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What Is The Gospel Coalition? (Part 2)
- 04/24/09
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Yesterday I posted the first part of an answer to the question many people have asked me (and the question I’ve, in turn, asked many other people: What Is The Gospel Coalition? In that article I answered a few of the what, where and why questions. Today I want to discuss how you and I can be involved in it.
Important to the ethos of The Gospel Coalition are the differences between an organization and a movement. The leadership of TGC wants it to be both. It is an organization in that it has leadership (through D.A. Carson, Tim Keller and the Council Members), in that it has charitable status, foundation documents and the like. The organization is important to provide structure and to provide a common vision. But primarily, TGC is (or its leaders hope it will become) a movement. Tim Keller says that a movement depends upon unity around a vision for the future that is carried on by those with shared beliefs. And he says that a movement depends on a level of grassroots spontaneity. There needs to be some control over the shared vision and belief and this, of course, is the job of the organization. But within that bit of structure comes great freedom and great ability for spontaneity.
The Gospel Coalition exists to create a network of like-minded believers who are committed to the gospel and are committed to working with other believers to further the gospel. One person compared TGC to a magnet that passes over iron filings in a box of sand, grabbing the filings and binding them together. Through networking, both online and offline, TGC hopes to find pockets of Christians who are committed to the gospel and to bring them together for that gospel, for missions, to change lives. Though such networking can happen through traditional means and undoubtedly will continue to happen through traditional means, TGC has launched a social media site, The Gospel Coalition Network, that they hope will serve as a means of bringing Christians together based on geography and common interest. If you are unfamiliar with the term “social media,” think of Facebook or MySpace or the like. It is software that fosters relationships and connections.
As networks grow, so too will opportunities for these like-minded Christians to work together in their regions or for their common interests. So as a network grows in the Greater Toronto Area (to use just one example), members, many of whom may never have met each other before finding one another through The Gospel Coalition Network, can begin to meet to discuss concerns common to Toronto or to inform one another of local events. They should be able to find many ways of working together to further the gospel. They may choose to begin a local chapter (explained below) to provide a more formal TGC presence in that area.
And so the best way for you to get a taste of The Gospel Coalition, and for you to get involved, is to begin to use that software. This software is absolutely free for anyone (men or women, pastors or laypersons, North American or European, etc). The TGC leadership is hoping that tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people will create accounts and begin to use it. As of this very moment there are 2874 people registered with many more registering every day.
There are four terms you should be familiar with as you begin to use the software and begin to get involved in TGC.
“Participants” need only fill out a few digital forms at which point they can join in the discussion. They do not have to agree with The Gospel Coalition; they do not have to be Christians. The “participants” level is for anyone wanting to engage in networking and in discussion of common themes with other people. These people can create an account and immediately begin participating in groups, discussions, and so on.
“Members” are asked to take a further step in the registration process: they are asked to read the Foundation Documents, all of which are available online—Preamble, Statement of Faith, and Theological Vision of Ministry—and signal their agreement with these documents, without mental reservation. Only members will be allowed to start new groups on the Network.
“Groups” are simply groupings of members and participants based around a common theme or common geography. Groups may be based around location (Greater Toronto Area), interest (Church History), occupation (Youth Pastors), church (First Baptist Church) and so on. Each Group has a leader who can moderate that group, determine who may be a part of it, and so on.
“Chapters” are regional centers for carrying on the work of The Gospel Coalition at local and regional levels. Already, for instance, TGC Bay Area (San Francisco) exists, and several other regional chapters are on the cusp of forming. TGC hopes and expects that such local leadership will be far more effective at the local level than a central Council can possibly be. For obvious reasons they insist that these local chapters share the vision and priorities enshrined in the Foundation Documents. They hope in due course to serve these local chapters with special web pages and the like.
