A call for new ways of starting thriving church communities, based on global case studies of churches who have innovated from within their local communities.
As many established churches struggle to connect with people in increasingly post-Christian societies, there has been a vital shift in focus toward starting new Christian communities. Many of these new forms of church are incarnationally embedded in local contexts as leaders and neighbors together follow the Spirit’s lead in asking, “What would church look like for us together in this place?”
This book–edited by two leading thinkers around innovation in the Church, one from the United States, the other from the UK–brings a rich and international array of practitioners and scholars together to explore starting new contextual Christian communities as a way of life. Addressing this from an incarnational “go and stay” model of mission, it seeks to offer an alternative perspective. Rather than provide another how-to manual, the authors go deeper into unpacking the spiritual foundations, inward qualities, and outward practices that make for faithful, vibrant, and sustainable leadership of new Christian communities. Framed around fifteen paradigm-shifting principles, The Starter’s Way offers a hopeful exploration of the open-ended journey of developing new forms of church that are responsive to the Spirit and to the uniqueness of local neighborhoods. Contributors include Beth Keith, Claire Pedrick, Emma Ineson, Eun Strawser, Harvey Kwiyani, Ian Mobsby, Inés Velásquez-McBryde, Jonny Baker, Michael Beck, Michael Wu, Mike Harrison, Peterson Feital, Rosario Picardo, Tina Hodgett, and Alison Boulton.
Ed Olsworth-Peter is the Director of Innovation and Development at St. Mellitus where he teaches topics on mixed ecology, pioneer ministry, and ministry discernment. He was ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 2004. He was the National Advisor for Pioneer Development for the Church of England. Ed lives in Sussex, UK.
Dwight J. Zscheile is a professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary. His books include Leading Faithful Innovation (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff), Participating in God's Mission (with Craig Van Gelder), The Agile Church, People of the Way, Cultivating Sent Communities, The Missional Church in Perspective (with Craig Van Gelder), Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue), and The Starter's Way (with Edward Olsworth-Peter). He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
