Synopsis: A major aspect of the history of Christian missions is the way groups who have jumped the ecclesiastical ship have renewed and recalled their parent bodies back to biblical roots and a biblical vision. This book examines fourteen such vibrant Christian movements which operated outside the box. Each chapter ends with a practical section highlighting those factors that made the particular group successful. They were all missional movements that pursued a Christian vision and developed structures to facilitate it. In contrast, the traditional organizations from which they emerged tended to do mission from an established, given structure. Here are seriously committed movements that offer a dynamic challenge to our contemporary churches. Endorsements: "This is a serious and scholarly book that is informative and highly readable. It is written by a Christian scholar who knows his material well and uses it to make Christian history relevant to the present age. I commend it wholeheartedly and without reservation as an important resource for our own growth in discipleship, but also as a textbook for those who want to grow in missional leadership." --From the Foreword by Canon George Kovoor, Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II and Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, UK " This is] a lively and scholarly account of orthodox Christian movements that flourished outside the bounds of mainline denominational churches, and in so doing provoked and encouraged them to renew their vision. This is an invaluable book with clear, practical lessons for those with a heart for mission, mission strategies, and fresh expressions of Christianity: applied Christian history at its best." --Paul Roberts, Tutor in Worship at Trinity College, Bristol, UK Author Biography: Nigel Scotland is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Gloucestershire and Tutor at Trinity College, Bristol University. He is the author of more than a dozen books on church history and new religious movements.