Your sign-up page depends on your geographic location:
- North America
- South America
- Europe
- Asia
- Africa
- Australia (and the Pacific)
If you are interested in being involved in TGC, simply sign up and get involved. If you agree with the Foundation Documents, consider becoming a member. Find groups that interest you or, if no such group exists, create one. Find friends, find local interests, and join in the discussion. And then take the relationships offline and begin to get involved with other Christians in working together for the gospel in your region. This is not the entirety of what it means to participate in TGC, but it is the place to start.
In all of this talk about the Gospel Coalition Network, I do not want to neglect to mention all of the resources TGC offers through their web site. By visiting the thegospelcoalition.org you will find a large and fast-growing list of resources meant to serve both churches and individual Christians. You will find the theological journal themelios, information about the Christ on Campus Initiative, conference audio and video, interviews and much more. Some of the resources coming in the near future are going to be better still.
So there is your introduction to The Gospel Coalition. Feel free to ask questions and, if I can, I will answer them. If I do not know the answers, I will try to find someone who does.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (24)
These two posts have helped me… a lot! I keep telling people at church about ‘the gospel coalition’ but when they have questioned me about it I haven’t had a clue how to answer them! I do really like the looks of this movement, and hope to meet other gospel-centered pastors and Christians here in Southern Ontario through it.
Bandwidth exceeded? Is that good news or bad news?
Bandwidth exceeded? That must be Tim’s fault. :)
“The Gospel Coalition exists to create a network of like-minded believers who are committed to the gospel and are committed to working with other believers to further the gospel.”
Is that not what the church is suppose to be anyway?
We have way over complicated church as it is. Do we need toadd another movement?
If pastor’s would get off their tails and motivate and discipline their congregations and stop letting other pastors and conferences do their work this would not be a problem.
I think this coalition is much needed. I don’t see this as “over complicating” church or the establishment of a new “movement” that supplants the mission of the church.
With a dwindling biblical culture (especially in America) and the uprising of alternative forms of “doing church” (i.e. emergent), the need for a united effort to proclaim the truth of the gospel and to do it in such a way as to have the most impact in a technologically advancing culture, it is good to see a coordinated effort emerge.
Does this effort replace the church? No, in fact it’s just the oppositive, it’s a way to expand the church.
What could be better than to have a network of believers who come from many different backgrounds, geographic areas, and beliefs (although the difference in beliefs would be those that are not essential beliefs for biblical christianity) to be able to engage each other and build each other up in the faith so we can collectively make a huge impact for Christ?
We have a tendency to fellowship only within our church family, which is not a bad thing, but it’s very possible that like-mindeded, equally motivated believers are just down the street from us and we don’t even know it. A network like this could open opportunities for us to collaborate with others and to develop discipleship opportunities so that we may build each other up and impact our neighborhoods with the Gospel.
Tim, Here’s a question: What should individual Christians do if their specific pastor/church does not buy into the Gospel Coalition network concept? Does the person operate outside of his/her church’s wishes to include activity in both TGC network and local church, or, rely on the leadership of the local church they belong (assuming the church is sound in doctrine)?
Right now, I’m thinking just like Ben (above) here. I know there must be other like-minded Christians in my city that I do not know, that do not go to my church, but go to some other church, and they agree with TGC theologically, and they want to further the gospel in my city. I should get to know those people, I think!
If pastor’s would get off their tails and motivate and discipline their congregations and stop letting other pastors and conferences do their work this would not be a problem.
That seems a mite harsh. I don’t know that anyone is saying “The Kingdom cannot advance without TGC.” But organizations like this one may well do a good work in binding Christians together, even if that primarily takes the form of helping Christians find one another. As others have said, who knows how many like-minded Christians there may be nearby and who knows how those churches may be able to work together?
What should individual Christians do if their specific pastor/church does not buy into the Gospel Coalition network concept?
