Treasure in Clay Jars: Patterns in Missional Faithfulness (The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS))

If you saw a missional church, what would it look like? What patterns of behavior and practice would you find there?

Building on the ground laid by the book Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Darrell Guder et al. 1998), Treasure in Clay Jars centers on case studies of nine missional congregations from across North America that are diverse in their denominational affiliations, worship styles, political stances, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The book explores eight concrete "patterns" common to these churches. Although the patterns may be different in each setting, they can be recognized in any congregation seeking to participate in God's mission in the world.

The team that authored this book believes that "missional" says something not so much about the activities of the church as its character: "The church does not exist for itself, but for participation in God's mission of reconciliation. . . . Mission is the character of the church in whatever context it exists." The congregations studied here are "clay jars," but each carries in its witness a remarkable treasure that points to God's power and purposes.

Authors:
Lois Y. Barrett
Darrell L. Guder
Walter C. Hobbs
George R. Hunsberger
Linford L. Stutzman
Jeff Van Kooten
Dale A. Ziemer

• Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS))
• Practical Evangelism for the Twenty-First Century: Complexities and Opportunities (Digi-Books Series) (Volume 3)
• Models of the Kingdom:
• Powers, Weakness, and the Tabernacling of God
• Reimagining Evangelism: Inviting Friends on a Spiritual Journey (Reimagining Evangelism Curriculum Set)
• The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church
• God's Shalom Project: An engaging look at the Bible's sweeping story
• The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission (Biblical Theology for Life)
• Intercultural Discipleship (Encountering Mission)
• Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters