Forgotten Ways, The: Reactivating the Missional Church | Alan Hirsch

Forgotten Ways, The: Reactivating the Missional Church | Alan Hirsch | The Forgotten Ways

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Forgotten Ways, Th...

	Forgotten Ways, The: Reactivating the Missional Church Alan Hirsch Brazos Press, 2007 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 26 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Alan Hirsch is convinced that the inherited formulas for growing the Body of Christ do not work anymore. And rather than relying on slightly revised solutions from the past, he sees a vision of the future growth of the church coming about by harnessing the power of the early church, which grew from as few as 25,000 adherents in AD 100 to up to 20 million in AD 310. Such incredible growth is also being experienced today in the church in China and other parts of the world. How do they do it? The Forgotten Ways explores the concept of Apostolic Genius as a way to understand what caused the church to expand at various times in history, interpreting it for use in our own time and place. From the theological underpinnings to the practical application, Hirsch takes the reader through this dynamic mixture of passion, prayer, and incarnational practice to rediscover the dormant potential of the modern church in the West.

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Fantastic! Provokes good thinking and self examination!

Alan's written a great reminder: The Truth of the Word is increasingly being hidden from view by the organized church. Unintentionally perhaps, but it's the net effect.

Additionally, the not-yet-Christians have gotten an increasingly distorted view of who Jesus is and what He said. Alan also presents and consistently reinforces a great reminder that it's not a pastor's job to tell others about Jesus - this responsibility belongs to all believers. He reminds us that if The Word is actually READ and taken seriously, we will all be on the mission that Jesus intended.

The primary "Forgotten Way" is that we need to go into the world (not expect them to come to us), in the same way that Jesus came into the world. (He did say "go", he didn't say, "build new tabernacles everywhere...")

One concept Alan discusses is "cultural distance". He suggests that "attractional model" used by most churches is (unfortunately) becoming incresingly irrelevant as an effective form of outreach. He shows - and footnotes with stats - that the slice of the population that COULD be interested in visiting a church is decreasing at an alarming rate.

TO BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR: There isn't a complete dismissal or full condemnation of the organized church (although in my opinion some may be due), it's part of the overall equation if our intended outcome is to reach all people. In the book there is a lot of discussion about how (and for how long) the attractional model alone is insufficient to get the job done.

This is a must read for all followers of Jesus. This is not a book that you should consider a "for pastors and seminary students" book. It's for you - especially if you grew up in the church or have been in one for a long time. Read it with an open mind and have your Bible handy for references. It's a great way to review your own motivations - and contrast them with what Jesus said he wanted us to do. The book is VERY well footnoted - something I found quite refreshing.

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The Forgotten Ways

Investigates Missional DNA (mDNA) and Apostolic Genius. Excellent insight into how the early Church flourished in spite of pressures to kill the Jesus Movement. This is not light reading ... you STUDY this one! Highly recommend!

A great introduction to missional thinking and practice!

Hirsch introduces us to mDNA, the missional DNA of a church or ministry body. This is an extremely useful book to help an existing congregation revision itself and reform itself into a missional community.

A bit too early

Hirsch's work does a good job of helping us rediscover mission and how the role/gift/whatever of the apostle is something that we have placed off into the corner of the church should be renewed. I appreciated his passion for how the apostle as a missional and theological source is needed, but I felt that his book lacked examples of how this is really being worked out. I think his thoughts are grand, but I wonder if the book is out a bit too early and if we'd be better serve by a book that works out some of the implications of his thoughts.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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