Exiles: Living Missionaly in a Post-Christian Culture by Michael Frost
I had never heard about Michael Frost until I saw him last year at a conference at Wheaton College. I admit that now he is probably one of my favorite writers, thinkers, etc…This book for me was like sitting down with a personal accountability partner/mentor. It was convicting at times, and in many ways validated my own call to my current missional practices. Which at the time of reading it was something I needed -- funny how God does that to you sometimes. While I am working in an organization that doesn’t put a great value on mentoring/coaching, this filled that void at least temporarily. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Frost now and look at him as a credible, authoritative voice of 21st century church. I have no doubt that God will continue to use him to help bring the glory of God back into people’s lives. He does so by proposing a “dangerous promises” kind of covenant that we as followers of Christ need to make as we live out God’s mission in a post-Christian culture. We are Exiles who will be authentic, will serve a cause greater than ourselves, create missional community, be generous and practice hospitality, and work righteously.“Exiles will not sit in churches passively and put up with the phoniness, but neither will they simplistically take their bat and ball and go home. Too many people, alienated and angered by the contemporary church, have just left, contributing to the decline of the Western church. Exiles might well leave (or be thrust out), but if they do so, it will be to forge a new way, to fashion communities of honesty, openness, hospitality, and genuine love. With the landscape, exiles now realize that they must earn the right to be heard in this postmodern world.”
p. 99
Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship by Hirsch & Hirsch
Alan Hirsch is probably one of the most popular proponents of missional engagement living. From what I have experienced he is a wise, funny, relational, approachable, humble person. However, my concern is that here in America we tend to “hero worship” people, and I am concerned sometimes with how we respond to people like Alan. But nonetheless, God has a great message for us all and is using Alan as voice for reformation. I have read some of his other books like The Forgotten Ways, and The Shaping of Things to Come. Like those other works, this one is heavy on the academic side but packed with case studies, tid-bits of history, and many examples of real-life practitioners. This book still has all those qualities; but it is co-authored with his wife Debbie, which I feel in some ways softens it up for those of us who don’t enjoy the academic flavor sometimes. You get to hear more of their own personal testimonies in this book. Which in turn it helps you understand their context in their own mission to be a voice for the mission of the church today. Personally I’d much rather listen to Alan than read his books. But this book was just that -- it is more like listening to them than reading them. If you read it, I hope you will be blessed, challenged, and encouraged by their 6 incarnational discipleship practices: the practices of Presence, Proximity, Powerlessness, Prevenience, Passion, and Proclamation.“You simply cannot be a disciple without being a missionary—a sent one. For way too long discipleship has been limited to issues relating to our own personal morality and worked out in the context of the four walls of the church with its privatized religion. In doing this, we have severely neglected our biblical mandate to go and “make disciples.” p. 29
Church Turned Inside Out: A Guide for Designers, Refiners and Re-Aligners by Linda Berquist and Allan Karr
I personally don’t know Ms. Berquist, but having had Allan as my professor, pastor ,and mentor I know that his desire is for the church, for the building of God’s Kingdom, for discipleship, etc… Reading this book was just like sitting in his class or having tea at a local Polish market. It’s practical, academic, forward thinking, insightful, and full of heart and hope for the body of Christ. It brings you into the classroom and gives you tools to be a better kingdom builder.”A disciple, then, is one who chooses to live a life that is disciplined around the words and example of Jesus. Disciples do not draw attention to themselves by the kind of life they lead: they draw attention to Christ.” p. 21
“Most of the commands of Jesus cannot be followed unless we leave our gatherings and go embrace the people who are not part of the micro culture of the church.” p. 119
The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay
This is a great read, and a great book to do with a group. It’s another one of those books that, at the time I was reading it, the Holy Spirit used it as a valuable tool to confirm my vision and practices for ministry. Everyone might not completely agree with some of the theological premises discussed, but it is nothing that I feel is a complete breaking point from the purpose of the book. The practical applications of this book by far are its strongest points. It is not a book that will show you “the 3 Step Guide to be being missional,” but it’s a critical, effective look at two men’s stories in doing church the way God has gifted and led them to. It helps you think and act according to being “God’s workmanship” (Eph 2:10).“We need to start by doing some things we haven’t been doing, and we must stop doing some things that we have been doing. The world around us is growing increasingly disinterested in our Christian story.” p. 12
Grace and Peace, Jeromy
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