Craig Van Gelder Books

Exploring the concept of being a church within its context, this book delves into the missional church conversation, providing significant insights into congregational identity and purpose. It engages with essential questions about the nature of church, featuring contributions from various authors who enrich the dialogue with diverse perspectives. The work aims to deepen understanding of how congregations can effectively serve and engage with their communities.

In a time when churches are focusing on finding strategies and techniques to guarantee success, a movement toward the missional church is emerging. Missional churches are communities created by the Spirit with a unique nature and identity. Purpose and strategies of the church are derivative dimensions, the activities that flow naturally from the church that is focused on Spirit-led ministry.The Ministry of the Missional Church leads pastors, ministry leaders, and laypersons through three simple arguments--the church is; the church does what it is; the church organizes what it does--in order to make sense of how missional churches work. And by focusing the work of the church as the work of the Triune God, this unique book will change the way readers think about the church and the world.