Participating in God's Mission


Book Description

Explores how the church has engaged—and should engage—the American context What might faithful and meaningful Christian witness look like within our changing contemporary American context? After analyzing contemporary challenges and developing a missiological approach for the US church, Craig Van Gelder and Dwight Zscheile reflect on the long, complex, and contested history of Christian mission in America. Five distinct historical periods from the beginning of the colonial era to the dawn of the third millennium are reviewed and critiqued. They then bring the story forward to the present day, discussing current realities confronting the church, discerning possibilities of where and how the Spirit of God might be at work today, and imagining what participating in the triune God’s mission may look like in an uncertain tomorrow.




The Mission of God's People


Book Description

Author Chris Wright offers a sweeping biblical survey of the holistic mission of the church, providing practical insight for today's church leaders. Wright gives special emphasis to theological trajectories of the Old Testament that not only illuminate God's mission but also suggest priorities for Christians engaged in God's world-changing work.




Understanding Christian Mission


Book Description

This comprehensive introduction helps students, pastors, and mission committees understand contemporary Christian mission historically, biblically, and theologically. Scott Sunquist, a respected scholar and teacher of world Christianity, recovers missiological thinking from the early church for the twenty-first century. He traces the mission of the church throughout history in order to address the global church and offers a constructive theology and practice for missionary work today. Sunquist views spirituality as the foundation for all mission involvement, for mission practice springs from spiritual formation. He highlights the Holy Spirit in the work of mission and emphasizes its trinitarian nature. Sunquist explores mission from a primarily theological--rather than sociological--perspective, showing that the whole of Christian theology depends on and feeds into mission. Throughout the book, he presents Christian mission as our participation in the suffering and glory of Jesus Christ for the redemption of the nations.




Mission in the New Testament


Book Description

This book presents a comprehensive articulation of New Testament teachings on mission from a contemporary American evangelical standpoint. Mission in the New Testament contributes a fresh statement of the biblical foundations of mission, serving as a catalyst for completion of the church's universal mission in this generation.After investigating the historical background of the idea of mission in the Hebrew Scriptures, inter-testamental Judaism, the life of Jesus and the beginnings of the church, the book proceeds in a roughly canonical order through the New Testament. Essays analyze the works of Paul, the Synoptic gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the General Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. Well-versed in the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation, editors and contributors alike offer a cogent argument for recovering the "missional horizon" of the New Testament.




The Symphony of Mission


Book Description

This book argues that God's mission is broad and that all of us can live with missional intentionality by understanding the many facets of missions and focusing on a particular calling. Just like different instruments of a symphony harmonize together, each aspect of human participation in mission--evangelism, justice initiatives, poverty alleviation, faithful work in the marketplace, art--helps us play our part in God's work in the world. Combining expertise from a mission scholar and a working pastor, the book includes practical examples and tools to help readers imagine their part in God's mission.




The Mission of God


Book Description

Most Christians would agree that the Bible provides a basis for mission. But Christopher Wright boldly maintains that mission is bigger than that--there is in fact a missional basis for the Bible! The entire Bible is generated by and is all about God's mission. He provides a missional hermeneutic in response to this claim.




The Care of Souls


Book Description

Drawing on a lifetime of pastoral experience, The Care of Souls is a beautifully written treasury of proven wisdom which pastors will find themselves turning to again and again. Harold Senkbeil helps remind pastors of the essential calling of the ministry: preaching and living out the Word of God while orienting others in the same direction. And he offers practical and fruitful adviceâ€"born out of his five decades as a pastorâ€"that will benefit both new pastors and those with years in the pulpit. In a time when many churches have lost sight of the real purpose of the church, The Care of Souls invites a new generation of pastors to form the godly habits and practical wisdom needed to minister to the hearts and souls of those committed to their care.




Gathering at God's Table


Book Description

A profound reminder of our role in God's vision for a restored and reconciled world. "The work before us--this mission of God's--is immense, cosmic, even. The world is hungry, thirsty, homeless, sick, lonely, imprisoned and enslaved--because some parts are. The creation is groaning in travail because of our abuse of the garden in which we have been set. The body is ailing. Participating in God's mission is about seeing and responding to that collective suffering, and beginning to understand our interconnection with the other parts of the body." --from the Introduction In the Christian tradition, believers are called to do more than sit around and pray. Throughout the Gospel--and throughout history--people of faith have been quite literally booted out into the world to bring God's love to everybody, not just a select few. That's the meaning of mission--from the Latin verb mitto, meaning, "to send." It is the work that Jesus and his disciples set out to do--feeding, healing and teaching. In an insightful and powerful voice, Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, explores the meaning of mission in the context of contemporary life, reminding us of the Anglican Communion's Five Marks of Mission: Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom Teach, Baptize and Nurture New Believers Respond to Human Need with Loving Service Seek to Transform Unjust Structures of Society Strive to Safeguard the Integrity of Creation, and Sustain and Renew the Life of the Earth




Women in God's Mission


Book Description

Women have advanced God's mission throughout history, but often face particular obstacles in ministry. Mission researcher Mary Lederleitner interviewed respected women in mission leadership from across the globe to gather their insights, expertise, and best practices. These real-life stories will shed light on dynamics that inhibit women, giving both women and men resources for partnering together in effective ministry and mission.




Becoming the Gospel


Book Description

The first detailed exegetical treatment of Paul’s letters from the emerging discipline of missional hermeneutics, Michael Gorman’s Becoming the Gospel argues that Paul’s letters invite Christian communities both then and now to not merely believe the gospel but to become the gospel and, in doing so, to participate in the life and mission of God. Showing that Pauline churches were active public participants in and witnesses to the gospel, Gorman reveals the missional significance of various themes in Paul’s letters. He also identifies select contemporary examples of mission in the spirit of Paul, inviting all Christians to practice Paul-inspired imagination in their own contexts.