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  Jeremy Hoover's Ministry Website

Quick Book Reviews: Mission and Evangelism

1/22/2011

4 Comments

 
See this thread that details my project to read at least 52 books this year. At that thread I list each book I've read and provide a brief summary of it. I'm writing these three brief book reviews in one post to provide a little more context.

The Missional Mom by Helen Lee

I read this book because it came highly recommended on a website I think highly of. Sadly, I was disappointed with it. Although I appreciated the variety of topics that Lee chose to write about, and her emphasis on her church, I was turned off by an incident related early in the book that I completely disagreed with. My view of this incident affected the way I viewed Lee's entire project.  Perhaps the most valuable lesson I learned from Lee's book is this: you can be both missional and a member of a "traditional" church. I already knew this, but I think many "missional" books underemphasize (or omit) this connection.

Update (2/14/2001): I want to be more positive about this book. As I've thought more about it, it was not right for me to largely dismiss the book because of what I disagreed with early on. In fact, Helen Lee has offered a very accessible primer on missional living. I don't have a particularly large collection of missional books, but of what I do have, Lee's book is perhaps the cleanest and simplest introduction to missional living. In other words, if I had to give someone one book on missional living out of my collection, I would more than likely give Lee's to a person.

Right Here, Right Now by Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford

I always enjoy reading Hirsch's books. Though I find them too theoretical for what they are, they are also filled with practical ideas and concepts. This book is no different. Hirsch wrote the first and last chapter and provides insights throughout the book. Ford wrote the majority of the book. The two worked out a good pattern--the book is engaging, interesting, theologically sound and theologically practical. I recommend it if you want to learn how to engage people in mission for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Church Planting is for Wimps by Mike McKinley

I loved this book! I'm finding that anything in the 9Marks series hits the mark, so to speak. McKinley was an intern at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and followed Mark Dever's suggestion that he plant in a church in northern Virginia. His efforts led him and his wife to revitalize an already existing church, rather than plant a new one. This short book details how he went about the process of revitalization, with an emphasis on gathering around the word of God, maintaining integrity with the membership rolls, creating an accurate and useful statement of faith, and changing the church's constitution and by-laws to organize around biblical leadership (elders). A final chapter encourages a dedication to faithfulness, not numbers. Very encouraging! I highly recommend this book for anyone in church ministry.

It was interesting to read these three books inside of the same way. In my opinion, too many books written from a supposedly missional orientation leave the organizational church out. They include discussions of the church but with much more nuance. For example, Hirsch and Ford tell a story about a group who had bush walking as a hobby but could only meet on Sunday. This became their "church." I'm personally uncomfortable with designating this activity "church." That doesn't mean it's wrong; this is still something I'm processing as I study scripture and keep reading. To me, despite the problems I had with Lee's book, one strength was her ability to create a bridge between the organizational church and missional activity.

McKinley's book focused more on the outreach activities of the church as evangelism. In my opinion, many missionally-oriented books simply describe ways of evangelizing people with integrity. These writers and practitioners cringe at the traditional methods of evangelism, as do I. But evangelism can be done properly and with integrity. There is much to learn from the missional movement and their books about evangelism without throwing away the organizational church (despite its flaws). McKinley fills in these gaps and provides the necessary building blocks while maintaining a witness to the community around the church.
4 Comments
Nathan H link
1/23/2011 11:04:45 pm

Jeremy, I would love to read the church planting book. I know that I won't get to it right away, but I would definitely like to in the near future. Thanks!

Reply
Helen Lee link
2/11/2011 02:47:22 pm

Jeremy, I'm sorry you were disappointed with the book! I know it is not a perfect offering by any means, and I also know that not everyone who reads it will enjoy or agree with all of it. But I'm so curious to know more about the incident you refer to above. If it is something that bothered you, it will likely bother others so I'd love to be aware of the issue. In any case, I completely respect your opinion and I do appreciate that you took the time to read my book. Blessings to you and your ministry!

Reply
Jeremy link
2/13/2011 09:46:38 pm

Hi Helen,

Thanks for writing. I'm going to send you an email. On second thought, there was much of value in your book. I reacted to one thing and it affected how I viewed the rest of the book. But I did really like your emphasis on joining missionality with a local church.

Reply
Helen Lee link
2/14/2011 03:55:53 am

Jeremy,
No apologies necessary! I appreciate your willingness to blog about the book (and thank you for the positive affirmation you gave in the above update!) I'm glad we had the chance to dialogue more about it. Christians may not always agree, but it's wonderful when they can interact about their differences of opinion in a charitable way. Blessings to you on your continued good work both online and offline.

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    This blog is for articles and book reviews. I post my sermons at my Sermons page, where you can listen to sermons online or download them in MP3 format.

    Although I work for the Otisville Church of Christ in Otisville, Michigan, this blog represents my own thoughts and does not necessarily correspond to the views and workings of the Otisville Church of Christ.

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