What do you think?
Rate this book
De la Cristiandad a la misión apostólica: Estrategias pastorales para una nueva era
Every human society possesses a moral and spiritual imaginative vision, a set of assumptions and ways of looking at things according to which life proceeds. This essay is an attempt to contribute effective strategies to engage our own time and culture once more with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and – for a weary world – to awaken the Catholic imaginative vision.
146 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2025
219 people are currently reading
807 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
August 18, 2021
Game-changer for me. Should be required reading for all those in leadership (or aspiring to lead) in the Church right now.
October 25, 2020
The Church today is not the Church of even twenty-five years ago. Vatican II was meant to help the Church engage a modern world. Instead, we mostly kept doing what we have always done. Christendom has ended. We are in a new apostolic era, and we must engage this new era is a new way, leaning on the eternal, unchanging, and yet ever new Gospel of Jesus Christ. This text clearly articulated what I have known instinctively for years. All those in Catholic leadership, from parents and teachers to bishops and priests, should read it. We don’t need updated teachings. We need apostles.
September 11, 2024
Increased zeal for the gospel ✔️
“The Holy Spirit is at work in every age, ours included. If it is true, as we are assured by St. Paul that grace is more present the more that evil abounds, we might expect an especially abundant action of the Holy Spirit in our own time. “
“The Holy Spirit is at work in every age, ours included. If it is true, as we are assured by St. Paul that grace is more present the more that evil abounds, we might expect an especially abundant action of the Holy Spirit in our own time. “
September 23, 2024
Lovely. Harder than it used to be to read an academic essay…. Sometimes I feel like mom life has made me a dummy 🫣 but I enjoyed this, heard it in Msgr Shea’s voice while reading, excited to host team book club on this book & read the sequel in the spring
July 12, 2022
The description of how the Christian faith developed as an Apostolic mission and then "rose" into Christendom and now has fallen to Modern Progressive is spiritually enlightening and a warning as well.
A reflection on how we view "progress" in the world today really forces a rethink about what Christianity actually means...
A reflection on how we view "progress" in the world today really forces a rethink about what Christianity actually means...
October 29, 2025
A very interesting and dynamic ending to this one. But a fascinating take on the 20th and 21st centuries as we have progressed into a new age of apostolic mission, one in which the dominant narrative of secular society is no longer Christian. This requires a special task for Christians, namely to evangelize and witness in new ways that are different from the Christendom we have experienced before. Loved Monsignor Shea’s powerful kerygmatic message towards the end.
November 19, 2025
Crucial book for the times. Says everything you would say or want to say in a “state of the world” type conversation. Highlights the subtle and false narratives that run through our society and permeate everyone’s mind. Wake up, Christian. We’re not in Kansas anymore.
July 23, 2024
One of the truest 5 stars I have ever given, this is a must read for those working in ministry. I especially appreciated the emphasis on the outlook of raising a family, the synthesis of the Christian way of seeing (was really just a bomb Gospel presentation), and the way the author compared that to the modern progressive way of seeing. Great book, concise and accessible, but not lacking in compelling truth.
April 28, 2022
Be careful this book will set you on fire, particularly with the Christian vision that is offered in the last chapter of the book. It offers a way of understanding the Church's current relationship with the World. It presents what I believe to be a fair interpretation of certain values that the western world is currently using as its own evangelization tools. It hammers at the core of the danger that is Christian nostalgia. It doesn’t use the language of idols but I believe it hits at that this nostalgia via a desire for Christendom which can inhibit the call for the Church in the current moment by the Holy Spirit. I’m happy I read this book. I would recommend it strongly for anybody with an active ministry in the Church.
July 25, 2024
I loved Msgr. Shea's talk from the Seek conference and enjoyed his interview on the Godsplaining podcast. This is an excellent little book that should be required reading for all Catholics especially those in the institutional Church. I appreciated the contrast between the progressive vision of the world that we've all inherited with the Christian narrative.
