Positively Irritating: Embracing a Post-Christian World to Form a More Faithful and Innovative Church

by Jon Ritner, Alan Hirsch (Foreword), Debra Hirsch (Foreword)

The Western church finds itself in the midst of a seismic cultural shift, as secular paradigms threaten to remove any spiritual explanation for life, and Christianity is often viewed with skepticism and cynicism.
Rather than perceiving these ongoing challenges as irritants to expel, it’s time to see them as opportunities to embrace, so that we might effectively serve the world around us and form a more robust and Christlike church.
Jon Ritner invites you on his journey across two continents, as he moves away from a disciplemaking strategy relying on centralized property, programs, and professionals to one that empowers all the people of God to join his mission and make disciples in the everyday spaces of life.

Genres: Christian

ebook

Published November 16, 2020

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s clear that this book sums of what Jon Ritner might call his life’s work up to this point. He’s pours out his heart for the church as it has been shaped in the last ten-plus years of his circuitous ministry career.

The result is a handbook for making missional shifts in churches that are rooted in the prevailing 20th century models of North America. Jon walks his reader through identifying the problem, unlearning old paradigms, relearning new paradigms, and shepherding culture shift in your church.

If you’ve suspected that something is wrong with our models in the American church (or you suspect that something might be wrong soon — in the next decade or two); then this book is a crucial resource for navigating the waters ahead.

[Mike Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you lead a church just read this. You don’t have to change everything (in fact you can’t) but just be aware that when people recognize the system isn’t working it’s not a lack of loyalty and or denial of faith. Grow up. Get courage.

[David Rawls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read. I have been challenged to rethink how we do church in our local community.

[Dave Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were things I loved about this book and occasionally, for me at least, I found the copy fit the title. The author relates the idea of life and ministry in a "post-Christian" world to how two different things relate to irritants, the human eye and an oyster. The eye is harmed and wants to expel the irritant while the oyster takes the irritant and makes a pearl. There are a lot of really great ideas relating to ministering and being church in the world in which we live and I learned a lot. Unfortunately at times I felt a little too much virtue signaling at times from the author. All in all there is a lot to like about this book, just thicken up your skin a little bit and hold on to your doctrine.

[Morgan Nikola-Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A balm for anyone who is brokenhearted/angry over the current state of the American Church.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read!!!

I have the ultimate library of missional-incarnational resources. I have read them all. The best and worst. Jon Ritner's Positively Irritating is a one of a kind book that encompasses this conversation beautifully and in the most approachable way.

What Jon is able to articulate here is crucial for the next season of the church in the West. The other feature I love about this book is you can hand it to your deep-minded theologians and your "I don't read books, what are you giving me this for" church members. Jon really has a gift for teaching and expressing the core ideas in a way that is easy to understand and easily applied to life.

Don't buy one book, buy a case and get to work. You will not be disappointed. 

[Anthony Cappoferri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly forward thinking. The way forward for The Church of the 21st Century. So incredibly blessed by the mindset, willingness to experiment to find out true best practices, and not to mention the writing and keen mind of Jon Ritner who through this book has instantly become one of my favorite contemporary thought leaders in the Body of Christ.

[Ronb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good ideas but written for the senior pastor of a church in mind. I am more interested in discipleship found parts of the book excellent for that purpose. The author also has a unique story to tell and does a good job telling it.

[Anne Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the practical ways to do ministry in a post christian world as well as the state of the modern day "church"

[Gordon Paisley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read. I have a lot to digest, but want to get started on the ideas now!
More detailed review to follow.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so wish every self-professing American Christian would read this book. It lays out a clear, hopeful path forward, away from the bullshit American Christianity is known for (justifiably) today.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have some thoughts that I'm trying to make cohesive before posting.

[Stephanie Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was so much I agreed with in this book, but a few things I wasn't sure about. A lot of his analogies and thought processes I agreed with, and a lot of it is actually going to be great food for thought for my brain in the foreseeable future.