| Missional Resources and Links |
| Missional Resources and Links |
They Like Jesus But Not the Church (insights from emerging
generations)
by Dan Kimball
Excerpt from the back cover: Statistics reveal an unsettling exodus from the
church by younger people who are "spiritual but not religious". This is no
passing trend we can afford to ignore. But there is great hope. In this book
you will encounter firsthand the thoughts and feelings of those who find Jesus
attractive but don't care for organized religion. This book raises concerns
such as: Isn't the church just organized religion that is politically motivated? Is
the church homophobic? Does it take the entire Bible literally? Does the church
oppress women? Is it judgmental and negative? Does it arrogantly think other
religions are wrong?
I have just purchased this book (Oct 2008) and already am finding it to be a
valuable resource. I will give more of a review when I finish reading it.
There is also a study guide available for church groups.
The Forgotten Ways
By Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch is convinced that the inherited formulas for growing the Body of
Christ do not work anymore. And rather than relying on slightly revised
solutions from the past, he sees a vision of the future growth of the church
coming about by harnessing the power of the early church, which grew from
as few as 25,000 adherents in AD 100 to up to 20 million in AD 310. Such
incredible growth is also being experienced today in the church in China and
other parts of the world. How do they do it? The Forgotten Ways explores the
concept of Apostolic Genius as a way to understand what caused the church to
expand at various times in history, interpreting it for use in our own time and
place. From the theological underpinnings to the practical application, Hirsch
takes the reader through this dynamic mixture of passion, prayer, and
incarnational practice to rediscover the dormant potential of the modern
church in the West.
For a first chapter sample of the book click here. For an understanding of the
typology click here. For online training click here. For a blog on the book
click here.
The Shape of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st
Century Church
Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch
Christendom is dying and needs to be removed from its life-support system.
Starting with this frank assessment of the current church, Michael Frost and
Alan Hirsch present an alternative model for ministry in today’s postmodern
world. Instead of mourning the demise of the Western church as the center of
society, the authors explain how the church can be reborn through
incarnational mission, messianic spirituality, and apostolic structure. Church
leaders who heed the authors’ call will see death turned into new life through
the creation of a vital, missional church.
Breaking the Missional Code
Ed Stetzer
Across North America, many pastors are excited to see churches growing as
they achieve their mission to connect the message of the gospel with the
community at large. Still others are equally frustrated, following the exact
same model for outreach but with lesser results. Indeed, just because a
"missional breakthrough" occurs in one place doesn’t mean it will happen the
same way elsewhere.
One size does not fit all, but there are cultural codes that must be broken for
all churches to grow and remain effective in their specific mission context.
Breaking the Missional Code provides expert insight on church culture and
church vision casting, plus case studies of successful missional churches
impacting their communities.
"We have to recognize there are cultural barriers (in addition to spiritual
ones) that blind people from understanding the gospel," the authors write.
"Our task is to find the right way to break through those cultural barriers
without removing the spiritual and theological ones."
For a peak at a chapter in the book check out this external website.
Write the Vision: The Church Renewed
Wilbert R. Shenk
Description from back cover…
What is the churches future in a time of cultural crisis and transition?
In this book Wilbert R. Shenk addresses that question by reminding us that
the “story of the people of God moves between two poles: apostasy and
renewal, failure to live by their covenant responsibility alternating with a
reawakening to the vocation for which God’s people exist.
Attempts at renewal and reawakening are often impeded by resistance to
change. As Professor Shenk points out: “The legacy of Christendom has
hobbled the church in responding to the vigorous challenge of modern culture
to faith” But, he adds, “the rapid erosion of he old structures of Christendom
over the past three centuries may be a necessary - but nonetheless painful -
stage in rehabilitating the church. One thing appears certain: when he
church in the West is truly renewed, it will be a church with integrity and a
clear sense of mission to its own culture.
Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North
America
Darrel L. Guder is the Peachtree Professor of Evangelism and Church
Growth at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia.
From the back cover..
What would a theology of the church look like that took seriously the fact
that North America is now itself a mission field? This question lies at the
foundation of this volume written by an ecumenical team of six noted
missiologists - .Lois Barrett, Inagrace 1. Dietterich, Darrell l. Guder, George
R. Hunsberger, Alan J. Roxburgh, and Craig Van Gelder. The result of a
three-year research project undertaken by The Gospel and Our Culture
Network, this book issues a firm challenge for the church to recover its
missional call right here in North America. The authors examine today's
secular culture and the church's loss of domi¬nance in contemporary society.
