The church is on the verge of massive, category shifting, change. Contemporary church growth, despite its many blessings, has failed to stem the decline of Christianity in the West. We are now facing the fact that more of the same will not produce different results. Our times require a different kind of church---an apostolic, reproducing, movement where every person is living a mission-sent life. Many of the best and brightest leaders in the contemporary church are now making the shift in the way they think, lead, and organize. Motivated partly by a vision of the church as ancient as it is new, and with a driving desire to see Biblical Christianity establish itself in Western cultural contexts, we are indeed seeing a new form of the church emerge in our day. Hirsch and Ferguson call this 'apostolic movement' because it is more resonant with the form of church that we witness in the pages of the New Testament and in the great missional movements of history. In this book, Hirsch and Ferguson share a rich array of theology, theory, and best practices, along with inspiring stories about leaders who have rightly diagnosed their churches' failure to embrace a biblical model of mission and have moved toward a fuller expression of the gospel. On the Verge will help church leaders discover how these forerunners and their insights are launching a new apostolic movement---and how any church can get involved.
On the Verge
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'On the Verge is one of those pace-setting books that will cause you to think, rethink and change your paradigm for what the church can become. Dave Ferguson and Alan Hirsch share a great blend of theory and practice that will help you re-envision the way you do church with practical ways to make it a reality. This is a must read if you want to transition your church into the future.' -- Craig Groeschel, Lead Pastor, Life Church <br><br>
From the Back Cover
On the Verge is one of those pace-setting books that will cause you to think, rethink and change your paradigm for what the church can become. This is a must read if you want to transition your church into the future.
- Craig Groeschel - Lead Pastor, Life Church
This book does more than provide solutions: it gives hope that the Church's best days are yet to come.
- Greg Surratt, Lead Pastor - Seacoast Church
There can never be a timelier conversation than the one God wants to have! And there could never be two more qualified voices to further the dialogue.
- Reggie McNeal (from the foreword) Author of Missional Renaissance
A spot on approach for the mega and church growth churches of the last decades to reframe ourselves as high impact, exponentially reproducing, missional movements.
- Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church and author of Change the World
Finally, a book of that not only connects you to the possibilities of apostolic movement, but gives you practitioner-based principles and stories that will help you live and lead in God's Gospel wave for the future."
- Hugh Halter, Author of The Tangible Kingdom, TK Primer, AND, & Sacrilege.
Hirsch and Ferguson point the way towards an exquisitely hopeful future for the church...and they show how the church united can be the church ignited. Brilliant.
- Linda Bergquist, church planting strategist with the North American Mission Board and co-author of Church Turned Inside Out
As you read this book, I'm sure you will find that the voices of these two great leaders become one and you hear the voice of Jesus inviting you to join his mission and love the church he is building.
- Mike Breen, (from the foreword) Director of 3DM and founder of the Order of Mission
- Craig Groeschel - Lead Pastor, Life Church
This book does more than provide solutions: it gives hope that the Church's best days are yet to come.
- Greg Surratt, Lead Pastor - Seacoast Church
There can never be a timelier conversation than the one God wants to have! And there could never be two more qualified voices to further the dialogue.
- Reggie McNeal (from the foreword) Author of Missional Renaissance
A spot on approach for the mega and church growth churches of the last decades to reframe ourselves as high impact, exponentially reproducing, missional movements.
- Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church and author of Change the World
Finally, a book of that not only connects you to the possibilities of apostolic movement, but gives you practitioner-based principles and stories that will help you live and lead in God's Gospel wave for the future."
- Hugh Halter, Author of The Tangible Kingdom, TK Primer, AND, & Sacrilege.
Hirsch and Ferguson point the way towards an exquisitely hopeful future for the church...and they show how the church united can be the church ignited. Brilliant.
