Mission-With

Description

How did a middle-class Northern Irishman settle in inner-city Manchester and co-found a community response to gun and gang crime? What does putting out the bins in a multi-ethnic, terraced street have to do with mission? Why is where as important as what for Christian service? How do Christians decide where to live, and does location matter? In this provocative and engaging book, Paul Keeble shares his story of living long term in a deprived, inner-city community, not as a flag-waving missionary but as a resident and neighbour, who happens to be a follower of Jesus. During more than 30 years of listening and learning, building relationships across cultures and religions, and addressing shared concerns, God has evolved Paul’s thinking from ‘mission-to’ and ‘mission-for’ towards what he calls ‘mission-with’. This incarnational model both challenges and enhances the practice of contemporary mission, taking it beyond projects and special events into everyday life. Sharing and reflecting on his own experience and exploring the wider theology of mission, Paul encourages us to consider the whole-life nature of Jesus calling and to see that through mission-with , God can make something out of the ordinary.