Creating a Missional Culture

by Woodward, J. R.; Hirsch, Alan

• ISBN13: 9780830836536
• ISBN10: 0830836535
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-10-01
• Publisher: Ivp Books

Summary

Once upon a time, Moses had had enough.Exhausted by the challenge of leading the Israelites from slavery to the Promised Land, Moses cried out to God, "What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? . . . If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me" (Exodus 11:11, 15).If that sounds hauntingly familiar to you, you may be the senior pastor of a contemporary church. The burden of Christian leadership is becoming increasingly unbearable--demanding skills not native to the art of pastoring; demanding time that makes sabbath rest and even normal sleep patterns seem extravagant; demanding inhuman levels of efficiency, proficiency and even saintliness.No wonder pastors seem and even feel less human these days. No wonder they burn out or break down at an alarming rate; no wonder the church is missing the mark on its mission.InCreating a Missional Culture,JR Woodward offers a bold and surprisingly refreshing model for churches--not small adjustments around the periphery of a church's infrastructure but a radical revisioning of how a church ought to look, from its leadership structure to its mobilization of the laity. The end result looks surprisingly like the church that Jesus created and the apostles cultivated: a church not chasing the wind but rather going into the world and making disciples of Jesus.

Author Biography

JR Woodward is a church planter, activist, consultant, missiologist, speaker and writer. He cofounded Kairos Los Angeles and the Ecclesia Network, a relational network of missional churches. He is the director of the Solis Foundation, which partners with churches in Kenya to equip and resource people living in extreme poverty to create sustainable businesses. He blogs at jrwoodward.net.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	p. 9
Foreword	p. 11
Acknowledgments	p. 15
Introduction	p. 19
The Power of Culture
What Is Missional Culture and Why Does It Matter?	p. 25
How Culture Works	p. 34
What's Going On in the Culture of the Church You Serve?	p. 45
Polycentric Leadership and Missional Culture	p. 55
A Leadership Imagination that Shapes Missional Culture
Facing Today's Challenges	p. 65
Hearing the Story	p. 77
Deepening Theological Roots	p. 88
Embracing Emotional Health	p. 97
Relinquishing the Need to Control	p. 103
The Five Culture Creators
Jesus the Archetypical Culture Creator	p. 113
Apostles: Dream Awakeners	p. 123
Prophets: Heart Revealers	p. 131
Evangelists: Story Tellers	p. 141
Pastors: Soul Healers	p. 150
Teachers: Light Givers	p. 160
Embodying a Missional Culture
The Cultural Web and the Neighborhood Church	p. 171
Cultivating Missional Environments	p. 186
Cultivating an Equipping Ethos	p. 197
Polycentric Leadership at Work	p. 209
Equippers and Their Roles	p. 225
Equipper Candidate Reference Form	p. 230
Equipper Candidate Interview	p. 239
Notes	p. 243
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