- Linda Bergquist, church planting strategist with the North American Mission Board and co-author of Church Turned Inside Out
As you read this book, I'm sure you will find that the voices of these two great leaders become one and you hear the voice of Jesus inviting you to join his mission and love the church he is building.
- Mike Breen, (from the foreword) Director of 3DM and founder of the Order of Mission
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The church needs to recover her most ancient, potent and beautiful form, that of the apostolic movement, according to Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson in this book. The book represents an attempt by the authors to articulate a dynamic learning journey called Future Travelers which is being undertaken by a group of large US churches that are reframing themselves as high-impact exponentially reproducing missional movements.
Readers who are not familiar with Alan's previous books will quickly discover that there is a whole new vocabulary to learn. The new paradigm of apostolic movements arises from the convergence of church growth theory, exponential thinking, and incarnational missiology. The new paradigm, which is referred to as "Apostolic Genius", encompasses mDNA which has six elements:
* Jesus is Lord
* Disciple-making
* Apostolic environment
* Missional-incarnational impulse
* Organic systems
* Communitas
Alan's perspective as a missional strategist and apostolic theologian is communicated in chapters 2 to 6, with Dave providing a short response to each chapter, and then Dave's perspective as an apostolic practitioner is communicated in chapters 7 to 10, with Alan providing a short response to each chapter. The two authors have distinctly different writing styles, but it is helpful to get the interposed theoretical and practical perspectives.
Most readers will find this a challenging book to read, partly because of the new vocabulary and partly because many of the ideas raised are likely to be unfamiliar to the typical church leader. However, in my view the book is well worth the struggle because of the importance of considering and thinking through the issues raised. Apostolic movements are a work in progress , so it is OK to disagree with the authors' ideas.
I personally struggled with the idea that "all of God's people already have everything in them to be able to get the job done". My understanding is that God gives different people different spiritual gifts so that we need to work together with others who have complementary spiritual gifts to get the job done, and this is why a church can accomplish mission far more effectively than lone-ranger Christians, and small groups which do not have an adequate balance of spiritual gifts tend to be ineffective.
I highly recommend the book to church leaders and gave it five stars, not because of its literary style or even the answers it gives but because of the critical importance to the church in Western countries of addressing the questions the book raises.
Readers who are not familiar with Alan's previous books will quickly discover that there is a whole new vocabulary to learn. The new paradigm of apostolic movements arises from the convergence of church growth theory, exponential thinking, and incarnational missiology. The new paradigm, which is referred to as "Apostolic Genius", encompasses mDNA which has six elements:
* Jesus is Lord
* Disciple-making
* Apostolic environment
* Missional-incarnational impulse
* Organic systems
* Communitas
Alan's perspective as a missional strategist and apostolic theologian is communicated in chapters 2 to 6, with Dave providing a short response to each chapter, and then Dave's perspective as an apostolic practitioner is communicated in chapters 7 to 10, with Alan providing a short response to each chapter. The two authors have distinctly different writing styles, but it is helpful to get the interposed theoretical and practical perspectives.
Most readers will find this a challenging book to read, partly because of the new vocabulary and partly because many of the ideas raised are likely to be unfamiliar to the typical church leader. However, in my view the book is well worth the struggle because of the importance of considering and thinking through the issues raised. Apostolic movements are a work in progress , so it is OK to disagree with the authors' ideas.
I personally struggled with the idea that "all of God's people already have everything in them to be able to get the job done". My understanding is that God gives different people different spiritual gifts so that we need to work together with others who have complementary spiritual gifts to get the job done, and this is why a church can accomplish mission far more effectively than lone-ranger Christians, and small groups which do not have an adequate balance of spiritual gifts tend to be ineffective.
I highly recommend the book to church leaders and gave it five stars, not because of its literary style or even the answers it gives but because of the critical importance to the church in Western countries of addressing the questions the book raises.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Keifer
Format:Paperback
This honestly is one of the best books on the topic of the future of the church that I have read to date- it goes beyond theory and actually lays out practical examples of people that are doing it.The authors recognize that God is moving and we are in fact "on the verge" of a major movement of the church! This is a must read for anyone who is ready to reclaim church as identity and movement centered around the core truth "Jesus is Lord".
