Our new book Leading Missional Communities is out!
Get the e-book [Amazon]
Download a free 22-page excerpt:
Here are a few words about it the book.
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Missional Communities (MCs) are a hot topic right now in the church, and many are excited about the potential of MCs to be a vehicle that allows the church to better live out its mission in the world. But if we embrace and implement MCs merely as a new program, they won’t live up to their potential and we’ll be on to the next hot topic in a few months.
MCs are helpful only if we use them as a vehicle that allows us to points us toward a much deeper issue: how we can learn to live our everyday lives as extended families on mission. We call this reality oikos (“household” in Greek), and that’s actually what this book is about. Think of it like this: an MC is a great vehicle, but vehicles are supposed to take you somewhere. The destination the vehicle of MC takes us to is oikos.
We believe oikos is something the Spirit of God is doing in this time to restore the church’s ability to function fruitfully in discipleship and mission the way the early church did, publicly living out our faith in the various neighborhoods and relational networks of our cities. We firmly believe this is the make-or-break issue for the Western church. We simply will not see God’s dream for the world come true unless we learn how to function as extended families on mission. And MCs are a great vehicle that helps jump-start that culture-shifting process.
We began using MCs over 25 years ago, and have seen both breakthrough and failure. This book is filled with the experience-drenched practical wisdom we use to train churches all over the Western world in leading, growing, and multiplying MCs.
The great thing it that it isn’t actually that complicated, and God will give us the power to do it. This isn’t a task reserved for church leaders, pastors, or experts—it’s for everyone! The goal is to learn how to function as an extended family on mission. We really believe this is something everyone can learn to do, and this book is about how to take the first steps in moving in that direction.
A FEW ENDORSEMENTS
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“At Verge, we’re constantly on the lookout for great, Jesus-centered, practical resources that help people follow Jesus into His mission of multiplying disciples. Leading Missional Communities is one of those resources that I can’t recommend enough. I’ve personally benefited from the concepts, tools and resources in this book, and have applied them right here in my neighborhood with our Missional Community. Mike Breen takes the mystery out of discipleship and mission and puts the tools you need to lead people on mission in understandable and usable ways. Get the book. Soak it in. But most of all, apply what you learn as you lead people into Jesus’ mission!”
MICHAEL STEWART
Founding Director - Verge Network and Conference
vergenetwork.org
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“Save yourself a lot of time, pain and frustration by reading this book. Mike Breen is a modern–day sherpa who expertly guides us through the new-ancient terrain of launching and growing families on mission with God. The advice offered here is not theory–it is lived out by Mike and proven a thousand times over all around the world.”
CAESAR KALINOWSKI
Director of GCM Collective
gcmcollective.org
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“When I read this book, my first thought was, “Shucks, this could have saved us a lot of misery.” Mike Breen and the entire 3DM team have emerged as expert coaches and practitioners to anyone who is sniffing the flower of missional community, true spiritual formation, and kingdom practices. This short, simple book is an overflow of their experience and practical wisdom, and should be a plumb line for every leader and every church that wants to make disciples of Jesus.”
HUGH HALTER
Author, The Tangible Kingdom and AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church
hughhalter.com
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“For years I have written about what the church of the future might look like. Consider this book one of the best around at getting to actually do the real thing.”
ALAN HIRSCH
Author, The Forgotten Ways and founder of the Forge Mission Training Network
theforgottenways.org