Martyn Atkins

The church isn't about programs, buildings, or attendance, but about a community of people embodying God's presence and purpose in the world.Okay, but . . . then what? To truly embrace this statement leads to radically different ways of doing the daily work of ministry.Preparing to discard the old ways. Saving Church is a prophetic call for the future that will help you reframe, retrieve, and reclaim the Church's role as a healing force in the world.The 21st-century Church is in a state of distress. In the pulpit and the pews, people are disquieted, disenchanted, and dispirited. Some are afraid the church they love won't be there for the next generation, while others feel tired and desperate for something more. With skepticism on the rise and church attendance down, churches have a choice: cling to the way things were or stop and ask, "Could God want to do something new in and through us?" Saving Church is a hopeful, authentic vision for the future of the Church, rooted in the convictions that: 1) The Church is still God's chosen vehicle for accomplishing His purposes. 2) Things aren't going back to the way they were - and they shouldn't.Combining the expertise and experiences of two giants of missional theology and the Fresh Expressions movement, Saving Church will give you a fresh perspective on what church can be and help you reframe, retrieve, and reclaim the Church's role as a healing, saving force in the world.

The Inspector-General of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service was, without doubt, the highest-ranking foreigner in the Chinese Government. His position at the heart of China's fiscal, commercial and mercantile systems was crucial to the continued prosperity of the foreign business community in Shanghai and elsewhere. This work draws on unpublished British Foreign Office records and other contemporary sources to support its examination of the issues surrounding the appointment of a new Inspector-General in 1928, and the bitterness and intrigue which these issues engendered. The underlying debate between the British Legation in Peking and the Foreign Office in London illustrates the dilemma of a diplomatic establishment no longer able to rely upon the use of force to defend British interests in China.

The Inspector-General of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service was, without doubt, the highest-ranking foreigner in the Chinese Government. His position at the heart of China's fiscal, commercial and mercantile systems was crucial to the continued prosperity of the foreign business community in Shanghai and elsewhere. This work draws on unpublished British Foreign Office records and other contemporary sources to support its examination of the issues surrounding the appointment of a new Inspector-General in 1928, and the bitterness and intrigue which these issues engendered. The underlying debate between the British Legation in Peking and the Foreign Office in London illustrates the dilemma of a diplomatic establishment no longer able to rely upon the use of force to defend British interests in China.