WestCoast Challenge: Sentness – Book Review

Occasionally, I connect with enthusiastic leaders of various ages who are convinced that if they dim the lights, put on great music, use fancy visuals, and call a pastor who can ‘preach it,’ their people will automatically bring people. I once thought the same. Here in Vancouver, we’ve learned it’s not doing much for the Kingdom.

“Sentness is not just for missionaries to foreign lands. The shift is for all of us — student and workers, parents and kids, professionals and laborers, artists and accountants, moms and mechanics. We are all sent into our world.”

In Sentness, through their own experiences, including moving from Australia to the US to serve at Forge America, Hammond and Cronshaw illustrate six ‘postures’ of what all people in His church should strive for through the shift from a consumer-centered church to a missional one.

They point out that we all “have the same mandate,” (Sent People), must “not want to just lecture and talk about local mission, but do it,” (Submerged Ministry), and must have spiritual lives where traditional ‘quiet times’ should go “outward in serving the world and inward in drawing closer to God” (Shalom Spiritually). As churches, we must answer the tough question on how to develop a “supportive community without shame” while still speaking scriptural truth (Safe Places), “form a bond beyond social status and racial identity” (Shared Life), and empowering others to multiply (Standing in the Gap).

“Sentness is not just for missionaries to foreign lands. The shift is for all of us — student and workers, parents and kids, professionals and laborers, artists and accountants, moms and mechanics. We are all sent into our world.”

It will take bravery to read Sentness. It made me ask are we still trying to impress people to come or do we ask “What is Jesus doing?” enough to join Him?

Originally published in On Mission Magazine, available at www.sendnetwork.com, at the Apple App Store, or the Google Play Store.