The Local Church: What It Is and Why It Matters for Every Christian

By Edward Klink

How God Ministers to His People and the World through the Local Church
The church is more than coffee with friends—it's a meaningful gathering of Christians that involves fellowship and growing in biblical truth. Given the rise of the internet and the availability of streaming church services, many ministry leaders and church members are asking questions about the purpose and mission of the local church: What is the church? Why does the church exist? How does the church function? What is the connection between the Christian and the church?
Pastor and trusted scholar Edward Klink III addresses these questions and more with a thoughtful assessment of what the Bible has to say about God's intention for the local church body. Klink stresses its importance as God's way of revealing his presence, displaying his power, fulfilling his purposes, and manifesting his activity in the world. In today's hyperindividualized culture, this book not only demonstrates why it's vital for individuals to connect to a local church, but also reveals why it's vital to God's work in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crossway Books
• Release date: Oct 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781433571398

Edward Klink

Edward W. Klink III (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is the senior pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church in Roscoe, Illinois. He previously served as associate professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He is the author of several books, including Understanding Biblical Theology and John, a volume in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.

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Misconceptions about the nature, purpose, mission, and value of the church abound. Combining a scholar’s mind and a pastor’s heart, Klink reminds us afresh of what the church is and why the local church matters. This book is profoundly biblical, refreshingly accessible, and deeply practical. It is a needed, warmhearted clarion call to understand and embrace God’s purpose for the church in a world that desperately needs the church to be the church.

Matthew S. Harmon, Professor of New Testament Studies, Grace College and Theological Seminary; author, Asking the Right Questions

I can’t think of a better person to write a book on the local church than my friend Edward Klink. Combining a scholar’s head with a pastor’s heart, Klink makes an accessible yet compelling case for the indispensability of the local church in the life of every Christian. This is a marvelous tonic for anyone suffering from ecclesial doldrums. Let it elevate your vision of life together within your local congregation. Highly recommended!

Todd Wilson, President, Center for Pastor Theologians; author, Real Christian and The Pastor Theologian

"Full of biblical insight and pastoral wisdom, The Local Church ties together Jesus and his church. Why do we need the church? What should churches do? How should we behave within her walls? Klink tackles all these questions and more with a theologian’s rigor and a pastor’s heart. A welcome primer for new believers and seasoned pastors alike."

Jonty Rhodes, Minister, Christ Church Central Leeds, United Kingdom; author, Covenants Made Simple and Man of Sorrows, King of Glory

The Local Church

The Local Church

What It Is and Why It Matters for Every Christian

Edward W. Klink III

The Local Church: What It Is and Why It Matters for Every Christian

Copyright © 2021 by Edward W. Klink III

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Darren Welch

First printing 2021

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-7136-7

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-7139-8

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-7137-4

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-7138-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Klink, Edward W., III, 1975– author.

Title: The local church : what it is and why it matters for every Christian / Edward W. Klink, III.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. 

Identifiers: LCCN 2021004125 (print) | LCCN 2021004126 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433571367 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433571374 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433571381 (mobipocket) | ISBN 9781433571398 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Church. | Church membership.

Classification: LCC BV601.7 .K57 2021 (print) | LCC BV601.7 (ebook) | DDC 254/.2—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021004125

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021004126

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2021-09-22 09:28:18 AM

To my children,

Jake, Ben, and Ruthie

Contents

Preface

Introduction

1  What Isn’t the Church? (Problem)

2  What Is the Church? (Principle)

3  Why Does the Church Exist? (Purpose)

4  How Does the Church Function? (Process)

5  What Is the Connection between a Christian and a Church? (Participation)

6  Twenty Common Questions about the Local Church (Practice)

General Index

Scripture Index

Preface

I love the local church. I left a tenured position as an associate professor of New Testament in 2014 to become the senior pastor at a church on the north side of the city in which I was born and raised in northern Illinois. I believe in the academy’s importance and have seen the ways it serves and supports the church, but I embraced my Christian liberty and followed my desire to serve on the front lines—behind a pulpit, not a podium. This book is born from that passion for the local church.

Although much of my writing thus far has been for scholars or the trained pastor, this book was written with the layperson in view, the average Christian. That does not mean it avoids all meat, for I certainly intended to push readers to broaden their biblical and theological categories as they think about the Christian life and the church. Yet I spend time in the book explaining key concepts and practices, and even include analogies and stories to help make the material more accessible. This book was written with the pastoral intention of offering a resource for catechizing Christians by explaining the church to them. It is an introduction to the local church. My hope is that God will use this book for his glory and for the good of local churches.

