This book is a must read for those who want the status quaestionis on “the missional church.” A flurry of publications in the last few years on the theology of the Church, on the state of the American Evangelical church (including its increasing diversity), as well as on the global church, make this an exciting period for the study and practice of what it means to be the Triune God’s missional people for the sake of our world.
I am reminded of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s remark that the only choice for the Church is between concrete statement and silence, and that the Church is lying if it only utters principles. His overstatement can be forgiven (considering the desperate need to resist Nazism in his day). This is the point: “missional” MUST NOT be an mere “master signifier” (see Fitch, The End of Evangelicalism?), rather it must result in the concrete materialization of the Church in our day. That is the challenge. May Christ build his church among us in the power of the Spirit and for the glory of the Father.
Another resource I’ve found to be helpful and thought provoking is the new book by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost called The Faith of Leap. They offer a solution for the church: to enter into risk-taking and adventure as a way of building true community and meeting the lost and hurting where they’re at. They speak out against the idol of safety and security, blaming it for the decline of the Western church, and offer a concret plan for true mission. Here’s a link to their book: http://dld.bz/Z5ba.