"It is often noted that a large percentage of Catholics in America do not believe in the doctrine of the Real Presence. They look at the Eucharist as symbolically and ritually meaningful but not as a transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Some in the Church respond to this situation by saying that we need to be clearer about what the Church teaches; their view is that apparently many people do not know what that teaching is. While there may be simple ignorance of Church teaching in play here, a more significant factor is the lack of a sacramental vision, such Catholics have assumed as self-evident a materialistic, "scientific" view. If a thing looks like bread, tastes like bread, has the chemical composite of bread, then it is bread. A priest saying some prayers in the midst of a particular rite doesn't change that....
What is necessary here is a conversion of mind to a sacramental vision of the world. Not just at Mass, but all the time, we are living in a sacramental reality: we inhabit both a visible and an invisible world; we make our way through an intermingling of the seen and unseen such that what happens on the visible plane has implications in the vast invisible world. Our bodies are sacramental, a mingling of the spiritual and the material; the Catholic understanding of what and how we eat, what we do sexually, how we treat those who are sick or dead, are pointers toward the way the whole world works. Plunging a person into water really can, under the right circumstances, transfer an immortal soul from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light....The world is an enchanted and dangerous and momentous place in which we are working out an incomprehensibly high destiny that transcends space and time. This view of the world is consonant with what natural sciences have discovered, but also goes beyond it. Once the realm beyond the natural world is seen and embraced, a whole set of doctrines becomes easier to understand and believe."
"It is often noted that a large percentage of Catholics in America do not believe in the doctrine of the Real Presence. They look at the Eucharist as symbolically and ritually meaningful but not as a transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Some in the Church respond to this situation by saying that we need to be clearer about what the Church teaches; their view is that apparently many people do not know what that teaching is. While there may be simple ignorance of Church teaching in play here, a more significant factor is the lack of a sacramental vision, such Catholics have assumed as self-evident a materialistic, "scientific" view. If a thing looks like bread, tastes like bread, has the chemical composite of bread, then it is bread. A priest saying some prayers in the midst of a particular rite doesn't change that....
What is necessary here is a conversion of mind to a sacramental vision of the world. Not just at Mass, but all the time, we are living in a sacramental reality: we inhabit both a visible and an invisible world; we make our way through an intermingling of the seen and unseen such that what happens on the visible plane has implications in the vast invisible world. Our bodies are sacramental, a mingling of the spiritual and the material; the Catholic understanding of what and how we eat, what we do sexually, how we treat those who are sick or dead, are pointers toward the way the whole world works. Plunging a person into water really can, under the right circumstances, transfer an immortal soul from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light....The world is an enchanted and dangerous and momentous place in which we are working out an incomprehensibly high destiny that transcends space and time. This view of the world is consonant with what natural sciences have discovered, but also goes beyond it. Once the realm beyond the natural world is seen and embraced, a whole set of doctrines becomes easier to understand and believe."
February 12, 2024
This book is a must read for every Catholic living on mission. It shows a great divide between the way most people are looking at the world nowadays (Christendom view) to the way we should look upon the earth (Apostolic View).
Here’s a great quote from the book: “To be apostolic is to do more than assent to a set of doctrinal truths or moral precepts, essential as they are; it is to experience daily the adventure that arises from the encounter with Christ; to view events and people moment by moment, in the light of that vision; to be caught by the perilous and joy-filled work of learning to be transformed into divine beings, headed for eternal rapture in the exhilarating embrace of God.”
Here’s a great quote from the book: “To be apostolic is to do more than assent to a set of doctrinal truths or moral precepts, essential as they are; it is to experience daily the adventure that arises from the encounter with Christ; to view events and people moment by moment, in the light of that vision; to be caught by the perilous and joy-filled work of learning to be transformed into divine beings, headed for eternal rapture in the exhilarating embrace of God.”
