Politics and Mission - Print

Politics & Mission
Rediscovering the Political Power of What Christians Do

By Martin Gainsborough

[1 copy only in stock at this reduced price 1 July 2026. 
We will not be re-ordering this book when it has sold]

A bold and timely exploration of how Christian worship speaks a counter-cultural political truth and renews the Church’s confidence in mission today.

This book will help you:

• Recognise the political significance of Christian worship and liturgy.
• Understand how the Church tells a different story from dominant contemporary political norms.
• Reflect more deeply on morning prayer, baptism, eucharist, foot washing and funerals.
• Gain fresh confidence in the Church’s mission in today’s world.
• Explore what Christian practice reveals about human identity, community and hope.
• Equip church leaders and practising Christians with thoughtful resources for mission and ministry.
• Engage questions of politics, faith and public life from a distinctly Christian perspective.

Features

• A concise and accessible study of liturgy, mission and political theology.
• Examines five key liturgical practices: morning prayer, baptism, eucharist, foot washing and the funeral.
• Written for practising Christians, church leaders and interested observers of the Church.
• Includes a foreword by David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster.
• A fresh contribution to contemporary conversations about Christianity, public life and mission.

Softcover 104pp
0.6 cm H x 20.3 cm L x 12.7 cm W (0.125 kg)
ISBN 9781789592702
Sacristy Press (2023)

Description

Christianity is often dismissed as tired, irrelevant or detached from the urgent questions of modern life. Yet the practices of the Church tell another story: one of grace, hope, human dignity, shared life and a radically different understanding of power.

This thoughtful and engaging book invites readers to rediscover the political force of what Christians do when they gather to pray, worship, serve, baptise, break bread and commend the dead to God.

Through a close study of five pieces of Christian liturgy – morning prayer, baptism, eucharist, foot washing and the funeral – the book shows how familiar words and actions carry profound meaning. These practices are not merely internal religious rituals or private acts of devotion; they shape a community and proclaim a vision of life that challenges the assumptions of contemporary political culture. In worship, the Church speaks of dependence, forgiveness, service, belonging, mortality and hope in ways that resist individualism, control and despair.

The book sheds light on three important areas: what it means to be human, the challenges facing Christian mission today, and the distinctive way in which the Church is political. Rather than arguing for party politics or institutional power, it explores how Christian practices form people in a different imagination of the world.

Accessible, reflective and rooted in both theology and lived church experience, this book is ideal for clergy, lay leaders, theological students, mission practitioners and thoughtful Christians seeking renewed confidence in the Church’s public witness. It will also interest readers looking at the Church from the outside who want to understand why Christian worship continues to matter in contemporary society.

About the Author
Martin Gainsborough is Bishop of Kingston in the Diocese of Southwark. He has served in an inner-city parish, as a residentiary canon at Bristol Cathedral and as Chaplain to the Bishop of Bristol. From 2012 to 2018, he was Professor of Development Politics at the University of Bristol. His background in both ordained ministry and political scholarship gives him a distinctive perspective on theology, mission, public life and the political significance of the Church.

Contents

Foreword by David Hoyle

Introduction: The Church, Politics and Mission

Morning Prayer
Exploring prayer as a practice that shapes Christian identity, dependence and public witness.

Baptism
Reflecting on belonging, human dignity and the formation of a new community in Christ.

Eucharist
Considering the political and theological significance of shared worship, thanksgiving and communion.

Foot Washing
Examining service, humility and the reversal of conventional ideas of power.

The Funeral
Reflecting on death, hope, community and the Church’s witness in the face of mortality.

Conclusion: Rediscovering the Political Power of Christian Practice

SEO-Friendly Description (160 Characters)
Explore how Christian liturgy renews mission, challenges political norms and reveals the Church’s public witness in today’s world.

Keywords
Christian mission,liturgy,political theology,church leadership,Christian worship,Sacristry Press,Martin Gainsborough,eucharist,baptism,public faith

Politics & Mission: Rediscovering the Political Power of What Christians Do.

Martin Gainsborough.

Softcover
116pp.
ISBN 9781789592702.
Sacristy Press (2023).

[Allow 4-6 weeks]

Contrary to popular sentiment, Christianity is not dull or out of touch but fresh, relevant, exciting, and contemporary. The Church is political because it tells a radically different story from the dominant political norms of our day. Through a study of the Church's liturgy, this book seeks to build confidence in the Church's mission.

Politics & Mission examines five pieces of liturgy-namely morning prayer, baptism, eucharist, foot washing and the funeral-detailing in turn the ways in which the language of the liturgy, which we often take for granted, is powerful and counter-cultural. Through its analysis, the book sheds light on three principal areas: what it is to be human, the challenges of contemporary mission, and the particular way in which the Church is political.

In so doing, new resources are offered for the practicing Christian, those in Church leadership, and those looking at the Church from the outside, to reflect on and grapple with the challenges of this generation.