Robert Doyle invites us into a deeply learned conversation both evangelical and ecumenical between biblical studies, church history, and systematic theology on central themes and contested issues of a doctrine of the Church and its mission. Readers will appreciate the multitude of well-chosen phrases and clear-eyed arguments in which the author interacts with ancient and contemporary commentators regarding Church order, sacraments, and recent cultural debates. Crucial to Doyle’s study is his conviction that the true understanding of the Church is found in its dynamic relation to the doctrines of Christ, Trinity, and revelation.

Roger Newell, George Fox University

There are various reasons why Dr. Doyle’s outstanding new book should be widely read by both scholars and students alike. In our virtual media age, it is firstly a timely reminder to reflect afresh on the perennial importance of an authentic, gathering church. Secondly, whilst drawing from multiple theological traditions, it remains profoundly orthodox. Finally, drawing from a lifetime of teaching theology at various institutions in more than one continent, it is deeply erudite, didactically friendly, and pastorally sensitive. As such it is uniquely suited to serve as a text for students training for ministry.

Mark Norman, George Whitefield College

A reflection on the multifaceted reality of the body of Christ, that heavenly gathering expressed in local assemblies all over the world. Brilliant in length, breadth, and depth: Ecclesiology explained in conversation with centuries of discussion; ranging across the spectrum of Christian thought set within its intellectual milieu; and profoundly anchored in Christology. From the New Testament assemblies to those of today’s confused and divided world, Christ has his people living under the grace of God and living out the love of God. Transformative! My ordinary gathering together with other ordinary believers just became extraordinary.

Peter G. Bolt, Sydney College of Divinity

Here is a mature, fresh, and unashamedly Protestant account of the Christian church which is shaped by a deep confidence in the finished work of Christ, a delight in the Trinitarian foundation and pattern of Christian fellowship, a commendable determination to honour the inescapable simplicity of the New Testament witness, and a keen sense of its urgent and enduring relevance to ordinary Christian identity. Those committed to the biblical faithfulness of particular confessional or denominational traditions are unlikely to agree with everything in this book, and questions are likely to linger over what “good and necessary” consequences may be drawn from the teaching of Scripture on the church and related doctrines, whether Old Testament or New. But this only serves to make it a more stimulating and profitable read. It is my hope that this book will command a wide audience of readers who are marked by what Doyle aptly describes as an “evangelical humility, and gratitude,” which is unafraid to bring individual and collective “understanding and practice before the searching gaze of Scripture."

Andrew Leslie, Moore Theological College

This book is first and foremost an attempt to hear what the Lord has to say to his church – who she is, how she should live and for what does she hope. Through a patient and careful re-reading of the New Testament texts in the company of the saints past and present, Doyle offers a disciplined and helpful introduction to ecclesiology. With a special eye to the ministry and mission of Protestant churches, this book provides essential conceptual tools for denominational pastors, church planters and mature laypeople together to love the Lord, the church, and the unsaved world.

David Höhne, Moore Theological College