They then present a biblically based theology that takes seriously the church's
missional vocation and draw out the consequences of this theology for the
structure and institutions of the church.
Though I list this here I found this book to be a very difficult read.
Books Cultural Witness
Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them
By Thomas S. Rainer
We’ve read all the hot books on evangelism, we've attended scores of
seminars and still were not reaching the unchurched. Eighty to ninety percent
of churchless Americans will never darken our culturally relevant, seeker-
sensitive doors. What are we missing?
Maybe we've been asking the wrong people. Instead of consulting the
unchurched masses, its time we heard what the small but important minority
who have recently begun attending a church have to say. What made the
difference for them? What critical factors helped spark their faith in Jesus
and drew them into the community of believers?
Thom S. Rainer, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and
Church Growth, shares the results and conclusions of his schools
groundbreaking survey of the formerly unchurched. At last, here are proven
insights into what evangelistically effective churches are doing right. Flying in
the face of much contemporary wisdom, the answers will surprise you.
Photocopyable material includes
Unchurched-Reaching Readiness Inventory
Church Health Survey
The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing
Your Faith
Author: Thomas Rainer
This has somewhat of an attractional model but gives helpful understanding
how receptive a person is to the gospel.
From the Back Cover..
In this fascinating book, Rainer identifies five faith stages levels of
responsiveness, prefixed with a U for Unchurched that represent your running
buddy, your sister-in-law, or your hairdresser:
U1 Highly receptive to hearing and believing the Good News
U2 Receptive to the gospel and church
U3 Neutral, with no clear signs of being interested yet perhaps being open to
discussion
U4 Resistant to the gospel, but with no antagonistic attitude
U5 Highly antagonistic and even hostile to the gospel
A discovery we made is that reaching lost and unchurched people is not always
best accomplished with some cookie-cutter strategy, Rainer writes. The
unchurched are different in how they respond to the gospel. How different?
You’ll be amazed at the variables that exist when it comes to how open people
are to the Christian message. Once you've recognized which stage your
unchurched friends and family are, you can much more effectively connect
them with Christ. Open this book, and open your mind and heart to the
powerful new possibilities of reaching The Unchurched Next Door.
The Culturally Savvy Christian: A Manifesto for Deepening Faith and
Enriching Popular Culture in an Age of Christianity-Lite
by Dick Staub
From back cover..
"Dick Staub has watched from a unique vantage point as our culture—not
least our Christian culture—has been sliding into more and more of a muddle
and a mess. Now he offers a sharp, many-sided analysis of where we’ve
allowed ourselves to get to—and a bracing, fresh prescription for how
Christians can and should be leading the way through and out into a wiser,
richer mode of being human. This is an urgent book for our times—and for
our health."
—N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, England
"I've learned as much about what I call 'worldly Christianity' from Dick
Staub as almost anyone on the planet—he's the apostle of earthy
engagement, the high priest of Christian cultural criticism, the gracious guru
of a spirituality that demands your hands be dirty and your knees be skinned
before you're let in the door. Star Wars, The Matrix, The Simpsons, tomorrow’
s paper—Staub finds grace in every image, turn, page, and notion."
—Dwight Ozard, (deceased) writer, pundit, speaker, and consultant to
nonprofit ministries and NGOs around the world
Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends
(Cultural Exegesis
by Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Editor), Charles A. Anderson (Editor), Michael J.
Sleasman (Editor)
Generally speaking, students, theologians, pastors, and church leaders are
well trained in the task of biblical exegesis. Where many fall short, however,
is in the area of cultural , exegesis-reading and interpreting the texts and
trends produced by our culture, which can have a profound influence on the
way we understand the world and practice our faith. Anyone interested in the
intersection of Christianity and culture needs to be able to do "everyday
theology." This innovative volume will help readers think theologically about
our cultural environment and respond faithfully as Christian disciples.
"I am one of those Christians who have theological questions about Eminem,
MySpace, grocery stores, and the like. So I am very pleased that we now have
this book of stimulating and important reflections on such matters. These
authors demonstrate how to think theologically about popular culture."
-Richard J. Mouw, president and professor of Christian philosophy, Fuller
Seminary
Links
What is your theological world view?
Handy site for finding your world view
House Church Links..
House Church Network
House Church Central
Home Groups, Why, What, How
153 House Churches
House Church News Article (2006)
Other Links..
Missional Church - Frequently asked questions..