I think if the leadership of a church forbids people to be part of TGC you would want to heed their wishes (or perhaps leave the church). But even if they are cool to TGC, I don’t see that participating in it and using it to meet other like-minded believers would be a bad thing. I think you’d want to rely on wisdom and honor your leadership, however that might work out. Because TGC and the local church are very different things, joining one should not negatively impact another.
The reasons for the need for these types of movement/organizations remind me very much of the situation in Martin Lloyd-Jones’ day (whose excellent biography by Iain Murray I recently finished.) Everyone wished then that the state of the churches was such that no “outside” organizing or community was needed, but it was then, and is again today. One day, one glad day, it won’t be! We need to pray for these efforts that are striving to be true to the gospel and support them.
Tim,Our church will be a part of this as they are part of anything reformed & Piper which means I will be part, but I don’t see how it can be an all inclusive populace Christian movement with the exclusivity of the Reformed Movement mentality, and you know what I mean. How can Piper or Mcarthur tolerate any doctrinal variance. I believe Keller will not tolerate that form of exclusivity. I support anything that will promote “the gospel, Christ Died for our sins”, and I do I am just voicing my own personal observation.
This reminds me of the “Christian Collation “.. just another movement ..
Do we really NEED a movement to present the gospel? Do PASTORS really need a movement to motivate them? (Then maybe they need not be pastors)
Are we REALLY reformed ? Do we REALLY believe that God is sovereign in the affairs of men?
God told Moses not to worry about what he would speak the HE WOULD PUT THE WORDS IN HIS MOUTH.
God will draw the elect to us and us to them so that we may present the gospel on HIS timetable.
I respect Piper and I have no clue why he got involved in this … but even with his name attached i see this as nothing more than the work of men ..
Mark and TAR -
Have you guys even read anything that TGC puts out?!? Your comments seem uninformed, reactive, and reductionistic, to say the least.
In every generation there must be leaders who speak widely to move the Church to greater fidelity to Christ. It started with Paul’s letters circulating among the new Christian communities, and that continues today through various avenues, the main one being scripture, but also through commentaries, sermon audio, conferences, periodicals, books, music, blogs, and more. Would you say we should do away with these because they aren’t mentioned in the NT?
The Gospel Coalition exists to help us all keep our eyes set on Christ and his Gospel in a time of immense pressure on churches and Christians. As for me, I have been greatly helped by TGC and will continue to be challenged to greater Gospel fidelity by their work, God willing.
Pastor Chris
One always enjoys being called “uninformed”. “reactionary” and “reductionist ”
Pastor I am informed BY THE GOSPEL . And here I thought that was the purpose of TGC.
My church has had a push in the direction of TGC for some time now.As a result many of the mature leaders (including an elder) have left the church in favor of a small non reformed baptist church. The way to spread the gospel is to equip the saints.. not have web sites and conventions .
The church and the gospel have faithful witnesses in place now.
God put cultural barriers in place when men tried to get together to build a tower … This just looks like men trying to build that tower again instead of letting God word as He will within the cultures HE has ordained and created.
Pastor if you need a coalition to keep your eyes on the gospel , may I say you have a problem
Whoa! It sounds like I TAR is about to pray for fire to come down from heaven for unauthorized promotion of truth!
Luke 9:50But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”
Thanks for highlighting some of the facts here so that we can be informed. I appreciate your “ministry”…. Oh….wait….can I call what you are doing a ministry…..
The question before us is not on who’s side T GC is but the intent of the heart.
Gal 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
TAR-
Let me reiterate my original question. Have you read the documents of The Gospel Coalition or not?
Chris
“if you need a coalition to keep your eyes on the gospel , may I say you have a problem.”
that seems a silly way to look at it. what is wrong with using a network of like-minded people as a tool to help us all keep our focus? many have reiterated the point that TGC is certainly not claiming to be necessary to advancing the kingdom.
it seems perhaps that what’s bothering some people is that since the church was given to us by God (and the parachurch, apparently, was not), then The Church and the Church Alone should be sufficient for us. am i understanding that correctly? if so—well, yes; but on the other hand, we hold to the sufficiency and inspiration of Scripture and yet gratefully use commentaries and the like.