May 20, 2024
From Christendom to Apostolic Mission offers a great treatment on living mission in the new apostolic age of the 21st century of the western world, making it a groundbreaking contribution to the Church’s apostolic mission. I really appreciated the cultural analysis and commentary on the modern vision of man while contrasting the traits of the current apostolic age with the age of Christendom from the past. The exposition of the modern worldview and cultural trends is spot on and very accessible and clear to the reader. By correctly identifying the times in which we currently live, the strategies offered are a necessary reorientation towards an apostolic mission since many of the unsuccessful ministry strategies since Vatican II. The pastoral strategies were well thought out and articulated and offered effective guiding principles for bringing the Gospel to the world while still leaving the reader to decide how those principles will be applied in their lives and mission field. Although this portion of the book was effective and absolutely necessary, I still found the cultural commentary to be more interesting and enjoyable. However, the conclusion to the book offers a beautiful exposition of the Gospel which the authors offer as a positive message of hope in the world today. This will leave the reader on fire and encouraged by the power of the Gospel in a world that is yearning for a meaningful imaginative vision. All Christians, especially those in leadership or ministry, should take the time to read this work, as it will invigorate the hearts of Christian disciples and give the reader the tools necessary to fulfill the Great Commission in our world today.
August 5, 2023
A quick, simple, but excellent response to the challenge posed by a radically secular contemporary culture. In an age of decrepit and withering Catholic institutions, this short work will serve as a battle cry to clean house and get back to the Church’s real, unapologetically controversial mission: the salvation of souls.
April 23, 2023
This book is unbelievably good. Every person interested in evangelization should read this book. Shea not only summarizes the modern world in an accessible way, he gives the best articulation of hope I have read for the modern world. As he says, what an exciting time we find ourselves in! Lastly, I love Shea’s emphasis on viewing the Christian life as a journey, greater and more glorious than the Iliad and the Aenied could ever describe. What a book!
October 10, 2024
If you work as a missionary or work for a church, I recommend reading as soon as you can.
“Our task is to understand the age we have been given, to trace out how the Holy Spirit is working in it, and to seize the adventure of cooperating with him.”
“Our task is to understand the age we have been given, to trace out how the Holy Spirit is working in it, and to seize the adventure of cooperating with him.”
Read
June 14, 2022What an absolutely fantastic and worthy read. Highly recommended.
April 16, 2025
Absolutely fantastic book that accurately diagnoses the issues facing the Church in contemporary times, but also gives strategies for how to tackle said issues. I highly recommend this to everyone, but particularly those involved in Church leadership, evangelization, or faith formation.
November 4, 2025
Excelente ensayo sobre el manoseado "cambio de época" de la sociedad postcristiana. Los autores hacen un esfuerzo notable de síntesis brillante y clarificador. Si no se lleva las 5 estrellas es por quedarse algo corto en la propuesta después de una descripción del diagnóstico tan memorable. Aunque este no es demérito del libro sino la gran duda existencial del momento actual. Estará en el top 10 de 2025 casi seguro.
December 19, 2023
A must read, definitely for those in ministry, but really for every Christian in this age. Short, sweet, and to the point. Articulated what we’re up against in this generation in a way I’d yet encountered, but was so simple I’m surprised I hadn’t.
February 24, 2023
The first half of the book is spent establishing the difference between societies that function in a Christian vs nonChrisitan paradigm, and the different ministerial approaches demanded by each (i.e., the “Christendom” society and ministerial approach, and the “apostolic” society and ministerial approach). I didn’t find this distinction particularly helpful, not only because it’s hardly informative, but also because his conclusion is ultimately that modern societies are mixed, being heavily influenced by both Christianity and antiChristianity, and so the ministerial approach should be both at once.
In the second half of the book, Monsignor Shea develops some principles of ministry in the modern world, gives an exposition of the Christian worldview, and speaks about the demands of Christianity. Shea does these things quite effectively, making the latter half of the book both compelling and inspiring.
In the second half of the book, Monsignor Shea develops some principles of ministry in the modern world, gives an exposition of the Christian worldview, and speaks about the demands of Christianity. Shea does these things quite effectively, making the latter half of the book both compelling and inspiring.
July 6, 2020
This was a very well-constructed book, showing the pendulum swing between Christian and post-Christian worldviews, and the inherent benefits and pitfalls of each.
It was particularly interesting to read this book at this time with the amount of social unrest with the status quo of systemic racism. There were many points being made about human nature and faith which translate all too well into the other conversation.
This is a short book (only 90 pages), but it was a slow read for me, because I kept stopping to ponder this point or that, and spent a lot of time highlighting and annotating passages.
While I think it may be a little above the general reading preference of most lay Catholics, I think it is a great option for those who are more scholarly-minded, as well as anyone in ministry - both laity and ordained.
