Creating a Missional Culture: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World

by J.R. Woodward

Once upon a time, Moses had had enough. Exhausted by the challenge of leading the Israelites from slavery to the Promised Land, Moses cried out to God, "What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? . . . If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me" (Exodus 11:11, 15). If that sounds hauntingly familiar to you, you may be the senior pastor of a contemporary church. The burden of Christian leadership is becoming increasingly unbearable--demanding skills not native to the art of pastoring; demanding time that makes sabbath rest and even normal sleep patterns seem extravagant; demanding inhuman levels of efficiency, proficiency and even saintliness. No wonder pastors seem and even feel less human these days. No wonder they burn out or break down at an alarming rate; no wonder the church is missing the mark on its mission. InCreating a Missional Culture, JR Woodward offers a bold and surprisingly refreshing model for churches--not small adjustments around the periphery of a church's infrastructure but a radical revisioning of how a church ought to look, from its leadership structure to its mobilization of the laity. The end result looks surprisingly like the church that Jesus created and the apostles cultivated: a church not chasing the wind but rather going into the world and making disciples of Jesus.

Genres: Leadership, Church, Theology, Christianity, Ecclesiology, Christian, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2012

About the author

JR Woodward, PhD (University of Manchester, UK) loves to awaken people to join God in the renewal of all things. He is a catalyst who has been passionately starting churches and ministries for the good of the world for over thirty years. He co-founded Missio Alliance and currently serves as the National Director for the V3 Church Planting Movement. He is an adjunct professor at several seminaries and universities, including Fuller Theological Seminary, Central Seminary, Missio Seminary, and America Evangelical University. He is the co-founder of the Praxis Gathering, and serves on six different boards, including Reliant Mission, Missio Alliance, and Fuller Global Mission Advisory Council. He is the author of "Creating a Missional Culture" and co-author of "The Church as Movement". His most recent book, "The Scandal of Leadership", is based on his PhD research and written to provide a remedy to the problem of domineering leadership in the church. He loves to surf, travel, read, and skateboard, as well as meet new people. He enjoys photography and film and tries to attend the Sundance Film Festival whenever he can.

Reviews

[Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

All things "missional" are pretty hot right now. J.R. Woodward helps to explain why in Creating a Missional Culture Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World. Starting with a concise and cohesive explication of how postmodern philosophy, consumerism, and globalization figure into Western culture, Woodward helps the reader imagine a church that is equipped to lean into change, rather than shrink back from it.

For me, the "meat" of the book was in Parts 3 and 4. In Part 3, Woodward explains his take on the Ephesians 4 offices/roles/gifts. His departure point is Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV):

It was he [Jesus Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

This list has also been explored by Alan Hirsch in The Forgotten Ways. He refers to it as APEST (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, Teachers) and has loads of charts and figures dissecting the different roles.

Woodward takes this a few steps further. He renames the roles (equippers) altogether:
Dream Awakeners (Apostles)
Heart Revealers (Prophets)
Story Tellers (Evangelists)
Soul Healers (Pastors)
Light Givers (Teachers)
Devoting a chapter to each, he explores the focal concern and telos (destination mark) for each equipper. There is rich, rich stuff in those chapters:

Dream awakeners understand that discipleship is ultimately about helping people follow Jesus in the concrete realities of life.
. . .
Pastors have a deep sense of the brokenness within us and our communities, and they seek to bring healing and wholeness to people and relationships. The recognize the difference between counterfeit community—where people wear masks and try to hide themselves from God and others, creating isolation—and authentic community. Soul healers create a sense of family, where people can learn to live vulnerably.

In Part 4 of the book, Woodward explores how these different roles play out in the context of a faith community. He suggests four elements, led by four questions, that must shape the culture of a missional community:
Narrative—What is God’s calling for our church?
Rituals—What are our core practices?
Institution—How will we fulfill our calling?
Ethics—What does it mean for us to be faithful and fruitful?
Each of the five different roles gravitate toward leading the community into exploring these different questions.

Woodward repeatedly focuses on the importance of polycentric (shared) leadership as a way of modeling a community that counters the cult of American individualism. He emphasizes the importance of “thick” liturgical practices and common rhythms of life among the community. Polycentric leadership must be crucicentric (looking to the cross) and Spirit-led.

The appendices to the book offer some wonderful resources to the reader who might be interested in applying some of these ideas in his or her own context. Each equipper role is broken down by Mission, Heart, Focus, Ministry, Weakness, and Effect. There is an example of the kind of Equipper Candidate Reference form used by Woodward when vetting possible equippers for his community. Finally, he includes over 40 different questions one might use to interview an equipper for a formalized congregational role.

