Creature of the Word
The Reformers viewed the gospel as not merely one thing among many in the life of a church but rather the means by which the church exists. When the gospel is rightly declared and applied to God’s people, the church becomes “a creature of the Word.” She understands, embraces, and lives out the reality of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection in more than her doctrinal statement. The gospel impacts all the church is and does.
Creature of the Word lays out this concept in full, first examining the rich, scripture-based beauty of a Jesus-centered church, then clearly providing practical steps toward forming a Jesus-centered church. Authors Matt Chandler, Eric Geiger, and Josh Patterson write what will become a centering discussion piece for those whose goal is to be part of a church that has its theology, culture, and practice completely saturated in the gospel.
The Creature of the Word Church Campaign is a year-long movement of examination and growth. The hope is for churches to become more centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Broken into 12 parts, each corresponding to a chapter in Creature of the Word, the campaign is designed to help churches audit and assess their various ministries, from preschool to the pulpit, in order to be saturated with the Word of God in all that they do.
It won’t be an easy process because we all have challenges and struggles, but we urge you to open up your life and ministry for evaluation this coming year. To take part in the campaign, we invite you to work through the monthly assessments and join the conversation on our Facebook page.
To download the monthly assessments, click on your selection below.
Go to the Creature of the Word Facebook page
Order the paperback version of Creature of the Word here
Order the Kindle version of Creature of the Word here
Creature of the Word Church Campaign Downloads:
- Campaign Introduction
- Campaign Meeting Outline
- Chapter 1 – A People Formed
- Chapter 2 – The Creature Worships
- Chapter 3 – The Creature in Community
- Chapter 4 – The Creature Serves
- Chapter 5 – The Creature Multiplies
- Chapter 6 – Jesus-Centered Culture
- Chapter 7 – Preaching the Word
- Chapter 8 – Pulpit to Preschool (and Puberty Too)
- Chapter 9 – The Jesus-Centered Leader
- Chapter 10 – Jesus-Centered Flower Committee
- Chapter 11 – Jesus-Centered Contextualization
- Chapter 12 – Jesus-Centered Ministry
Jesus changes the game. In so many ways Jesus-centered ministry is counterintuitive to our natural thinking. We have seen that Jesus says life only comes through death, and that gain only increases through loss. The game is to decrease so that Jesus can increase.
Tags: Creature of the Word, Creature of the Word Church Campaign, Eric Geiger, Jesus-Centered Ministry, Josh Patterson, Matt Chandler
