The task of shaping academic research into written articles/information that Pentecostal church professionals will access is a challenging task. The “dialect” of the Pentecostal church professional is highly pragmatic and not given to the focused thoroughness usually associated with articles journals usually publish.

In the role I have as president at AGTS, I walk a continual tightrope between my acknowledgement that we are a graduate theological institution and the fact that we have as our primary public, professionals who serve in local church and missionary endeavors. I also am aware of the historic bifurcation that exists between “applied” and “pure” disciplines. The result is that at times I sense my role and its responsibilities serve neither fish nor fowl.

However, I am clearly committed to dulling the historic bifurcation between practitioners and scholars. I have spent years attempting to do so in teaching and in grass-roots ministry leadership. The article that I have attached attempts to put into practice another way in which we can break down the barriers between these two distant, but complementary dimensions of the Church.

The article was part of an issue of ENRICHMENT, a journal that each A/G minister receives quarterly. Each issue is thematic. This issue was on Compassion and the Gospel. The A/G (USA) has long suffered under the shadow of the 20th century evangelism vs. social action dichotomy. This article acknowledges that reality, but strives to navigate the challenge, by demonstrating the historical context in which our ministry priorities emerged in the early 20th century. The article continues to demonstrate the understandable dimension of those priorities favoring evangelism, yet calls the hearer to consider other biblical themes that may be more adept at under girding a holistic mission in the 21st century.

In writing and in speaking, this integrative effort is a regular responsibility that I must participate in. The challenge to the practioner and the scholar is the same. What new dialects are you willing to learn to increase your effectiveness as a Kingdom servant?

 

by Byron Klaus

 

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