The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Practical Guide for Developing Missional Churches [Paperback]

Alan Hirsch (Author), Darryn Altclass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

In his bestselling missional book The Forgotten Ways, internationally known missional church expert Alan Hirsch offered a vision for the future growth of the church coming about by harnessing the power of the early church. Now The Forgotten Ways Handbook moves beyond theory to practice, offering ways for any missionally minded person to apply the ideas contained in The Forgotten Ways to their life and ministry.

This intensely practical handbook includes many helpful tools: summary sections encapsulating the ideas contained in each chapter in a popular way; suggested practices to help readers embed missional paradigms concretely; and adult learning-based techniques and examples from other churches and organizations that enable readers to process and assimilate the ideas in a group context.

EXCERPT
Make no mistake about it; the scope of the change that is required to shift to the kind of movement described in The Forgotten Ways is nothing less than paradigmatic. Every element of mDNA poses a direct challenge to the prevailing ways of doing church and mission. When taken together, all six elements of Apostolic Genius make the task seem enormous. But we don't think it is actually as difficult as it seems. And it is certainly not impossible. The Chinese church proves that a highly institutionalized form of Christianity can become a remarkable movement given the right circumstances. And we don't believe that we have to have persecution to activate Apostolic Genius. Less intense forms of adaptive challenges can, and do, force the church to respond. What we are witnessing in our own day indicates that. Because the church carries the gospel as well as the full coding of Apostolic Genius in her, the potential for world transformation is always present in us. We can always draw upon latent resources and instincts. God is able and very willing to stir his church up. In fact we see this as one of the very special works of the Holy Spirit--to awaken God's people to their calling and destiny as a movement that can and will change the world.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Put into Practice the Best-Selling Missional Guide The Forgotten Ways"The business of engaging in mission to the West begins with a new imagination or, as Alan says, 'a new way of thinking.' Imagination and thought need to be grounded in practical reality. Alan and Darryn use the classic action learning model to great effect in making profound concepts useful in the art of movement making. This workbook could be the most helpful tool you will acquire this year."--Martin Robinson, Together in Mission"At last, a practical guide for missional leaders! In this unique work, you have not only a wealth of real-life leadership ideas, reflections, and practices but also a deep reservoir of biblical insights that will position you and your community in the center of where God is and where he's taking the church."--Hugh Halter, author of The Tangible Kingdom"The Forgotten Ways Handbook is a wonderful tool to help leaders translate the timeless truths on which the church is built into anointed actions that bring the authentic church to life again in this generation."--Steven M. Pike, Assemblies of God Church Multiplication Network"In The Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsch set out the needed impulses and environmental ingredients to catalyze a true missional movement. In this handbook, he breaks it down into simple steps that can open our eyes to see what is missing and what is working. If you read The Forgotten Ways and found yourself excited but were left wondering how do I do this? you need to read and distribute this book."--Neil Cole, author of Organic Leadership"The Forgotten Ways Handbook is a crucial tool for every church planter and missional leader. I'm looking forward to going through this with my team!"--Dave Ferguson, author of The Big Idea"For too long there has been talk about the missional church without enough discussion about how it is worked out in local communities of faith. This book is an essential first step in moving from maintenance to a truly missional position."--Cam Roxburgh, national director of Church Planting Canada

About the Author

Alan Hirsch is the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network and a sought-after speaker and trainer who travels the world extensively sharing his missional church experience. He is coauthor of The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church.

Darryn Altclass is a practitioner with direct, current experience in initiating and developing the incarnational approach in difficult social settings in Australia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587432498
• ISBN-13: 978-1587432491
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Hirsch is the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network. Currently he co-leads Future Travelers, an innovative learning program helping megachurches become missional movements. Known for his innovative approach to mission, Alan is considered to be a thought-leader and key mission strategist for churches across the Western world. Hirsch is the author of The Forgotten Ways; co-author of The Shaping of Things to Come, ReJesus, and The Faith of Leap (with Michael Frost); Untamed (with Debra Hirsch); Right Here, Right Now (with Lance Ford), and On the Verge (with Dave Ferguson).

Alan is associate professor for the M.A in Apostolic Movements at Wheaton College (Illinois), as well as adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary, and George Fox Seminary. He is series editor for Baker Books' Shapevine series and an associate editor of Leadership Journal.

