Behind the work of most global missionaries are local churches. Our faith communities, from giant urban churches to small rural parishes, are necessary to the task of spreading the name of Jesus and the good news about His Kingdom beyond our borders. High-impact churches consider the work of global missions as a primary part of their daily life of faith together. ]On Mission Together is a clear and concise guidebook for any church wanting to make global missions extend beyond an annual offering or a Minute for Missions. Richard Noble-pastor, educator, and missions mobilizer-offers a clear and practical pathway toward making missions part of the fundamental DNA of your worshiping community. Half of the author royalties from the sale of this book goes to support the work of global missions.
WHAT MAKES A COMMUNITY EXTRAORDINARY? When people live in community moved by the gospel and marked by the Spirit, great things happen. They commit to one another. They grieve together, sing together, eat, pray, and play together. They love, serve, honor, encourage, and provide for each other gladly. And they live on mission together. Hearts are healed, walls come down, and outsiders come in. No competition. No pretense. No vain conceit. Just full hearts breaking bread and giving freely. It is nothing short of amazing. Most of us live in a shadow of what God intended for us. Life in Community calls us into the light. Reclaiming Scripture’s stunning vision of gospel-centered community, it inspires us to live in love unbounded. Read it, live it, and join the movement: Help unleash the power of extraordinary community. 6-Week group study included.
INSIGHTS AND INSPIRATION FOR PURSUING THE GREAT COLLABORATION For more than a generation, the church in the West has looked to the star pastor or the efforts of a fast-growing church to lead the way in helping us accomplish the mission of Jesus. It's not working. We have forgotten God's truth that we are better together. In their new book, Dave Ferguson and Patrick O'Connell identify the critical missing piece, pointing us to Jesus' prayer in John 17. It is the third "Great" command. We are to Go (the Great Commission) in Love (the Great Commandment) Together (the Great Collaboration). It's when we put all three together--and only when we obey all three--that we'll realize the dream of the kingdom of God. Dave and Patrick use their collective experience and tell the stories of others to share how God is working through collaboration--specifically reproducing church networks--to create an infrastructure for kingdom movement. If you've ever asked why you should join a network or wanted to start one, don't miss these insights from these leaders. Together, they remind us, we can change the world. "A strong church planting network will bring the infrastructure that's essential to multiplying churches. It will also provide the equipping, training and care you and your family will need when times get tough. If we're going to see a wave of church planting across North America, it will depend on strong networks that support and produce healthy church plants." --Kevin Ezell, Send Network "Networks allow us to do what we couldn't do on our own. They help create a new reality and being part of a network lets us imagine things that weren't previously possible. Whether you are part of a large resourced church, or a brand-new church plant, networks give you a seat at the table as you pursue God's mission together." --Chad Clarkson, Houston Church Planting Network "Only through collaboration with other churches, church planters, church leaders and Christ followers is there any hope of seeing the Jesus mission accomplished. Together is that watershed book we need to move forward." --Troy McMahon, Kansas City NewThing Network DAVE FERGUSON is an award-winning author and founding and lead pastor of Chicago's Community Christian Church, a missional multisite community considered one of the most influential churches in America. Dave also provides visionary leadership for NewThing, an international church planting movement, and is president of the Exponential conference. Dave is married to Sue, and they have three amazing kids, Amy, Josh and Caleb. PATRICK O'CONNELL is the Global Director of NewThing, a catalyst for movements of reproducing churches. He is passionate about helping people start new things for the kingdom. He's married to Nancy and they have three great kids.
World Council of Churches (WCC) ecumenical affirmation on mission and evangelism, prepared by the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), approved as an official statement of the WCC by the Central Committee in Crete, 5 September 2012. Based on a CWME consultation in January 2013, Kochi, India, aiming at translating the new concepts brought by the affirmation into missional actions in local congregations, mission organizations and missiological formation, a practical guide has been produced by the commission. This book is meant to enable reflection, study and application of the new mission statement.
The true story of mission has been deeper, wider, and far more diverse than many Christians in countries with long histories of church presence have realized. The authors in "Reflecting God s Glory Together: Diversity in Evangelical Mission" drive that point home in a variety of ways. From Filipino and Ghanaian missionary work in North American cities, to Canadian work among the Chinese diaspora, to African-American work in Zimbabwe, the authors help us begin to grasp just how many ways evangelicals in mission are truly going from and coming to everywhere as they follow Christ s mandate to reach the nations. Diverse voices utilizing diverse strategies pursuing a common call: these result in a mosaic whose larger pattern glorifies the God who came to live among us and who continues to send us out in the pattern God so clearly established. As editors, Beth and Scott invite you to explore the stories embedded in that marvelous mosaic that we have been privileged to collect for this volume."
Centered on the rule of Christ over the whole of life, explores multiple aspects of holistic ministry including proclamation, evangelism, and social transformation.
Michael Goheen gives us a full-scale introduction to mission studies today in its biblical, theological and historical dimensions. Goheen covers the full horizon of major issues in mission, including its global, urban and holistic contexts. This text shows how the missional church encounters the pluralism of Western culture and global religions.
Social justice and mission are hot topics today: there's a wonderful resurgence of motivated Christians passionate about spreading the gospel and caring for the needs of others. But in our zeal to get sharing and serving, many are unclear on gospel and mission. Yes, we are called to spend ourselves for the sake of others, but what is the church's unique priority as it engages the world? DeYoung and Gilbert write to help Christians "articulate and live out their views on the mission of the church in ways that are theologically faithful, exegetically careful, and personally sustainable." Looking at the Bible's teaching on evangelism, social justice, and shalom, they explore the what, why, and how of the church's mission. From defining "mission", to examining key passages on social justice and their application, to setting our efforts in the context of God's rule, DeYoung and Gilbert bring a wise, studied perspective to the missional conversation. Readers in all spheres of ministry will grow in their understanding of the mission of the church and gain a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus' call to preach the Word and make disciples.
For more than 200 years, millions of Methodists have shared God’s love with the world. Baked into the theological purpose of our mission is the compassion and resolve to relieve human suffering by offering healing, hope, and holiness everywhere in the world. Millions of Methodist people on every continent persist in serving faithfully amid the tensions and challenges that cry out for transformation. This book tells the story of these global efforts, beginning with John Stewart’s ministry among the Wyandotte Nation in America, and what Methodists have learned about God’s mission along the way. This book also describes how United Methodist Global Ministries is living out these lessons of cooperation, humility, relationship, and practicing holistic mission. Together, Methodists pursue and promote personal, social, and cosmic transformation. Together, we work and live amid the tensions that enrich and expand our awareness of Methodist identity in God’s diverse world.