Publisher's Synopsis
Created For God's Mission, is a prophetic call for the church to return to the mission going constitution of Christianity. Local churches must re-image faith and ministry in order to reach an age vastly different than the world of our forebears in the faith. The times have changed, but the Great Commission remains the same. The weakened condition among many local churches stems from a failure to understand and incarnate its basic God-given mission. According to Dr. Clarke, "Many churches need more than a tune-up, but rather a major overhaul: the oil of ministry has not been changed in decades, corrosive rust is eating away at the missional infrastructure, the gospel tires are suffering from dry rot, the gas tanks of worship are empty, the teaching gears are slipping, and the engine of leadership is out of COMMISSION." Jesus commissioned the Church for mission; God's mission! He gave the Church its purpose (Great Commission) and the power (Holy Spirit) needed to get it done! Carrying out God's mission through congregational mission centers will foster vital, healthy, growing churches. Dr. Clarke provides practical and relevant insights beneficial for church leaders who desire to cultivate mission-oriented congregations heaven bent on transforming the world. *** The Church is created for God's Mission! The identity of every Christian disciple is forever stamped by the missional identity of Jesus. Every disciple is a missionary called to God's mission. Every local church exists as a "mission outpost" of God's Kingdom. God is fashioning a Great Commission Church to reach a twenty-first century world! God's mission-driven Church is Spirit-storming its way into the twenty-first century, envisioning new realities that will transform the world. By combining a unique blend of first and twenty-first century patterns of discipleship, Dr. Clarke presents a refreshing ancient/future approach to carrying out the Great Commission in today's world! *** The church's only business is not to stay in business, but to stay in mission. The heart palpitations and fibrillations caused by the "double whammy" to the heart of Christianity [post-Christendom and post-modernity] make defibrillators like Dr. Holt Clarke's book all the more necessary. Dr. Clarke understands this new mission frontier for Christianity, and shows how we can reconfigure mission for a new world. -Dr. Leonard Sweet, Ph.D. E. Stanley Jones Chair of Evangelism at Drew University and best-selling author. Dr. Clarke's heart burning passion for Christ and brilliant outlook toward the future of the Christian Church make this book exceptionally eminent. In addition, his globally connected ministerial practices such as in South Korea, clearly proves the viability of his vision for the twenty-first century church. -Dr. Younglae Kim, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Christian Education at the Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul, South Korea.
