On Mission with Jesus

Author Graham Cray
Publisher Canterbury £18.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9781786225412

At first glance this book may seem to be one voice among many. Lay people and Christian leaders often long for a Spirit-led Church and local community instead of what Graham Cray calls ‘the default setting’ of the Church or even – as he knows from personal experience – ‘Fresh Expressions’. And here is a Spirit-led expression of Christian life for today’s world and contexts which Cray likens to the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:42). This longing by the Church to follow the Spirit into new directions, to become true ‘Jesus dwellers’ as Cray puts it, is nothing new. What is different here is an in-depth exploration and intensity of purpose of new directions without discarding much loved traditions and patterns of congregational worship rooted in Gospel faith. Useful notes follow each chapter, plus a section on the rhythm of life intended for the shared missional life of the Church and its local communities. Other voices are quoted – Martin Luther for example – and there is a detailed bibliography and index. Altogether a thoughtful approach to long-held longings.

Reviewed by RAYLIA CHADWICK

Mission