It was particularly interesting to read this book at this time with the amount of social unrest with the status quo of systemic racism. There were many points being made about human nature and faith which translate all too well into the other conversation.
This is a short book (only 90 pages), but it was a slow read for me, because I kept stopping to ponder this point or that, and spent a lot of time highlighting and annotating passages.
While I think it may be a little above the general reading preference of most lay Catholics, I think it is a great option for those who are more scholarly-minded, as well as anyone in ministry - both laity and ordained.
May 18, 2022
Recommended by a professor and seminary formator.
This text, put out by the University of Mary, doesn't really introduce anything ground-breaking or mind-blowing. Rather, it's great strength lies in the simultaneous concision and depth with which it contrasts a Christendom-culture and an apostolic-culture. This text highlights well the different modes of operation the Church must take in the respective cultural contexts and diagnoses the signs of the times indicative of the arisen apostolic-culture. Thus, this work also contains an imperative to recognize the society in which we find ourselves and respond to it appropriately. I would recommend this text to any and all Christians, for every one of us has a responsibility and a call to infuse the very presence of Christ into the world in which we live.
This text, put out by the University of Mary, doesn't really introduce anything ground-breaking or mind-blowing. Rather, it's great strength lies in the simultaneous concision and depth with which it contrasts a Christendom-culture and an apostolic-culture. This text highlights well the different modes of operation the Church must take in the respective cultural contexts and diagnoses the signs of the times indicative of the arisen apostolic-culture. Thus, this work also contains an imperative to recognize the society in which we find ourselves and respond to it appropriately. I would recommend this text to any and all Christians, for every one of us has a responsibility and a call to infuse the very presence of Christ into the world in which we live.
December 27, 2024
2nd read. Just gets better.
October 7, 2025
This book gave me so much insight on not only the minds of our generation but a deeper look and understanding into my own thinking. It is so powerful to know how to spread the gospel in this time we are living in and what it means to follow Christ. I learn so much from Father Marc because of his apostolic approach to faith and teaching and it has changed my life and it is how I am trying to live now. I am so glad he recommended this book. I will be passing it along to anyone who is ready to commit to a life with Jesus. It is important to understand the seriousness behind the faith and how not to be lukewarm.
I am so blessed to have leadership in the Catholic Churches of Helena who can understand this book and how to bring it to life.
I am so blessed to have leadership in the Catholic Churches of Helena who can understand this book and how to bring it to life.
October 25, 2025
Contiene reflexiones y un planteamiento muy interesante. La vida cristiana no es un accesorio o una dedicación de tiempo de vez en cuando: es el encuentro con una Persona, es un modo de ver la vida y la realidad que transforma –o debería transformar– la entera existencia de cada uno. Los cristianos estamos llamados a vivir con coherencia, sin complejos, con alegría y con audacia, sin acomodarnos en una sociedad cristiana que, de hecho, ya no existe en la mayor parte de los sitios. El autor transmite esa llamada a cambiar mentalidad con optimismo y esperanza. Es de nuevo el tiempo de los apóstoles y de los primeros cristianos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2024
Excellent, concise commentary on the age we are living in. Vert relevant for anyone in ministry. I think a lot of people don’t realize we aren’t living in Christendom anymore (especially in the south where there’s still a lot of Bible Belt influence) and this book does a fantastic job exposing the ruling vision of our society.
April 12, 2021
I loved this book! Short and easy to digest, but so many moments where I was literally nodding my head and saying “Yes!!” It just put so many of my thoughts and experiences into words. Such fresh but realistic perspective on the place of Christianity in our present moment.
September 3, 2022
Started this awhile ago, but stopped for some reason. Picked it back up recently to finish it...and now I want to start all over again.
This "book" (really, it's more like an essay or pamphlet) should be read by every Bishop, Priest, and Seminarian.
This "book" (really, it's more like an essay or pamphlet) should be read by every Bishop, Priest, and Seminarian.
May 15, 2022
Great framing for this current age of the Church. Lots of good nuggets of wisdom of how to approach evangelization
January 3, 2024
Feels like the most important sub-100 page book I’ve ever read. Should be required reading for anyone in Church leadership or anyone who even just considers themself a missionary disciple.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews