Freeing Congregational Mission - by B Hunter Farrell (Paperback)

About the Book

North American congregations face a deepening crisis of consumer-oriented "selfie missions" and practices based on colonial-era assumptions. Seeking to free congregational mission from harmful cultural forces, this book helps churches better partner with God's work in the world, offering the latest research and practical, step-by-step tools for churches.

Book Synopsis

There is a deepening crisis in mission as practiced by North American congregations. Many mission activities are more effective at satisfying church members than making a lasting difference, producing what's too often consumer-oriented "selfie mission." Too much effort is based on colonial-era assumptions of mission launched from a position of power. These practices are not just ineffective--they deviate from mission in the way of Jesus.

Hunter Farrell and Bala Khyllep want to help free congregational mission from harmful cultural forces so churches can better partner with God's work in the world. They invite leaders to lay the foundation for more faithful and effective missions with three core elements:

• a Christ-centered theology of mission rooted in companionship
• an appetite and competence to engage across differences with cultural humility
• insights and strategies to accompany local and global neighbors in co-development

Farrell and Khyllep deliver key takeaways from the latest mission research, inspiring examples from innovative congregations, and a set of step-by-step tools for churches to discern and implement sound practices that will work for them. The local church community is well-positioned to build a spreading circle of relationships centered in Jesus Christ. With this book, congregations of every Christian tradition will find practical help to direct their resources in truly life-giving ways as they seek the mission of God.

Review Quotes

"Freeing Congregational Mission is a must-read book for anyone who wants to engage in mission faithfully. In my ministry, I have been to over eighty countries and interacted with both senders and recipients of mission. The criticism of colonial models of mission as well as self-serving mission practices is a common theme. And yet there is the understanding that most mission teams mean very well. This book is the first of its kind that I have seen address this in an open, critical, and sensitive fashion. I will recommend it highly for both academic and mission practitioners' use."

--Setri Nyomi, senior lecturer at Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana, and former general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches

"Freeing Congregational Mission is a welcoming multicultural, postcolonial, and interdisciplinary work that encourages a critical forward view of God's mission (missio Dei) aimed at encouraging more faithful and effective mission engagements. With a distinct focus on the transforming energy of the short-term mission experience, the authors have produced an essential mentoring text to theologically encourage church mission leaders and seminarians who yearn for a more inclusive understanding of God's mission. By examining three core elements necessary to overcome current destructive cultural forces, this book demonstrates how churches, by valuing human diversity, human agency, and ethical behaviors, can learn to model dignity, respect, humility, and love of neighbor related to missions in both local and global contexts."

--Marsha Snulligan Haney, intercultural theological education consultant, founder and editor of UrbanMissiology.org

"Hunter Farrell has written a seminal work for parish mission that promises freedom from the limitations, failures, and even harm of short-term mission trips and parish partnerships. More importantly, he and his companion, S. Balajiedlang Khyllep, provide a vision, a road map, and a vehicle for parishes to revitalize their mission in the world. This is a must-read for every pastor, mission leader, and Christian who longs to participate in the missio Dei, because it is accessible, honest, hope filled, and doable."

--Donald R. McCrabb, executive director of the United States Catholic Mission Association and partner in the Third Wave of Mission

"Much of what goes by the name 'missions' in American Christianity is captive to the habits of settler colonialism and slaveholder religion, squelching the good news both for those who proclaim it and those who hear it. Freeing Congregational Mission offers hope that churches can discover the gospel anew and the world can hear and see God's mission in a way that brings hope and healing for all."

--Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of Revolution of Values

About the Author

S. Balajiedlang Khyllep (ThM, Princeton Theological Seminary) is the associate director of WMI at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and regularly preaches and leads mission workshops in Pittsburgh-area churches and beyond. He belongs to the Khasi people and grew up in northeast India.

B. Hunter Farrell (doctor of anthropology, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú) is the director of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary's World Mission Initiative (WMI). He has worked for over thirty years as a missionary, director of world mission for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and a professor of mission and intercultural studies. He has published articles in periodicals including Missiology, The Journal of Latin American Theology, and Christianity Today.