The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church
Overview
If ever there was a time for an innovative missionary effort in the West, it is now. The great paradox of our age is that while the need for the gospel has seldom been greater, the relevance of the church to the culture at large has seldom been less. With keen insight, The Shaping of Things to Come explores why the church needs to rebuild itself from the bottom up, presenting a clear understanding of how the church can change to face the unique challenges of the twenty-first century. Now thoroughly revised and updated with current case studies, this missional classic assesses the state of the church-and is still very much able to show us what lies ahead.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
- Provides an introduction to missional thought leadership and practice
- Reawakens latent apostolic imagination
- Advocates for a wholesale change in the way Christians are doing and being the church
- Part One: The Shape We’re In
- Evolution or Revolution?
- The Missional Church
- Part Two Incarnational Ecclesiology
- The Incarnational Approach
- The Shape of the Missional Church
- The Contextualized Church
- Whispering to the Soul
- Part Three Messianic Spirituality
- The God of Israel and the Renewal of Christianity
- Action as Sacrament
- The Medium Really Is the Message
- Part Four Apostolic Leadership
- The Genius of APEST
- Imagination and the Leadership Task
- Organizing the Revolution
Top Highlights
“Inspiration, then information: We believe that people are not motivated by information alone; real motivation arises when they connect with their basic passion and calling … they must be moved and inspired to act with passion for the kingdom of God. Our intensives, therefore, aim primarily at inspiration, not just on giving new information.” (Page 269)
“‘What has God called us to be and do in our current cultural context?’” (Page 20)
“We suggest that there is indeed a rather profound logic going on in the Torah, a logic that attempts to relate all aspects of life to God. Therefore, everything—one’s work, one’s domestic life, one’s health, one’s worship—has the same significance to God. He is concerned with every aspect of the believer’s life.” (Page 158)
“Imagination as a resource for leadership: Imagination is the basis of vision and innovation and creativity. Interns and students are stimulated to think in pioneering and innovative ways of doing and being church.” (Page 269)
“If a few car racers came into relationship with Christ, they should not be encouraged to leave the club and join the church. Rather, a home church could be established, and the brand-new Christian car enthusiasts could worship God in the context of their tribal identity.” (Page 64)
The Shaping of Things to Come . . . calls us forward to a grander view of the church-in-mission than the one to which we have become all too accustomed. I am personally grateful for this new edition.
—Mark Batterson, lead pastor, National Community Church
Not often does a title of a book prophesy itself. But The Shaping of Things to Come has shaped things to come in the global Christian world like perhaps no one book published in the past decade. It truly is a ‘classic,’ and this new edition promises to continue its tradition of shaking and shaping.
—Leonard Sweet, E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Drew University
One of those rare books that . . . gets deep into your psyche and alters your perspective on what it means to be the church today, what it means to follow Jesus on his adventurous mission.
—Dan Kimball, pastor, author, and Emerging Church movement leader
As we look at the depth and breadth of the missional movement, I continually direct people back to The Shaping of Things to Come. Things have definitely shaped around the concepts of this book, and it continues to be a plumbline for missional thought leadership and practice.
—Hugh Halter, church planter, pastor, consultant, and missionary
- Title: The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church
- Authors: Michael Frost (minister), Alan Hirsch
- Edition: Revised and Updated
- Publisher: Baker
- Print Publication Date: 2013
- Logos Release Date: 2013
- Pages: 288
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Church; Church work
- ISBNs: 9781441257222, 9780801014918, 1441257225, 0801014913
- Resource ID: LLS:SHPNGTHNGSCMNNV
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:59:42Z
Michael Frost is the founding director of the Tinsley Institute, a mission study center at Morling College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Exiles and The Road to Missional.
Alan Hirsch is founding director of Forge Mission Training Network and leader of Future Travelers. He is the author of numerous books, including The Forgotten Ways and Untamed.