Christian Mission and Modern Culture Series, Alan Neely, H. Wayne Pipkin and Wilbert R. Shenk, Editors

The Incarnation and the Church's Witness, by Darrell L. Guder

Another City: An Ecclesiological Primer for a Post-Christian World, by Barry Harvey

Beyond Sectarianism: Re-Imagining Church and World, by Philip Kenneson

Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World: Lessons for the Church from MacIntyre's "After Virtue", by Jonathan R. Wilson

Stormfront: The Good News of God, James Brownson, Barry Harvey, Charles West and Inagrace Dietterich

Guder, D. The Incarnation and the Church's Witness. Uses historical, social and literary approaches to scripture to envision the church's "incarnational mission" in which the practice of Christian witness is "shaped by the life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus." 1999.

Hall, D. The End of Christendom and the Future of Christianity. Examining the decline and fall of Christendom, explores how the cultural disestablishment of the church can provide the opportunity for a significant and faithful future. 1997.

Harvey, B. Another City: An Ecclesiological Primer for a Post-Christian World. In contrast to the hedonistic and narcissistic popular culture of "the City" that virtually all human beings now inhabit, calls upon the church to remember that it is "Another City" that does not compromise itself by giving allegiance to any political entity that belongs to this world. 1999.

Kenneson, P. Beyond Sectarianism: Re-Imagining Church and World. Presents a model that suggests that the church's role in contemporary society is to serve as a "contrast-society." He offers reflections on how moving "beyond sectarianism" allows us to see afresh some of the missional promise of the church-as-contrast-society model. 1999.

Wilson, J. Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World: Lessons for the Church from MacIntryre's After Virtue. Offers insights and practices that today's church must embrace in order to live faithfully and witness effectively. Several of his chapters draw upon specific suggestions in Alasdair Macintyre's book After Virtue. 1997.

www.ekklesiaproject.org

Dietterich, IT and Warner, L. Missional Evangelism. A biblically based discussion which brings mission and evangelism into relation with one another in order to contribute to a deeper and fuller understanding of the purpose of the church within contemporary society.

Fowl, S. God's Beautiful City: Christian Mission after Christendom. Explores the shape of Christian mission in a world in which Christians can no longer presume to be at the center of things, a world that is largely indifferent, if not hostile, to Christianity.

Hauerwas, S. and Budde, M. A School for Subversive Friendships. An introduction to The Ekklesia Project which invites all Christians to reclaim their vocation to be a church shaped by the priorities and practices of Jesus Christ.

McFadden, J. & McCarthy, D. Church Membership: An Introduction to the Journey. Lifts up five disciplines essential to living well as the church: corporate worship, friendship, service to the community, housekeeping, Christian ministry to the world.

Arias, M. Announcing the Reign of God: Evangelization and the Subversive Memory of Jesus. Proposes that the time has come to recover in its fullness the biblical perspective of the kingdom for the mission of the church today and particularly for our evangelistic witness. Wipf and Stock.

Clapp, R. A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society. Challenges Christian communities to recognize and actualize their unique identity as a peculiar people - unapologetic followers of The Way of Jesus Christ. InterVarsity, 1996.

Copenhaver, B. Robinson, A. and Willimon. W. Good News in exile. Ientifies what has changed in various aspects of the life of the church and to trace the implication of those changes. Eerdmans, 1999.

Driver, J. Images of the Church in Mission. Using twelve biblical images for understanding a church more in harmony with God's missionary purpose for God's people, demonstrates the power of images to both reflect and shape the church's self-understanding. Excellent resource for church study and reflection. Herald Press, 1997.

Fee, G. Paul, The Spirit, and The People of God. By calling the church to be intentionally more biblical in its imagination, thought and action, illustrates how openness to the Spirit stimulates a heightened capacity for discerning and participating in God's empowering presence. Hendrickson, 1996.

Fowl, S. and Jones, L. Reading in Communion: Scripture & Ethics in Christian Life. Challenging the usual individualist approach to the use and interpretation of the Bible, explores how to enable Christian communities to embody wise readings of Scripture and thus live faithfully before God. Wipf & Stock, 1998.

