How to Behave in Church is a short book by Peter Jeffery which discusses life in the local church. 

 

Summary

Chapter one explains the nature and role of the church.  The local church is distinguished from the universal.  Then, major local church issues are introduced.  These include teaching, discipline, fellowship, officers and members of the church, and the purity of the church.

 

Chapter two instructs Christians as to how they should listen to preaching in the church.  Jeffery says “good listening will encourage good preaching” (p. 23).  From the example of Ezra preaching to the nation of Israel, Jeffery challenges the reader to pray for the preaching and respect the Word of God.

 

In chapter three, Jeffery describes the God of the church as the only God, the eternal God, the unconquerable God, the immortal God, the invisible God, and the incarnate God.  Only with a clear understanding of the God the church will church members will be motivated to behave properly in church. Chapter four is about the members of the church.  The short chapter explains how believers are not perfect, but they desire to be perfect.  They should help one another in this endeavor.

 

Chapter five describes the leaders of the church.  Jeffery says God is the Head of the church, but He has give the church structure which includes elders and deacons.  He says, “All elders direct the affairs of the church but some have a particular responsibility for preaching.  They specialize in this, work hard at it, give time and study to preparation for preaching and as such they are paid by the church (1 Tim. 5:17-18).  The pastor is a teaching elder – his prime responsibility is the ministry of the Word – but all elders share to a degree in this responsibility because all should be able to teach (1 Tim. 3:2).”

 

In chapter six the reader is exhorted to guard against problems in the church: false doctrine and moral impurity. Chapter seven discusses the role of women in the church.  They are to be most concerned with internal beauty (rather than external), and they are to refrain from preaching and teaching and focus instead on their God-given ministry.  They are to care for their family.

 

Chapter eight gives biblical instruction regarding wealth.  Among other points, Jeffery says church members with wealth should not necessarily be allowed more influence or power in the church.

 

Evaluation

Peter Jeffery makes many good points in this little book, however it is difficult to see how each chapter contributes to the main theme of the book.  It seems the book would better be titled, Bits of Advice from the book of First Timothy.  The book will be most helpful to the reader who is not too familiar with First Timothy and desires a survey of its major themes.

 

Among Jeffery’s better books are Bitesize Theology, Seeking God, and Which Way to God?