On the Verge is a book that combines some rather deep and strategic thinking on the church of the future along with content of great interest to practitioners as well. This is due in part to the passions of the two authors. Alan is a missiologist encouraging the church to return to its roots and create a high-impact apostolic Jesus movement. Dave has roots as a church planter and is now the pastor of Community Christian Church, a mega-church in Chicago.
The authors lay out a model for apostolic movement which they refer to as movementum: imagine - shift - innovate - move. They attempt to "reimagine the church in apostolic perspective". A key discussion is that of the missional DNA called "The Apostolic Genius. Verge churches combine exponential thinking, church-growth practices, and incarnational mission approaches. Throughout the book a 'both-and' approach is taken.
The core mDNA, or the Apostolic Genius, is a their paradigmatic center comprised of:
- Jesus is Lord
- Disciple-making
- Missional-incarnational impulse
- Apostolic environment
- Organic systems
- Communitas
I don't want to sound too negative - there really is some excellent material, and church planters and thought leaders in the church would do well to struggle through it. And Ferguson and others in these kinds of movements are seeing fruit. If you were a fan of Alan's "Forgotten Ways," embrace postmodern paradigms and long to see fresh apostolic reexpressions of church, chances are very good you will love On the Verge. Modern thinkers, church leaders wondering how to help their congregation take first steps towards more missional living, and those who eschew neologisms are not likely to connect well with this book.
Check out an excerpt of On the Verge for yourself, or get a copy at Amazon or other retailers.
6 comments:
Thanks for posting this review Larry!
You're welcome Mason! I'll need to revisit the book later after I've become a little more acquainted with the authors vision and writing style.
Your observation about deconstruction made me smile. There's an inherent impass in convincing others of the truthfulness of the side that is deconstructing because they are practising the very thing they are challenging. Shatter the molds, but don't shatter OUR molds.
Thanks for posting your thoughts. Blessings to you.
Good point Paul :) Here's my analogy - in some circles there seems to be chasm in thought and practice (eg emerging vs traditional church). Deconstruction alone, even when points are true, is like lobbing fireballs over the chasm. At some point, somebody needs to build a bridge across the chasm. I loved the book "Deep Church" for its attempt to do just that, respecting whatever good is found on each side.
Thanks for dropping by!
Excellent analogy, Larry.
I do get the sense that the authors mean well in the book. They intend to influence the church to think more missionally, which is biblical and it is needed. However, as you've elegantly pointed out, they see a divide where I see a blending.
Absolutely! These guys have a great heart and are rather smart. There is definitely a divide in understanding which leads to significant differences in practice. Like you I'm hopeful for more of a blend solution that can be reached when both sides better understand the other - and the advantages the others bring. I appreciate the "Both-And" mentality in the book. It's actually pretty rare for someone to strongly favor both missional/relational organic planting and megachurch church growth proponents at the same time. A Venn diagram on pg 43 shows these two working together, along with exponential systems - these three together is the secret sauce of the "Verge church" :)
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