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Mission Work: Poems
by Aaron BakerIn this prize-winning collection, a debut poet evokes his childhood as the son of missionaries in Papua New Guinea.Mission Work is an arresting collection of poems based on Aaron Baker’s experiences as a child of missionaries living among the Kuman people in the remote Chimbu Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Rich with Christian and Kuman myths and stories, the poems explore Western and tribal ways of looking at the world -- an interface of vastly different cultures and notions of spirituality, illuminated by the poet’s own struggles as he comes of age in this unique environment.The images conjured in Mission Work are viscerally stirring: native people slaughter pigs for a Chimbu wedding ceremony; a papery flight of cicadas cuts through a cloud forest; hands sting as they beat a drum made of dried snakeskin. Quieter moments are shot through with the unfamiliar as well. In “Bird of Paradise,” a father angles his son’s head toward the canopy of the jungle so the boy can catch sight of an elusive bird. Stanley Plumly, this year’s guest judge, writes, “How rare to find precision and immersion so alive in the same poetry. Aaron Baker's pressure on his language not only intensifies and elevates his memories of Papuan 'mission work,' it transforms it back into something very like his original childhood experience. Throughout this remarkably written and felt first book, the reader, like the author himself, ‘can’t tell if this is white or black magic,’ Christian, tribal, or both at once.”
Missional: Joining God In The Neighborhood (Allelon Missional Series)
by Alan J. RoxburghWell-known missional expert helps church leaders grapple with our changing world and equips them to impact their local communities.
Missional: Joining God In The Neighborhood (Allelon Missional Series)
by Alan J. RoxburghWell-known missional expert helps church leaders grapple with our changing world and equips them to impact their local communities.
Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS))
by Darrell L. GuderWhat 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 T. 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, while also offering the tools to help it do so. The authors examine North America’s secular culture and the church’s loss of dominance in today’s 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.
Missional Communities
by Reggie McnealThe third book in the trilogy that explores the popular missional movement From Reggie McNeal, the bestselling author of The Present Future and Missional Renaissance, comes the third book in the series that helps to define and illuminate the popular missional movement. This newest book in the trilogy examines a natural outgrowth of the move toward a missional orientation: the deconstruction of congregations into very small Christian communities. For all those thousands of churches and leaders who have followed Reggie McNeal's bold lead, this book details the rise of a new life form in churches. Discusses how to move a church from an internal to an external ministry focus Reggie McNeal is a recognized leader in the missional movement Outlines an alternative to the program church model that is focused on the projects and passions of the congregants This book draws on McNeal's twenty years of leadership roles in local congregations and his work over the last decade with thousands of clergy and church leaders.
Missional Community: Center Church, Part Six
by Timothy KellerOur goal as Christians and Christian ministers is never simply to build our own tribe. Instead, we seek the peace and prosperity of the city or community in which we are placed, through a gospel movement led by the Holy Spirit. Movements like these do not follow a “bounded-set” approach in which you only work with others who can sign off on nearly all your distinctive beliefs and practices. Rather it follows a “centered-set” orientation in which you work most closely with those who face with you toward the same center. That center is a classic, orthodox understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a common mission to reach and serve your city, and a commitment to have a generous, Christ-focused posture toward people who disagree with you. It’s a type of movement that is missional, integrative, and dynamic. There is an ongoing conversation today about the nature of the church’s mission and its relationship to the work of individual Christians in the world. This eBook contains the sixth part of Center Church, “Missional Community.” In it, Keller looks at the history of the discussion, outlines what it looks like to be a missional church today, offers some words of caution about the missional conversation, and suggests how churches can practically equip their people in missional living.
Missional Economics: Biblical Justice and Christian Formation (The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS))
by Michael BarramAmerican Christians today, says Michael Barram, have a significant blind spot when it comes to economic matters in the Bible. In this book Barram reads biblical texts related to matters of money, wealth, and poverty through a missional lens, showing how they function to transform our economic reasoning.Barram searches for insight into God&’s purposes for economic justice by exploring what it might look like to think and act in life-giving ways in the face of contemporary economic orthodoxies. The Bible repeatedly tells us how to treat the poor and marginalized, Barram says, and faithful Christians cannot but reflect carefully and concretely on such concerns.Written in an accessible style, this biblically rooted study reflects years of research and teaching on social and economic justice in the Bible and will prove useful for lay readers, preachers, teachers, students, and scholars.
