For the first time we in the West are living in what has been called a 'post-Christendom era.' Most people throughout the Western world have seen what the Church has to offer, and they have found it wanting. The current credibility gap has made it hard to communicate the gospel with clarity and authenticity. Paradoxically, this is the case even though it is currently a time of almost unprecedented openness to the issues of God, faith, and meaning. This is a time when the need for, and relevance of, the gospel has seldom been greater, but the relevance of the Church has seldom been less. If ever there was a time for innovative missionary effort in the West, it is now.
This raises enormous challenges for people in the West. This book explores why the Church needs to recalibrate itself, rebuilding itself from the roots up. The case is built around real-life stories gathered from innovative missional projects from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and England.They present vital nodes of missional learning for the established Church as it seeks to orientate itself to the unique challenges of the twenty-first century.
