Navigating the Future: Traditioned Innovation for Wilder Seas - Softcover

Jones

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1791015956 ISBN 13: 9781791015954

Publisher: Abingdon, 2021

Synopsis

Fresh Expressions is a canary in the coal mine, alerting congregations to reevaluate what the Church is, where and when it can happen, and who can lead it. Church as we know it is inaccessible to most people. A fundamental premise of the movement is that Church can become accessible again by emerging in every nook and cranny where life already happens. Fresh Expressions is based in simplification, returning to basic scriptural principles, and a recovery of a “priesthood of all believers”—in the three places where people live and relate to others. First Place: The home or primary place of residence. Second Place: The workplace or school place. Third Place: The public places separate from the two usual social environments of home and workplace, which host regular, voluntary, informal, and neutral spaces of communion and play. Examples are environments such as cafes, pubs, theaters, parks, and so on. During a pandemic, our two primary mission spaces were closed off; the second and third places were shut down. We couldn’t have Tattoo Parlor Church; the tattoo parlor was closed. We couldn’t gather in Moe’s Southwest Grill for Burritos and Bibles; they were doing take-out only. The dog park was empty; no Paws of Praise. This limited us to the only spaces we have left: the first place, or the home place. The digital place, or the “space of flows.” This forces us into recognizing the digital space as its own kind of third place, a new missional frontier.

About this title

About the Authors

Andrew P. Hogue is Associate Dean for Engaged Learning in the College of Arts & Sciences at Baylor University in Waco, TX. He previously directed the Baylor Social Innovation Collaborative and the Baylor Philanthropy Initiative, and he teaches courses across a broad range of topics, including philanthropy and civil society, social innovation, and politics. He is author of Stumping God: Reagan, Carter, and the Invention of a Political Faith.

The Reverend Dr. L. Gregory Jones is the Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Jr. Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry and Dean at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC. He previously served as Executive Vice President and Provost at Baylor University. Prior to that he was senior strategist for leadership education at Duke Divinity School where he served as senior strategist for the Fuqua-Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke's Fuqua School of Business. A noted scholar, teacher, and church leader, he is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including the acclaimed Embodying Forgiveness.

Edition details

• Publisher: Abingdon
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1791015956
• ISBN 13: 9781791015954
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 258