In-tensional - eBooks.

In-tensional: A Way Forward for the Church

By Justin Duckworth; Alan Jamieson

You are buying a zipped file containing eBook editions of this 124 page book in PDF, ePub and Mobi formats.

124pp, 6” x 9”

ISBNs

PDF:  9781991027788
ePub/Kindle/Mobi: 9781991027795

Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (2024)

Order Print books here:
https://philipgarsidebooks.com/products/in-tensional-print

 

Description

Two important Aotearoa New Zealand church leaders – Anglican Archbishop Justin Duckworth and sociologist, Baptist Senior Pastor Alan Jamieson – advocate for church renewal through encouragement of missional Edge community ministries.

They address modern challenges, combining personal anecdotes, theology, and sociology to bridge gaps between traditional and emerging faith expressions.

Join the conversation between Centre-church leaders and missional Edge-dwellers about how to be the church today.

Duckworth and Jamieson address the crisis of hopelessness gripping the western world and offer a bold perspective: the answer lies in the life of Jesus and the revitalization of the Christian church.

This isn’t just another book on church decline. Instead, they invite you into a dialogue between traditional church leaders and forward-thinking pioneers.

In-tensional isn’t about theory; it’s about sparking conversations that bridge the gap between established church structures and emerging expressions of faith. They delve into the dynamic tension between what’s comfortable and what’s prophetic, between tradition and innovation.

Drawing from real-world experiences, Justin and Alan navigate the complexities of modern church life. They address the challenges posed by cultural disruptions, mental health crises, and global emergencies like COVID-19 and climate change.

But amidst the chaos, they offer hope. They remind us that throughout history, God has met people in times of crisis, offering new invitations and opportunities for renewal. In-tensional is a call to courage, faithfulness, and unity in a time of unprecedented change.

Discover how embracing tension can lead to transformation, and how together, we can shape a brighter future for the church in the west.

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Free Sample from the book: Introduction pp1-20

Customer response after downloading the sample:

"Wow! The extract you have made available is the most inspiring thing I have read for a very long time!" EB, 23 July 2024

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Some top quotes from the book

“Throughout history, when things got desperate, God turned up with a new invitation. If we ever needed a miraculous and transforming God turning up, then it is right now.”

“We can’t keep isolating the edge from the centre of the church… Through this book we want to give you working models of how these differently gifted groups of the church can and must work together.”

“Centre-church leaders can invite edge-dwellers into a relationship where differences are recognised and respected without trying to bring the edge-dwellers under the church programmes and management.”

“Edge communities attract prophetic people and often form questioning communities that love to face the complex issues of our time, think deeply and are willing to critique assumptions.”

“Centre-leaders should not try to tame mission initiatives and leaders by enticing or forcing them to fit into centre-church structures and life.”

“Church-leaders may be tempted to pay edge-leaders but we caution against offering money too soon. Going unpaid reduces expectations on the edge-leader, ensures their freedom and frees you from accounting for where church money is spent.”

“The centre’s role is not to lead and shape the new gospel initiatives, but to support and authenticate the emerging leaders and movements. This means putting our mana (respect and backing) behind them.”

“Expect new edge-leaders to fail and make mistakes. Innovating results in more false starts and complex challenges than following a proven formula.”

“When communicating with centre-leaders and congregations, edge-leaders must carefully consider who is listening, seeking healthy commonalities and prayerfully discerning which part of the gospel challenge to highlight. … Keep it simple at first, you will lose listeners by diving too deep too soon.”

“…the Edge-community leaders need to work hard on their character. As things develop and grow the maturity of the edge-communities and their leader’s character will become the prime limiting factor for future growth and influence.”

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Contents

Introduction

• Getting on the Same Page
• Our stories of centre and edge
• Hosting the courageous conversation that might reshape the church

Chapter 1 — Facing our Reality

Chapter 2 — Process of Renewal

• Edge defined

Chapter 3 — Stories of Renewal

• To the desert
• To the monastery
• To the beggars
• Patterns of new movements that take root

Chapter 4 — So, What Do We Do?

• What now?
• The Usual Tale
• The Unusual Tale

Chapter 5 — What Edge and Centre Offer

• What the Edge Offers
• What Centre-church offers
• The life cycle of Edge Communities
• Saying it again!
• Our main points so far

Chapter 6 — Radical

• Operating from Humility
• Centre-church

Chapter 7 — Sustainable

• What the Edge does
• Changing Gear
• The relationship between the Edge’s needs and the Centre-church
• What the Centre does

Chapter 8 — Influential

• What the Edge does
• Influence by fostering new edge movements
• Influencing the wider church
• Multiplying
• Keep the main thing the main thing
• Watch for mission drift
• What the Centre does

Chapter 9 — In-tensional In Action

• Final thought from Justin
• This is what we’ve achieved by living into this in-tensional relationship between centre and edge
• The icing on the cake

Conclusion

Notes and References

About the Authors

• • •

About the Authors

Alan and Justin have known each other for a quarter of a century in various capacities in church leadership.

Justin was elected Archbishop Tikanga Pakeha of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia in May 2024, having served as Bishop of Wellington since 2012, during which time his passion has been for the renewing of Jesus’ church; most often through the interplay of centre and edge expressions. He is the co-founder of Urban Vision, a movement of local residential intentional communities which seek to serve those at the margins of their neighbourhoods. Justin is married to Jenny, and lives in Whanganui. He is father to the marvellous Luca, Jesse and Maya.

Justin and Jenny have also co-published Against the Tide, Towards the Kingdom (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011).

 

Alan has been an Aotearoa New Zealand pastor for 30 years. He has is also sociologist who has researched faith development. He is married to Sandra and lives in Ōtautahi Christchurch close to their children and four grandchildren.

 

 

 

 

He has written four prior books:

• A Churchless Faith, (Philip Garside Publishing Ltd, New Zealand, 2000). Published internationally by SPCK, 2002.
  
  
• Called Again, (Philip Garside Publishing Ltd in NZ, 2004.) Retitled and published internationally as, Journeying in Faith, by SPCK, 2004.
  
  
• Five Years On, (Portland Research Trust, New Zealand 2006.)Published internationally by SPCK under the title, Church Leaving, 2006.
  
  
• Chrysalis: The hidden transformation in the journey of faith, (2008, Carlisle: Paternoster). Republished in French as Chrysalide: les Metamorphoses de la foi, 2016.