John R. Franke - Missional Theology: An Introduction

This volume marks both a conclusion and a beginning. As a conclusion, it is the culmination of over a decade of thinking, speaking, and writing on the idea of missional theology. In that time, I have had the opportunity to teach and lecture on the topic at seminaries, colleges, and churches throughout North America as well as other parts of the world. I have experienced firsthand the confusion and misunderstanding that exists among students, church leaders, and the congregations they serve about the term missional and its relationship to the church and theology. I have also seen the interest and enthusiasm that emerges when the ideas of missional theology are more clearly grasped and applied to the understanding and practice of Christian witness.

In addition to teaching, I have written on various aspects of missional theology in several books and articles over the years. These include (in chronological order):

Christian Faith and Postmodern Theory: Theology and the Nonfoundationalist Turn. In Christianity and the Postmodern Turn , edited by Myron B. Penner, 10521. Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2005.

The Character of Theology: An Introduction to Its Nature, Task, and Purpose . Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.

God Is Love: The Social Trinity and the Mission of God. In Trinitarian Theology for the Church: Scripture, Community, Worship , edited by Daniel J. Treier and David E. Lauber, 10519. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2009.

Manifold Witness: The Plurality of Truth . Nashville: Abingdon, 2009.

Intercultural Hermeneutics and the Shape of Missional Theology. In Reading the Bible Missionally , edited by Michael W. Goheen, 86103. The Gospel and Our Culture Series. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016.

Contextual Mission: Bearing Witness to the Ends of the Earth. In Four Views on the Mission of the Church , edited by Jason Sexton, 10733. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017.

Missional Theology: Living Gods Love. In Evangelical Theological Method: Five Views , edited by Stanley E. Porter and Steven M. Studebaker, 5272. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018.

This volume brings together material from all these books and essays and expands on them to provide (I hope) a clear introduction to missional theology and its basic themes. Thanks to the publishers of these pieces for granting permission to reproduce parts of them in this volume.

I intend for this volume to serve as a launching point for further explorations in missional theology, an emerging discipline that works at the intersections of practical theology, missiology, and systematic theology in the service of congregational formation for witness. In contrast to those who believe the missional turn was merely a passing fad, I believe the serious theological, hermeneutical, spiritual, and ecclesial revolutions spawned by this conversation have just scratched the surface of their potential. Much more work needs to be done.

For this work to bear the fruit of more informed and faithful witness to the purposes of God in the world, it needs to take root in the life and ministry of local congregations. To that end, I have worked to make this volume as accessible as possible to those who are joining this conversation for the first time, particularly those engaged in, or preparing for, congregational leadership and ministry. Much more can be said on every topic discussed in the book, but in the interest of brevity I resisted the impulse to do so.