A book is written for people, but it is also written with people. I finished this book as I was finishing my sixth year of pastoral ministry at Hope Evangelical Free Church in Roscoe, Illinois. I am so thankful for the wonderful Christians in this local church and consider it an honor to be one of their pastor-elders. There are so many people I need to thank for their help and encouragement. I want to begin by thanking the pastor-elders at my church for supporting and encouraging me to minister beyond our congregation as a pastor-theologian: Ed Titcomb, Ed Kipp, Tom Whitford, Greg Lynas, Casey Ehlers, Brad Schreiner, Olle Larson, Doug Juhlin, Neal Neyer, Bryan Ott, and Marshall Newhouse. I also want to thank our church staff, a gifted and fun-loving team of servants: Julia Moore, Jamie Anderson, Vera Juhlin, Jim and Melissa Curtis, Glenna Easton, Thomas Karenke, Katie Rudy, Debbie Moore, Dawn Schreier, Geneva Helland, Sam Lynas, and Shannon Nordgren. My local church has been blessed with gifted and God-fearing pastor-elders and staff, all of whom I love dearly. I also need to thank the ministry colleagues and friends who interacted with some form of this book and provided feedback and encouragement along the way: Haddon Anderson, Chris Brauns, Casey Ehlers, Alberta Grossen, Jeff Korleski, Bruce McKanna, Shannon Nordgren, Katie Rudy, Brad Schreiner, Fana Timoti, Larry Elliott, and finally Olle Larson, who skillfully served as a research assistant for this project. I am honored to publish this book with Crossway and owe my thanks to Justin Taylor for accepting this project, Thom Notaro for his skilled editing, and the whole Crossway team for helping me bring it to completion. Finally, this book would not exist without the constant support and sacrifice of my wife, Laura.

This book is dedicated to my three children: Jacob Edward Klink, Benjamin Russell Klink, and Ruth Elizabeth Klink. Thank you for your encouragement, along with many moments of silliness and fun, as I worked on this book. You are each a gift to your mom and me, and a constant source of joy. May your love for Christ develop and grow into a love for his people, your local church, bringing delight to your dad and glory to your heavenly Father.

Introduction

The evening began as a social gathering of college students from my former local church in Orange County, Southern California. A hospitable family opened their home, and, most importantly, their kitchen and backyard pool, to over thirty young adults who quickly filled the space with conversation and play. While such gatherings usually have no planned teaching time, they always seem to give birth to off-the-cuff discussions between individuals or in small groups regarding important topics for the Christian life. On this night that was especially true.

Around an hour into the evening, a sharply dressed young man whom I had only met and seen on a few other occasions came in and called out to me, the leader of the group, from across the room. At the time I was serving as a professor of New Testament at Biola University, and this bright young man came to this young adult gathering with a theological challenge he wanted to throw at me in public. After cornering me in an open area in the kitchen, with voice raised, hands waving, and rhetorical skills on full display, he said for all to hear: Dr. Klink, can you give me any good reason why a Christian needs the church?

The question was loaded; so much so that I did not immediately respond. This young man filled the gap. In fact, Dr. Klink, I can give you several reasons why church is unnecessary or even harmful for the cause of Christ. He then asked questions about things like finances (do not the costs of running a church waste funds that should go to really ministering to people?), fellowship (how does sitting in a room for an hour each week do anything more than can be accomplished when Christian friends meet with intentionality and purpose?), and even faith (can I not grow spiritually through many means outside a church?). Like a prosecuting attorney, this young man concluded with this jabbing statement: I honestly believe that this generation needs to see that the church as we know it is unnecessary. Since you work for a church, Dr. Klink, how do you respond to what I am saying? The room once filled with conversation and play was completely silent, and all eyes were looking straight at me.

I answered the young man’s challenge regarding the role and necessity of the church for close to an hour. We went back and forth as I countered his rejection of the local church and shared what I believed biblically to be the essential ministry of the local church in the life and mission of every Christian. The young man listened and wanted to continue our discussion further, but ultimately left our conversation unconvinced. I left with the conviction that the purpose, practices, and priority of the local church needed a fresh presentation in this generation—not only to those outside the church but even to those already affiliated with the church by their faith in Christ.

It is not a stretch to suggest that the thoughts and feelings of this bright young man would resonate with the thinking, and even the practices, of many who claim the name of Christ in this generation. Certainly in our contemporary culture, but even among Christians of every persuasion, Christianity now needs to explain, and in some cases to make an argument for, the church. Whether this need is prompted by bad press related to sex abuse and financial corruption or simply by the perceived irrelevance of what seems to be an outdated institution and its practices, the church needs to explain and even defend its existence and purpose. The explanation required is no longer simply in regard to what it does (i.e., message, ministries, or management), but also in what it is—why the church is even necessary at all. In fact, there is a growing church-free movement in Christendom, reflected in books like Kelly Bean’s How to Be a Christian without Going to Church, that promotes and encourages a commitment to Christ with purposeful distinction and separation from his church.¹

Several key questions are lurking behind the attitudes and behaviors of Christians who have misplaced or displaced the local church in their Christian lives and practices. What is the church (principle)? Why does the church exist (purpose)? How does the church function (process)? And what is the connection between a Christian and a church (participation)? These are biblical-theological questions that require the whole biblical story to present a sufficient answer. And, sadly, it is no longer just those outside the church who question its validity and relevance; now more than ever committed Christians are unhitching themselves from the formal church. We even have special titles for such people: the spiritual but not religious, the dones, or the de-churched.² In sharp contrast, it is my conviction that the local church is how God ministers to his people and to the world. This is no minor claim. In order to substantiate such a claim, I will first explain the problem behind