Alan J Roxburgh

Inspired by an incarnational theology that emerges from a missional reading of Luke 10, Chung and Meehan went out to discover the stories of contemporary disciples who labor in the harvest fields of God's uncommon, upside down Kingdom. The stories that emerge describe the work and presence of the Spirit in communities across North America, where ordinary, faithful people and churches embrace the Spirit's invitation by sharing themselves with their neighbors. Our need to connect with neighbors seems more difficult now than ever but Chung and Meehan say we shouldn't be afraid of change and to listen to the Spirit's prodding. By sharing stories on how to 'go local' by remaining faithfully present the authors encourage us to embrace our neighborhoods and join Jesus by loving people in the tangible, ordinariness of life.

The awareness that the churches shaped out of the European Reformations are in an advanced process of unraveling is becoming increasingly sensed by many. This book proposes a way of addressing this unraveling based on the experiences and knowledge of people who have always had to struggle with the unraveling of their own communities and worlds. It takes us outside the circular conversations of the Euro-tribal churches into dialogue with people who have been marginalized to see how they have learned to reenter their formative stories to discover ways of remaking themselves in the unraveling. The book then turns these discoveries into ways the churches can engage their own massive unraveling.

The awareness that the churches shaped out of the European Reformations are in an advanced process of unraveling is becoming increasingly sensed by many. This book proposes a way of addressing this unraveling based on the experiences and knowledge of people who have always had to struggle with the unraveling of their own communities and worlds. It takes us outside the circular conversations of the Euro-tribal churches into dialogue with people who have been marginalized to see how they have learned to reenter their formative stories to discover ways of remaking themselves in the unraveling. The book then turns these discoveries into ways the churches can engage their own massive unraveling.

Leaders in congregations and Christian organizations wrestle with an unraveling of the world in which they have little experience and training. While they are offered unending resources by experts on leadership, some with claims to biblical blueprints, the challenges seem mismatched to those methods. Branson and Roxburgh frame the situation as one in which "modernity's wager"-the conviction that God is not necessary for life and wisdom and meaning-has defined the Western imagination. Because churches and leaders are colonized by this ethos, even when God is named and beliefs are claimed, approaches to leadership are blind to God's agency. Branson and Roxburgh approach this challenge as a work in practical theology, attending to our cultural context, narratives of God's disruptive initiatives in Scripture, and a reshaping of leadership theories with a priority on God's agency. With years of experience as teachers, consultants, and guides, they name practices which lead to more faithful participation. Leadership, God's Agency, and Disruptions is wide-ranging in cultural and biblical scholarship, challenging in its engagement with numerous leadership studies, and practical with its focus toward the on-the-ground life of churches and organizations.

Leaders in congregations and Christian organizations wrestle with an unraveling of the world in which they have little experience and training. While they are offered unending resources by experts on leadership, some with claims to biblical blueprints, the challenges seem mismatched to those methods. Branson and Roxburgh frame the situation as one in which "modernity's wager"-the conviction that God is not necessary for life and wisdom and meaning-has defined the Western imagination. Because churches and leaders are colonized by this ethos, even when God is named and beliefs are claimed, approaches to leadership are blind to God's agency. Branson and Roxburgh approach this challenge as a work in practical theology, attending to our cultural context, narratives of God's disruptive initiatives in Scripture, and a reshaping of leadership theories with a priority on God's agency. With years of experience as teachers, consultants, and guides, they name practices which lead to more faithful participation. Leadership, God's Agency, and Disruption is wide-ranging in cultural and biblical scholarship, challenging in its engagement with numerous leadership studies, and practical with its focus toward the on-the-ground life of churches and organizations.

• Speaks to the bewilderment and helplessness many churches feel in the face of current events • Practical new interpretation of changes in the West Throughout its history, the church has faced crises of meaning and identity in all kinds of changing contexts. The crises facing the churches of the western hemisphere today are no different. At their best, churches have recognized that their challenge is not their own fixing or even “reformation” but a deep engagement with the ways the gospel transforms society. This book explores how this can happen again in a radically changing western world.

Exhausted with trying to “fix” the church? It’s time to turn in a new direction: back to the Holy Spirit. In this insightful book, internationally renowned scholar and leader Alan Roxburgh urges Christians to follow the Spirit into our neighborhoods, re-engage with the mission of God, and re-imagine the whole enterprise of church. Joining God, Remaking Church, and Changing the World can guide any church — large or small, suburban or urban, denomination-level or local parish — to become a vital center for spirituality and mission.• Distills the best of mission wisdom for laity and clergy today• Roxburgh is a leading voice shaping church life ecumenically and globally Alan Roxburgh offers deep hope and concrete steps forward for churches struggling with life in a post-Christian culture. By entering more deeply into the stories of the Bible, our own stories, and the lives of our neighbors, we join God’s life in the world. This is one of the most helpful books I have read, full of clear analysis and practical wisdom.— Dwight Zscheile, associate professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary and author of People of the Way and The Agile ChurchJoining God invites you to embark on the journey you always wanted to take. In this book you will find: Courage: Alan Roxburgh is unafraid to admit the unraveling of what we’ve been and calls us to move into new places. Faith: The Spirit is going ahead of us into our neighborhoods. Ancient/future: The answer isn’t flashy promotions but deeper discipleship and community. Hope: When we dare to move outside our walls, we’ll find work to do and our calling renewed.— Philip Clayton, scholar, activist and author of Transforming Christian Theology Drawing on his years of experience with missional church theology and practice, Roxburgh outlines our attempts to end church decline and opens up fresh vision: What if the unraveling of the church is God’s way of leading us out of bondage to American culture into God’s new Exodus? What if God is inviting us to shift our focus and to discern and join God’s presence and work in our neighborhoods? This book outlines practical steps congregations can embrace to experiment with this new/old way of living the Gospel locally. Engaging these practices will not be easy. And learning from God and neighbors how to participate in local missional experiments might actually transform both congregations and society. Don’t just read this book … gather a group to experiment with this “way” in practice!— Gordon Scruton, Retired Bishop of the Diocese of Western MassachusettsDrawing on his work as a consultant, researcher, sociologist and teacher, Roxburgh invites congregations to build bridges between their churches and their neighborhoods. He outlines a way for congregations to reclaim their apostolic roots, a process that is rooted in scripture and grounded in prayer. His is a challenge to be faithful to the Gospel and to reap the benefits of commitment and creativity.— Mark Beckwith, Bishop of the Diocese of Newark