For much of recent history individuals and institutions could plan, execute, and flourish with their visions of a better world. Volatile, complex forces could be addressed and confronted with planning and management. But crisis is a great revealer. It knocks us off our thrones. It uncovers the weaknesses in our strategies and brings to light our myths and idols. Our past strategies run aground, smashed by unpredictable and chaotic waves. Yet in the midst of the chaos of a crisis comes opportunity. The history of the church tells us that crisis always precedes renewal, and the framework of renewal offers us new ways forward. A Non-Anxious Presence shows how that renewal happens and offers churches and leaders strategic ways to awaken the Church and see our culture changed for Christ.
About the Author :
MARK SAYERS is the lead pastor of Red Church. Passionate about spiritual renewal and the intersection of faith and culture, he is the author of numerous books, including A Non-Anxious Presence and Reappearing Church. He also hosts the Rebuilders podcast. Mark lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife, Trudi, their daughter, Grace, and twin boys, Hudson and Billy.
Review :
Praise for A Non-Anxious Presence
"In this characteristically well-written book, my colleague and friend Mark Sayers delivers an incredibly insightful and prophetic word to a church leadership in that finds itself in deep existential crisis. A Non-Anxious Presence is quite possibly the best articulation on the sheer power of liminality to purge, refresh, and renew our way of thinking about leadership that we have at present. It might well be Mark's best book yet."
--Alan Hirsch, author of numerous award-winning books on missional leadership, organization, and spirituality; founder of Movement Leaders Collective, Forge Mission Training Network, and The 5Q Collective
"This is the leadership book I've been waiting for in this season of chaos, disruption, and transition. In A Non-Anxious Presence, Mark not only shows us how we got to where we are, he provides a hope-filled path forward. We discover that the wilderness provides an opportunity for renewal, which is exactly what leaders need to lead in these times of constant change."
--Christine Caine, founder A21 & Propel Women
"Mark Sayers has a unique and profound ability to understand culture and, in particular, our cultural moment--how we got here, where we are going, and how Christians might seek to live faithfully amid the tectonic shifts of our age. In A Non-Anxious Presence, Sayers casts a vision for pastors and other Christian leaders that allows us to offer hope in a quickly changing and ever-anxious world. Sayers vividly describes the disorienting 'gray zone' we now find ourselves in, as well as helpfully interpreting this cultural shift as a 'wilderness' of testing in which leaders are called to be refined and purified as we seek the presence of God in our world, our churches, and our lives. Sayers is a faithful, studied, and remarkably insightful guide in this time of upheaval and transition, a time where we find ourselves often befuddled and fearful, a time when God is yet at work redeeming all things.
--Tish Harrison Warren, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night
"Mark has written another powerful and timely book. Many today are feeling overwhelmed by the chaos and uncertainty our world continually seems to be going through. But becoming a non-anxious presence gives us a compelling vision on how to bring Jesus' peace, leadership, and hope to these deeply troubled times. I am so grateful for a resource like this."
--Jon Tyson, author of Intentional Father; pastor of Church of the City New York
"What is the 'gray zone'? According to Mark Sayers, it is the time between two eras, the time we now occupy. Everything is in flux. The old hasn't completely passed; the new has yet to arrive. Marked by social uncertainty, this time 'between' has led to cultural anxiety. How the church should navigate the gray zone is the subject of A Non-Anxious Presence, and this book has come to us at just the right time. Mark's clear thinking, prophetic insight, and practical wisdom are just what we need to lead well in these disorienting times."
--Brian Brodersen, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, CA
"The message of this book resonates deeply with our experience of the church in Iran. We have had the privilege of learning from and serving with leaders who exhibit 'a non-anxious presence.' We've seen God use these men and women to build His church amid uncertainty, hostility, and suffering. We urge leaders everywhere to read and embrace the posture this book calls us to."
--David (Executive Director) and Louise Yeghnazar, Elam Ministries
"This is a message my soul has been craving: prophetic intelligence and fierce hope for those of us seeking to navigate the wreckage of recent events with integrity and a compelling vision. Mark Sayers is a voice I listen to and a leader I deeply respect. His insights are outworked at the coalface of local church in a global city, and they are consistently tempered with prayerful attentiveness to the Lord. For those of us seeking to discern the difference between the Spirit of God and the spirit of the age, Mark is a trusted guide with a timely message."
--Pete Greig, founder, 24-7 Prayer; Senior Pastor, Emmaus Rd Church; author of How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People
"It's a new day in today's connected and networked world as leaders who follow Jesus. Mark is a needed and trusted voice in the current cultural context. This is a season for leaders to step up and lead, and this book will serve as a playbook to help you do just that."
--Brad Lomenick, former president of Catalyst; author, H3 Leadership and The Catalyst Leader
"At one point in A Non-Anxious Presence I couldn't stop underlining and marking up the copy with stars and exclamation points. Mark Sayers has given us a leadership book that we badly need for these complicated times. I'm planning to share it with the leaders I serve."
--Collin Hansen, vice president of content and editor in chief of The Gospel Coalition and host of the Gospelbound podcast
"Mark Sayers is like an Old Testament seer. With spiritual eyes he sees the liminal moment we find ourselves in. Times of transition between eras are complex, uncertain, and full of anxiety. Yet Sayers reveals how they are also pregnant with renewal. He calls us to be a non-anxious presence in and for the world, to emulate the patient ferment of the early church, which saw rapid growth in testing times. As a student of different cultures around the world, Mark Sayers has done the unimaginable, capturing the zeitgeist in a way that is as relevant to Asia as it is to the West. In a time of confusion, this book is a spiritual map to chart a way forward into a better tomorrow."
--Miles Toulmin, Vicar of Holy Trinity Bukit Bintang (HTBB), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Executive Director Alpha Asia-Pacific
"Mark Sayers is consistently ten steps ahead of the rest of us, and this book is no exception. I have not read a more insightful analysis of our precise historical moment--its cultural roots, its psychological impact, and its spiritual implications--than I have in these pages. Sayers has gifted us with brilliant insight and understanding that is both honest about our challenges, while also managing to be hearteningly, and realistically, hopeful. I will be recommending this book to every leader I know."
--Sharon Hodde Miller, author of Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It's Not about You
"You might just call it deeply insightful and timely. You may as well dare to call it prophetic. Sayers's writing never fails to speak directly in our current situation with much-needed clarity, in-depth analysis, and a bold, gospel-centered perspective. This book is of greatest importance for anybody interested in the future face of church leadership."
--Johannes Hartl, author; founder, House of Prayer, Augsburg, Germany
"In a world where most of us are trying to figure out what on earth is going on, Mark Sayers's sharp, perceptive, and highly clarifying perspective is invaluable. Mark is a voice I listen to at every opportunity, and this book summarizes so much of what every church leader needs to see and to know right now."
--Carey Nieuwhof, bestselling author, speaker, and host of the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
"The world is changing but we struggle to make sense of it. Mark Sayers argues that we are living in a gray zone, the fading twilight of one era and the early dawn of the next. With his characteristic clarity and insight, he gives us language and imagery for finding our way. This book will make you see the world in a different way; it will make you think and rethink your assumptions and approaches to ministry; but above all, it will lead you to pray--with a hunger and desperation for the Holy Spirit."
--Glenn Packiam, Associate Senior Pastor, New Life Church; author, The Resilient Pastor and Blessed Broken Given
"Mark Sayers always has a fascinating and insightful commentary on the moment of time we find ourselves in and the kind of leadership that is required."
--Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of HTB and pioneer of Alpha
