Sentness: Six Postures of Missional Christians

by Kim Hammond, Darren Cronshaw

Ever wonder why people fall asleep in church? It happens. We’ve all seen it. We shuffle into rows of seats that grow more comfortable with every new fundraising campaign. We slouch down and settle in for an hour or so, as singers and storytellers and preachers and teachers take their turns filling our ears. And almost without fail, at least one of us nods off while listening to the greatest story ever told. The church was not meant to be like this. The church was meant to be on its feet, in the world, making all things new. The church was meant to be sent. Kim Hammond and Darren Cronshaw want to help us―all of us―rediscover our sentness. Dive into Sentness, and explore the six postures of a church that’s keeping pace with God’s work in the world. Rediscover the gospel that first quickened your pulse and got you up on your feet, ready to go wherever Jesus called you. Get Sentness, and prepare to get sent.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 10, 2014

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve spent any time introducing people to “missional,” you’ve struggled with what, exactly, to call it. Is it a new paradigm? Absolutely, but few people understand the word or understand its ramifications. How about framework? Nah. Too rigid. Is missional a lens through which we see scripture and the world? Now we’re getting warm… because simply seeing things through a missional lens answers many questions and raises new ones. Mindset comes to mind, because it incorporates attitude… but it also carries the negative nuance of becoming set in a particular way of thinking. Lifestyle is close but incomplete; it is more the outward and visible result of whatever else “missional” is.

In their book Sentness, Kim Hammond and Darren Cronshaw hit on a nearly perfect word to describe all things missional… posture. It always describes one thing in relation to another. It’s a stance that anticipates action, requires awareness, and assumes multiple forms. They highlight six, but you’ll find more between the covers of this book.

They begin with the completely re-orienting basis of all missional thinking: Disciples of Jesus are sent vs. consuming. We cannot be receivers of God’s blessings for our own sake, but for the sake of the world. “(Spiritual) formation is not for any other purpose than for mission.” This spins spectators 180°… into missionaries. The shift could not be more radical, from “come and see” to “go and do.” The authors quote Newbign: “…the only answer, the only hermeneutic of the gospel, is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it.”

We’re still in the introduction, and I’ve already decided to order Sentness by the case.

From accepting our primary posture as sent people, Hammond and Cronshaw show what it looks like to be submerged (living incarnationally) for the sake of shalom (seeking restoration of all things). They demonstrate the need for safe places of inclusion and the non-negotiable essential of sharing life in a web of relationships. They close with the posture of standing in the gap… empowering others to live out their sentness.

Hammond and Cronshaw’s stories are powerful and accessible… anybody can do this stuff under the power of the Holy Spirit. Seeing how others live out their sentness inspires me to look for new ways to live out my own. I found their choice of quotes to summarize and illustrate each posture both inspiring and convicting.

I hesitate to estimate just how much in Sentness will be new to readers of Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost, David Bosch and Leslie Newbign, Chris Wright and Darrel Guder. But, after consuming several thousand pages of densely theological and deeply philosophical background material, I longed for a single starting point of introduction to missional; not a syllabus of many books that explore every nook and cranny (these are readily available) but a book I could hand to a friend and say “just start here.” Sentness may be that book.

[Jacob Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well written. It gives a fresh look on ideas of missional Christians but does not provide anything new or revolutionary.

[Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for someone like me who is intrigued and inspired by the missional theology/church movement but still needed a stronger foundation. What makes Sentness a great book is that it only stays long enough in the theoretical and is showered by the practical experience of the authors. I plan to re-read it and do a Bible study or preaching series from it as I seek to implement its lessons in the urban church plant I pastor. Given the context -Hispanic/Latino immigrants that are very transient- many of the usual models of church haven't made much sense to me. The "postures" suggested in this book definitely make more sense to me than much of the other paradigms I've encountered. I was really excited to read the book and glad I wasn't disappointed.

[Steve LaMotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors are graduates/leaders of the Forge network so much of the ideas here resonate with Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost. I am not sure there was anything really new in the book. What I really enjoyed was how they presented their six missional postures. It was accessible and thought-provoking. I would recommend this book to church leaders (clergy and lay) who are concerned with how to "be" the church in the world.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unpretentious, moving, and thoughtfully crafted, Sentness is a book that weaves humour, wisdom, and years of expertise into engaging stories that will inspire.

Sentness is written for anyone and everyone who wishes to be intentionally missional every day and live a full and passionate life for Jesus.

Bravo Hammond and Cronshaw. I highly recommend.

[Mike Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

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