“In this lucid, searching and wise book, Michael Moynagh opens up some substantially new and nuanced ways of understanding the nature, purpose and identity of the church in today’s world. Our contemporary culture is riddled with conceits that assume the old, established and traditional expressions of institutions have had their day, and need to make way for anything and ... Read moreeverything that is brand new. What Moynagh’s book perceptively articulates is that the new needs the old; that ‘blending’ the contemporary with the traditional needs skill; and that the younger expressions of church life will need to mature if they are to be vessels of wisdom for our future. This is careful and critical book that requires consideration and composure from all who seek to shape the future church.”
Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford I love the framework for innovation that Mike uses here. It’s a really exciting way to come at mission and pioneering, and a welcome voice in a church that can so often be risk averse. There’s a lot of energy in an approach that is fuelled by imagination, possibility and hope rather than anxiety. As a result of seeing the material I invited Mike to teach pioneers at CMS and they found it energising for their pioneering practice.
Jonny Baker, Director of Mission Education, CMS. The church, like the Triune God, must give itself away. This is perhaps the central thesis in Michael Moynagh’s exciting and provocative book, and this is the reason why new ecclesial communities need to be cultivated with creativity, imagination, and entrepreneurship. When you read this book, you will think differently about the church, and perhaps even do church differently as well.
Stephen B. Bevans, SVD, Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD Professor of Mission and Culture, Catholic Theological Union, USA Michael Moynagh has become a voice of inspiration and encouragement for many priests and pastors who are part of the Missional Movement - in the UK but also far beyond its boundaries. Add to this his passion for mission and his deep commitment to the Gospel and you can see why many people are blessed by his writings. In the present volume, Church in Life, we see all of this and more. This book is a must read for everyone interested in missional churches.
Coenie Burger, Director of Communitas: Centre for Continuing Ministry Development and Research, Stellenbosch University, South Africa The ‘fresh expressions’ movement has been criticised for a lack of theological depth. Michael Moynagh's Church in Life represents by far the most significant move to date to address that deficiency. Particularly welcome is his enthusiasm for the church itself as a gift of God to the world. I look forward to the prospect that the book will provoke a genuinely theological discussion about the church and the nature of its mission.
Rev’d Dr Andrew Davison, Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge and co-author of For the Parish (2010) Michael Moynagh’s new book is a key contribution to the debate about the ecclesiology and practice of fresh expressions of church – and it also has much to teach those of us immersed in inherited church life and thinking.
Rev’d Mark Earey, The Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham, member of the Church of England Liturgical Commission and chair of the Group for Renewal of Worship A timely, significant and constructive contribution to contemporary missiological and ecclesiological thinking, which deserves to be widely read and engaged.
Rev Dr Doug Gay, Principal of Trinity College, University of Glasgow, UK Moynagh presents the ecclesial entrepreneur – an individual or team who embrace change and experimentation, who focus on the church’s end-users and solving their problems, and who innovate and introduce profound change from the bottom-up rather than top-down. Moynagh shows how the church needs to become more like a Spirit-filled tech start-up to fulfil its redemptive role in the world!
Andrew Godley, Head of Leadership, Organisation and Behaviour, Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Reading, UK Michael Moynagh’s new magnum opus, Church in Life, reworks ecclesiology, using the remarkable insights derived from the ‘fresh expressions’ movement. His analysis is rooted in actual practice, and documents the theological significance of emergent expressions of the missional church. What otherwise might remain a cliche (e.g. “innovation") becomes here a fruitful, even "fresh" field of inquiry. The outcome of the project is a range of trajectories which invite further work.
Darrell Guder, Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary, USA Michael Moynagh brings us up to date on a fresh missional move of God through innovative churches which are fresh expressions of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. In so doing he informs and inspires us to live into and out of the missional identity of all of our churches.
Ross Hastings, Sangwoo Youtong Chee Associate Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, Canada Michael Moynagh’s new book, Church in Life, is a valid masterpiece of theology. I am really thankful for the great inspiration of this masterpiece of ecumenical ecclesiology. It is a milestone even for a new experiential approach to theology.
Dr Christian Hennecke, author and theologian, Head of the Pastoral Department, Diocese of Hildesheim, Germany In this ground-breaking sequel to Church for Every Context, Michael Moynagh weaves together a wealth of insight from ‘fresh expressions’ practice and thinking to argue for a new approach. He moves past the church-planting model toward an approach to local church mission that discerns, recognises and empowers the new, living, innovative and self-giving communities which the Holy Spirit is already bringing forth. Highly recommended for practitioners, missiologists and theologians alike.
Kirsteen Kim, Professor of Theology and World Christianity, Fuller Theological Seminary, USA Church in Life takes Michael Moynagh’s work on fresh expressions to new levels. His thinking about innovation is key for churches which know they need to do something differently but don’t know how to approach it. It is ideal for those at the ‘coal face’ but also should be required reading for those making policy for the future of the Church.’
Revd Canon Dave Male, National Advisor for Pioneer Development, UK. The future of the Church depends on it generating new forms and ‘fresh expressions’: the topic could not be more important. Michael Moynagh has spent years reflecting on new ecclesial communities, and his writing is both theoretically rich and fully accessible. Will these initiatives succeed? Read the book and decide!
David Voas, Professor of Social Science, University College London, UK "Church in Life offers a practical theology of innovation. It weaves stories, Scripture and simple practices into a rich theological tapestry. It offers hope for the post-Christendom church, integrating the theological conviction that God is making all things new with an impressive array of practical stories and contemporary research. I’ll be recommended it to funders, denominational leaders and pioneers in our New Mission Seedlings.”
Steve Taylor, Mike has been a great reflector for the church in the UK on cultural change and mission and fresh expressions of church. The book is over 400 pages long and offers a wealth of wisdom for those innovating in mission in the new landscape we find ourselves in. I wholeheartedly recommend it – Mike’s thinking and writing gets better and better.
Anvil, Journal of Theology and Mission, Vol 34, Issue 1 Show Less