His experience in leadership includes leading a local church movement among the marginalized as well as heading up the Mission and Revitalization work of his denomination. He has been on leadership team with Christian Associates, a mission agency planting churches throughout Europe. Alan is adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary and lectures frequently throughout Australia, Europe, and the U.S.

A NOTE ABOUT MY BOOKS: FROM ALAN HIRSCH
Many people ask me whether there is some reason and logic of my various writings or whether they are random reflections on various subjects related to the missional church. Given that with the publication of The Permanent Revolution in February, I have completed my "library" of missional books, I thought that it is well worth explaining the rationale for my authorship to this stage. So for those who are interested, this is how it goes....

-The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church is really a foundational book and is considered seminal in setting the incarnational-mission conversation in the West. It really is scaffolding with which we can go about reconstructing our way of being along missional lines. It covers areas of incarnational mission, messianic spirituality, and innovative leadership, but redesigns these clearly along missional lines. I believe that the ideas therein are as valid as ever, and Baker is drafting a second, fully updated, edition as I write, so look for it. However, it is worth saying that it was written to help church planters to think like missionaries in the West as the assumptions behind the more formulaic church growth type approaches were no longer valid in our context. This has proved more and more true as we have advanced into the 21st Century. I have to admit that we (Mike and I) never expected the established church would take it seriously. The intended pioneering audience, along with the keen sense of urgency with which we wrote the book, can explain the overly revolutionary tone of the book...an element I correct somewhat in my later work On The Verge. http://amzn.to/vpedgL

-I consider The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church to be my centerpiece book...in many ways my magnum opus. The heart of this book is what can be called a "phenomenology of apostolic movement." In other words, what factors come together to generate high impact, exponentially explosive, spiritually vibrant, Jesus movements in any time and context. Because of its systematic and somewhat comprehensive nature (it identifies a system of six elements called mDNA arranged in a dynamic system) it acts as the organizing ideas that guide the rest of my writings. As I have become more and more convinced of the validity of the core ideas laid down in this book I committed myself to elaborate on these in the six books that follow. Readers of my other works should always have this as the guiding reference work. http://amzn.to/vJ6Aam

- The book ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church (with Mike Frost) is all about the central and definitive role that Jesus plays in all movements that claim his name. It is a serious elaboration of the element (called an mDNA) in The Forgotten Ways which I tagged as 'Jesus is Lord!' In this serious book we explain why we believe that it is primarily Christology that must define the core nature, purpose, and mission of the church. We are a messianic movement after all. Therefore all renewal must in the deepest possible sense involve a recovery of the role and significance of Jesus for discipleship, spirituality, theology, community, and mission.

- My book Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship (with my beloved wife Deb) takes a somewhat different approach to the standard spiritual disciplines or teaching the 'heads of doctrine' approach to discipleship and formation. While not denying the validity of these, we suggest that certain things, ideas, and relationships intrude themselves into the God-relationship and block our capacity to be all that Jesus intended us to be. We believe that by identifying these hindrances, and moving beyond them, opens us up to becoming impactful followers of Jesus. Essentially it is an anatomy of modern idolatry and an exploration of what we call Shema spirituality--understanding the nature of dynamic monotheism, loving God with all that we are, and our neighbors as self. This book elaborates on the mDNA of discipleship and disciple-making. It is designed to be very accessible to Christians wanting to grow in their love of God. http://amzn.to/tHhRHB

- Right Here Right Now: Everyday Mission for Everyday People (with Lance Ford) is pretty much as the title suggests. As an elaboration of the mDNA of incarnational mission, it is a very practical book about how to get (and stay) engaged in everyday mission and make a Kingdom difference in the various arenas of life. Anyone should be able to read and engage the ideas in this book. In many ways it aims at activating the whole people of God (and not just leadership) into the missional equation. This is a huge missing piece in terms of movement dynamics. http://amzn.to/uggBnR

- My latest offering, The Permanent Revolution: Apostolic Imagination and Practice for the 21st Century Church is the book that focuses on the nature of ministry and leadership within (and for) apostolic movements. Coming out in Feb 2012, the book focuses on apostolic leadership in particular, but it does so within the broader context of fivefold gifting complex set out by Paul in his foundational work on ecclesiology...Ephesians. It's a big book in every way; weighty in content, unavoidable in its logic, and provides a strongly dissenting alternative to the prevailing forms of leadership in the church. It is likely to be a pretty controversial but will hopefully recalibrate the way we think about, and do, ministry and leadership in the 21st Century. It correlates to the mDNA of apostolic environment in The Forgotten Ways. http://amzn.to/sMYFLa

