If you saw a missional church, what would it look like? What patterns of behavior and practice would you find there?

Building on the ground laid by the book "Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America" (Darrell Guder et al. 1998), "Treasure in Clay Jars" centers on case studies of nine missional congregations from across North America that are diverse in their denominational affiliations, worship styles, political stances, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The book explores eight concrete bpatternsb common to these churches. Although the patterns may be different in each setting, they can be recognized in any congregation seeking to participate in Godbs mission in the world.

The team that authored this book believes that bmissionalb says something not so much about the activities of the church as its character: bThe church does not exist for itself, but for participation in Godbs mission of reconciliation. . . . Mission is the character of the church in whatever context it exists.b The congregations studied here are bclay jars, b but each carries in its witness a remarkable treasure that points to Godbs power and purposes.

Authors: Lois Y. Barrett
Darrell L. Guder
Walter C. Hobbs
George R. Hunsberger
Linford L. Stutzman
Jeff Van Kooten
Dale A. Ziemer

In this in-depth study of Lesslie Newbigin's thought, George Hunsberger brings into clear view the "theology of cultural plurality" developed in Newbigin's book and demonstrates its importance for the missiological enterprise today. Interacting closely with Newbigin's published and unpublished works, Hunsberger describes Newbigin's biblical rationale for the life and witness of the church in a culturally plural world. By teasing out Newbigin's thinking in this realm, Hunsberger gives shape to a theological area of inquiry and reflection badly needed for fruitful discussions of cross-cultural mission, religious pluralism, and ecumenism.

This excellent collection of essays, written by a diverse group of Christian leaders working on the frontier of mission within the present North American context, lays the groundwork for the newly emerging missionary encounter of the gospel with North American culture. Demonstrating that the missionary identity of the church is to be found at the intersection of culture-gospel-church, these essays outline the missionary agenda now before the church as it confronts North American assumptions, perspectives, preferences, and practices.

Over the course of several decades, missiologist George Hunsberger has written numerous essays on crucial themes for the church's recovery of its missional identity and practice. The Story That Chooses Us brings these essays together for the first time. The book as a whole presents a composite sense of the missional identity and faithful witness to which the church is called in contemporary Western society. Hunsberger engages with well-known missiologist Lesslie Newbigin throughout his work as he carefully discerns biblical and theological roots for a contemporary vision of missional theology. The recurring themes in Hunsberger's essays provide both theological mooring and practical guidance for churches following Christ on the missional path.