Missional Economics: Biblical Justice and Christian Formation (The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS))
by Walter Brueggemann Michael BarramAmerican Christians today, says Michael Barram, have a significant blind spot when it comes to economic matters in the Bible. In this book Barram reads biblical texts related to matters of money, wealth, and poverty through a missional lens, showing how they function to transform our economic reasoning.Barram searches for insight into God’s purposes for economic justice by exploring what it might look like to think and act in life-giving ways in the face of contemporary economic orthodoxies. The Bible repeatedly tells us how to treat the poor and marginalized, Barram says, and faithful Christians cannot but reflect carefully and concretely on such concerns.Written in an accessible style, this biblically rooted study reflects years of research and teaching on social and economic justice in the Bible and will prove useful for lay readers, preachers, teachers, students, and scholars.
Missional God, Missional Church: Hope for Re-evangelizing the West
by Ross Hastings"As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21). With the reality of broad-scale secularization in the West and the attendant cloud of insignificance hanging over the church, is there any hope for the re-evangelization of the West? In this comprehensive theology of mission, Ross Hastings directs the fretful gaze of the church to the trinitarian commission of John 20. There we find Jesus granting peace to his disciples by breathing his Spirit on them. He formed them into his community of shalom. Leaving their locked room, these "sent ones" went out to participate in God's own ongoing mission to the world. Hastings also tackles the dual challenges of isolation from and accommodation to the surrounding culture. Building on the works of David Bosch, Lesslie Newbigin, Christopher Wright and Darrell Guder, the author corrects numerous dichotomies that hinder the church. In the power of the Spirit the gathered church is spiritually transformed and also scattered as it proclaims God's forgiveness and freedom. This comprehensive theology of mission opens possibilities for renewal of faithful effort as we join in Christ's mission to the world.
The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World (Jossey-bass Leadership Network Ser. #17)
by Alan J. Roxburgh Fred RomanukIn The Missional Leader, consultants Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk give church and denominational leaders, pastors, and clergy a clear model for leading the change necessary to create and foster a missional church focused outward to spread the message of the Gospel into the surrounding community. The Missional Leader emphasizes principles rather than institutional forms, shows readers how to move away from church as usual, and demonstrates what capacities, environments, and mindsets are required to lead a missional church.
Missional Map-Making
by Alan RoxburghGuidance for church leaders to develop their own maps and chart new paths toward stronger, more vibrant, and more missional congregationsIn the burgeoning missional church movement, churches are seeking to become less focused on programs for members and more oriented toward outreach to people who are not already in church. This fundamental shift in what a congregation is and does and thinks is challenging for leaders and congregants. Using the metaphor of map-making, the book explains the perspective and skills needed to lead congregations and denominations in a time of radical change over unfamiliar terrain as churches change their focus from internal to external.Offers a clear guide for leaders wanting to transition to a missional church modelWritten by Alan Roxburgh, a prominent expert and practitioner in the missional movementGuides leaders seeking to create new maps for leadership and church organization and focusA Volume in the popular Leadership Network SeriesThis book is written to be accessible to all Christian congregational styles and denominations.
The Missional Mom: Living with Purpose at Home & in the World
by Helen LeeDo you see motherhood as a mission and divine calling? Today's Christian moms come from a full range of personal and professional contexts, whether they are homemakers, full-time workers in the marketplace, or somewhere in between. Yet many Christian mothers are living missional lives, using their gifts and abilities to further God's kingdom by engaging the world around them. They artfully, passionately, and sometimes messily juggle multiple callings and demonstrate in their modern-day contexts how they are emulating the woman of noble character in Proverbs 31. The Missional Mom will affirm Christian mothers who desire to not only to build their homes in a Christ-like way, but also engage the world with their skills, abilities, and interests. It won't minimize the importance of a woman's role in her home, but it will encourage her to not ignore the stirrings God has planted within her to extend her influence.
