Encountering God at the Altar:
The Sacraments in Pentecostal Worship
Daniel Tomberlin
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In the 2002-2003 United States Congregational Life Survey administered
by the Center for Pentecostal Leadership and Care, Church of God pastors
rated "participation in footwashing, baptism, or the Lord's
Supper" as the pastoral task they were least competent to perform. Yet
the significant place these formational worship experiences have in Christian
life and commitment and in relation to core Pentecostal theological teaching
suggests the need for pastoral guidance in their observance. Pentecostal
congregations need pastors capable of leading them in meaningful and Spirit-led
participation in these biblically based spiritual practices.
This volume in the Center for Pentecostal Leadership and Care Pentecostal
Leadership Series is intended to address this need in pastoral ministry. Dan
Tomberlin takes seriously the ecclesial (within the church) context of the sacraments
of footwashing, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. He emphasizes the communal nature
of their celebration as compared to more individualistic approaches. That is, Tomberlin
sees these sacraments as formative and transformative rites of the church rather than
mere personal religious experiences. He affirms the reality and importance
of the personal dimension of faith but finds the fuller meaning of the sacrament in the
relationship between the individual and the community of faith.
Tomberlin also considers the theological significance of footwashing, baptism,
and the Lord's Supper within the larger historical perspective of the Christian tradition.
While he agrees with the proposal for a vital connection between these experiences
and the Pentecostal fivefold gospel, he is not content to establish their theological meaning
outside a conversation with the broader church. His dialogue with the early church is
especially noteworthy.
The most helpful contribution of Tomberlin's discussion may be his attention
to the discipleship implications of sacramental worship. He offers suggestions for how
pastors can help people become better prepared to enter these experiences with
understanding and sincerity. With insight into the discipleship needs of believers, he
proposes practical strategies for moving beyond a ritualistic and unreflective observance
to real spiritual formation. Pastors will appreciate his discussion in this area.
Not everyone will agree with Dan Tomberlin's theological conceptualizations
related to footwashing, baptism, and the Lord's Supper, but all will be challenged
by them to a deeper consideration of the place of sacraments in Pentecostal
worship. His work should be read, reflected on, and used by Pentecostal pastors
as they endeavor to practice faithfully the distinctive sacraments of Pentecostal
worship.
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