The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church

by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

Book Overview

In a time when the need for and the relevance of the Gospel has seldom been greater, the relevance of the church has seldom been less. The Shaping of Things to Come explores why the church needs to rebuild itself from the bottom up. Frost and Hirsch present a clear understanding of how the church can change to face the unique challenges of the twenty-first century. This missional classic has been thoroughly revised and updated.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801014913
• ISBN13: 9780801014918
• Release Date: March 2013
• Publisher: Baker Books
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up

Customer Reviews

Rock The Boat

You will need some time to read this book. The authors present a new paradigm for doing church and missions in our time. They show us something we already know, that the current model (they call Christendom) is failing - and that attempts to maintain the status quo are costing us ground. I will resist the urge to tell you what I found in this book - it would take too long and others have done this well. If you are tired of the current model of pastoral/teacher, bring the lost to church, sing, give, preach, do it again next Sunday... then read this book. Let's rock the boat and start a revolution - let's be bold and creative about how we do Christianity. Let the Holy Spirit work in us today so that we can be couragous like the followers of Jesus were in the early days of the church!

The Shaping of Things to Come

"Ivan Illich was once asked what is the most revolutionary way to change society. Is it violent revolution or is it gradual reform? He gave a careful answer. Neither. If you want to change society, then you must tell an alternative story." Tim Costello Passionate.. idealistic.. imaginative... seminal.. incisive.. visionary.. these are some of the words that come to mind as I consider my six weeks living with "The Shaping of Things to Come." A gripping exegesis of culture, church and history, with some careful theological reflection along the way, Frost and Hirsch contribute to the dialogue on innovation and mission and end up with re-imagining eccelesiology against the backdrop of emerging culture. The book is organized into four sections and twelve chapters. Instead of an intro a subheading appears: "You must read this bit first." This section is like a manifesto where the authors declare some of their bias - toward missional efforts rather than revitalization (outward vs inward) - that the small and experimental groups around the world may be the best hope of Christianity - that they intend to reshape ecclesiology around mission. The authors consider themselves missionaries more than academics. In this short section they define two important terms: institutional and missional. Rather than a sociological definition they use a functional one: the church has been an institution to which outsiders come in order to receive a certain product. They argue that the church must redefine itself in terms of mission: to take the gospel to and incarnate the gospel in specific cultural contexts. Part One "The Shape We're In" 1. Evolution or Revolution? 2. The Missional Church Part Two "Incarnational Ecclesiology" 3. The Incarnational Approach 4. The Shape of the Missional Church 5. The Contextualized Church 6. Whispering to the Soul Part Three "Messianic Spirituality" 7. The God of Israel and the Renewal of Christianity 8. Action as Sacrament 9. The Medium Really is the Message Part Four "Apostolic Leadership" 10. The Genius of APEPT 11. Imagination and the Leadership Task 12. Organizing the Revolution Chapter 1 argues that tweaking the system will be of no avail. We do not need an evolution, we need revolution. The authors quote Einstein that "the kind of thinking that will solve the world's problems will be of a different order than the kind that created those problems in the first place." We need to step out of the box of Christendom. Christendom, as opposed to the movement Jesus initiated (Christianity), has been the dominant religious force in the world for 1700 years. Under Constantine Christianity moved from a subversive, marginalized and persecuted movement to the favorite religion of the empire. "Christianity moved from being a dynamic .. movement.. to being a religious institution with its attendant structures, priesthood and sacraments." The authors note that GOCN has elucidated twelve feature

Outside the box?...No where near the box.

Most books I enjoy I read in a matter of a week or two. I'm in month number two with this book. Not because I don't enjoy it, quite the opposite. I enjoy it so much and it's so thought provoking I have to chew on and savor it as much as possible. The book challenges the very foundations of western Christendom, especially how and why we do church. It acknowledges the evolution of western culture from modern to postmodern and postChristian as well as points out that the Christiandom church remains firmly rooted in the Renaissance. The authors (who are knee deep in the application of their theories) challenge almost every aspect of the modern "church." They take great effort in getting the reader to think outside the box and imagine what church could be. Another strength of the book is the author's refusal to give instructions on how to create what they call the "incarnational, messianic church." They use examples of some that have been started, but won't allow for their vision to become a 5 step program or formal institution (even though human history suggests its inevitability). Rather, they allow the reader's imagination to roam limitlessly and encourage the reader to aspire and create unique, functional and wonderful communities that give Jesus to people. In general I dislike most Christian literature. It's too formulaic and/or narrow-minded. But this book will remain in my top 10 for a long time, along with books like; "Blue Like Jazz," "Traveling Mercies," The Ragamuffin Gospel," "Searching for God Knows What," "Eternity in Their Hearts," "A New Kind of Christian," and "Let Me Tell You A Story."

read slowly, let it sink in

this is one of those books which must be read a few pages at a time. At this point in the conversation, most "emerging church" books are saying much the same thing, recycling some already covered concepts or mired in criticism of "what is" without providing a clear vision of "what could be." Not this book- new ways of looking at things, excellent insights for leadership as well as solid, missional thinking add up to an inspiring book that you'll have to put down often, simply to think about what you've just read.