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book, On the Verge, is like an engaging conversation between dinner guests that you overhear. Once the conversation is underway, you lean in closer to get in on it all because its so fascinating.
Authors Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson--respected missiologists in different contexts--carry on a lively conversation about the Great Commission and how to reach people with the gospel in the 21st Century. Acknowledging that the institutional church is not reaching approximately 60% of people in the Western context, the authors call church planters and church leaders to re-imagine the future. They are convinced that by reactivating the 'Apostolic Genius' of every believer thereby we will create a movement ethos. Hirsch and Ferguson are convinced we are on the verge of seeing it happen.
Calling on the reader to engage with the material, the authors have divided the book into a simple triad of: Imagine, Shift, and Innovate, a process they see as a means to moving the church to movement. They invite church planters and missional leaders to re-imagine this new future, shift their current thinking, and innovate in their context in order to fuel a verge movement.
At once theoretical and practical (and always inspirational) On the Verge is worth reading on your own and with your team.
Authors Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson--respected missiologists in different contexts--carry on a lively conversation about the Great Commission and how to reach people with the gospel in the 21st Century. Acknowledging that the institutional church is not reaching approximately 60% of people in the Western context, the authors call church planters and church leaders to re-imagine the future. They are convinced that by reactivating the 'Apostolic Genius' of every believer thereby we will create a movement ethos. Hirsch and Ferguson are convinced we are on the verge of seeing it happen.
Calling on the reader to engage with the material, the authors have divided the book into a simple triad of: Imagine, Shift, and Innovate, a process they see as a means to moving the church to movement. They invite church planters and missional leaders to re-imagine this new future, shift their current thinking, and innovate in their context in order to fuel a verge movement.
At once theoretical and practical (and always inspirational) On the Verge is worth reading on your own and with your team.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ferguson tempers the abstractions of Hirsch
Alan Hirsch is always speaking and writing in esoteric terms that you have to discover his definitions for, so reading anything from him is a chore. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Benjamin D. Mcclary
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Information - Tough Read
On The Verge by Alan Hirsch and David Ferguson contains some great missional thoughts. The book is thoroughly thought out and well presented in format. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Wesley A. Schoel
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some helpful insights in the midst of catchy jargon
On the Verge is another one of those creative books on the church that claims that times are a changin' and that church needs to abandon its old ways and get on with the new. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Tim Lubinus
4.0 out of 5 stars
re-Jesusing the church
A few things struck me when I first started reading. There is a recurring theme of hope, especially for the future of the church, in the comments from the pastors and authors who... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Matte
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it
This was a fantastic book on the missiology of the church. Great reviews of what actual churches are trying and doing. Read more
Published 17 months ago by bhofmeister
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of missional and megachurch
Alan Hirsch's writings are like old friends that help me think and act as a missionary in suburban Melbourne. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Darren Cronshaw
4.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful for thinking through MISSIONAL CHURCH LIFE
ON THE VERGE
By Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson
ISBN 978-0-310-33100-1
Published by Zondervan
Reviewed by Clint Walker
What is the future of the... Read more
By Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson
ISBN 978-0-310-33100-1
Published by Zondervan
Reviewed by Clint Walker
What is the future of the... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Clint Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not just for church planters
The On the Verge book is FULL of helpful, yet challenging, insights and possibilities for the present and future church of God. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Karen Nelson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superbly Theor-actical
Of the books I have read from Alan (beginning in Seminary with The Shaping of Things to Come), and Dave (Exponential), this one is superb. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Jathaniel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope for the Future!!!
This book is an absolutely must read for Church Planters and Church Leaders. Before I even finished the 1st chapter, I was filled with hope for the future. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Joe in Siberia
