126
Book Reviews / Pneuma 34 (2012) 95-159
Steven M. Fettke, God’s Empowered People, A Pentecostal Theology of the Laity (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2011). xi + 138 pp., $19 paper.
This is a very fine addition to Pentecostal literature, particularly as it relates to the laity and the Church. Fettke consistently works from a theological and praxis perspective, conversing about constructs, issues, and challenges to Pentecostal lay practice. With examples of how a fresh move toward an informed Pentecostal laity has already begun, the discussion con- cludes with an informed call to action.
Most impressive is Fettke’s praxis rooted in “enabling the disabled, empowering the dis- empowered” (45). Fettke grounds his proposals for lay ministry from several scripture refer- ences and theological propositions. However, the advocacy on behalf of the disempowered and the disabled is argued with such care that it rightly forms the most essential part of his platform for lay ministry.
While being resolutely Pentecostal in his conceptualization of lay ministry, Fettke argues that the image of God is given to the disempowered and the disabled, the marginalized, and those that have been neglected by the church. He highlights a fresh face for spiritual formation when he asks, “Did the spirit of God ‘hover’ over my autistic son in his conception and birth?” Fettke emerges with a voice concerning Pentecostal laity and a response that is both empowering and formative for the new forms of lay ministry: “I want very much to believe that the disabled are ‘marked’ by God in their creation and are not problems to be solved. The disabled should be recognized as having a ‘life force’ made possible by the Spirit’s work” (50).
This enablement of the Spirit is a springboard for the mobilization of the laity. Fettke urges the formation and recognition of a community of wisdom, with “sages” mentoring for and within the church. This passionate call for wisdom seeks and creates “depth and mean- ing” (114) within the community that holds the laity more accountable to the core task of enabling the disabled.
Fettke’s volume itself practices the wisdom of reflection. He continually surveys the real- ities and possibilities of Pentecostal mobility and immobility. He calls the laity to action, proposing concrete steps to be taken. But his reflective calls for action turn around those who are disempowered and must be carried by others. And yet, this new movement of lay ministry is one that cares and accomplishes new things: “more than just loud and long wor- ship services” (87),” Spirit-empowered lay ministers “adjust to a new culture, look for ways to serve the people, and build relationships of trust over time through an incarnational model” (99, italics orig.).
Fettke’s models his proposal’s lay perspective and ministry according to how contempo- rary missionaries learn new languages and cultures, how pastors seek to participate with and lead laity, and how sages are described as leading their communities in the wisdom lit- erature of the Old Testament. He proposes practices of “Hospitality, Fellowship and Nurture as formed in the community of the Spirit” (ch. 5). These models and practices are helpful in fleshing out a praxis for Pentecostal laity. An example of this new praxis for Pentecostal prac- tice is “people who are willing to listen”: “If there is to be Spirit-enabled fellowship through testimony — interacting with the biblical story and believers’ life stories — more than a
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2012 DOI: 10.1163/157007412X621860
1
Book Reviews / Pneuma 34 (2012) 95-159
127
speaker is required. Also required are people who are willing to listen to what the Spirit might be saying and willing to listen to what fellow believers are trying to say. . .” (70). Fettke’s message is clear and powerful. But his argument appears to be largely anecdotal. Missing is a coherent and clear mandate that ought to drive the mission of Pentecostal lay ministry. Whether the theme of the volume is Christ, the Spirit or the suffering of this pres- ent world is not readily apparent. To be sure, many of the rich components necessary for Spirit-filled and life giving Pentecostal laity appear in Fettke’s work, thus making this a dis- tinctive contribution to the understanding, praxis, and wisdom found in Pentecostal laity. However, the various suggestions appear more as a programmatic list than as a consistently thought through and strategic proposal. Further, my perception in reading God’s Empow- ered People is that God empowers in a variety of ways, but what is the relationship of these various paths to one another? Do they form a particular, over-arching mission? What would be the ultimate direction of the empowered laity, not just for each particular proposal, but as they appear together, moving in a singular or distinctive direction?
I discern upon completing the volume that Fettke’s chapter on the disempowered and disabled powerfully suggests the book’s thesis can be understood as being about how the Spirit reveals and forms Christ within us: by our listening to and learning from those who are “marked” by the Spirit through disempowerment. This book is an invitation to us all, that we may listen to these, so that God’s people may be formed and ready for empowerment because they share the “marks” of those who are disempowered. The Spirit does chose the “weak” to speak to the “strong,” and thereby we receive some of our most critical and deci- sive interventions of the Spirit.
Reviewed by Oliver McMahan
Professor Counseling/Vice-President for Ministry Formation Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Cleveland, Tennessee [email protected]
2
Leave a Reply