Do you see motherhood as a mission and divine calling?
Today's Christian moms come from a full range of personal and professional contexts, whether they are homemakers, full-time workers in the marketplace, or somewhere in between.
Yet many Christian mothers are living missional lives, using their gifts and abilities to further God's kingdom by engaging the world around them. They artfully, passionately, and sometimes messily juggle multiple callings and demonstrate in their modern-day contexts how they are emulating the woman of noble character in Proverbs 31.
The Missional Mom will affirm Christian mothers who desire to not only to build their homes in a Christ-like way, but also engage the world with their skills, abilities, and interests. It won't minimize the importance of a woman's role in her home, but it will encourage her to not ignore the stirrings God has planted within her to extend her influence.
Introduction: The Missional Mom? A New Paradigm for Christian Motherhood
Chapter One: The Missional Mom Understands Her Identity and Calling
Chapter Two: The Missional Mom Understands Her Cultural Context
Chapter Three: The Missional Mom Resists the Status Quo
Chapter Four: The Missional Mom Confronts the Realities of Life
Chapter Five: The Missional Mom Lives With Outward Focus
Chapter Six: The Missional Mom Cares for “The Least of These”
Chapter Seven: The Missional Mom Pursues Racial Reconciliation
Chapter Eight: The Missional Mom Creates Culture
Chapter Nine: The Missional Mom Strives to Raise Missional Kids
Chapter Ten: The Missional Mom Participates In Missional Communities
Chapter Eleven: How Churches Can Encourage Moms to be Missional
Conclusion/Epilogue: A Missional Mom Is Born
"My mother was missional before anyone used the word, but I'm
glad Helen Lee has described what mothers have done, are doing and
will be doing with this word. This book is informed, laced together
with timely and practical stories; the book is biblical and
theological -- in other words, this book is a potent mixture that
sketches radical, kingdom motherhood".- Scot McKnight, Karl
A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park
University
"Helen is exactly the kick in the pants I need as a mom. Just when
I start to feel comfortable, settled, and dare I say stuck in my
little life, Helen Lee comes along to remind me that I was created
to be part of what God is doing in the world and I need to sit up
and pay attention. By casting a vision of motherhood that includes
little details of family life and the big picture of global
injustice and suffering, Helen gives moms the encouragement we need
to follow God wherever God might lead us". - Carla Barnhill,
author of The Myth of the Perfect Mother, co-founder of
themommyrevolution.com
“Helen Lee is not only a missional mom, she also is a clear and
incisive writer. I’m not a mom, but as a Christian and a dad, I
found myself marveling and motivated as I read this book. Now THIS
is living!” - Marshall Shelley, editor Leadership
Journal
"If you have ever felt your role as a mother is a forgotten one
without purpose, this book is for you. The Missional Mom brims with
practical examples of modern day heroes who are using their
God-given roles as mothers to change the world. Helen Lee inspires
all of us, whether or not we work outside the home, to think about
how we can teach our children to become kingdom warriors and make a
meaningful difference in the world. You will be inspired,
challenged and energized to make your home a place of love and
service to others. Don’t underestimate the power of women,
especially the power of a cadre of mothers, who manage their homes
as missional outposts for kingdom work." -- Arloa
Sutter, executive director, Breakthrough Urban Ministries
"I’ve known Helen for nearly two decades. I’ve always been
impressed with her insights and reflections. She is a great
learner, observer and writer. I’m glad she wrote a book for all of
us to be inspired and moved to action! The Missional Mom is a book
that challenges us (not just moms!) to embrace radical,
counter-cultural followership especially within the environment of
our homes. The wonder years of growing families shouldn’t be seen
as a time we check out of following God. This is the time we’re in
the thick of some of the most intense miraculous, spiritual
activities (painful and joyful) of our lives both with God, our
spouses, children and others. Helen stirs our imagination to go
deeper into who we are called to be in our homes and beyond. She
gently calls us out to be unafraid in pursuing purposeful living in
practical ways." - Dave Gibbons, author of Monkey and the
Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third Culture Church and
XEALOTS: Defying the Gravity of Normality (release date in
2011)
"The Missional Mom is a treat for any mom who believes that God has
called her to serve beyond the reaches of motherhood. Helen shows
us how we can at once be wonderful, loving moms while also serving
our wonderful, loving God using the vast and divergent passions and
gifts He's given us."-- Caryn DahlstrandRivadeneira,
author of Mama's Got a Fake I.D. and co-founder of The Mommy
Revolution blog
"We are both convinced that in order to unleash the world
transforming power of missional Christianity we are going to need
to learn a whole lot more from women. As Helen states, "Women have
been the secret weapon in the church since the beginning of its
existence, contributing significantly to the progress the church
has made in the world." This is an undisputed fact! We look forward
to a time when men and women are released to be all they can be in
God for the sake of his Kingdom. Helen's book is a wonderful gift
to all of us." --Alan and Debra Hirsch, authors of
Untamed - Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship.
.
"It is easy to understand why moms might lose sight of the purpose
and meaning for their lives when life is going by at such a
frightening speed. This is a book that reminds women of the
adventure of missional living (amidst the daily grind) that God is
calling all of us to". - Michael Wallenmeyer,
Missional in Suburbia
"Helen Lee has presented moms and families with a great gift in
The Missional Mom. It is a great resource to help women
understand and implement a missional life." - Ed
Stetzer, coauthor of Transformational Church
"There is no sphere of human life which cannot find its true end in
God’s Mission. Helen Lee, in engaging yet powerful prose, helps us
see what this might mean for mothers. Under her careful guidance,
we see how the rhythms and struggles of being a mom become subsumed
by God’s sovereign purposes for the redemption of the world. I
encourage us all who have families (not just moms!) to read this
book!" - David Fitch, Reclaimingthemission.com, B R Lindner
Chair Evangelical Theology Northern Seminary