“The Gospel Coalition exists to create a network of like-minded believers who are committed to the gospel and are committed to working with other believers to further the gospel.”
The question is whether TGC will be more interested in furthering the gospel or telling everyone what (their version of) the gospel is.
For anyone who is interested, I recently wrote up my perspective of the gospel as proclaimed by the NT read in the context of the OT and 1st Century Judaism. It is available on my articles page.
Whoa! It sounds like I TAR is about to pray for fire to come down from heaven for unauthorized promotion of truth!
That’s about what I was thinking.
TAR, I think it’s time for you to step out of this conversation. Pointless contentiousness edifies no one.
David, I am not sure I follow the distinction you are making between furthering the gospel, and telling others what their version of the gospel is. Isn’t that really the same thing? They have convictions about the truth of the gospel, they have explained that pretty clearly, and they want to promote it. I would be concerned if they were vague, or wanted to promote someone else’s idea of the gospel.
I am very troubled and puzzled by what I have been reading here concerning this organization/movement. They say that they intend to “exist separately” from the church, yet Scripture tells us that “Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.” It is the church the Jesus built and loved that has been tasked with “holding forth the word of life.” How people view the church tells us a great deal about how people really view Christ! Christ did not give Himself for some universal, invisible thing, but for a visible body of believers represented in real places, by real people, to carry out a real task. I will say it again, from a Biblical point of view, if you really love Christ you must also love His church and must join a New Testament church and roll up your sleeves and give of your time, talents, and resources! We must be very, very careful of how we treat that which Christ loves!Up until now, I have enjoyed and agreed with this blog, for the most part. But this is an area in which I am totally convinced from the Scripture that there must not be any compromise. Organizations come and go, but the church of Christ will remain until Christ comes for His Bride.Having sensed the direction of things here, and with these final comments, I now leave this blog.
Folks need to really pay attention, if they are going to attack TGC which is rooted and grounded in the importance of the local church.
I have read the The Gospel Coalition’s documents, and I have to say that I am not impressed.
To become a member, you need to be in full agreement with a highly-partisan confessional statement that contains lots of stuff over which there is disagreement amongst evangelicals (as well as among the wider Christian community). Hence they are defining the gospel to be a particular flavor of reformed conservative evangelicalism (and nothing else).
It’s no use saying that anyone can be a “participant”, the fact that only people who agree with their statement of faith (and their other foundation documents containing equally contentious material) can be “members” is to effectively take such an exclusivist position.
The obvious implication of this (as confirmed by the “magnet” illustration that Tim gave) is that other Christians (who are not members of TGC because they don’t agree with its approach) are not committed to the gospel and are therefore substandard believers, in some sort of theological error, or maybe even followers of a different gospel. They’re definitely second-class citizens in TGCs eyes.
Tim invited questions, so here are some:
Why has TGC chosen to define the gospel so as to exclude numerous evangelical christians?
Does TGC believe that there is scope for legitimate differences of opinion over matters specified in their confessional statement?
What does TGC think about evangelical Christians who don’t share their doctrinal particulars?
Who appoints members of TGC’s council and to whom are they accountable?
Why is the current council exclusively male, nearly all from the US, and representative of only a narrow spectrum of churchmanship? (out of 49, 9 are Presbyterians, 9 are Baptists, and I guess many of the others are from the EFCA).
Sorry to be a bit provocative, it’s one of my gifts in life…
Why has TGC chosen to define the gospel so as to exclude numerous evangelical christians?
DWM, I copied the statement below from the TGC network website. What part(s) of this definition excludes “numerous evangelical christians”?
