Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (The Gospel and Our Culture Series) (Paperback)

~ Darrell L. Guder (Editor), Lois Barrett (Editor) "As we move toward the end of the century, more and more commentators are proposing their versions of the "great new fact of our time..." (more)
Key Phrases: missional connectedness, missional witness, particular mission community, North America, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

What 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802843506
• ISBN-13: 978-0802843500
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,469 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to missional theology., May 27, 2000

By	Victor McCracken (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the better books currently available introducing church leaders, pastors and lay ministers to ecclesiology from a missional perspective. Guder and his fellow writers do a worthy job of synthesizing contemporary perspectives on church in post-Christian North America. Especially engaging is the way that the writers articulate the distinctive claims a Canadian culture (as opposed to an United States culture) will make on a missional church. There are valuable lessons here for pastors seeking to become more adept in cultural discernment. What is lacking in this book are concrete examples of what a missional church "looks like" in ways different than what one finds in Christendom. One hopes that this is an absence that will be addressed in the next four volumes. In short, check out this book as a synthesis of ecclesiology from a post-liberal perspective (a la Hauerwas, Yoder, Brueggemann). Also, a note for pastors: Chapter 7, "Missional Leadership: Equipping God's People for Mission," is worth the price of the book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will use it as a required text in a course I'll be teaching, August 13, 2002

By	Kurtis Smith (Lincoln, NE United States) - See all my reviews

Guder does an outstanding job of editing this text.

The writers present a quality summary of today's American spiritual culture as well as justification for returning the church back to its apostolic (i.e. sent) roots. The mission of God is so well presented in this book that I'm going to use it as a required text in the evangelism/mission course that I'm teaching this fall at a Christian/Lutheran university.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After the Bible, the best book I've read all year., December 3, 1999

By	Jim Love (Canada) - See all my reviews

I've been plugging this book at clergy gatherings for the last 6 months. This book was a partial answer to a prayer that I've had for years, "God, What are you calling us to become, because it seems clear that we can't continue with the Christendom models." I've read a lot of other books, but none come close to giving the depth of anaysis into the problem of Christendom. The essays in this book present an exiciting mission for the church as it moves to the margins of culture. The book is not an easy read for those who have limited theological training. However, with a copy of Westminsters Dictionary of Theological Terms in hand, thoughtful Christians will gain a host of insight into the North American Church context(AND YES! They do separate anaysis for Canada and the USA context). Rev. Jim Love (United Church of Canada)