From the Foreword

“You are holding a hard-won treasure.  This book is peppered with the kind of missiological insights that only an apostolically inclined leader can bring.  JR has developed an excellent heuristic for leaders to actually make Eph. 4 a living reality in the local churches.”

- Alan Hirsch, Coauthor of The Shaping of Things to Come, Author of The Forgotten Ways and The Permanent Revolution

Other Endorsements

“JR Woodward reads widely, writes deftly and lives deeply.  His book Creating a Missional Culture reflects all of that.  Read it and explore what leading can be in the strange new worlds of mission in North America.”

- David Fitch, B.R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology, Northern Seminary, author of The End of Evangelicalism?

“Woodward’s remarkable book defies categorization.  To ‘create a missional culture’ requires disciplined biblical and theological formation, discerning engagement with contemporary cultures, appreciative interaction with diverse resources, and the courage to experiment and to innovate.  Woodward does all that, and more in this book.  The growing exploration of the theology and practice of the missional church is enriched by this volume.  Its authority rests in the author’s tested and validated experience as an equipper ‘of the missional church for the sake of the world.’”

-  Darrell Guder, Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary, editor and co-author of The Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America

If you want to keep up with the lastest news about the book, you can go to the author page that IVP set up for me and like it.

The Statue of Jesus Christ on the Cross in 798 Art Zone Beijing

Originally uploaded by rickihuang

“The Christian gospel has sometimes been made the tool of an imperialism, and of that we have to repent. But at its heart it is the denial of all imperialisms, for at its center there is the cross where all imperialisms are humbled and we are invited to find the center of human unity in the One who was made nothing so that all might be one. The very heart of the biblical vision for the unity of humankind is that its center is not an imperial power but a slain Lamb.” - Lesslie Newbigin (The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, p. 159).

The Spirit of God is like our breath.  God’s spirit is more intimate to us than we are to ourselves.  We might not often be aware of it, but without it we cannot live a ‘spiritual life.’   It is the Holy Spirit of God who prays in us, who offers us the gifts of love, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, peace, and joy.  It is the Holy Spirit who offers us the life that death cannot destroy.  Let us always pray:  ‘Come, Holy Spirit, come.’” - Henri Nouwen

Originally uploaded by tschritter

One dark night, a young woman was walking home from work. Her path took her through the cemetery. As she approached the cemetery gates, she began to tremble. Suddenly, she saw a man walking along the road. The woman stopped him and asked him to escort her home. He agreed and as they passed through the cemetery, the woman clung to him and trembled.

“Why are you trembling?”, asked the man.

“It is terrible”, said the woman. “I am very afraid of the dead.”

The man was surprised and replied, “Why be afraid of us?”

HT: SFK

Empty cross_9169

Originally uploaded by jhorine

O Lord, you know the world in which we live.
You dwelt among us and lived the suffering of the human condition.
You took upon yourself the weight of injustice and evil.
You see the entire world in this moment and no instance of pain escapes your attention.

We consider your cross, Jesus, and how hopeless it once appeared,
And we rejoice in your transforming power that brought about victory and new life from such a moment of darkness and despair.
We will say, “Jesus has triumphed! Jesus is exalted!”
We trust in your everlasting triumph and look to you with hope.
Teach us to live in a world so torn apart.
May your kingdom come in the midst of our suffering and pain.

Take some time to pray for those who suffer throughout the world and for those ministering to them in Christ’s name.

Top 10 Cities Visiting this Blog in April 2012
1. Los Angeles
2. London
3. New York
4. Lansing
5. Washington D.C.
6. Redmond
7. Dallas
8. San Diego
9. Chicago
10. Ann Arbor

Top 10 Countries Visiting this Blog in April 2012
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Australia
5. Philippines
6. India
7. Netherlands
8. Indonesia
9. Germany
10. South Africa

Friends cannot replace God.  They have limitations and weaknesses like we have.  Their love is never faultless, never complete.  But in their limitations they can be signposts on our journey towards the unlimited and unconditional love of God.  Let’s enjoy the friends whom God has sent on our way.” - Henri Nouwen

JR: What do you expect will be the biggest critique of your book and why?

Mark: Mmm good question. I would like to think that people might have a problem with me using Jack Kerouac as a motif throughout the book considering how he is viewed both by Christians and those outside of the Church but if I am honest I think that it will be another issue that touches on Church. In the book I ask the question “what if the problem is us not the Church?’, I make the case that our expectations of church historically have been rather low, yet in our day we expect Church to meet every need, to blow our minds, I see this across the board in mega churches, but also in small missional churches, in new reformed Churches. When I have raised this questions as I have gone around people are shocked. Lots of Christians have invested heavily in the whole ‘Church is bad’ message, so when I put it back on us people can get very defensive. A whole industry has sprung up alongside the evangelical subculture which essentially critiques the movement yet is dependent upon it for life. I call it the deconstructive christian movement. It is big on critique but small on solution. It plays well to those raised in the evangelical heartland but does not resonate with those who are truly multi-generationaly removed from the Church. We are entering a post-secular moment which if we will miss if are not attentive, I am trying to address that, so those who are tied up in deconstructive Christianity can often miss what I am trying to say.

JR: Finally, much of the book addresses American culture, yet you live in Australia. Why did you feel the need to address such American themes.

Mark: Well firstly the ideas for this book came to me during two speaking trips to the US. As I was traveling I realized that two missionary movements have come out of the US. The first is the Christian missionary movement, the US has sent an incredible amount of missionaries throughout the world, through media and publishing the Christian US voice dominates the global Christian conversation. Yet at the same time, the US has exported another gospel, another form of good news. A hedonistic, individualist approach to life, which I term ‘The Road’ At the end of world war two Europe lost its place of cultural influence, it had been bombed to pieces and had reached this nihilistic place philosophically. After the war the US stepped into the breech, exporting to the world through popular culture a sunnier, sexier version of nihilism, which would shape the baby boomers. If you look at the stats in most Western countries the rapid decline of the Church occurred in the sixties when the boomers entered into adulthood. So I felt like a good detective I had to return to the scene of the crime to try and work out what had happened.

I think you will find Mark’s book a fascinating read.  You can order it from Amazon at a great savings right now.  Hope you enjoyed the interview.

HT: BetterPhoto.com