Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil: Theology and PracticeNational headlines regularly herald the decline of Christianity in the United States, citing historically low levels of confidence in organized religion, drops in church attendance, church closures, and the dramatic rise of the "Nones." Scarcely heard are stories from the thousands of new churches and new forms of church that are springing up each year across the country. In this book, Christopher James attends carefully to stories of ecclesial innovation taking place in Seattle, Washington - a city on the leading edge of trends shaping the nation as a whole. James's study of the new churches founded in "post-Christian" Seattle offers both pragmatic advice and theological reflection. After an in-depth survey- and -interview-based analysis of the different models of church-building he identifies, James identifies five threads of practical wisdom: 1) embracing local identity and mission, 2) cultivating embodied, experiential, everyday spirituality, 3) engaging community life as means of witness and formation, 4) prioritizing hospitality as a cornerstone practice, and 5) discovering ecclesial vitality in a diverse ecclesial ecology. Stimulating, encouraging, and stereotype-shattering, this book invites readers to reconsider the narrative that portrays these first decades of the twenty-first century as a time of ecclesial death and decline, and to view this instead as a hope-filled season of ecclesial renewal and rebirth. |
Contents
Looking for the Future of Church in the None Zone | 1 |
Seattle as a FutureTrending Context | 13 |
2 Surveying the Field | 31 |
3 Modeling Church | 64 |
4 Models of Practical Ecclesiology Among New Seattle Churches | 85 |
5 Missional Theological Assessment | 138 |
6 Renewing Practice in the Models | 184 |
7 Practical Wisdom from the Frontier of Faith | 207 |
Research Methodology | 243 |
New Seattle Churches Survey | 249 |
Interview Guide for Pastors | 257 |
Notes | 259 |
| 323 | |
| 339 | |
Other editions - View all
Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil: Theology and Practice Christopher James Limited preview - 2017 |
Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil: Theology and Practice Christopher James Limited preview - 2017 |
Common terms and phrases
affiliation approach Branson chapter Christ Christian Christian witness church planting Commission Team congregational Conservative Protestant context conversation cultural denominational discern disciples discipleship diverse ecclesial ecumenical embodied emerging churches Evangelical Facebook faith focus forms gatherings GCT churches Gelder and Zscheile God’s gospel Grand Rapids healing hospitality HS churches human Ibid identified identity important Jesus Jesus's last modified Lesslie Newbigin living mainline Protestant Mars Hill Church megachurch ministry missio Dei Missional Church missional communities missional identity Missional Theological Assessment missional theology missionary multicultural multisite NC churches Neighborhood Incarnation neighbors Newbigin nondenominational offer paradigm parish participation Pastor patterns Pentecostal perspective Pew Research Center PlantIng In Post-ChrIstIan Post-ChrIstIan soIl practical ecclesiological models practical ecclesiology practical wisdom practitioners prayer presence priority progressive proposals reflection Reign relationships Religion religious renewal Sacramental Seattle churches Seattle's seek share significant social social media spiritual tradition U.S. Census Bureau urban worship