Worship and Mission After Christendom

by Eleanor Kreider, Eleanor Kreider

Today, as Christendom weakens, worship and mission are poised to reunite after centuries of separation. But this requires the church to rethink both “mission” and “worship.” In post-Christendom mission, God is the main actor and God calls all Christians to participate. In post-Christendom worship, the church tells and celebrates the story of God, enabling members to live in hope and attract outsiders to its many tables of hospitality. In this passionate and thoughtful study, Alan Kreider and Eleanor Kreider draw upon missiology, liturgiology, biblical studies, church history, and the vast experience of today’s global Christian church-to say nothing of their long tenure as teachers and writers in contemporary England and the United States. Academically responsible but also practical and accessible, Worship and Mission After Christendom is a much-needed guide for people who take seriously God’s call to be the church in a world where institutional religion is no longer taken for granted.

Genres: Theology, Church

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Eleanor Kreider, now retired, is a Mennonite scholar and missionary educator. From 1974-2000 she and her husband Alan lived in England, were directors of the London Mennonite Centre, and helped establish a nationwide Anabaptist Network. They also traveled widely in England and many other countries, teaching in churches, conferences and colleges of numerous denominations. From 1991-1995 they were Theologians in Residence at the Northern Baptist College, Manchester; Alan also taught early church history at the University of Manchester. From 1995-2000 they were at Regent’s Park College, Oxford, where Eleanor was Lecturer in Liturgy and Worship and Alan was Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture.

Reviews

[Alan Stucky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan and Eleanor Kreider's new book that draws on worship and mission in the early church to gain insights for what church can/should/will be in the changing religious landscape as Christendom comes to an end. So far, it's fantastic. Although, anything by these authors is pretty much fantastic.

[Jacqueline Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Informative. Extremely helpful for my paper on missions and worship as necessary to and informing one another. Glad I read it, but it had a bit too much repetition for my taste.

[Sagely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I opened this book first and foremost for the "after Christendom" portion of the title. I'm involved in a conversation in my denomination about how we are to be and do church in post-Christendom.

While the Kreiders didn't disappoint in their overview of the shifts between pre-Christendom, Christendom, and post-Christendom (their scholarship was up to snuff), I appreciated far more Worship and Mission After Christendom for its reflections on the interplay of worship and mission, especially in a global perspective.

This book is well worth a read to anyone involved in shaping the worship habits of a Christian community.

[James Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has some incredible moments of clarity and beauty in what they try to put across.

However it's repetitive, dull and cliched in the argument it puts across.

It's right to combine worship and mission and it's right to question how we make out acts and life of worship match up.

[Dan McCosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read about the liturgy of the early church and the impact of the end of Christendom. Practical chapters on how the church needs to consider if it is to be disciples for Christ. I recommend to anyone interested in what we need to do to spread the kingdom of God.