LLOYD HARKNESS looks at Kim Hammond and Darren Cronshaw’s Sentness…
Kim Hammond and Darren Cronshaw
Sentness: Six Postures of Missional Christians
IVP Books, 2014
ISBN 978-0830844180
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“Sentness speaks to all but particularly it will speak to the hearts of any Christian who is run down or burnt out by the business of church life dictated to by programs and agendas.” |
Kim Hammond and Darren Cronshaw add another important voice in Sentness on how to live out the Great Commission. They challenge the modern poison of Western churches, even spirit-filled churches, where Christians attach a form of faith to a lifestyle they are comfortable with. They are particularly scathing of the consumerist mindset of shopping church until you have the product you are looking for.
But, as the title suggests, this book is more about shaping what being sent looks like. It is about getting to the doing rather than throwing around ideas on a topic. Christians are witnesses, ambassadors, disciples and sent ones on mission fields near and far. So how does this foundational trait of a church community shape its ethos, culture and activity?
If you are looking for an evangelism program to fit your church or seven easy steps to a more rewarding faith experience you will not find what you want in this book – but you will find what you need.
An active faith; being alert to what God is already doing and taking a step of faith and courage to work with Him is the only ‘program’ or ‘self help principle’ presented by Kim and Darren.
As such Sentness speaks to all but particularly it will speak to the hearts of any Christian who is run down or burnt out by the business of church life dictated to by programs and agendas.
Much of what this book purports is not radically different to many messages that have been preached on the Great Commission or ideas that have been thrown around about new wine in new wine skins for at least the last 40 years.
What makes it an important contribution is the absolute necessity of the church in 2014 to live out its central message holistically.
Here are some key elements of that central message:
• The church is God’s called-out people, a part of me, not a separate entity to criticise or consume.
• The church does not exist to meet my needs or make me feel good.
• A healthy church has a culture of ‘sentness’ rather than a program or system.
• The church is to focus on how to be active and real in the world. The “numbers added daily” are a fruit of this focus not “The Focus”.
• The church is to be an alternative community characterised by ‘sentness’ not a “chaplain to society or a vendor of religious goods and services”.
• ‘Sentness’ is about living by faith in the little moments in life because all of life is a mission.
• God is already working in people’s lives so how can I work with Him in offering them good news?
• “Sentness is not a new program but a posture of availability to God and engagement with the lives of people around us.”
• “Part of our role, as evangelist Rick Richardson suggests, is to be junior partners in the detective agency of the Holy Spirit, not preachers with agendas but travel guides joining people on their journey and story listeners and storytellers.”
• Jesus’ parables threw up questions as a way of planting seeds. We too can provoke thinking with questions rather than look to providing pat answers.
• Evangelism is conversation not doctrinal information.
• Lower the bar on how we do church and raise the bar on discipleship.
• Tell your story.
This is not a stand-alone text. Kim and Darren acknowledge numerous sources and regularly quote Hirsch and Frost, authors of several award-winning books.
The seven chapters dovetail nicely into one clear message and even the slightly annoying bracketing of first names to identify whose story or life experience is now being related does not negate the strong unified voice coming through in each chapter.
May the church have that same unified voice in 2014 and beyond.
To buy this book, follow this link Sentness: Six Postures of Missional Christians
