Missional Reset

Missional Reset
Author: Desmond Barrett
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 79
Release: 2023-05-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666770736

Far too many churches in North America are either plateauing or dying. In almost every community, a former church is either closed or turned into something other than who she used to be. It is heartbreaking to see places where once people glorified God sold away as the church property changed hands through a sale or auction on the courthouse steps. One must realize that it is not one decision that closed the established church but multiple decisions, sometimes made over decades, that got it to closure. Without a clear mission, the church lurched inward and slowly died. One does not have to look very far to find the missional call found in Matt (28:16-20) or, as others call it, the "Great Commission." Yet where is the church on mission today? Far too many are focused on internal matters instead of external spiritual issues and are allowing millions to go to hell without knowing the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. What will it take for a transformation to happen? Missional service will take a willing heart to serve others locally and internationally as the hands and feet of Christ. It will take the ability to keep learning and growing in God's grace while celebrating victories as they come. It seems basic, right? Yet, most churches in communities like yours do not support missionaries through programs tied to mission agencies or investing locally to reach the lost. The time of inaction has lapsed, and it is time for God's church to come alive through visionary local leadership to promote and then lead in the area of missions.

Church Interrupted? Or Church Reset?

Church Interrupted? Or Church Reset?
Author: Paul Siaki
Publisher: African Sun Media
Total Pages: 150
Release: 2021-12-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0620973129

The whole world just got punched in the mouth. When does that ever happen? All of our plans are out the door and we’d be lucky to guess what’s happening next year, let alone two to three years down the road. Covid-19 was a world changer – and every area of life was affected. Including the Church. The Church has had to make so many changes you can’t keep up with it. So what comes next? This book seeks to ask two life-changing questions: Has Church simply been Interrupted as we wait to return to life as usual? Or can this pandemic be an opportunity for the Church to Reset? We coin the term, the “Great Opportunity”. Is this what we’ve been given? Has a sovereign God decided it’s time for a shake-up and this is the time to do it? Find out what went on during this time around the world. Find out how churches fared in the aftermath of past pandemics. Find out what things you can keep doing to get people back to church and what new (old) practices God wants us to be doing. The World and the Church get shaken up every 100 years or so. In years to come, someone may ask, “Where were you when the pandemic hit?” “What did you do?” “How did your church handle it?” Let’s make it a great story.

Mission in Contemporary Scotland

Mission in Contemporary Scotland
Author: Liam Jerrold Fraser
Publisher: Saint Andrew Press
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2021-09-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 180083022X

Mission in Contemporary Scotland is the first book to fully examine the challenges and opportunities of Christian mission in contemporary Scotland. It covers all of the most important topics and questions engaging the church today, such as the reality of decline, the changing nature of domestic mission, the response of the Church to change, and the different models of mission that are being used today. Describing and analysing a wealth of concrete examples from a Scottish context, this study gives practical guidance to church leaders engaged in Fresh Expressions and church planting in a Scottish context. A major contribution of the book is to envisage ways in which the institutional Church can respond imaginatively to its secular and pluralist context. This is the first work of its kind and fills a significant gap in the market.

Missional Acts

Missional Acts
Author: Daniel McGinnis
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2022-01-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1725278448

What is Luke's main purpose in writing the book of Acts? In this close study of the entire Acts narrative, McGinnis analyzes Luke's story of the first Christians in light of ancient rhetorical conventions, concluding that Luke presents his stories to strengthen the missional commitment and practice of his readers. Missional Acts approaches a vast amount of varied mission content systematically, dividing it into rhetorical instruction about missional stimuli, structures, strategies, and suffering, while using a body analogy to provide coherence. Even the enigmatic ending of Acts intentionally advances Luke's rhetorical purposes. Luke's teaching finds its culmination in the ministry of his archetypal missionary, the apostle Paul, whose missionary journeys are a Lukan masterclass in mission strategy with much to teach about ministry that transforms whole regions. McGinnis rejects the traditional dichotomy that Paul is either a missionary or a prisoner and shows that throughout his work Luke depicts suffering as an integral part of the mission, seeking to prepare his readers to face opposition of various kinds. Missional Acts will help readers approach Acts in innovative ways by reading it through a primary missional lens.

