Serving the People of God's Presence

“Building on his bold and compelling pneumatological ecclesiology, Terry L. Cross proposes a viable pneumatic theology of ministry for the twenty-first century. Serving the People of God’s Presence challenges the pervasive clericalism of church institutions with a renewed vision of the universal priesthood of believers and the ‘radical egalitarianism’ of the Spirit. Weaving together rich pastoral insights with rigorous scholarship, this volume offers an excellent resource for both students and ministers.”—Daniela C. Augustine, reader in world Christianity, University of Birmingham 

“Terry Cross has given a great gift to the church in this informative, integrated, and inspiring vision of Christian ministry. This is a must-read for scholars interested in ecclesiology, sacramentology, charismatic and Pentecostal studies, or the theology of Karl Barth. I also wholeheartedly recommend this as a textbook for ministerial students, through whom this vision may come to concrete expression.”—John Drury, professor of systematic theology and spiritual formation, Wesley Seminary, Indiana Wesleyan University 

“In this work, Terry Cross presents an impassioned plea for the church in its entirety to reclaim its vocation as the people of God, a vocation that belongs not to a small circle of clergy but to all the members of Christ’s body. In this view, leaders within the church are understood not so much as set-apart professionals but as persons who serve to enable the service and ministry of every Christian within the community of the Spirit, whose gifts are given to all. Cross presents a powerful and provocative proposal that embraces and seeks to further Luther’s proclamation that ‘Christ is a priest with all his Christians.’ Well-researched and incisive, this work will no doubt contribute to and further current conversations regarding questions of ministry, ordination, and the church’s witness in the world.”—Kimlyn J. Bender, professor of Christian theology, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University 

“What is fresh about Terry Cross’s theology of ministry—the spiritual character of the church and its ministerial practices, including its rites, sacraments, and liturgies—is also potentially controversial. In this book Cross argues that ministry is accomplished through God’s direct and transformative activity in the lives and deeds of any and all who encounter the risen Christ and are filled with his Spirit. Herein the historic doctrine of the priesthood of believers takes a pneumatic leap into a twenty-first-century global church with a flattening out of its ministries.”—Amos Yong, professor of theology and mission, Fuller Theological Seminary