It would be reasonable to estimate that multiple hundreds of thousands of people have become followers of Jesus Christ as a result of the modern church-planting movement. One characteristic of the literature of this movement has been an almost singular focus on the individual who is sent out to lead the new congregation, rather than on the vital role of the sending or sponsoring church.

Practically all the books are written with one target in mind: this individual leader, the pioneer pastor, usually referred to as the "church planter." "The Mother Church" is not written for pioneer pastors; it is written for the leaders of potential mother churches. It is designed to help leaders assess whether and when the birthing of a new church is a good idea for their congregation and to provide them with tools to birth and nurture healthy, thriving, life-giving new churches.

"Church leaders who desire to see their mission efforts survive and thrive need to give special attention to the hardwon insights of John Bangs' "The Mother Church." Bangs is not only a mission planter and pastor, but he brings the broader view of a church-planting leader ..."
-Charles J. Scalise, Ph.D., Professor of Church History, Fuller Theological Seminary

"The Mother Church will revolutionize the way we view and do birthing of mission churches."
-Kent J. Ingle, D.Min., Dean, College of Ministry, Northwest University

Pascal D. Bazzell brings the marginal ecclesiology of a Filipino ecclesial community facing homelessness (FECH) into contemporary ecclesiological conversation in order to deepen the ecumenical understanding of today's ecclesial reality. He contributes relevant data to support a theory of an ecclesial-oriented paradigm that fosters ecclesial communities within homeless populations. There is an extensive dialogue occurring between ecclesiologies, church planting theories or urban missions and the urban poor. Yet the situation with the homeless population is almost entirely overlooked. The majority of urban mission textbooks do not acknowledge an ecclesial-oriented state of being and suggest that the street-level environment is a place where no discipleship can occur and no church should exist. By presenting the FECH's case study Bazzell emphasizes that it is possible to live on the streets and to grow in the faith of God as an ecclesial community. To be able to describe the FECH's ecclesial narrative, Bazzell develops a local ecclesiological methodology that aims to bridge the gap between more traditional systematic and theoretical (ideal) ecclesiology and practical oriented ecclesiology (e.g. congregational studies) in order to hold together theological and social understandings of the church in its local reality. He articulates a theological framework for the FECH to reflect on who they are (the essence of identity studies), who they are in relationship to God (the essence of theological studies), and what that means for believers in that community as they relate to God and to each other in ways that are true to who they are and to who God intends them to be (the essence of ecclesial studies). The research provides a seldom-heard empirical tour into the FECH's social world and communal identity. The theological findings from the FECH's hermeneutical work on the Gospel of Mark reveal an understanding of church being developed as gathering around Jesus that creates a space for God's presence to be embodied in their ordinary relationships and activities and to invite others to participate in that gathering. Moreover, it addresses ecclesial issues of the supernatural world; honor/shame values; and further develop the neglected image of the familia Dei in classical ecclesiology that encapsulates well the FECH's nature, mission and place.

DAVID H. HIGGINS, M.A. (Cambridge), was Head of the Department of Italian Studies at the University of Bristol until retirement in 1995. His main professional field was the cultural and political history of Italy from Late Antiquity, through medieval to the Renaissance, together with comparative philology and linguistics. This was accompanied by an interdisciplinary professional interest in comparative early medieval British and Italian archaeology and history. His major publications include the critical apparatus of Dante's Divine Comedy in the World Classics series, Oxford University Press (1981, 2nd edition 1993, reprinted 2008), and many articles and reviews in journals such as Dante Studies, The Modern Language Review, The Journal of Ecclesiastical History and archaeological serials including the Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, The Council for British Archaeology - South West, Bristol and Avon Archaeology and short works for the Bristol branch of the Historical Association.

The history of the Christian church is a fascinating story. Since the ascension of Jesus and the birth of the church at Pentecost, the followers of Christ have experienced persecution and martyrdom, established orthodoxy and orthopraxy, endured internal division and social upheaval, and sought to proclaim the good news "to the end of the earth." How can we possibly begin to grasp the complexity of the church's story? In this brief volume, historian Jennifer Woodruff Tait provides a primer using seven sentences to introduce readers to the sweeping scope of church history. Among the sentences: "No one whatsoever should be denied the opportunity to give his heart to the observance of the Christian religion." -The Edict of Milan (AD 313) "Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance from the Father." -The Nicene Creed (325) "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,' he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." -Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses (1517) "The church is confronted today, as in no preceding generation, with a literally worldwide opportunity to make Christ known." -The Edinburgh Conference (1910) Pick up and read. The story continues. The accessible primers in the Introductions in Seven Sentences collection act as brief introductions to an academic field, with simple organization: seven key sentences that give readers a birds-eye view of an entire discipline.