The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church

Alan Hirsch & Michael Frost Practically the book that launched the contemporary 'missional' quest - read it to find out why. For the first time we in the West are living in what has been called a "post-Christendom era." Most people throughout the Western world have seen what the Church has to offer, and they have found it wanting. The current credibility gap has made it hard to communicate the gospel with clarity and authenticity. Paradoxically, this is the case even though it is currently a time of almost unprecedented openness to the issues of God, faith, and meaning. This is a time when the need for, and relevance of, the gospel has seldom been greater, but the relevance of the Church has seldom been less. If ever there was a time for innovative missionary effort in the West, it is now. This raises enormous challenges for people in the West. This classic in missional literature explores why the Church needs to recalibrate itself, rebuilding itself from the roots up. The case is built around real-life stories gathered from innovative missional projects from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and England. These spirited experiments of Gospel community serve to point out just how varied a genuinely incarnational approach to mission can, and indeed needs to, become. They present vital nodes of missional learning for the established Church as it seeks to orient itself to the unique challenges of the twenty-first century. [hide] TITLE NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW IMPORTANT: This is a 2 title set!  Please be ready to blog about both. :: Special Viral Blogger Section :: Link-love for your review: http://www.theforgottenways.org/blog/ [1] - Alan's blog http://www.forge.org.au [2] - Michael's main initiative http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQL1JeYxGeo [3] - Hirsch on YouTube Interview Availability: Alan and Michael are available for blog and podcast interviews. You'll get their email addresses if you select the missional two-pack for your monthly review. Your Commitment: Remember, your commitment is to write a blog post (minimum 50 words) about the missional two-pack within 30 days of getting it. Yes, you can write a single post about both this and Exiles - though you're welcome to write two! Please copy & paste your post right here, below! Thank you! [/hide] [1] http://www.theforgottenways.org/blog/ [2] http://www.forge.org.au/ [3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQL1JeYxGeo