The book is a great attempt at trying to occupy the ground between the formulaic, blueprint church growth books of the late-90s and early-00s, and the more recent, albeit often nebulous, organic church books. He is sure to have critics on both sides. While this may be the first think he writes on the subject, I certainly hope it is not the last.

[Akash Ahuja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a few issues with this book. To be clear, if you are on church leadership somewhere, and your church is struggling with attendance and being missional, this may not be a bad book to read. JR Woodward does have some good things for church leadership to consider.

However, this was a long book. I have read plenty of books on church leadership and being missional, and this book is considerably longer than most, and I would argue, longer than it needs to be. Woodward isn't focused as he writes this, and there were many points where I was wondering why a passage was included. Also, this book felt less like an original idea, and more like a compilation of what others have said. Woodward relies heavily on others' work, particularly James K.A. Smith, Miroslav Volf, and Henri Nouwen. One whole chapter was clearly a recap of the work of Roland Allen. I don't think Woodward really added much to the conversation on missional churches, but rather synthesized a lot of popular literature on the subject. This might not be a bad book to read, but it definitely isn't one that I'd recommend

[Chris Lenshyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well done. JR has given his life to this work and you can tell. It is not merely a book JR has pumped out, but something that he has embodied. As a result, the book benefits greatly. This is a work that challenges, inspires and pushes the reader to understand and ultimately facilitate a missional culture. Creating a Missional Culture is not merely a one and done read. It is a resource. JR has been doing this for more than a decade and has saturated these pages with content that gives the feel of a very readable and engaging field guide. It is one of those books that you put on your shelf and pull off from time to time looking for 'rubber meets the road' wisdom.

Read this book. Put it on your shelf within arms reach of your reading chair.

[Morgann · Rating 3 out of 5]

skimmed- would be excellent for a pastor or church leader!

[Joe Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creating a Missional Culture is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the church’s place and mission in the coming years and the shape the church might take to fulfill that mission. Creating a Missional Culture offers a fresh perspective on being the church in an ever-changing culture while remaining faithful to, and even calling the church to remember, the earliest teachings on the church from Ephesians. As someone in ministry who is moving out to a broader ministry context, I recommend this book to readers as a whole, and specifically for the following three reasons.

1. The principles of the book grow out of a robust understanding of the Gospel and of God’s work in the world for the sake of God’s mission. It is a perspective on the gospel that comes from Woodward’s understanding of God's mission to renew all of creation through Jesus and from believing that God actually calls his people to be a part of his mission to bring this renewal to life in creation today. There’s no escapism salvation, calling souls out of the world, but rather, a real belief that God cares for his creation, and has put the church in place for the sake of the world.

2. Because Woodward’s perspective is that everyone in the church is called to participate in God’s mission in the world, the traditional understanding of church leadership becomes a challenge. Woodward calls for “polycentric” leadership, in which called equippers serve the rest of the church in order that the people of church are then able to serve the world. This challenges the notion that a single super-Christian is called to lead a group of people meant to follow and is fitting in a world where hierarchy and top-down power structures are questioned and dismissed by the coming generation (Woodward fleshes out these social realities well and explains how the polycentric leadership better fits for the sake of the kingdom in the future).

3. The equippers are the five roles given by Christ to the church in Ephesians 4:11–13, and Woodward does a wonderful job of recasting these roles for a new audience. The words apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher have all but lost their meanings for people today. To help readers understand how these roles function differently, he renames them dream awakener, heart revealer, story teller, soul healer, and light giver – phrases that spark the imagination and help readers keep hold of what each role is meant to do in the life of the church.

Woodward’s book is a wonderful read that weaves together sound biblical work with good theology and a faithful understanding of the church at large. It is a prime example of how the church must re-imagine herself in the 21st century, not so she can gain more congregants, but so she can effectively join God’s mission and thereby bring life and hope to the world. My biggest question after reading this book is how this approach will work in established churches. Church planters can have a hey-day (and should) with this content but what about churches that have operated for decades or longer, can these churches adapt this material and become new churches for a new day? It’s not a question that diminishes Woodward’s work, but it is one that must be answered.

If you are interested, you can read my full review of Creating a Missional Culture here: http://wp.me/pZj6D-hr

[Jonathan Gouthier]

