faith and witnessing involves talking to people who are learners in the broad sense even if they are not in a classroom. This book is highly recommended for the purpose of educational ministry of the corporate church and may be worth a look for the individual Christian and theologian.

[Keith White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very thorough resource book for teachers of all sorts but especially for Christian Education. There is a lot of material and should be read by every Christian teacher (including preservice Teachers) and especially working in "Christian Education" within the Church and also in Christian Day Schools. A lot of scholarly references will lead to more books that are worth reading.

[Crystal ✬ Lost in Storyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good intro.

[Andrew Cowart · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking to enter into any form of christian ministry this book has answers.

[Scott Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good chapters and some weak chapters. Worth looking through for anybody involved in Christian education in the church.

[Julie Winkler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great studya

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used this book for a textbook for my Foundations of Educational Leadership course. It does a great job of developing the theological and biblical foundations. The application to the work of Educational Ministry in a church was pretty good. In my opinion, the book would be stronger if it included more clear teaching on the historical, sociological, and developmental aspects of Christian education. Rick Yount edited the book. The chapters he wrote are the stronger chapters in the book.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful collection of essays on various parts of a church's education ministry. It moves from theory to praxis in a well-organized flow. Anyone involved in the education ministry of a church will benefit from this. Yount's edited volume succeeds at encouraging the reader to be more thoughtful about their leadership and involvement in an education ministry.

[Jason Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few chapters are top notch and the majority of this boom has some solid, reference-like content. Most of the chapters are written in a dry, overly outlined format. I think there are a few sections I will refer back to (the different ways people learn, for example), but the rest is just alright.

[Krista Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some chapters were better written than others, being a compilation of several teachers thoughts about teaching. I was especially encouraged by Yount's chapters. A good, well-balanced introduction to teaching ministry.

[Veda Sorrells]

Very informative!