Article
Theology for the Front Lines of Church Planting
Theology belongs on the leading edge of mission.
Church planters wear many hats.
Disciple.
Missionary.
Evangelist.
Pastor.
Preacher.
Counselor.
Leader.
Theologian.
Embrace your role as a theologian.
Theology is Practical
While some people are technical and professional theologians, you are a missional theologian. A pastor-theologian. A planter-theologian.
Your knowledge and practice of God’s Word and ways are employed on the front lines of the kingdom advancing around the world. You should care about theology to know God, love God, walk with God, and help others do the same. Kevin Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, sums this up well, “The true end of theology is not a systematic textbook but grown-up children of God.” Doctrine is for discipleship. It is for God’s people to speak rightly about God (Job 42:7).
Theology is far from impractical. It is central to life and ministry. It’s as practical as your skeletal and nervous systems. While everyone has theology—which we can simply define as “words about God”—we want to work toward having biblical, worshipful, and livable theology that represents God and His truth. Theology helps you think rightly about God, sin, grace, the gospel, evangelism, forgiveness, and Christian growth—really everything in the Christian life. We neglect the study of theology at our own risk.
One of the best summary definitions of theology I’ve read is from Petrus Van Mastricht, a Dutch theologian from the 17th century. He said that “Christian theology is best defined as the doctrine of living for God through Christ.” Theology is designed to help us tune our lives and ministries to the glory of God in Christ. It is for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 6:3).
Theology for Mission
Theology is all-terrain. Theology belongs on the leading edge of mission.
The New Testament was written in the context of mission, church planting, and discipleship. Most of the great theologians in church history—brothers like Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin—were pastors who trained pastors. And you are joining their ranks as a planter-theologian.
In Theology for Church Planters, I picked 10 doctrines to apply to your soul and ministry. These doctrines are precious and powerful. Each chapter gives a brief overview of a doctrine and then meditations on how this doctrine grounds and guides us. What you are reading is a work of spiritual theology. The late Eugene Peterson said, “Spiritual theology is simply theology lived.” That’s our agenda in this book.
Let’s think about theology as church planters—for our spirituality and ministry.
Download your free copy of Theology for Church Planters here. For more theology resources, check out our free Theology Masterclass.