More links to be added later Check back again
Handy Bible verse Look up Tool
generations)
by Dan Kimball
Excerpt from the back cover: Statistics reveal an unsettling exodus from the
church by younger people who are "spiritual but not religious". This is no
passing trend we can afford to ignore. But there is great hope. In this book
you will encounter firsthand the thoughts and feelings of those who find Jesus
attractive but don't care for organized religion. This book raises concerns
such as: Isn't the church just organized religion that is politically motivated? Is
the church homophobic? Does it take the entire Bible literally? Does the church
oppress women? Is it judgmental and negative? Does it arrogantly think other
religions are wrong?
I have just purchased this book (Oct 2008) and already am finding it to be a
valuable resource. I will give more of a review when I finish reading it.
There is also a study guide available for church groups.
The Forgotten Ways
By Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch is convinced that the inherited formulas for growing the Body of
Christ do not work anymore. And rather than relying on slightly revised
solutions from the past, he sees a vision of the future growth of the church
coming about by harnessing the power of the early church, which grew from
as few as 25,000 adherents in AD 100 to up to 20 million in AD 310. Such
incredible growth is also being experienced today in the church in China and
other parts of the world. How do they do it? The Forgotten Ways explores the
concept of Apostolic Genius as a way to understand what caused the church to
expand at various times in history, interpreting it for use in our own time and
place. From the theological underpinnings to the practical application, Hirsch
takes the reader through this dynamic mixture of passion, prayer, and
incarnational practice to rediscover the dormant potential of the modern
church in the West.
For a first chapter sample of the book click here. For an understanding of the
typology click here. For online training click here. For a blog on the book
click here.
The Shape of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st
Century Church
Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch
Christendom is dying and needs to be removed from its life-support system.
Starting with this frank assessment of the current church, Michael Frost and
Alan Hirsch present an alternative model for ministry in today’s postmodern
world. Instead of mourning the demise of the Western church as the center of
society, the authors explain how the church can be reborn through
incarnational mission, messianic spirituality, and apostolic structure. Church
leaders who heed the authors’ call will see death turned into new life through
the creation of a vital, missional church.
Breaking the Missional Code
Ed Stetzer
Across North America, many pastors are excited to see churches growing as
they achieve their mission to connect the message of the gospel with the
community at large. Still others are equally frustrated, following the exact
same model for outreach but with lesser results. Indeed, just because a
"missional breakthrough" occurs in one place doesn’t mean it will happen the
same way elsewhere.
One size does not fit all, but there are cultural codes that must be broken for
all churches to grow and remain effective in their specific mission context.
Breaking the Missional Code provides expert insight on church culture and
church vision casting, plus case studies of successful missional churches
impacting their communities.
"We have to recognize there are cultural barriers (in addition to spiritual
ones) that blind people from understanding the gospel," the authors write.
"Our task is to find the right way to break through those cultural barriers
without removing the spiritual and theological ones."
For a peak at a chapter in the book check out this external website.
Write the Vision: The Church Renewed
Wilbert R. Shenk
Description from back cover…
What is the churches future in a time of cultural crisis and transition?
In this book Wilbert R. Shenk addresses that question by reminding us that
the “story of the people of God moves between two poles: apostasy and
renewal, failure to live by their covenant responsibility alternating with a
reawakening to the vocation for which God’s people exist.
Attempts at renewal and reawakening are often impeded by resistance to
change. As Professor Shenk points out: “The legacy of Christendom has
hobbled the church in responding to the vigorous challenge of modern culture
to faith” But, he adds, “the rapid erosion of he old structures of Christendom
over the past three centuries may be a necessary - but nonetheless painful -
stage in rehabilitating the church. One thing appears certain: when he
church in the West is truly renewed, it will be a church with integrity and a
clear sense of mission to its own culture.
Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North
America
Darrel L. Guder is the Peachtree Professor of Evangelism and Church
Growth at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia.
From the back cover..
What would a theology of the church look like that took seriously the fact
that North America is now itself a mission field? This question lies at the
foundation of this volume written by an ecumenical team of six noted
missiologists - .Lois Barrett, Inagrace 1. Dietterich, Darrell l. Guder, George
R. Hunsberger, Alan J. Roxburgh, and Craig Van Gelder. The result of a
three-year research project undertaken by The Gospel and Our Culture
Network, this book issues a firm challenge for the church to recover its
missional call right here in North America. The authors examine today's
secular culture and the church's loss of domi¬nance in contemporary society.
