The Sending Church Defined

by Bradley Bell, Neal Pirolo (Foreword)

Purpose-driven church. Simple church. Organic church. Missional church. Deep church. Radical church. Transformational church. Total church. Sticky church. Tribal church. Mission-shaped church. Center church. Vertical church. Everyday church. Deliberate church. Gospel-centered church. Do we really need one more _________ church?“Yes!” says the collective of churches who consider themselves part of a growing movement called “sending church”. It has proven itself as a term that is here to stay, but the meaning of it has been sadly mistaken. Many churches who call themselves sending churches are actually far from it. Some who are familiar with the term consider it just another missional trend. Others, upon first encounter think it speaks only to missiology. Sending church desperately needs clarity.That’s precisely what this book is for. It began with a gathering of sending churches who sought to answer the question, “What is a sending church?” They came up with a lengthy definition, and we then took almost a year to flesh out that definition one word at a time according to Scripture and scholarship. The goal was not just clarity, but to send a timely word to churches about reclaiming their birthright as the leaders in the Great Commission. After all, "A Sending Church is a local community of Christ-followers who have made a covenant together to be prayerful, deliberate, and proactive in developing, commissioning, and sending their own members both locally and globally, often in partnership with other churches or agencies, and continuing to encourage, support, and advocate for them while making disciples cross-culturally and upon their return."

149 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2020

About the author

Bradley Bell is a former missionary who serves as the lead pastor at Antioch Church and the senior editor for The Upstream Collective. He lives among the diverse community of south Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Katie, and daughters Elisabeth, Charlotte, Anneliese, and Madeleine.

Reviews

[Chris Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who was “sent” overseas many years ago, this was a helpful read to think about how churches can send their people into cross-cultural missions for the glory of God. Many American Christians have a naive view of the missionary life. Bell dispels that naivety and provides a roadmap for church to increase their support for those they have sent abroad.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An encouraging, short read about the idea of being a “sending church.” Not only did this book introduce me to new ideas and challenge my thinking on the way global and local missions should be done in the church, but it was also phenomenally written. Bradley Bell used a working definition of a “sending church” and each chapter broke up a part of the definition and explained the meaning of it. I loved this short read and recommend it to anyone looking to be sharpened on their views of missions and the local church!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read for any individuals or church staff learning more about missions, but particularly for those that want to send missionaries. Bradley Bell walks the reader through a thorough theological and biblical concept of the sending church, with many practical takeaways. This is a great book for small, mid, and large churches, sending organizations, and people interested in being sent as missionaries. Highly recommended!

[Emil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy book to read and learn from.

[Matt Glidden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful for refocusing on the mission of the church on sending.