Mixed Ecology

Author Ed Olsworth-Peter
Publisher SPCK £19.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780281089376

If the advent of phrases such as ‘mixed ecology (or economy) church’ have left you feeling confused and out of touch, this might be the book for you. The author takes us through the debates around why we might need a mixed ecology, how to integrate one, how to inhabit one, and he describes different models for leading and shaping churches in mixed ecologies. The basic idea is that different sorts of church, such as traditional parishes, pioneer ministries and new congregations are better at both surviving and flourishing if they work together. The text is supplemented by useful diagrams to show how the different elements might fit together. The conclusion admits that the discussion is mainly theoretical, because there are not too many examples of mixed ecologies around. That does not undermine the book’s usefulness for grasping what some projects are aiming for, however, it did leave me wondering how far a metaphor such as mixed ecology can be stretched before it loses meaning.

Reviewed by DAVID HEADING

Ecclesiology