Cultivating an Evangelistic Character: Integrating Worship and Discipleship in the Missional Church Movement

This project explores the relationship between worship discipleship and evangelism within the missional church movement. Engaging contributions from liturgical theology Christian ethics and post-Christendom evangelism the book proposes a missional approach to worship that when integrated with a praxis-oriented discipleship cultivates Jesus character among Gods people. Along the way the project attends to the Holy Spirits transformative presence the liturgical rhythms of remembering and anticipating and the practices of hospitality and compassion. In the end Cultivating an Evangelistic Character contends that the Spirit works through the integration of worship and discipleship to form Gods people. In other words Gods people become evangelistic or as Newbigin said the hermeneutic of the gospel. As the church journeys through the murky terrain of post-Christendom we are looking for clarity conviction and insight. Schoon provides a close reading of the contours and distinctiveness of the missional church movement. He encourages a missional approach to worship that is a praxis-oriented discipleship rooted in place. This well researched project will invite you to examine your assumptions of church. --Dallas Friesen Director of Church Life and Leadership Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec Robust Trinitarian worship and contagious Christian witness belong together shaping congregations that abide deeply in Christ and that welcome many who are being engrafted into Christ the vine. What a gift to see this symphonic vision shared so compellingly through Chris Schoons careful analysis. --John D. Witvliet Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary What does a disciple-making missional worshipping community look like and what are the themes that will support such a project? In this astute book Chris Schoon bridges dialogues with and provides generous critiques that bring key insights and even contrarian perspectives together. The academic and the practioner will find abundant material here to deepen research and practices that will benefit both. Schoon provides a curated analysis that answers big questions and helps us understand the challenges of being a community of faith in this age. --Jul Medenblik President of Calvin Theological Seminary Chris Schoon here brings together his pastors heart and his scholars head to create a unique contribution to the missional conversation. He shows the organic theological connections between mission worship discipleship and evangelism. What does it mean for worship to be missional in character? And how does mission-oriented worship help shape disciples who care about evangelism? I for one find myself convinced that such a blend is much needed life-giving--and possible. --John P. Bowen Professor of Evangelism Wycliffe College University of Toronto Schoon presents a helpful corrective by showing how worship discipleship and evangelism are not independent activities but function like points on a Hoberman sphere; all are interconnected and what happens at one point impacts all the others. In order for that inter-relatedness to work he lays out a robust Trinitarian theology of worship that illuminates worships true meaning and purpose. This book brings together conversations from various disciplines providing the church with the means to articulate some of what we are seeing happening around us and what we hope for in the future. --Joyce Borger Editor of Reformed Worship Director of Worship Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church Christopher James Schoon is Lead Pastor at First Hamilton Christian Reformed Church (ON). He has taught mission and leadership related courses at Calvin Theological Seminary and Redeemer University College.