Hall, D. An Awkward Church. Two 1993 addresses which speaks to the current state of the church and suggests some possibilities that go beyond the treatment of symptoms. Presbyterian Church (USA)

Hauerwas, S. and Willimon, W. Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony. A provocative exploration of the nature and mission of the church in the modern world. Abingdon Press, 1989.

Hawkins, Thomas R. Cultivating Christian Community. Identifies six qualities of Christian community and offers small group leaders help as they incorporate these qualities into the life of their group. Discipleship Resources, 2001.

Johnson, B. and McDonald, G. Imagining a Church in the Spirit. Explores the theological and practical implications of taking seriously Christ's presence in worship and ministry. Eerdmans, 1999.

Kenneson, P. Life on the Vine: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community. Makes connections between the biblical fruit of the Spirit, the cultural challenge, and the church's witness. InterVarsity, 1999.

Krabill, James R. Does Your Church "Smell" Like Mission? Reflections on Becoming a Missional Church. A brief and practical invitation to reflection and dialogue about God's mission in today's world through the local church. Good for the classroom or small-group discussions. Mennonite Mission Network, 2003.

Lohfink, G. Jesus and Community: The Social Dimension of Christian Faith. A study of the New Testament that concludes that Jesus called into being a "contrast-society" to transforms the world. Fortress, 1984.

Newbigin, L. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. A profound analysis of contemporary culture which suggests how Christians can more confidently affirm their faith in such a context. Eerdmans, 1989.

Newbigin, L. Mission in Christ's Way: A Gift, A Command, An Assurance. Three provocative Bible studies that explore mission as promise and as the invitation and empowerment of the church to participate in God's dynamic presence in the midst of the life of the world. Friendship Press, 1984.

Schattauer, T., General Editor. Inside Out: Worship in an Age of Mission. Ten worship professors in Lutheran seminaries in the US and Canada have joined to explore the crucial relationship between worship and the mission of God to the world. Fortress, 1999.

Schmiechen, P. Christ the Reconciler: A Theology for Opposites, Differences, & Enemies. An insightful analysis of the church's dysfunctional state linked with a vision of the church renewed only through the recovery of the gospel of reconciliation through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1996.

Senn, F. The Witness of the Worshipping Community: Liturgy and the Practice of Evangelism. Argues that the best way to draw people into church is to give them an experience of true worship, in word and sacrament, where God becomes accessible and real. Paulist, 1993.

Smith, C. Going to the Root: 9 Proposals for Radical Church Renewal. Proposes an alternative to the church of today, by suggesting a return to the church's roots with nine proposals for doing so. Herald Press, 1992.

Webber, R. and Clapp, R. People of the Truth: The Power of the Worshipping Community in the Modern World. Both a summons and a guide for the church to realign itself with its Christ-centered mandate to become in fact what it has always been ideally: "a people of truth." Wipf & Stock, 2001.

Willimon, W. and Hauerwas, S. Lord, Teach Us: The Lord's Prayer & the Christian Life. The familiar words of the Lord's Prayer become surprising, challenging, and transforming as the authors illustrate how, through prayer, the life of the Christian community is caught up in the purposes of God for the whole world. Abingdon, 1996.

Beckhard, R. and Pritchard, W. Changing the Essence: The Art of Creating and Leading Fundamental Change in Organizations. An analysis of the leadership behaviors necessary for initiating and managing fundamental change, linking the theory and practice of large-scale organizational change. Jossey-Bass,1992.

Kotter, J. Leading Change. Identifies an eight-step process that every institution must go through to achieve its goal, and shows where and how people often derail. This book is an inspirational yet practical resource for anyone who has a stake in orchestrating changes in their organization. Harvard Business School, 1996.

Nadler, D., Shaw, R., Walton, E. and Associates. Discontinuous Change: Leading Organizational Transformation. An insightful exploration of the dynamics of organizational transformation and offer a diagnostic framework for leading organizations through periods of radical change. Jossey-Bass,. 1995.

Nadler, D., Gerstein, M., Shaw, R. and Associates. Organizational Architecture: Designs for Changing Organizations. Techniques for answering the challenges to improve organizational quality, create powerful long-range strategies, tighten operations, and inspire team performance. Jossey-Bass, 1992.