They then present a biblically based theology that takes seriously the church's
missional vocation and draw out the consequences of this theology for the
structure and institutions of the church.
Though I list this here I found this book to be a very difficult read.
Books Cultural Witness
Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them
By Thomas S. Rainer
We’ve read all the hot books on evangelism, we've attended scores of
seminars and still were not reaching the unchurched. Eighty to ninety percent
of churchless Americans will never darken our culturally relevant, seeker-
sensitive doors. What are we missing?
Maybe we've been asking the wrong people. Instead of consulting the
unchurched masses, its time we heard what the small but important minority
who have recently begun attending a church have to say. What made the
difference for them? What critical factors helped spark their faith in Jesus
and drew them into the community of believers?
Thom S. Rainer, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and
Church Growth, shares the results and conclusions of his schools
groundbreaking survey of the formerly unchurched. At last, here are proven
insights into what evangelistically effective churches are doing right. Flying in
the face of much contemporary wisdom, the answers will surprise you.
Photocopyable material includes
Unchurched-Reaching Readiness Inventory
Church Health Survey
The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing
Your Faith
Author: Thomas Rainer
This has somewhat of an attractional model but gives helpful understanding
how receptive a person is to the gospel.
From the Back Cover..
In this fascinating book, Rainer identifies five faith stages levels of
responsiveness, prefixed with a U for Unchurched that represent your running
buddy, your sister-in-law, or your hairdresser:
U1 Highly receptive to hearing and believing the Good News
U2 Receptive to the gospel and church
U3 Neutral, with no clear signs of being interested yet perhaps being open to
discussion
U4 Resistant to the gospel, but with no antagonistic attitude
U5 Highly antagonistic and even hostile to the gospel
A discovery we made is that reaching lost and unchurched people is not always
best accomplished with some cookie-cutter strategy, Rainer writes. The
unchurched are different in how they respond to the gospel. How different?
You’ll be amazed at the variables that exist when it comes to how open people
are to the Christian message. Once you've recognized which stage your
unchurched friends and family are, you can much more effectively connect
them with Christ. Open this book, and open your mind and heart to the
powerful new possibilities of reaching The Unchurched Next Door.
The Culturally Savvy Christian: A Manifesto for Deepening Faith and
Enriching Popular Culture in an Age of Christianity-Lite
by Dick Staub
From back cover..
"Dick Staub has watched from a unique vantage point as our culture—not
least our Christian culture—has been sliding into more and more of a muddle
and a mess. Now he offers a sharp, many-sided analysis of where we’ve
allowed ourselves to get to—and a bracing, fresh prescription for how
Christians can and should be leading the way through and out into a wiser,
richer mode of being human. This is an urgent book for our times—and for
our health."
—N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, England
"I've learned as much about what I call 'worldly Christianity' from Dick
Staub as almost anyone on the planet—he's the apostle of earthy
engagement, the high priest of Christian cultural criticism, the gracious guru
of a spirituality that demands your hands be dirty and your knees be skinned
before you're let in the door. Star Wars, The Matrix, The Simpsons, tomorrow’
s paper—Staub finds grace in every image, turn, page, and notion."
—Dwight Ozard, (deceased) writer, pundit, speaker, and consultant to
nonprofit ministries and NGOs around the world
Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends
(Cultural Exegesis
by Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Editor), Charles A. Anderson (Editor), Michael J.
Sleasman (Editor)
Generally speaking, students, theologians, pastors, and church leaders are
well trained in the task of biblical exegesis. Where many fall short, however,
is in the area of cultural , exegesis-reading and interpreting the texts and
trends produced by our culture, which can have a profound influence on the
way we understand the world and practice our faith. Anyone interested in the
intersection of Christianity and culture needs to be able to do "everyday
theology." This innovative volume will help readers think theologically about
our cultural environment and respond faithfully as Christian disciples.
"I am one of those Christians who have theological questions about Eminem,
MySpace, grocery stores, and the like. So I am very pleased that we now have
this book of stimulating and important reflections on such matters. These
authors demonstrate how to think theologically about popular culture."
-Richard J. Mouw, president and professor of Christian philosophy, Fuller
Seminary
Links
What is your theological world view?
Handy site for finding your world view
House Church Links..
House Church Network
House Church Central
Home Groups, Why, What, How
153 House Churches
House Church News Article (2006)
Other Links..
Missional Church - Frequently asked questions..
More links to be added later Check back again
Handy Bible verse Look up Tool
| Books |
This page gives books and links for better understanding the missional church
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Missional Church