“Go into all the world and make disciples” it an agreeable statement that resounds through the highways and byways of the church and yet before stepping outside the door to the mission field, we hesitate—why? We don’t move because we’re unprepared to go out into our neighborhoods because we do not know our neighbors. Becoming a missional church starts with asking questions and J.R. Woodward does just that in “Creating a Missional Culture.” He attempts to show us where the church aligns the sacred with the secular, how to not only go out, but how the church can manage the cultural war while re-making culture. It take gifts, it takes talent, but most of all the church needs to recognize its profound position as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. Woodward shows that to be outward effective the church needs to be inwardly cultivated through becoming Equippers. Recognizing that gifting in which each person participates in the building up of Gods kingdom (telos as Woodward explains it). Besides the textual presentation of a new thought to missional thinking, Woodward presents hidden questions and outright moments for the reader to discern their part within the missional culture—these times heighten the interactivity and reignite any passion one has for seeing society changed. There are many takes on the missional church, most point to Disciples making disciples and yet those who sit in the pews of the church often do not know what that means or are too scared to come alongside another. Woodward’s equipping scenario for the church to rise up and create culture through the training of an Equipper takes the pressure off of “doing discipleship right.” I highly recommend this book to discover the hidden “Dream Awakeners, Heart Revealers, Story Tellers, Soul Healers, and Light Givers” in one’s church and to do all that is possible to allow them to lead together in community. If the church is to move culture it must equip all who come inside its doors before releasing them to change the world.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woodward is a reflective practioner. He has thought about his experiences in a broader way which in turn can help others. I appreciate his humility and wisdom and heart. This isn't a "in my church we do it this way and therefore you should as well" book. Nor is it "this should work in theory" book. He finds an equilibrium between his own church experience and the broader Christian tradition.

There are a few places where I would differ from him which is understandable. I don't resonate with his renaming of the Ephesians offices but this isn't a big deal. There are a few places where I find his theological reflections a bit shallow but nothing that was horrible. And I find some of his descriptions at the end of the book, specifically about how the different size of groups relate, confusing. That is perhaps on me but a better graphic would have helped.

Still, a very helpful book.

[Rod White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, careful book. A lot of it is like a well-written description of Circle of Hope that we could have written 15 years ago. Our ethos is more "speak the poetry and let the music happen." This is much more "write the music and teach people to sing the words." There is room for everyone. I have to admit, we are just figuring out that we could use more of the latter flavor. Woodward has a good idea for making churches that fit the needs of the postmodern urban world. It was a stimulating read. Sometimes it came across as a major term paper -- he quotes everyone. But that has beauty, too, except it makes me a little tired to think anyone actually did all that reading (and remembered where to find the quotes, too!). Pretty brilliant. Thanks for introducing it Joshua.

[Jamie Arpin-Ricci · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the term "missional" thrown around like a marketing buzzword, finding a book that treats the topic with the depth and practicality that this book does is a much needed gift. Woodward brings together the rare quality of integrating theology, biblical studies, spiritual formation and mission in ways that complement each. This book is not just for pastors or ministry leaders, but for all Christians who desire to understand their place in the mission of God. A great book for personal study and even better for groups.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This leadership model protects us from the limits and shortcomings of a personality-dominated church culture -- no matter how gifted -- while still honoring the importance of leadership itself, sensitized to particular cultures and giftings. JR understands our post-Christendom situation and hopefully points to a way forward that is neither naive nor merely pragmatic. There is boldness, humility and andpromise in this proposal.

[Ed Choy · Rating 5 out of 5]

JR writes with the authority of one who has lived out missional life, has equipped others to do the same, and is multiplying leaders in the missional movement. This was my introduction to the term/concept of polycentric leadership and it's a home run! It's more than just team leadership and he gives many examples and applications. I had the privilege to meet JR and he lives out what he writes about. If you're interested in the missional movement and culture, pick this up.

[Zach Hoag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book describing a way forward for the Missional church. Hugely encouraging to me personally, as I find myself in the midst of ministry transition. With an emphasis on polycentric leadership and a church culture based in the five-fold gifts, JR gets to the deeper source of the church's Missional identity and just may be preparing the way for the next decade of this conversation.

[Jonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. Woodward speaks clearly and directly to church planters and leaders regarding how to create a culture that equips them to lead a movement. Polycentric leadership among five equippers (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher) from Ephesians 4 is the central thesis. At times, it is too categorical and modernistic, he is still compelling and innovative.

[James Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books I've read on missional theology. Its insightful, practical, helpful description of creating a culture where Christ's mission can thrive is very helpful. Besides, in what other book can you read a citation from the PCUSA Book of Order and be pumped up? Well worth the read.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

While some editing errors distract from the text at times, this book is insightful and thought provoking. It took a little while to wrap my brain around the concepts, and I don't know that I agree with all of them, but there is a lot of really helpful information in here.

[joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was inspired by this book. It goes beyond poly-centric leadership paradigms in the church and into theology of mission. I feel motivated.

[Noah Stepro Stepro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent treatise on church leadership in a postmodern world...change the way we do things at Kairos Community

[Edward Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decent perspective on creating a Missional Culture within a congregation. The author's categories are very useful and perspective is rather pastoral.

[Delroy Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading through this book and will probable read again as I take my church through some of the ideas promoted here.

[Matt Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The chapters that lay out who of each leader in Ephesians 4 are made this book awesome for me.