The Missional Mom: Living with Purpose at Home & in the World
by Helen LeeDo you see motherhood as a mission and divine calling? Today's Christian moms come from a full range of personal and professional contexts, whether they are homemakers, full-time workers in the marketplace, or somewhere in between. Yet many Christian mothers are living missional lives, using their gifts and abilities to further God's kingdom by engaging the world around them. They artfully, passionately, and sometimes messily juggle multiple callings and demonstrate in their modern-day contexts how they are emulating the woman of noble character in Proverbs 31. The Missional Mom will affirm Christian mothers who desire to not only to build their homes in a Christ-like way, but also engage the world with their skills, abilities, and interests. It won't minimize the importance of a woman's role in her home, but it will encourage her to not ignore the stirrings God has planted within her to extend her influence.
Missional Moves: 15 Tectonic Shifts that Transform Churches, Communities, and the World
by Alan Hirsch Jack Magruder Rob WegnerThe church was never designed to be a fortress for the righteous, but a flood of revolutionaries, bringing the Good News of the Kingdom to broken lives and broken communities. Today, millions of Christians are awakening to the holism of the gospel call, expanding their understanding of mission beyond just touching individual lives to impacting and transforming entire communities with the message of God’s grace. If this calling toward movement and transformation is to be realized, it will require some earth-shaking shifts—“Missional Moves”—that fundamentally alter our understanding of the church and how its mission is lived out. This book provides a plan of action for your church that will empower you to unleash each member on a mission, both locally and globally.
The Missional Quest: Becoming a Church of the Long Run (Forge Partnership Bks.)
by Lance Ford Brad BriscoWhen Christ calls people, he invites them on a journey—a journey taken together in community. We have reached a point in history, however, when we think of the church as a fixed place where isolated individuals show up, consume a Christian message, drink some coffee, and get on with their lives. The times demand, and the gospel proclaims, that we recover our identity as a church that is a people on a quest for the kingdom of heaven, formed intimately by a loving God and called onto a long journey for the sake of our neighbors and our world. In The Missional Quest you?ll learn how to take your church on a long run, and how to sustain yourselves and one another along the way, through the power of God for the sake of the world.
Missional Renaissance
by Reggie McnealReggie McNeal's bestseller The Present Future is the definitive work on the "missional movement," i.e., the widespread movement among Protestant churches to be less inwardly focused and more oriented toward the culture and community around them. In that book he asked the tough questions that churches needed to entertain to begin to think about who they are and what they are doing; in Missional Renaissance, he shows them the three significant shifts in their thinking and behavior that they need to make that will allow leaders to chart a course toward being missional: (1) from an internal to an external focus, ending the church as exclusive social club model; (2) from running programs and ministries to developing people as its core activity; and (3) from professional leadership to leadership that is shared by everyone in the community. With in-depth discussions of the "what" and the "how" of transitioning to being a missional church, readers will be equipped to move into what McNeal sees as the most viable future for Christianity. For all those thousands of churches who are asking about what to do next after reading The Present Future, Missional Renaissance will provide the answer.
Missional Worship, Worshipful Mission: Gathering as God's People, Going Out in God's Name (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW))
by Ruth A. MeyersMissiology "A robust and practical theology that integrates worship and mission into a seamless whole."Anglican & Episcopal History "A very useful and insightful text. . . . A remarkable synthesis of most of the best insights liturgical scholars and missiologists have gained regarding the relationship between mission and liturgy over the last decades."George R. Hunsberger — Western Theological Seminary "Ruth Meyers brings a deep grasp of what's at stake in the rediscovery of mission as the essence of the church, together with a generous mastery of liturgical traditions, to provide vision for seeing these two dimensions of the church's life as one. . . . This is the handbook that should accompany every Christian community on its worshiping, witnessing journey."Stephen B. Bevans, SVD — Catholic Theological Union "A wonderful, faith-filled meditation on the missional heart of worship. . . . A new classic in liturgical studies and in missiology as well."Todd E. Johnson — Brehm Center, Fuller Theological Seminary "Ruth Meyers's approach to the issues surrounding worship and mission is spot-on. Instead of approaching worship from a missional slant, or mission from a liturgical perspective, she takes both topics back to their biblical and historical roots — the nature of the church. . . . In practical and insightful ways Meyers demonstrates how a church's ministry in the world and its regular offering of worship reinforce one another. Her careful, direct, evenhanded approach is a breath of fresh air to much of the current theological discourse."Taylor W. Burton-Edwards — Worship Resources, Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church "Seminarians, pastors, deacons, and worship leaders seeking to understand, articulate, or imagine how the basic and most enduring structures of Christian worship `engage worshipers in the mission of God' will discover in these pages both Meyers's wise and challenging counsel and many wonderful companions for the journey."International Bulletin of Missionary Research "A helpful and timely new resource. . . . In Missional Worship Meyers does excellent work developing the notion that mission and worship are inseparably and integrally related."Anglican and Episcopal History "A very useful and insightful text, particularly for those just beginning to explore the field of liturgical studies. The book is a remarkable synthesis of most of the best insights liturgical scholars and missiologists have gained regarding the relationship between mission and liturgy over the last decades."Church Times "[Myers] deserves to be read, because we need to hear this message in all parts of the Church of England today."
