The Skin

Healthy Skin --the congregation's corporate relationship with the church's head --Jesus Christ.

Rev. John Marshall Crowe, B.A., M.Div., D.Min., APC

The content my articles listed here comes from my dissertation:

"PREACHING FOR A WHOLE PERSON RESPONSE IN DEVELOPING A HEALTHY CHURCH"

Diss. Asbury Theological Seminary, 2001.
The contents are protected by copyright.

updated 2/28/08

1). The Skin system

The skin is the most visible subsystem of the human body. It covers the connection of our hands, arms, feet, to our torso, and to our head. Like skin, the biblical teaching about the nature of the church covers the entire body. This teaching is contained in the NT and often reflected in written statements of faith like the Nicene Creed. In addition, it forms the corporate relationship of the Church with its head-Jesus Christ. Sometimes, we forget our vertical relationship with God in our pragmatic haste for an active body that is doing good works in the world.

3). Praying for pastors and their families is an important part of a congregation's corporate spiritual life.

"Any Church may have a mighty man of God for its pastor, if it is willing to the price and that price is not a big salary but great praying." R.A. Torrey, The Power of Prayer, p.35.

· A Plea to Pray for Pastors by Gardiner Spring

· Called to Intercede for Pastors

· How to Pray for your Pastors adapted from John C. Maxwell’s Lay Ministry 2000 Workshop (includes how to pray for your church.)

· Pray for Your Pastor from Pinnacle Ministries

· Prayer and Tragedy

· Praying for Christian Leaders: Pastors Need Prayer Too by Rev. Will Bruce

· Praying for Preachers

· Praying for your pastor’s wife

· Prayer Shield: A Christ centered ministry dedicated to developing prayer for Pastors and Ministry Leaders

· Preachers Need The Prayers of the People by E.M. Bounds

· Ways to Pray for Clergy

· 30 Scripture-based Prayers for Your Pastor by Terry Teykl

· 31 WAYS TO PRAY FOR THE CLERGY

4). There is an inter connection of the skin system with the other systems of the human body. The skin system connects to the internal subsystems of the musculoskeletal system and internal organ system, the neurological system, as well as the circulatory system of the body. Similarly, biblical teaching seeks to influence the subsystems of our horizontal relationships with each other in Christ. Biblical teaching seeks to shape how people behave and relate in God's church. Whenever, scriptural teaching fails to influence our horizontal relationship with each other in Christ, we fail to discern our connectedness as the body of Christ.