God's mission is for everyone, every day.
In the midst of societal disruption and disillusionment, we're seeing signs of a new season of God bringing people into renewal and revival. Jesus is the Sent One who invites us to become like him and live as sent people. God is leading us into a new normal where all of us—not just the professionals—can encounter him and experience his work.
Apostolic mission leaders Linson Daniel, Jon Hietbrink, and Eric Rafferty reveal God's invitation into everyday mission in the way of Jesus. Though Christians may be discouraged by various challenges, this season holds opportunities for experiencing God's movement in fresh ways among unlikely people.
With biblical insights into how Jesus and the early church lived, the authors invite us into four Es of reviving mission:
- Encountering God
- Exploring what he's doing all around us
- Empowering those he sends us to, and
- Establishing communal rhythms of transforming habits and habitats.
This model of holistic mission brings together the person of God, postures of redemption, and practices of engagement in a way that equips ordinary people for transformation and renewal.
God's mission revives us as sent ones and the communities we are sent to. Come and be awakened to his everyday movement all around you.
Table of Contents:
Preface: Signs of a New Season
1. A New Season and a New Way
2. Jesus' Holistic Mission
3. Encounter: God Is Here
4. Encounter: God Is Moving
5. Explore: Lift Up Your Eyes
6. Explore: People of Peace
7. Empower: By What Power?
8. Empower: Serve and Send
9. Establish: God of Cadence
10. Establish: God of the Garden-City
11. Conclusion: The Joy of Jesus
Epilogue: Heralds of a New Normal
Ackowledgments
Notes
About the Author :
Eric Rafferty is the associate national director of chapter planting at InterVarsity, where he coaches, trains, and creates resources for students and campus ministers to start new ministries on college campuses across the United States and around the world. He earned his MA in missional church movements from Wheaton College, and he serves as the director of groups ministry at his local church, One Hope Benson. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife, Stacy, and their three children.
Jon Hietbrink is a vice president at InterVarsity, where he helps to cultivate missional movements on campuses across the country. He's one of the founders of the EveryCampus coalition, earned his MA in missional church movements from Wheaton College, and loves hiking in creation and traveling to new places. He lives in the Midwest with his wife, Stephanie, and their two Gen Z kids.
Linson Daniel is associate pastor at METRO Church, located in both Farmers Branch and Frisco, Texas. He is a senior adviser to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and the South Asian American ministry adviser at Fuller Theological Seminary's Asian American Center. He is a coauthor of Learning Our Names and lives in Dallas with his wife and two children.
Review :
"Is God doing a new thing? Linson Daniel, Jon Hietbrink, and Eric Rafferty dare to say that he is! And they are correct. In Reviving Mission, they invite the reader into a renewed wonder and enchantment of a God who is moving toward creation and inviting it into the intimate love of God. This book made me want to be a missionary again. Not somewhere else, but right here."
"This book is a well-written exploration of contemporary mission in culturally diverse, post-Christian contexts. It is not just a good example of robust but accessible theological reflection, it is also grounded in the living experience of the authors. Good stuff!"
"While some missional literature sounds grave warnings about the parlous state of the church today, Reviving Mission is rooted in an infectious optimism about the unfurling of the kingdom and the church's role in it. The authors believe God is up to something, and their book is a clarion call for us to take our place in the new season he is stirring up around the world. Inspiring and practical."
"If you want to turn from cynicism to wonder, read this book! Linson Daniel, Jon Hietbrink, and Eric Rafferty testify to how God is at work in our world through those who seek him. Understanding the 4E framework illustrated in Reviving Mission transfers mission from professionals to everyday Christ-followers. This is a kairos moment: as we look toward God's future, anticipating it in the present, we can participate with the God of history in creating a future filled with unshakable joy!"
"God is on the move and doing a new thing in our fast-changing world. Reviving Mission is full of practical insights and thoughtful reflections from seasoned Christian leaders that apply to all who want to understand God's work for our times and wrestle with the challenges of living out their faith. A must-read for all serious Christians everywhere."
"The missional frame of this book—encounter, explore, empower, establish—is so helpful in starting and sustaining flourishing communities of faith. This is the way to do it! And the stories the authors share offer much inspiration and hope that God is still on the move today. If you want practical ways to jump in and be a part of what God is doing in the world, read this book."
"A must-read primer for any ministry leader hoping to be better equipped and empowered. Reviving Mission offers much-needed postures and practical tools that will not only revive your mission but also your faith. God is doing something new!"
"Reviving Mission is a fresh, innovative integration of spiritual formation and holistic missiology pointing us to something bigger that's going on all around us—a fresh move of God in our time! Drawing us into practical rhythms that invite us to encounter God, Reviving Mission seeks to normalize a 'movement posture.' Demonstrating that God can and does move in power anywhere and everywhere, the authors call us to a fresh hope for revival and awakening at this cultural moment. This is a must-read for anyone passionate about cultural transformation, movement, and revival."
"Guiding us beyond immature triumphalism and reactive disillusionment, Linson Daniel, Jon Hietbrink, and Eric Rafferty give us a renewed vision for mission with their wise and practical book. Yes, as they argue, mission must be revived, avoiding the political distortions and cultural mistakes of the past, made alive for everyday life with the real presence of Jesus! Their holistic vision is both good news for communities that we are sent to and for all those who are sent. A wonderful and much-needed resource!"
"This book is for those who hunger for renewal and long to see God's renewing work spill out beyond the walls of the church. Combining hope-driven inspiration and practical solutions, Reviving Mission is a wonderful resource that will equip and encourage the priesthood of all believers for our God-given mission in the world."
