Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America

by Daniel L. Guder

Overview

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—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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802843500
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/09/1998
Series:	The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS)
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	679,168
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Darrell L. Guder is Henry Winters Luce Chair of Missional and Ecumenical Theology and Dean-elect at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents

1. Missional Church: From Sending to Being Sent
2. Missional Context: Understanding North American Culture
3. Missional Challenge: Understanding the Church in North America
4. Missional Vocation: Called and Sent to Represent the Reign of God
5. Missional Witness: The Church as Apostle to the World
6. Missional Community: Cultivating Communities of the Holy Spirit
7. Missional Leadership: Equipping God's People for Mission
8. Missional Structures: The Particular Community
9. Missional Connectedness: The Community of Communities in Mission

Bibliography for Research on a Missional Ecclesiology for North America

Editorial Reviews

Academy of Parish Clergy, Top Ten Books of the Year (1999)

Missiology
"This stimulating volume challenges its readers to re-examine two fundamental concepts: their understanding of the nature of the church and their understanding of mission. . . This book is a must-read not only for missiologists but also for pastors and anyone interested in the renewal and revitalization of the church as it enters a new millennium."

Interpretation
"This is a book worthy of study and consideration, especially for those who take seriously the changes that have impacted culture and church in North America. It is a provocative work that pleads for significant renewal of 'Communities of the Holy Spirit' in face of established institutions that have become accommodated to the American way of life."

From the Publisher

This stimulating volume challenges its readers to re-examine two fundamental concepts: their understanding of the nature of the church and their understanding of mission.... This book is a must-read not only for missiologists but also for pastors and anyone interested in the renewal and revitalization of the church as it enters a new millennium.

Missiology

"This is a book worthy of study and consideration, especially for those who take seriously the changes that have impacted culture and church in North America. It is a provocative work that pleads for significant renewal of "Communities of the Holy Spirit" in face of established institutions that have become accommodated to the American way of life."

Interpretation