Theological perspectives on re-imagining leadership in post-COVID-19 Africa

Theological perspectives on re-imagining leadership in post-COVID-19 Africa
Author: Philip La G. du Toit
Publisher: AOSIS
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2023-11-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1779952929

Post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) realities are challenging leaders in all spheres of society in many ways. From the onset of the pandemic, leaders on every level were challenged to provide appropriate guidance in the face of new and adverse realities. From the micro level of local congregations to the macro level of national governments, leaders were required to provide the type of leadership that would not only address immediate obstacles but simultaneously be visionary in the face of uncertainties that became the hallmark of post-COVID-19 society. In this book, the authors reflect on leadership in a post-COVID-19 society from bibliological, practical, theological, missiological and ethical perspectives. Although the authors have the global village in mind, the focus leans towards the African context. The book aims to contribute meaningfully to a much-needed and re-imagined vision of leaders which fits post-COVID-19 societies.

SBC FAQs

SBC FAQs
Author: Keith Harper
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2018-03-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1462748449

SBC FAQs provides a general overview of the Southern Baptist Convention in the format of frequently asked questions. Covering details of basic history, polity structure, entity functions and more, this ready reference seeks to answer the most common inquiries about how America’s largest Protestant denomination functions. The topics range from the founding of the SBC to how officers and committees work, what individual entities do, movements in modern denominational history, common terminology, and more. It is designed for first-time messengers and longtime messengers to the SBC Annual Meeting, as well as students, church members, and those in full-time ministry. Whether one is new to the denominational family and wants to learn the big picture or a lifelong Southern Baptist who wants to refresh his or her knowledge about a specific detail, SBC FAQs offers clear and concise explanations. Cooperation begins with an informed commitment to participation. This resource will not only help readers find information, but also inspire them to find their place in the process.

The Mission Always Wins

The Mission Always Wins
Author: Tod Bolsinger
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 74
Release: 2024-08-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1514008696

Change requires tough decisions. But when the focus is blurred, how can we stay on track? It's time to further the mission—not the boss, not the team, not the stakeholders. In this volume in the Practicing Change Series, Tod Bolsinger guides us through naming competing values and realigning the driving purpose with missional clarity.

Helping the Small Church Win Guests

Helping the Small Church Win Guests
Author: Desmond Barrett
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 117
Release: 2024-04-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

The heart behind any revitalization effort is to see the church reach the community and new people with the gospel. It should not be about membership, tithing, or even more people in the pews. Those will come if the church is willing to prepare for guests for the greater good of the community. There is no silver bullet in winning and keeping new guests, but may you find strategies in this resource that will make you think about what more you could do to prepare, retain, and invite guests into the local church.

Missional Conversations

Missional Conversations
Author: Cathy Ross
Publisher: SCM Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2018-10-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 033405706X

Missional Conversations introduces the reader to key themes in contemporary mission through global conversations between theory and praxis. Exploring emergent themes in missiology, the book takes the form of a conversation between reflective practitioners – both those in academia and with those who are practically engaged. With contributions from: Dave Bookless, Amy Ross, Daniel G. Groody CSC, Amy Roche, Mark Poulson, Richard Sudworth, David Barclay, Ash Barker, Stephan de Beer, Elisa Padilla, Berdine van den Toren-Lekkerkerker, Andrea Campanale, Michael Moynagh, Kyama Mugambi, Harvey Kwiyani, Dennis Tongoi, Paul Bickley, Jonny Baker, Ric Stott, Ian Adams

Missional Life in Practice and Theory

Missional Life in Practice and Theory
Author: Christopher L. Flanders
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2024-01-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666792853

Few missiologists have impacted mission theory and practice among Churches of Christ as significantly as has Dr. Gailyn Van Rheenen, yet his global missiological influence has extended far beyond the boundaries of his denominational heritage. This Festschrift, in honor of Gailyn Van Rheenen, contains original missiological contributions from colleagues and former students. Most chapters were presentations at the inaugural Gailyn Van Rheenen Sessions in Mission and World Christianity at the 2021 Christian Scholars’ Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The volume is organized to parallel the phases of Van Rheenen’s career—Africa, academic missiology, and Mission Alive, a North American church-planting organization. His legacy is one that wonderfully embodies critical theory and robust practice.