Deep Church
A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional
Jim Belcher
Foreword by Richard J. Mouw
“…to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
God has called us to ministry. But it’s not enough to have a vision for ministry if you don’t have the practical skills for it. Nor is it enough to do the work of ministry if what you do is headed in the wrong direction. We need both vision and expertise for effective ministry. We need praxis.
Praxis puts theory into practice. It brings cutting-edge ministry expertise from visionary practitioners. You’ll find sound biblical and theological foundations for ministry in the real world, with concrete examples for effective action and pastoral ministry. Praxis books are more than the “how to”—they’re also the “why to.” And because being is every bit as important as doing, Praxis attends to the inner life of the leader as well as the outer work of ministry. Feed your soul, and feed your ministry.
If you are called to ministry, you know you can’t do it on your own. Let Praxis provide the companions you need to equip God’s people for life in the kingdom.
InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400
Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com
E-mail: email@ivpress.com
© 2009 by Jim Belcher
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.
InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at www.intervarsity.org.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
While all stories and illustrations in this book are true, some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. Personal conversations are cited with the permission of the speakers.
Design: Cindy Kiple
Cover images: iStockphoto
Interior image: x: Dmytro Konstantynov/iStockphoto
ISBN 978-0-8308-7814-7 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-3716-8 (print)
Contents
Introduction: Is a Third Way Possible?
2: Defining the Emerging Church
3: The Quest for Mere Christianity
|
About Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and TraditionalChristianity Today Book Award winner Golden Canon Leadership Book Award winner Feeling caught between the traditional church and the emerging church? Discover a third way: deep church. C. S. Lewis used the phrase "deep church" to describe the body of believers committed to mere Christianity. Unfortunately church in our postmodern era has been marked by a certain shallowness. Emerging authors, fed up with contemporary pragmatism, have offered alternative visions for twenty-first-century Christianity. Traditionalist churches have reacted negatively, at times defensively. Jim Belcher knows what it's like to be part of both of these worlds. In the 1990s he was among the pioneers of what was then called Gen X ministry, hanging out with creative innovators like Rob Bell, Mark Oestreicher and Mark Driscoll. But he also has maintained ties to traditionalist circles, planting a church in the Presbyterian Church of America. In Deep Church, Belcher brings the best insights of all sides to forge a third way between emerging and traditional. In a fair and evenhanded way, Belcher explores the proposals of such emerging church leaders as Tony Jones, Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt. He offers measured appreciation and affirmation as well as balanced critique. Moving beyond reaction, Belcher provides constructive models from his own church planting experience and paints a picture of what this alternate, deep church looks like--a missional church committed to both tradition and culture, valuing innovation in worship, arts and community but also creeds and confessions. If you've felt stuck between two extremes, you can find a home here. Plumb the depths of Christianity in a way that neither rejects our postmodern context nor capitulates to it. Instead of veering to the left or the right, go between the extremes--and go deep. |
| Support Info | 9780830878147 |