Missional Youth Ministry: Moving From Gathering Teenagers To Scattering Disciples
by Brian T. Kirk Jacob ThorneMissional Youth Ministry offers a new paradigm for youth ministry. Using blog entries and responses, authors Brian Kirk and Jacob Thorne invite readers into a conversational, engaging, and compelling discussion about why program-based, entertainment-focused ministries fail to develop young people into life-long participants in the mission of the church. They also propose a new way forward. For all those working 'in the trenches' of youth ministry who long to offer teens a deeper, more substantial, more active role as members of the body of Christ, Missional Youth Ministry is a practical and theologically-sound guide for building a ministry grounded in prayer, worship, community, education, mission, and spirituality.
Missional Youth Ministry: Moving from Gathering Teenagers to Scattering Disciples
by Brian Kirk Jacob ThorneThe mainline church in the past few decades has witnessed a ghettoization of youth within the church, segregating them off to a particular room, perhaps in the basement, where they engage in ministry in isolation from the rest of the congregation. They are assigned a “youth minister” or “youth director,” often the staff person with the least experience, freeing up the “real” ministers to serve the adults in the church. They seldom serve on church boards or governing bodies in anything other than a cursory manner. Their leadership in worship is limited to one special Sunday a year; their activities seen more as programming than ministry, and their place often described as “the church of the future” rather than the body of Christ in the here-and-now. For decades, youth ministry in mainline churches has been program-driven, assuming that the primary function of youth ministry was to use activities and events to attract young people to church and keep them occupied until they were ready to be adult members in the faith. In recent years, it has become increasingly obvious that this paradigm has failed to develop youth as life-long participants in the Christian church and in the Christian faith. The result of such a model of ministry is that youth come to see church only as those segregated activities reserved for teenagers, most of which bear little resemblance to the practices of the rest of church life. Consequently, when youth graduate from high school and youth group, they perceive that their most meaningful church experiences are ended. Mainline congregations are now seeing the evidence of the real lack of impact of their youth ministries as the population of young adults in churches continues to shrink – even those young adults who were once regular participants in church youth group programs. In short, the program-driven model of youth ministry has failed to help youth find their place within the mission of the Church. Rethinking Youth Ministry critiques this older paradigm and invites the reader into a dialogue to help rethink many of the deepest assumptions of youth ministry in the mainline church. We challenge the consumerist goal of judging a youth ministry’s success by the number of its participants. We push back against the notion that a youth ministry is the sum total of the events on the calendar. We rethink the place of volunteers and parents, calling for a greater role of adults as spiritual mentors in the lives of church youth. We send out a call for greater understanding of modern methods of teaching and the impact of brain research on the intellectual and spiritual development of youth and we re-imagine a new role for mission within youth ministry which calls youth to see mission not as isolated activities but as the very heart of their faith journey. Rethinking Youth Ministry serves as a theological companion and practical guide for all those “working in the trenches” of youth ministry who are seeking to offer students a deeper, more consequential, and active life-long relationship with God through the ministry of Jesus Christ.
