Alan Hirsch: Missiology Shapes Ecclesiology!

No longer should the church shape the mission – but the mission must shape the church.

So says author, instructor, and missional guru Alan Hirsch, who’s on a mission to invite all churches to embrace mission.

Alan is well known in evangelical and mega-church circles and has something to teach everyone: that (as Barth said) the church has a mission because God has a mission. Enjoy these words from a creative and passionate thinker.

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Synopsis
How did the early church grow from 25,000 people to 20 million in a little more than 200 years? It’s the study of ‘apostolic movements’ like this that Alan Hirsch says can teach us a lot about how we might experience a similar move of the Spirit. Here are my notes from the interview:

The Apostolic Genius
Hirsch likes to say that everything he’s written boils down to a deeper explanation of his 6 Elements of Apostolic Genius. These are the essential components that are always present in any apostolic movement.

Unlearn Stuff
Alan says, rather than learning, the task of today’s Christian leader might be to unlearn – things like institutional frameworks that put preservation above outreach. What do we do, consciously or unconsciously, that might qualify here?

Get Over Your Risk Aversion
If we really know what’s going to happen in the end, why not take more risks? Hirsch is a proponent of creative entrepreneurialism that seeks to meet pressing needs at the expense of maintaining the status quo.

About Alan Hirsch
Alan is the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network. Currently he co-leads Future Travelers, an innovative learning program helping megachurches become missional movements. Known for his innovative approach to mission, Alan is considered to be a thought-leader and key mission strategist for churches across the Western world. He is the author of several books including The Forgotten Ways; co-author of The Shaping of Things to Come, ReJesus and The Faith of Leap. (with Michael Frost), and Untamed (with Debra Hirsch). His experience includes leading a local church movement among the marginalized, developing training systems for innovative missional leadership, and heading up the mission and revitalization work of his denomination.

Alan is adjunct faculty for the M.A. in Missional Church Movements at Wheaton College (Illinois), an adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary, George Fox Seminary, among others, and he lectures frequently throughout Australia, Europe, and the United States. He is series editor for Baker Books’ Shapevine series , IVP’s Forge line, and an associate editor of Leadership Journal.

Books Alan Recommends
Paul Among the Postliberals – Douglas Harink
The Age of the Unthinkable – Joshua Cooper Ramo
Building a Discipling Culture – Mike Breen

Sponsors I Mentioned
Virginia Theological Seminary is the largest Episcopal Seminary in the U.S., forming men and women for leadership in the church. In addition to the MDiv, Anglican Studies and DMin degrees are their Masters of Arts degrees with a fous on Theological Studies, Christian Formation, Religion & Culture, and Biblical Interpretation. Check them out at vts.edu.