- My book On the Verge: The Future of the Church as Apostolic Movement, written with mega-church, multi-site, church planting movement leader Dave Ferguson, is all about organizational dynamics and change particularly as it relates to established, and relatively successful, forms of contemporary church (although it is by no means limited to them.) The book is thoroughgoing exploration of the nature of paradigms and paradigmatic change, change management and process, innovation of new forms and ideas, and of creating movement dynamics in large and complex systems. This is at least in part an elaboration on the mDNA of Organic Systems. http://amzn.to/uexUyl

- The Faith of Leap: Embracing a Theology of Risk, Adventure & Courage (once again with Mike Frost) started as a project to simply elaborate the mDNA of Communitas--that form of togetherness/communality that happens in the context of an ordeal, danger, risk, and challenge. But we soon realized that it meant that we had to look more deeply at the nature of adventure, risk, and courage and how it changes the equation of church, discipleship, spirituality, leadership, and yes...even our most basic theology. Its an exciting book with huge implications for how we ought to think of ourselves and how we should act in the world. http://amzn.to/sC6Vhp

- And lastly, but by no means least, there's The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Practical Guide for Developing Missional Churches. Written with the help of my old friend and collaborator Darryn Altclass, this book is meant to be as thoroughly practical as the primary text The Forgotten Ways is theoretical. It is a literal cornucopia of suggestions, ideas, practices, and possibilities that can embed missional ideas and a movemental ethos in local churches and organizations. Designed for group work and discussion, it is a great compliment to both the primary text and On The Verge. http://amzn.to/uldOSK

I think that with the above output, I have produced the necessary material that God has commissioned me to do at this stage of my life. I wholeheartedly believe that the form of the church that will advance the cause of Jesus in the 21st (and reverse the decline of the church at the same time) is that of the apostolic movement with all its spiritual dynamism and missional energy. But our imaginations have become so captive to a more static and more regulated form of the church. All these books, read individually, but especially when taken together, present a comprehensive, alternative, primal, vision of the church as a dynamic, high-impact, spiritually authentic, and sustainable, people movement in the Way of Jesus our Founder.

Alan Hirsch
Sunday, January 1, 2012.

PS: Check out the picture in this profile that visually illustrates what I have said above.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical missional guidelines, March 21, 2010

By 

Darren Cronshaw (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Practical Guide for Developing Missional Churches (Paperback)

Theory and ideals about revitalising churches is fine, but guidance about how to do it is harder to come by. Here is an accessible and practical workbook for groups aspiring to develop missional momentum.

The Forgotten Ways according to Alan Hirsch, are the `Apostolic Genius' that lies dormant but accessible in the people of God, but with the pressures of modern society and the traditions of Christendom we tend to have forgotten. It is composed of six elements of missional-DNA, which the workbook unpacks and helps churches apply:

1.Jesus is Lord, the simple confession of God's claims over all of life.
2.Disciple Making, the core task of helping people become like Jesus.
3.Missional-Incarnational Impulse, planting the gospel in the midst of cultures.
4.Apostolic Environment, as leaders promote missional-DNA and cultivate space for other leaders and ministries to emerge.
5.Organic Systems, decentralised structures which unleash people to innovate and engage their communities.
6.Communitas, evolving as groups engage in adventurous mission together.
Any of these six elements are helpful, but together they foster a synergy and the kind of phenomenal growth seen in the Early Church and China. As we struggle with changes in society, the apparent disconnect of church, and the thirst for spirituality and community in the Western world, I am convinced Hirsch's reflections are worth reading, reflecting on and most importantly giving action to.

This is why the handbook Alan Hirsch has produced with Darryn Altclass is so timely. It summarises The Forgotten Ways chapter by chapter. It offers suggested habits and practices for living out the missional-DNA. And it guides groups to unpack and act on the material, discern action steps and priorities, and journal where God is prompting.

I particularly appreciated the wealth of practical ideas and examples of other congregations grappling with implementing these practices. For example, Third Place Communities in Hobart has discerned their unique calling to be a missionary community within local third places (pubs and other gathering places). They regularly ask, `What is Jesus brewing within, amongst and around us?'

