Encountering God at the Altar: The Sacraments in Pentecostal Worship
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.
This is the “first draft” of Pentecostal Sacraments. Written for small group study, this book is available from the Center for Pentecostal Leadership and Care. 2006, 90 pages, $10.00.
