Although liturgical tradition in Reformed churches is a frequently probed subject, information in certain aspects of the field is limited. To alleviate this situation, Dr. Hageman places major emphasis in this book on some lesser known areas of Reformed worship. At the same time he touches on highlights of Reformed liturgical history, particularly the relative significance of sermon and sacrament. The importance of Zurich's contribution to Reformed tradition is comparatively unrecognized. As Dr. Hageman states, Know it or not, down to relatively recent times the Reformed churches have, practically speaking, acknowledged Zwingli as their liturgical master. This he attributes in part to the fact that when Calvin came to Geneva five years after Zwingli's death, he found the Zurich point of view too firmly entrenched there to be materially changed. Additional territory unfolds with an examination of the dark age of Reformed Protestantism - the period between the closing of the Westminster Assembly of Divines and the advent of Schleiermacher. An impartial observer surveying the liturgical life of late eighteenth century Reformed churches could have justifiably concluded that it was nearly finished. Pointing out that signs of recovery were already visible, the author notes that these churches were on the verge of a liturgical development that was to prove more productive than any in their history. Dr. Hageman concludes with a discussion of theories which should undergird and test any liturgical developments in Reformed churches. A primary factor here is the principle that pulpit and table are inseparable parts of a single whole. He emphasizes, however, that if the Reformed churches really understand their position, they have every reason for being liturgically fresh and creative. Their liturgy must seek to establish models, not rigid requirements. Concise yet comprehensive, this treatment of liturgical history is valuable for pastors and students of church history. Concerned laymen, including organists, choir directors, and choir members, will find it a useful aid in understanding worship patterns of Reformed churches.

What should a church do? Look at your church’s calendar and you will learn something of its mission. But how do you know it’s the mission Jesus gave? In The Life of the Church, Joe Thorn explains the mission of the church and the three rhythms for fulfilling it. The result is a simple, memorable model for church life and ministry, grounded in Scripture and aligned with historic practices. Useful for training in membership class, discipleship groups, and elder boards—and even for devotional reading—The Life of the Church is at once theological, practical, and experiential. Readers will not simply be informed, but led to a deeper conviction about their role in the body of Christ. Pastors will be equipped to refocus their ministries, and Christians to fulfill their purpose: be and make disciples. If you wonder what it means to be saved into a body of believers, why the various parts of a worship service matter, and how to engage in the world as a citizen of heaven, then The Life of the Church is for you. It answers this critical question: “Why does the church exist, and how does it shape my life?”

In the formative years of the Methodist Church in the United States, women played significant roles as proselytizers, organizers, lay ministers, and majority members. Although women's participation helped the church to become the nation's largest denomination by the mid-nineteenth century, their official roles diminished during that time. In Beyond the Pulpit, Lisa Shaver examines Methodist periodicals as a rhetorical space to which women turned to find, and make, self-meaning. In 1818, Methodist Magazine first published "memoirs" that eulogized women as powerful witnesses for their faith on their deathbeds. As Shaver observes, it was only in death that a woman could achieve the status of minister. Another Methodist publication, the Christian Advocate, was America's largest circulated weekly by the mid-1830s. It featured the "Ladies' Department," a column that reinforced the canon of women as dutiful wives, mothers, and household managers. Here, the church also affirmed women in the important rhetorical and evangelical role of domestic preacher. Outside the "Ladies Department," women increasingly appeared in "little narratives" in which they were portrayed as models of piety and charity, benefactors, organizers, Sunday school administrators and teachers, missionaries, and ministers' assistants. These texts cast women into nondomestic roles that were institutionally sanctioned and widely disseminated. By 1841, the Ladies' Repository and Gatherings of the West was engaging women in discussions of religion, politics, education, science, and a variety of intellectual debates. As Shaver posits, by providing a forum for women writers and readers, the church gave them an official rhetorical space and the license to define their own roles and spheres of influence. As such, the periodicals of the Methodist church became an important public venue in which women's voices were heard and their identities explored.