The authors urge an organic and empowering approach to leadership rather than command-and-control, moving on from leader as `CEO' to the model of `catalyst': `A catalyst inspires people to connect and talk about things that matter. In a ministry sense, catalysts facilitate discussion and dreaming around participating in God's missionary endeavour.' (p.134)

The handbook is realistic about change, and the importance of good process. It offers processes for cultivating imaginative new ideas and introducing spiritual disciplines into a community. And it outlines basic principles for good missionary practice - from listening to hospitality, how to simplify church and life to free up space for relationships, and practicing proximity, regularity and spontaneity in community involvement.

The Forgotten Ways Handbook is an invaluable resource for church planters, leadership teams seeking to reshape their church around mission, and small groups wanting to move beyond the walls of their own interests. This is the best and most accessible guidebook and introduction to EMC practice. If I were to put one book into the hand of church leaders and especially a church leadership team grappling with the challenges of 21st century mission, this would be the book.

Hirsch and Altclass emphasise the importance of planning for movemental growth: `Not only is becoming a movement a challenge for most of us, but it is one that must be undertaken by as many churches and agencies as possible if we are to establish Christianity in the West. Failure here will mean the continuing decline of Christianity in every context in the West - and this is unacceptable to all committed to seeing the gospel appropriated and Jesus worshipped throughout our cities and neighbourhoods.' (pp.19-20)

Knowledge is not really worth much until it is acted upon and lived out. If you want to read a book just to think about - look elsewhere. But if you are serious about letting a book make a difference in your life and the life of your community, then get a bulk set of these and work through them with your team.

Rev Dr Darren Cronshaw is the BUV's Coordinator of Leadership Training, and Forge's Director of Theological Studies. A blog and further resources are accessible at: [...]

This review originally appeared in teh Baptist Witness, exclusive web content, [...]

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stirring Innovative Missional Action, July 14, 2009

By 

C. Christopher Smith "Englewood Review of Books" (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Practical Guide for Developing Missional Churches (Paperback)

[ This review originally appeared in
The Englewood Review of Books ]

THE FORGOTTEN WAYS HANDBOOK is a praxis-oriented companion to Alan Hirsch's excellent 2008 book THE FORGOTTEN WAYS: REACTIVATING THE MISSIONAL CHURCH. The purpose of this handbook is "to provide frameworks and offer suggestions as a means to inspire God's people into mission" (11). This guide consists of an introduction and six chapters - one on each of the elements of what Hirsch calls mDNA (the `m' is for missional, i.e., mDNA is the defining essence of a missional church). These elements are:

* Jesus is Lord
* Disciple Making
* Missional-Incarnational Impulse
* Apostolic Environment
* Organic Systems
* Communitas, not Community

Each chapter explores a particular element, offering suggestions to help us more fully embody that element in our churches and concluding with three sets of questions intended to be discussed corporately in the church context. The first set of questions is focused on exploration and the second one is designed to spur deeper reflection. The third and final set of questions is oriented toward action. The authors also provide frameworks for action plans, which will assist in the implementation of these ideas.

THE FORGOTTEN WAYS HANDBOOK certainly offers much for churches to consider and to discuss. Hirsch, and his co-author Darryn Altclass, do set a high bar, and I imagine that a church conversation that would proceed through this book from beginning to end would be quite grueling. However, I also imagine that discussing the topics here at a more leisurely pace - perhaps interspersed with other conversations - might bear some excellent fruit. The best use of this book, I suspect, would be for church planters as their church communities discern their missional identity together in the early stages of the plant.

If your church is headed in the missional direction, or at least is intrigued by missional ideas, read Hirsch's THE FORGOTTEN WAYS first and then if you want to share or discuss his ideas throughout your church, this handbook is an excellent way to spark conversation, and Lord willing, also "to stir innovative missional action for Jesus in this post-Christian world" (11).

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and invaluable resource for the Missional church, September 1, 2009

By 

Bob Hyatt (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Practical Guide for Developing Missional Churches (Paperback)

It's difficult to think of a more influential voice in the missional church movement at this than Alan Hirsch. Maybe his writing partner Mike Frost?

Their books have not only defined the questions we need to be asking about church in our time and context but gone a long way towards providing the answers.

The Forgotten Ways Handbook is a crucial piece of that. The original volume, The Forgotten Ways was an erudite discussion of the shape, structure and direction of missional church. The Handbook is a down-to-earth, practical guide to putting the ideas of missional church into action. Whether as an individual or a community, this resource will help you think through contextualizing the Gospel and shaping your life along the path of the missio dei, the mission of God in this world.



HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.