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Overview
It's time to stop asking the old questions about how to do church better and instead ask how churches can more effectively participate in and grow God's kingdom. AND helps Christian leaders recognize the best in different church models and see how to incorporate these values into a cohesive church movement.
By the numbers, the American church enjoys the resources to profoundly impact the Kingdom. But despite the rapid growth of these evangelical movements, the church in the West is in decline. A growing schism has emerged between the movement with a strong emphasis on attracting people and the more missional communities that focus on releasing people into ministry.
Church resource specialists Hugh Halter and Matt Smay have been observing these different church models, and they challenge the idea that churches have to choose between them—between the attractional and missional approaches to ministry.
With professional insight and practical advice, Halter and Smay dial in on how to bring together the very best of the attractional AND missional models for church ministry by exploring:
- The balance between gathering a community together AND scattering them into the world.
- The harmony between centralization AND decentralization in church structure.
- The mindset necessary to invest in both the traditional AND the innovative.
- The drive to maintain both a vision for the future AND a depth of community for the present.
As churches begin to develop these ANDs, they will be better positioned to influence the world according to the design of God instead of the whims of the people or the pride associated with production.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780310576242 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Zondervan |
| Publication date: | 04/27/2010 |
| Series: | Exponential Series |
| Sold by: | HarperCollins Publishing |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 208 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Matt Smay serves as the director of the Missional Church Apprenticeship Practicum for Missio, where he works directly with church planters and existing church pastors as a mentor, coach, and consultant, and he is also a leader of Adullam. Matt lives near Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Maren, and daughter, Maegan. He is an avid golfer, loves mountain biking and fly-fishing, and enjoys the outdoors with his family.
What People are Saying About This
“AND comes at an important time for church leaders. With humility and thoughtfulness, Hugh and Matt talk people off ledges created by artificial and superficial understandings of how the expression of church in North America is undergoing change during this period of missional renewal. Their refreshing insight results from being open and honest about their own journey while respecting others’ stories.” — Reggie Mc Neal
“Every church leader struggles to find a way to lead authentically according to their church, but most of the time we feel forced to choose between forms that just don’t fit us, our people, our context, or all of the above. In AND, Hugh and Matt explain the tension you feel and help you unlock a creative balance that might just change everything.” — Rick Mk Kinley
“Hugh and Matt get it. The issue in the American church is not the form or the technology. It’s about what each leader is gifted with and given to become in their context. Forms are dictated by multiple streams of input and relational intersection. May there be a new diaspora of AND churches.” — Dave Gibbons
“Hugh and Matt speak to the church with vulnerability, practical experience, and an engaging style. This book is a timely addition to the ongoing missional church conversation; it is easy to read, insightful, and helps to build needed bridges.” — Neil Cole
“I really appreciate reading a book that recognizes the need to get past simplistic either/or categories and is ready to love the people of God where they are, not where someone wants them to be. The conjunction AND runs through this book alongside a deep passion to see local communities of God’s people shaping missional life out of their traditions. In this book you will meet passionate practitioners seeking to understand what the Spirit is up to in our times.” — Alan Roxburgh
“If you’re looking for a book on the missional church that scratches a good deal further below the surface than other ones you’ve read, AND is for you. I found it thoughtful and judicious, as wide-ranging as it is illuminating, with graphs that are eye opening and life altering.” — Leonard Sweet
“In the missional conversation, there are ‘radicals’ who propose that we chop down the tree, burn the stump, and plant something new, and there are ‘reformers’ that say maybe the tree is so precious it should be saved. Matt and Hugh are reformers that embrace the genius of AND rather than proposing a new methodology. I love this book.” — John Herrington
“In this pioneering book, Hugh and Matt extend their vision for incarnational community by offering a model of integration for established churches. Because both of them are long-term innovators, trainers, and practitioners of incarnational mission, this book has real significance and effectively advances our thinking on the critical edge. Well done, guys.” — Alan Hirsch
“No one has influenced my missional trajectory more than Hugh and Matt. AND has inspired and motivated me as a spiritual leader to position the bride toward beautiful community and life-altering mission. This is the book to read if your heart is still captured by the church and you can’t help but keep ‘fighting for a better day.’” — Jen Hatmaker
“This book lands. The Canadian church is in need of resources that move the missional conversation from the 40,000-foot level to the missional reality on the ground. We are in need of people who will encourage us with the possibilities of what the church could become while at the same time kicking us out of our consumeristic habits. Matt and Hugh are such people who live it AND have written about it.” — Cam Roxburgh
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