C. N. Willborn speaks about the spirituality of the church, the doctrine which affirms that the Church is a spiritual institution with spiritual aims. It is not administered according to the kingdom of this world. This has a direct bearing upon the work of the church, which is explicitly described and defined by Christ himself in the Great Commission of Matthew 28.

Rev. Dr. Willborn is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and adjunct professor of Historical Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is the author of many works on history and theology, including the focus of this conversation, “The Soul of the Church: The Church’s Spiritual Mission” in The Confessional Presbyterian, volume 16 (2020): 201–209.

Links

• The Confessional Presbyterian Journal
• Christ the Center, episode 538: “The Spirituality of the Church in the Ecclesiology of Charles Hodge” with Alan Strange.

Further Reading

• Cunningham, William. Discussions on Church Principles. Reprint, Edmonton, AB Canada: Still Waters Revival Books, 1991: 196–210.
• Farmer, James O. Jr. The Metaphysical Confederacy: James Henley Thornwell and the Synthesis of Southern Values. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1986.
• Graham, Preston A. Jr. A Kingdom Not of this World. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2002.
• Peck, Thomas. Notes on Ecclesiology. Reprint, Taylors, SC: Presbyterian Press, 2005.
• Robinson, Stuart. The Church of God. Reprint, Willow Volume 16 (2020) Grove, PA: The Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 2009.
• Strange, Alan D. The Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church in the Ecclesiology of Charles Hodge Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing Company, 2017.
• Thornwell, James H. The Collected Writings of James H. Thornwell, 4 vols. Reprint, Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1974. See especially volume 4.
• Webb, Robert A. “The Modern Mind and Christian Service,” in Elements of Truth, vol. 2. Jackson, MS: Tucker Printing House, 1915. “The Modern Mind” was a series of addresses delivered at Belhaven College for the Synod’s [Mississippi] Training School between June 22–July 2, 1915 and published by the Committee of Synod.
• Willborn, C. N. “The Gospel Work of the Diaconate: ‘A Ministry Proportioned in Number,’” in The Confessional Presbyterian, vol. 11 (2014): 13–23.

Participants: C. N. Willborn, Camden Bucey

C. N. Willborn describes the importance of a faithful and active diaconal ministry within the church. Building upon contributions from Thomas Chalmers and other insightful theologians, Willborn describes a ministry “proportioned in number,” or segmented in order that the diaconate may faithfully carry out its duties both to the brotherhood and the neighborhood. Willborn argues “for a thoroughly active office, defined, designed, and dispatched along Biblical lines.”

Rev. Dr. Willborn is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and adjunct professor of Historical Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is the author of many works on history and theology, including the focus of this conversation, “The Gospel Work of the Diaconate: A Ministry ‘Proportioned in Number’” in The Confessional Presbyterian, volume 10 (2014): 23–32.

Links

• John G. Lorimer, The Deaconship: A Treatise on the Biblical Office (foreword by C. N. Willborn)

Participants: C. N. Willborn, Camden Bucey, Glen Clary