Like a familiar tune rendered in three different musical styles, three new books offer unique perspectives but a unified challenge on the relationship between church and culture. In poetic terms, it’s not the road less traveled that leads to the future, it’s the road most traveled.
 RadicalReformission by Mark DriscollZondervan, 2004176 pages; $11.99 |
Mark Driscoll, founding pastor of Mars Hill Fellowship in Seattle and the Acts 29 church planting network, believes that our culture provides a tremendous opportunity for the gospel, a “reformission” in which Christians serve as missionaries in their own neighborhoods.
In Radical Reformission, Driscoll urges a commitment to return to Jesus’ original threefold call: to the gospel (loving our Lord), to the culture (loving our neighbor), and to the church (loving our brother).
“Reformission requires that every Christian and church realize that missions is not about something they do but something they are,” he explains. “We are all on a mission with Jesus every day, and we are either good missionaries or bad.”
Driscoll’s thoughtful, down-to-earth style reflects a calm but passionate confidence in his calling, a thorough knowledge of Scripture and church history, and a love for the church as God’s agent.
In chapters with such intriguing, lowercase titles as “going to seminary at the grocery store” and “the sin of light beer,” Driscoll calls church leaders to identify and redeem a changing culture with the unchanging gospel. “Innovation, when not tethered to the truth of the gospel, leads to heresy,” Driscoll warns.
At the same time, Driscoll makes a noteworthy distinction between culture and worldliness. The latter, he says, is the sinfulness that pollutes God’s good creation. Culture, on the other hand, may contain worldly elements, but is not inherently bad. The key for leaders in the church is to engage the culture without becoming worldly.
 Changing Church by C. Peter WagnerRegal, 2004248 pages; $14.99 |
“While we are called to abstain from sin, that does not mean that we must abstain from culture to do so,” writes Driscoll. “We must throw ourselves into the culture so that all that God made good is taken back and used in a way that glorifies him.” He provides great examples of this in the concluding chapter, in which he describes the practical ways his church is trying to create a “kingdom culture” around issues like children, sex, beauty, and joy.
The author of Changing Church, C. Peter Wagner, would agree with Driscoll’s cultural analysis, although his perspective is tinted rather strongly by Charismatic lenses. “We are now seeing … the most radical change in the way of doing church since the Protestant Reformation,” asserts Wagner, a professor, co-founder of the World Prayer Center, and author of Churchquake and Apostolic Churches.
“In many ways the year 2001 was a significant year, not the least of which is that it marked the beginning of the Second Apostolic Age.” Brash statements, to be sure—Wagner never really explains why he chose 2001 as the start of the new age—but in subsequent chapters he attempts to explain this ecclesiastical shift.
Wagner says the current period in church history marks a return to the recognition of the office of “apostle,” as opposed to the office of “pastor” that has been the prevailing model in evangelical churches.
Borrowing Jesus’ change metaphor of new wine poured into old wineskins, Wagner details the ways he believes God is reshaping the church for greater impact: from a church vision to a kingdom vision; from expansion of the church to transformation of society; and from theological education to equipping ministers. These movements, Wagner argues, require churches and leaders to be risk takers who become history makers.
Wagner also warns against the “spirit of religion,” which he describes as “an agent of Satan assigned to prevent change and maintain the status quo by using religious devices.”
Wagner’s assertions ring true, although he is sometimes self-referential and does not always provide clear documentation or rationale for his statements. He also relies heavily on Charismatic insider jargon, making this book less readable and therefore less helpful for a broader Christian audience. But Wagner’s ultimate point is still well taken: God is calling the church toward radical change in order to reclaim its historical mandate.
The third take on this topic is offered by M. Rex Miller in The Millennium Matrix. According to Miller, an expert in communications theory, church history can be classified by the communications methods used in a given culture. “The medium is the worldview,” he posits. For example, “Jesus lived and spoke in an era so profoundly different from ours that we can miss the full meaning of his teachings.”
 The MillenniumMatrix by M. Rex MillerJossey Bass, 2004256 pages; $19.99 |
Until a.d. 1500, Miller says, the world’s culture was oral, based on the spoken word. Out of this culture, the living Word was best communicated through liturgy. With the invention of the printing press, from approximately 1500 to 1950, the world shifted to a print culture, giving birth to the Reformation Church. In 1950 television ushered in the broadcast culture and the “celebration church.”
What’s next? According to Miller, it’s the digital culture, which will lead to the “convergence church” and a reconnecting of Word with Spirit.
The key to ministering in this culture, Miller says, lies in reclaiming community, even if that means sacrificing explosive growth. “The church is not a capitalist organization in competition for spiritual market share,” he writes.
The most academic of the three books, Miller’s work is fascinating but reads like a textbook, with charts, maps, exercises, and extensive endnotes. Miller also includes a 23-page “millennium matrix” that gives a detailed description of how each culture approaches worship, truth, understanding, learning, art, work, etc. Thankfully, the book also includes a more convenient, three-page abridged version.
Not surprisingly, Miller echoes Driscoll and Wagner, providing a summary of their theme: “If I have learned anything from my work with the Millennium Matrix, it is this: times change, and we must be prepared to change with them.”
Angie Ward, Durham, North Carolina
Elephant in the Boardroom
 Elephant in theBoardroom by Carolyn Weese andJ. Russell Crabtree Jossey-Bass, 2004 240 pages; $16.77 |
Speaking the unspoken about pastoral transitions Carolyn Weese and J. Russell Crabtree (Jossey-Bass, 2004)
Imagine it’s time to move on. When and how do you tell your congregation? That question surfaced so often for church consultants Weese and Crabtree that they wrote Elephant in the Boardroom to help churches “face the elephant.” They insist churches confront openly the fact that pastoral leadership will change and ask, “How do we prepare and follow through when it happens?”
The authors note how Jesus prepared his disciples, a way of transition that the authors say is “not a function of information, but exploration with trust.” Pastors and boards must surround the issue of transition with prayer and timely reflection, which builds trust.
In addition, congregations must count the cost of transition. Figure on a typical 15-percent drop in attendance when a beloved pastor leaves (and the related drop in giving), and add a 10-percent salary hike to attract a new pastor, plus moving expense and lodging. Weese and Crabtree contend that thinking through a pastoral transition process before panic time saves money, headaches, and unintentional interims.
This Elephant is a valuable tool for assessing a congregation’s culture and style of pastoral leadership, and initiating a process today so that tomorrow’s changes can feel more like blessings than curses.
Teresa Blythe, Tucson, Arizona
Before You Move
 Before You Move by John R. CioncaKregel, 2004240 pages; $9.99 |
A guide to making transitions in ministry John R. Cionca (Kregel, 2004)
“Should I stay or should I go?” This question presents a situation every minister faces. In the book, Before You Move, Cionca offers practical advice in assessing one’s current ministry and determining whether it is wise to move on.
Cionca offers three signals: personal, congregational, and pastor/people signals. These measurements can be applied to the current ministry setting or to the new ministry being considered. Gauging a few objective markers, a minister may discern a “green light” signaling freedom to move to a new ministry, or a “red light” warning to stay put. Before You Move attempts to make discernment an objective process. It does not address the subjective reasoning of God’s will.
Todd H. Hallman, Luling, Louisiana
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