Some new books in the Otago library

When I knew I was going to be teaching this paper on the missional church, I ordered several dozen books for the University of Otago library. Some of them are directly related to the missional church, and others are simply about trends in church life. Some of them came in after I prepared the course book last spring. I spent a lot of the summer reading the books I’d ordered, and I want to tell you about some more of them. All of these are in the Otago library, so you can request them.

The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier by Tony Jones. I told you that I studied American emergent churches as a part of my PhD, and I loved this book. Jones does a great job describing the ways emergent churches are engaging in ministry in new ways. Because I resonate so strongly with what they're doing, I was surprised at the opposition they have received, and Jones explains the issues that have caused them to get criticism.

Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World by Bob Roberts, Jr. Roberts uses “glocal” to describe our new world – we’re part of a global world in so many new ways, but the local has become more significant as well. I wish I’d had this book in time to include it in the coursebook, because I think the global-local issues are so significant for missional churches.

Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation by Carol Howard Merritt. Merritt is an American Presbyterian minister in her 30s. She’s writing for mainline congregations who want to do a better job ministering to people in her age group and younger. Until I read her book, I hadn’t realized how often younger Christians in churches feel criticized by older Christians. She does a good job describing the debt challenges faced by her generation, which is one of several ways she believes the faith of younger Christians is impacted. I'm very curious if Christians in New Zealand in their 20s and 30s would resonate with what she writes.

Choosing Partnership, Sharing Ministry by Marcia Barnes Bailey. The author has served as a co-pastor of a church in the United States, and the book focuses on the benefits of shared pastoral roles. With the flattening of hierarchies, it seems to me that co-pastor roles are becoming more common.

The Church and the Dechurched: Mending a Damaged Faith by Mary Tuomi Hammond. The author uses “dechurched” to describe people who have lost a faith they valued or left a church community because of a bad experience. She has vivid stories about what happened to people that will break your heart.

Missional House Churches: Reaching Our Communities with the Gospel by J. D. Payne. The author interviewed people in 30 house churches around the United States.

A New and Right Spirit: Creating an Authentic Church in a Consumer Culture by Rick Barger. I’m very concerned about the ways church has become one more consumer commodity, so I was really glad to find a book that addresses that topic.

Mandate to Difference: An Invitation to the Contemporary Church by Walter Brueggemann. This book is a collection of talks Brueggemann gave in a variety of settings a few years ago. It’s not a systematic discussion of anything, but some of the topics relate to things we’re talking about in this paper.

The Missional Church in Context: Helping Congregations Develop Contextual Ministry edited by Craig Van Gelder. Eight essays give different viewpoints about how churches can minister in their own context more effectively, including multi-cultural settings.

Leadership Next: Changing Leaders in a Changing Culture by Eddie Gibbs. Gibbs discusses the ways leadership patterns in churches must change in order to engage with our culture.

Gracism: The Art of Inclusion by David A. Anderson. I am convinced that welcome and inclusion need to be discussed by congregations and need to be affirmed in new ways for our time. The author is an African-American who draws on his own experience as pastor of a multi-cultural church in Washington, DC.