The Missionaries: God Against the Indians
by Norman LewisThe renowned travel writer delivers &“a scathing account of how some missionary sects deal with indigenous peoples in their bid for the conquest of souls&” (Library Journal). Acclaimed travel essayist Norman Lewis spent his life traversing the globe and offering thoughtful commentary on the cultures he visited. In The Missionaries, he turns his critical lens on those missionaries who embed themselves in indigenous cultures to convert the locals to Christianity. What begins with the well-meaning goal of improving the lives of native people, though, often has the opposite effect. Focusing mainly on tribes in South America, but also in Indochina and the Pacific Islands, Lewis demonstrates how various missionary organizations betray their originating principals and—whether knowingly or not—contribute to the destruction of entire cultures on a scale equivalent to that of genocide.
Missionaries, Converts, and Rabbis: The Evangelical Alexander McCaul and Jewish-Christian Debate in the Nineteenth Century (Jewish Culture and Contexts)
by David B. RudermanAn examination of the life and work of Alexander McCaul and his impact on Jewish-Christian relationsIn Missionaries, Converts, and Rabbis, David B. Ruderman considers the life and works of prominent evangelical missionary Alexander McCaul (1799-1863), who was sent to Warsaw by the London Society for the Promotion of Christianity Amongst the Jews. He and his family resided there for nearly a decade, which afforded him the opportunity to become a scholar of Hebrew and rabbinic texts. Returning to England, he quickly rose up through the ranks of missionaries to become a leading figure and educator in the organization and eventually a professor of post-biblical studies at Kings College, London. In 1837, McCaul published The Old Paths, a powerful critique of rabbinic Judaism that, once translated into Hebrew and other languages, provoked controversy among Jews and Christians alike.Ruderman first examines McCaul in his complexity as a Hebraist affectionately supportive of Jews while opposing the rabbis. He then focuses his attention on a larger network of his associates, both allies and foes, who interacted with him and his ideas: two converts who came under his influence but eventually broke from him; two evangelical colleagues who challenged his aggressive proselytizing among the Jews; and, lastly, three Jewish thinkers—two well-known scholars from Eastern Europe and a rabbi from Syria—who refuted his charges against the rabbis and constructed their own justifications for Judaism in the mid-nineteenth century.Missionaries, Converts, and Rabbis reconstructs a broad transnational conversation between Christians, Jews, and those in between, opening a new vista for understanding Jewish and Christian thought and the entanglements between the two faith communities that persist in the modern era. Extending the geographical and chronological reach of his previous books, Ruderman continues his exploration of the impact of Jewish-Christian relations on Jewish self-reflection and the phenomenon of mingled identities in early modern and modern Europe.
Missionaries in the Golden Age of Hollywood: Race, Gender, and Spirituality on the Big Screen (Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media)
by Douglas Carl AbramsThis book examines major British and American missionary films during the Golden Age of Hollywood to explore the significance of race, gender, and spirituality in relation to the lives of the missionaries portrayed in film during the middle third of the twentieth century. Film both influences and reflects culture, and racial, gender, and religious identities are some of the most debated issues globally today. In the movies explored in this book, missionary interactions with various people groups reflect the historical changes which took place during this time.
Missionary Adventures in the South Pacific
by Leona Crawford David Livingston CrawfordBesides providing a wealth of contemporary factual information, diligently researched and presented in a remarkably lucid manner, this book is full of human interest: the braving of incredible dangers, the enduring of great hardships, and devastating storms; contacts with cannibals, beachcombers, and avaricious traders; polygamy, debauchery, and tribal wars, all portrayed with "you-were-there" vividness.
The Missionary Call: Find Your Place in God's Plan for the World
by Michael David SillsSills explores the biblical, historical, and practical aspects of discerning and fulfilling God's call to serve as a missionary.
Missionary Daddy
by Linda GoodnightTo: Ashley From: Samantha Re: Sis, I've seen him again! Remember the handsome missionary I met during the modeling shoot? Well, his name's Eric Pellegrino--he's the new assistant director at the adoption agency here in Chestnut Grove! He's trying to find homes for the world's orphans, including two he's crazy about. International adoption isn't easy, especially with Tiny Blessings rocked by scandal--something we Harcourts unfortunately know all about. Eric wants a house full of kids, only I'm afraid my secret will keep us apart. Maybe with faith and a couple of matchmaking teens, the four of us can become a family!