[Melissa Stebbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focuses heavily on the five roles in Eph 4:11-13. Reminded me how I should be looking to serve as I settle into my new church.

[Joe Valenti · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the things that I often find in Church leadership books is that authors simply write about the way that they do things. For many, their way has worked (or they wouldn’t be writing about it). But what has worked in a certain city or context is not always what will work in another. This has proven true with Will Mancini’s work...one size surely does not fit all. Rarely is there research behind their claims and even more rare are case studies outside of their particular context. A wise pastor once told me that most books ought to promote their strategy as “a way” instead of “the way”.

This is true of Woodward’s book. He has some fine thoughts, but nothing that is ground breaking. Poly centric leadership may work in some environments, but surely not in all. I have seen it work well and have seen it fail miserably. Just because it has worked in his context does not make it the solution to creating a mission all culture....that’s nonsense.

Some of the other thoughts concerning the 5 roles within the church are just described with fancy language...nothing to write home about.

I appreciate the effort and I a, glad that some of these things are working, but I don’t feel as if I have much to take to the table in my church.

[Paul Herriott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This booked aimed high, and fell short. Sadly there did not seem to be wide enough evidence to support the framework the author was pushing. It suffered from lack of clarity, flowery language, and narrow scope of experience. I think this was a book written too soon.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Good, but not the book I wanted it to be.

[Matt Mulder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yet another church leadership book that does not need to be this long. I also don't love how he articulates his argument

[Ken Peters · Rating 1 out of 5]

As the pastor of a relatively new church plant, I was excited to find this book about how to foster an outward-focussed missional culture in a church. And though I did pick up a few good tidbits on being missional, unfortunately, this felt more like an overly-repetitive, unpersuasive book about "polycentric leadership." If that sounds like a strange term, it's just one example of a vast amount of jargon used throughout this book as if the author is trying to make everything he's saying sound cutting edge or a revival of long-abandoned ancient practices. And though his explanations seemed tiringly long, with way too many quotes stitched together one after the other throughout the book, I wasn't convinced. In fact, I felt that he misrepresented the Bible by being way too selective in the passages he referred to, and by showing an unhelpful bias in the emphases he drew from many references. Among the examples I could cite, I found that his sweeping and questionable assumptions expressed about "equippers" in Ephesians 4 were as disconcerting as his complete disregard of the role of the elders in Ephesus, as expressed in Acts 20 (he makes one dubious and unsubstantiated parenthetical comment very near the end about them being one and the same). But amidst all that, I did find some helpful reminders from various parts of the book as I simply tried to eat the meat and spit out the bones.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for anyone thinking about planting or building churches or other missional movements. Several things distinguish this book: 1) The focus on culture, and the understanding that leaders (as opposed to administrators) are culture-shapers, 2) the focus on polycentric leadership around the equipping gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher, and 3) the thinking about how neigborhood churches grow through discipleship communities that lead missional space ministries and through the leadership of the Spirit and the life of the cross as shaping the ongoing direction of non-hierarchical equipping teams.

Along the way, Woodward is reflective both about theological influences that are key to shaping missional communities and the components of healthy communities. He holds upward, inward, and outward movements in a healthy tension that reflects his ideas of polycentric leadership. The book includes appendices that show how his church identifies equipping leaders and even the reference form used in assessing candidates.

One caveat: for those in more traditionally senior pastor-led communities, this book may challenge this way of thinking about church structures and leadership.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 'Salt & Pepper' needed to equip the Church Is what I said on Amazon in my review. "Just finished JR Woodward's book "Creating a Missional Culture..." on my kindle. A good book or movie makes you thirsty for more... I am more than thirsty!! A good mix of solid theology from various resources and impeccable insight on people & the world we live in. An easy read that will inspire you personally yet provide valuable resources, ideas and framework for a more healthy, vibrant church family. Look forward to his next book! "
But personally I found his communication style easy and refreshing to read... and his humility and vulnerability as a leader....hum, shocking(wrong word).... I would recommend this book to not only people reading up on church leadership but anyone wanting to be inspired.

[Doug Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book has a lot of potentially valuable ideas in it about what the church needs to look like in today's world, but I had a hard time getting to it because of some of the terminology and what felt like a lack of practical application. It's a little ironic to me that those speaking of the need for the church to be 'missional' will sometimes criticize the 'old' terminology of the church as being a barrier to those not familiar with it, but then go on to create a whole new set of terminology that creates it's own barriers. As for the application, some of the practical application came in the final chapter and I wish more of the book were like that chapter. The book was worth reading, but I feel like it could be so much more...

[Jake Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book necessarily, way too overloaded with examinations of what culture is, different philosophers' approaches to culture, etc. Very few church leaders need this sort of complexity, something that the book itself seems to realize. Shorter and more concise and this could've been a real winner.