Tim's ProfDoc

Breaking the Mould of Christendom
Kingdom Community, Diaconal Church and the Liberation of the Laity
David Clark, 2005, Peterborough, Epworth

David Clark is a Methodist minister (laterly admited to the diaconal order). He believes that we need to choose community over chaos and that the Kingdom community is a learning community 'omnipresent throughout our world,though still to come in its fullness.' (p.xvii)
The diaconal church is the servant of the kingdom community. It is 'called to make manifest the gifts of the kingdom community within it's own life... it is called to enable humankind to discern, comprehend and receive those gifts' (p.xvii). In other words the Church is not the Kingdom but helps the World to see, welcome and embrace the life and values of the Kingdom which is already present.
Clark believes that the Christendom model holds back the diaconal church from fulfilling its call. The Christendom model therefore needs to be broken.
The laity need to be liberated so that they can serve as 'community builders' who help nurture the visible kingdom and the communities who are able to welcome it.
Clark therefore calls for a 'renewed diaconate' which will serve mainly as 'community educators' whose primary function is to equip the laity.

Interesting book. Very strong ecclesiology of Church as servant if the Kingdom. Concept of diaconate stands firmly in the Methodist rather than episcopal tradition.


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