(6) The GospelWe believe that the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ—God’s very wisdom. Utter folly to the world, even though it is the power of God to those who are being saved, this good news is christological, centering on the cross and resurrection: the gospel is not proclaimed if Christ is not proclaimed, and the authentic Christ has not been proclaimed if his death and resurrection are not central (the message is “Christ died for our sins … [and] was raised”). This good news is biblical (his death and resurrection are according to the Scriptures), theological and salvific (Christ died for our sins, to reconcile us to God), historical (if the saving events did not happen, our faith is worthless, we are still in our sins, and we are to be pitied more than all others), apostolic (the message was entrusted to and transmitted by the apostles, who were witnesses of these saving events), and intensely personal (where it is received, believed, and held firmly, individual persons are saved).
DWM,I believe that your second and third questions are answered on the TGC network as well where they define the difference between “participant” and “member” and their reasoning behind this. See below.
“We invite individuals to sign up to TGCN on one of two levels.
Participants need only fill out the digital forms that follow, and join in the discussion. You do not have to agree with The Gospel Coalition; you do not have to be a Christian. The “participants” level is for anyone wanting to engage in networking and in discussion of common themes with other people.
Members are asked to take a further step in the registration process: you are asked to read our Foundation Documents, all of which are available online—Preamble, Statement of Faith, and Theological Vision of Ministry—and signal your agreement with these documents, without mental reservation. Only members will be allowed to start new groups on the Network.You have every right to know what our reasoning is.
First, we take some inspiration from the brilliant organizational skills of John Wesley. He organized “classes” that were open to anyone, including folk who today would be called “seekers.” He also organized “bands” that were made up of Christians who signed on to the doctrines Wesley preached, and who, within that framework, were interested in growth, discipleship, and training. Both the classes and the bands were crucial, in God’s good pleasure, to the growth of the Evangelical Awakening. In both Wesley’s case and in ours, the important thing to observe is that provision is made to mesh and interact with all kinds of people and opinions (in Wesley’s “classes” and among our “participants”), while provision is also made for those who share our understanding of Scripture and who want to grow in that glorious heritage (in Wesley’s “bands” and among our “members”).
Second, The Gospel Coalition is what mathematicians would call “a center-bounded set.” In other words, we are not a “boundary set.” If we were a “boundary set” we would nail down the outer limits of who is “in” and who is “out,” who is “with us” and who is “against us” or at least apart from us. The tendency of boundary sets is to enlarge the tent to make it as big as possible, while diluting the content to the thinnest gruel so that as few as possible are excluded. The downside is that pretty soon there are scores of things no one is allowed to talk about because those within the boundaries have agreed that the only requirement for being “in” is this lowest-common-denominator set of beliefs or principles. By contrast, as a center-bounded set the Coalition has adopted Foundation Documents that are theologically robust and a vision of things we hold to be both faithful to the Bible and pastorally important in our day. At that point, our leaders will be tough-minded and frankly and joyfully confessional, even while we acknowledge that many people will interact with us at various levels of agreement and disagreement, using some of our material, not using other parts of it, not having to decide exactly who is “in” and “out.” At some level or other, just about everyone is welcome to be connected with TGCN at the participant level, and to use material as they wish from TGC website. However, membership requires “signing on” to our Foundational Documents in order to preserve the theological integrity of our membership community.
Third, from our members will also come, after interviews, some leaders who will form “chapters”—that is, not only “groups” within the digital work of the Network, but “chapters” that are regional centers for carrying on the work of The Gospel Coalition at local and regional levels. Already, for instance, TGC Bay Area (San Francisco) exists, and several other regional chapters are on the cusp of forming. Obviously we hope and pray that such local leadership will be far more effective at the local level than our central Council can possibly be. Equally clearly, we insist that these local chapters share the vision and priorities enshrined in our Foundation Documents. We hope in due course to serve these local chapters with special web pages and the like.For the record: The Gospel Coalition reserves the right to shut down any Group on TGCN that operates in violation of the courtesy we expect on our site, and of the principles we have laid out here.Soli Deo gloria!”
I hope that helps.