The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches Are Transforming Mission, Discipleship and Community - Softcover

Sparks, Paul; Soerens, Tim; Friesen, Dwight J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0830841156 ISBN 13: 9780830841158

Publisher: IVP, 2014

Synopsis

Title: The New Parish( How Neighborhood Churches Are Transforming Mission Discipleship and Community) <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: PaulSparks <>Publisher: IVPBooks

About this title

Review

"Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens and Dwight J. Friesen have seen . . . how powerful the gospel can be when it takes root in the context of a place, at the intersection of geography, economy and culture. This is not a new idea, the concept of a parish is as old as Paul's letters to the various communities of the ancient church. But in an age of dislocation and disengagement, the notion of a church that knows its place and gives itself to where it finds itself is like a breath of fresh air, like a sign of new life."--Light Magazine Canada, June/July 2014

"The authors offer fresh insights into the fragmentation of Western Christianity and explain why moving from megachurches to neighborhood churches is impacting the spread of the gospel."--CBA Retailers + Resources, April 2014

"As someone who is doing church as parish, I have found this book a very helpful guide in practically answering what a church could look like as it is lived in community. What I also appreciate is the authors do not gloss over the challenges presented and the hard work involved in developing a new parish. They acknowledge the journey is complex, the transition difficult, and experienced guides are few. This is a resource that will definitely be a textbook for those wanting to embrace a localized view of church in years to come."--Dave Harder, Mennonite Brethren Herald, May 2014

"The authors explore how the limitations of staying rooted in a particular place actually provide opportunities for transformation and mission. This is a counterintuitive notion for churches that have bought into the mobile and transient values of our culture."--David Swanson, Christianity Today 2015 Book Awards, January/February 2015

"This book introduces a way of understanding the local church grounded in appreciation for where and when God has placed it. . . . Church leaders who get that they need to learn to see and listen first of all--to God and to their parish context--will cultivate practices of discernment for themselves and the communities they lead. In this way they will 'spark the communal imagination toward Spirit-led action in the parish' and--as the stories in the book demonstrate--plant seeds for ministry that will bear much fruit."--Aileen Van Ginkel, Faith Today, November/December 2015

About the Author

Paul Sparks is a frequent speaker and consultant for groups seeking to understand the transition toward more local forms of everyday ecclesial life. He curates a growing faith community in Tacoma, Washington.

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0830841156
• ISBN 13: 9780830841158
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208