Viewpoint

My riend John Armstrong is a churchleader who has traveled the distancerom the separatist, sectarian xityo undamentalism to embrace thekingdom-centered vision o the churchand the call issued by a number o Bible-based theologians and missiologistsduring the past hal century.What vision is this? It is the one thatviews the visible church as a singleworldwide, Spirit-sustained communitywithin which ongoing doctrinal anddenominational divisions, thoughimportant, are secondary rather thanprimary. In this vision, the primary thingis the missional-ecumenical vocation andtrajectory crystallized or us by our LordJesus Christ in his teaching and prayerand illustrated in a normative way by theActs narrative and much o the reasoningo the apostolic letters.Evangelicals have always urged thatthe church o God is already one in Christbut have typically related this act only tothe invisible church (that is, the churchas God alone sees it). All too oten, theyhave settled or division in the visiblechurch (the church on earth, as we see it)as at least tolerable and at best healthy. The vision Armstrong oers, however,perceives by exegesis that the unity o Christians, which Jesus prayed that theworld might see, is neither unanimitynor uniormity nor union (as he neatlyputs it) but loving cooperation in lie andmission, starting rom wherever we are at

ACT 3 is a ministry to equip leaders or unity in Christ’s mission.

www.act3online.com • www.johnharmstrong.com

equppg Lad o Uy  ch’ Mo

Jn/F 2010Vol 11, No. 1

A Corrective Vision for the Future of the Church

James I. Packer

Continued on

page 2

T ti nd loction of t viovnt cn  fond t .ct3onlin.cond gittion fo to vnt kd itn tik (*) cn  copltd onlin o clling 630-221-1817 ding in o.JaNuary 17

ACT 3 Luncheon Forum*

11:45 ..—1:15 p..

“Aglam  Ama:Gopl Mo o sou Gap” Dad n Holday i • caol sam, iL

JaNuary 23

Synergy Conference*

caoly Jam ad Agl rhad ch chuh • Oak Book, iL

rgit t: ttp://c

.ngtod.og/Cicgo/stp1.pxFebruary 21

Worship Service

10:30 ..N hop Conit Cc

Pak Pla, 550 s. Pak Bld samwood, iL

marCh 17

ACT 3 Luncheon Forum*

11:45 ..—1:15 p..

“You chuh i too small: Poal rfo” Joh H. AmogHolday i • caol sam, iL

marCh 22

Open Conversation:

Your Church Is Too Small

7:30 —9:00 p..

Wlo su, Fouh Floo, Blly Gaham c Whao collg • Whao, iL

Upcoming Events

Dr. James I. Packer

(b. July22, 1926) is an evangelical and Re-ormed Anglican theologian andthe popular author o numerousbooks, including

Knowing God

, thathave collectively sold over 3 millioncopies worldwide. He is consideredto be one o the most importantevangelical theologians o the late20th century and has been a riendo ACT 3 rom its inception.

the moment and ertilized and energizedby the creedal and devotional wisdomo the past. Thus the internal unity o togetherness in Christ may become acredibility actor in the church’s outreach, just as Jesus in John 17 prayed that itwould.Embracing this vision will mean thatour ongoing inter- and intra-churchdebates will look, and eel, less liketrench warare, in which both sides arermly dug in to deend the territory thateach sees as its heritage, and more likeemigrants’ discussions on shipboard thatare colored by the awareness that soonthey will be conronted by new tasks in

A Corrective Vision or the Future o the Church

continued rom page 1

Viewpoint • January/Febuary 2010

an environment not identical with whatthey knew beore. There they will all needto pull together in every way they can. The church in every generation voyagesthrough historical developments andcultural changes, against the backgroundo which new angles emerge on olddebates and truths may need to bereormulated in order to remain truly thesame as they were. Not to recognize this isa deect o vision on our part.This perception, not surprisinglyperhaps, disturbs persons brought upto believe that Bible-based doctrinalaithulness counts supremely (yes, indeed,right so ar), and that some orm o ahistorical undamentalist xity was, is, andalways will be the doctrinal last word. JohnArmstrong knows; he has been there. Hiscorrected and corrective vision generatesdeep suspicion and an onslaught againstits proponents as conused compromisers.Both he and I have learned this by directexperience. Some years ago, in

One Lord,One Faith

, Rex Koivisto made many o JohnArmstrong’s points and was eectivelyignored. I hope this book will not beignored but will have the inuence itdeserves. Aspects o North America’suture—aspects, indeed, o the honor andglory o Christ in this century—may welldepend on whether or not it does.

Your Church Is Too Small

is the narrative o one man’s discovery o a proound spiritualtruth, and a sustained argument or a oun-dational change in thinking or the sake o mission. Dr. John Armstrong oers a narrativeo his own conversion to belie in the neces-sity o working or the restoration o Christianunity, then uses his personal discoveries as thebasis or a clear and thoughtul call to action.Dr. Armstrong’s irenic approach should makeit easy or Christians—whether Catholic,Orthodox, or Protestant—to engage the chal-lenging thesis o the book, while recognizingthat there remain points o doctrine betweenthem which will require urther clarication.Anyone concerned about either evangelismor Christian unity should read this book andtake seriously its call or both mission andecumenism.– Fr. Thomas A. Baima,

provost University o Saint Mary o the Lake

r e s o u r c e s

John’s new book will be released in March.Copies can be pre-order at www.amazon.comand rom other online sources.

Equipping Leaders or Unity in Christ’s Mission

Financial Report for 2009

Each year we depend heavily on year-end giving to operate. This year was no dierent.Our hope was to remove debt incurred in the recession that began in late 2008. Wewanted to remove debt rst and then bring our salaries back to their 2008 level. We thenhoped to extend our mission through the release o Your Church Is Too Small. So ar wehave not been able to reach any o these goals so please pray with us as we make evenmore difcult decisions in early 2010 to aithully manage the resources that God hasbeen pleased to grant to us.

I liv

v tonglin t pincipl nd pcticof t pit of t viilcc, t I v ncc tt v fogtfo pit nd  lotd of glin.No long i t novl, loving, ponlltionip vn in tion idt, lt lon itot t Citin.

– Francis A. Schaeer

Let Top: Host pastor Brandon Woosley speaks as the leadership teamrom Village Bible Church, Sugar Grove, Illinois, consider the mission o ACT 3, which they support as a church.Let Bottom: People stand in prayer or ACT 3 at the end o a wonderul evening.Below: Sue Taylor, Jean Ellsworth, Fr. Wilbur Ellsworth, James Healy,Brad Bonga and Bruce Bonga (let to right) consider the mission o ACT 3

ACT 3 Friend’s Film Premier

On Monday, November 30, 2009, we invited our Chicago area riends to share with usin the premier showing o our new lm: “The ACT 3 Story.” This new 29-minute DVD isavailable to all who request a copy and was mailed to over 425 people in December.You can also see it on our Web site at www.act3online.com. Over sixty riends joinedus at St. Paul Evangelical United Church o Christ or a lovely evening that includedstories o the mission o ACT 3 and a time or prayer as well (see photos below).