How should we worship God? What is the procedure for ecclesiastical discipline? How should pastors and deacons be elected? These are questions of vital importance for the proper functioning of the Local Church. The book "Manual for Pastors and Church Members" is a guide for all areas of the Church.
The Westminster Assembly produced three documents: The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), The Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the Directory for the Public Worship of God. In parallel, the Independents, both Congregationalists and Baptists, produced similar documents - Baptists: The First London Baptist Confession (1644); Congregationalists: Savoy Declaration (1658), as well as Hercules Collins' adaptation of the Heidelberg Catechism, called "An Orthodox Catechism" (1680), which reflects a distinctively Reformed Baptist stance.
Noting the lack of a Church Order Manual from an Independent and Confessional perspective, John Owen produced two documents that form the basis of this volume: "Escol: A Manual of Order for the Saints of the Local Congregation (1647)"; and "Instructions for the Worship of God and Ecclesiastical Discipline (1667)."
The importance of this book is fundamental for every believer and pastor of every denomination, as it gathers the most select and distilled Puritan and Reformed thought on how the Church should conduct itself. As such, this volume complements the Baptist Confession of Faith (1689). This is one of the most important volumes by this titan of sound doctrine for Latin America.
"This volume is a practical treatise and an excellent way to get to know a great Christian mind, as it deals with the most basic elements of the Christian's life in his church. I have loved reading Owen for almost thirty years and I return to him again and again, and I always benefit. Enjoy this book. And learn from it." Carl R. Trueman
