How did the number of Christians in the world grow from as few as 25,000 one hundred years after Christ's death to up to 20 million in AD 310? In The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church, Alan Hirsch reveals the significant insights he discovered as he delved into that question.
Hirsch uses DNA as a metaphor for what he calls "missional DNA"--those integral features of the church that it is forced to rediscover when its survival is threatened. He identifies and explains those elements that are always present in the church during times of phenomenal growth and impact: disciple-making, the missional-incarnational impulse, organic systems, apostleship, and communitas--a form of community focused on an outside mission.
A pastor and mission strategist, Hirsch draws from his own and others' experiences to provide examples of growing churches and missional projects. He further illustrates his points with charts and diagrams, as well as a comprehensive glossary of terms.
Pastors, seminary professors, and students will benefit from Hirsch's discoveries and his ability to put those ideas to work in contemporary churches and ministries.
