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John Calvin was only a boy when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Wittenberg cathedral. Thus, the main lines of Reformation thought were already established when Calvin began to write and to serve the church in Geneva. Calvin readily adopted Luther’s two marks of the faithful church: right proclamation of the Word and right celebration of the sacraments. But he gave his own twist to the marks. “Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to Christ’s institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God exists.” 1
I am grateful for Calvin’s insertion of the two little words, and heard, in his formulation. He understood that proclamation of the Word alone is not sufficient, no matter how faithfully and skillfully preachers preach and teachers teach. Proclamation must be heard to fulfill its purpose. By hearing, Calvin did not mean mere listening, nor even mere understanding. Hearing means receiving, and receiving means living out the good news that is proclaimed in the preaching and teaching of the Word, and in the celebration of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Congregational Ministries Publishing strives to provide the church with educational materials that proclaim the gospel faithfully and clearly. All of our curriculum offerings — from We Believe and The Present Word, through Asί Creemos and Korean Present Word, to Wee Believe and I Believe — are designed to proclaim the Word. Moreover, all of our offerings are designed to assist teachers and preachers in their proclamation of the Word. Yet we are aware that the purpose of our work is not only to provide faithful educational materials, or even to resource church leaders.
The purpose of Congregational Ministries Publishing is to enhance the context in which the Word of God can be heard. Hearing the Word, receiving the Word, living the Word — that is the goal of what we do together. Church education is not confined to providing information about the Bible, or even to increasing understanding of Christian faith and life. Discipleship is the purpose of education in the church, and the purpose of Congregational Ministries Publishing in resourcing church education.
The Word is to be proclaimed to preschoolers, children, youth, young adults, and adults so that all may hear, and grow in faithful discipleship, following Christ where he leads. Jesus often said, “If you have ears, then hear” (Matthew 13:9, NEB). The seven churches in the book of Revelation are addressed, “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, NRSV). May our proclamation always be pure enough to allow the Word to be heard, and received, and lived.
Note
1. John Calvin, Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960), 4.1.9.
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