Right Here, Right Now: Everyday Mission For Everyday People

by Alan Hirsch, Lance Ford

Leading voices in the missional church offer practical ways for ordinary Christians to live missionally right where they are.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Discipleship, Christianity, Faith, Leadership, Religion

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2010

About the author

Alan Hirsch is the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network. Currently he co-leads Future Travelers, an innovative learning program helping megachurches become missional movements. Known for his innovative approach to mission, Alan is considered to be a thought-leader and key mission strategist for churches across the Western world. Hirsch is the author of The Forgotten Ways; co-author of The Shaping of Things to Come, ReJesus, and The Faith of Leap (with Michael Frost); Untamed (with Debra Hirsch); Right Here, Right Now (with Lance Ford), and On the Verge (with Dave Ferguson).

Alan is co-founder and adjunct faculty for the M.A. in Missional Church Movements at Wheaton College (Illinois). He is also adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary, George Fox Seminary, among others, and he lectures frequently throughout Australia, Europe, and the United States. He is series editor for Baker Books' Shapevine series , IVP's Forge line, and an associate editor of Leadership Journal.

His experience in leadership includes leading a local church movement among the marginalized as well as heading up the Mission and Revitalization work of his denomination. He has been on leadership team with Christian Associates, a mission agency planting churches throughout Europe. Alan is adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary and lectures frequently throughout Australia, Europe, and the U.S

Reviews

[Amanda]

I'm not leaving a rating for this book because I DNF, but here are the reasons why I gave up on this one.

- The author does a huge amount of translation mining. In just one chapter he quotes from the Message, NIV, NASB, NRSV, and KJV. If you have to keep jumping from translation to translation to make your point, perhaps your point isn't really biblical?
- The book makes a lot of "non-Christians don't like the church, so the church is doing something wrong" statements. This is a common but absurd idea, especially in light of Jesus telling us that the world will *hate* Christians.
- The sidebars are headlined "Just Sayin...". This is really just personal preference, but it feels like the author is talking down to the reader with this, especially since "just saying" is often used in conversation to mean "here's something you don't want to hear, but you can't get mad at me for saying it."
- This book could have been a lot shorter if he would get to the point. Go out, meet people, love on them, share the gospel. Done.

Not a bad book, just not one I wanted to keep reading.

[Billy Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reframing and Reshaping the idea of American Church

If you want your ideologies challenged about what makes the church, the church in America...read it! If you feel that the American church is fine the way it is...well...you should read it too!

[Gerard Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok first up, the positive. I love Al's work. I find him a challenging and stimulating writer, and I think he is a massively important thinker for the Western church right now. And I love the idea of this book. I downloaded it because the title and brief are a bulls-eye. This is exactly what we need right now. My frustration is that it doesn't really deliver. There are some great sentences (as we've come to expect from Al) and some interesting alleyways to wander up, but the text doesn't flow well, the two-author thing is clunky and it just didn't grip me. I found it was a bit like one of those Hollywood comedies where all the best lines are in the trailer, and you wonder why you bothered with the movie... Overall I rate this book as a door-opener. If it leads to more work, more research, more resources and more creativity on the mobilising of God's people in everyone-to-everywhere mission, then it will have done a good job. But it doesn't, in itself, go the distance.

[Nick Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came to this book hoping for 1) some strong theory from people who have led missional churches well; 2) a resource to return to with the people I pastor; and 3) some "right here, right now" practices to introduce at the churches I serve. It delivers on none of those, and it rehashes older books. It's redeemed to maybe 2.5 stars by the reflections on the church's working within a US suburban culture that only seems church-friendly, as well as a couple helpful practical ideas.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

While not an easy read by any means (Hirsch is definitely an intellectual and since he wrote the foreword and prologue, they were difficult) but it's worth reading. My life was seriously on the safe road. I was taking no chances for the cause of Christ and this book made me stop and really think about that and make a serious change.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in record quick time as pre-reading for a course. It's very challenging and I'm going to trade our the practicalities with my course-mates. On the downside there were to many specifically American cultural references which,at times,left me guessing.

[David Hardin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good intro

If you are not familiar with the works of alan Hirsch this book will give you a great intro into some wonderful and essential stuff. If you are familiar with his work you won't find much new here.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved. loved. loved.

[Wim Kruithof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the missial church

[Werner J. Swart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellently written. this book challenges us to make a real difference in the world, every day, wherever we are. A wonderful reminder of our purpose on earth as God's children.

[writer... · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoying Alan's insights - not a fast read, so taking it in bits and bites with time to digest! many thanks to my son for knowing what i'd love about this book ~ bless you!

[Justin Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://justinfarley.blogspot.com/2011...

[Glenda Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second half is full of practical ideas, but getting that far was a walk through the desert....

[Russel Teschon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A primer on rethinking Church for postmodern effectiveness!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything this guys writes is great. Some very practical ideas on building relationships.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on joining God in his mission. It has done much to reshape my approach to discipleship.

[Dwayne Shugert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great ideas about the church being on mission right here, right now. A call to challenge us into rethinking what church is and how we share the message of the Gospel with all we meet.