Radical Outreach: The Recovery of Apostolic Ministry & Evangelism by George G. Hunter III (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003).

Many congregations are cultural islands, isolated enclaves of old friends huddling behind stained-glass barriers for shelter from the winds of change. They hire clergy to serve as chaplains who focus on the needs of members. They think of people outside the church as strange and threatening, if they think of them at all.

That mindset should change. It can change. Indeed, it is already changing in congregations that embrace apostolic ministry. George Hunter wrote this book when the curriculum committee of Asbury Theological Seminary, where he teaches, requested it for a new course on that subject. In Hunter's understanding, "apostolic congregations believe themselves to be 'sent' to reach one or more 'pre-Christian' populations, and their effectiveness is indicated …by their 'conversion growth' rate" (p. 16). Just as the book's subtitle places ministry before evangelism, Hunter argues that Christians first offer humble service to hurting people, then engage them in conversation.

Apostolic churches don't fear, judge, or avoid secular people - defined as people "with no Christian memory" (p. 13). Instead, they move toward them in compassion. Historical movements illustrating the apostolic dynamic include Pentecostalism, Methodism, Patrick in Ireland, Martin in Gaul, and of course the Apostles themselves, perpetuating the practice modeled by Jesus. Hunter draws principles for outreach ministry from Paul's Corinthian correspondence.

Two essential marks of an apostolic perspective are cultural relevance and an empowered laity. Apostolic churches study and adapt to culture in order to reach people of different cultural groups in their communities. This is a lay-led initiative. Hunter says flatly, "… wherever the clergy are expected to do most of the ministry, the church stagnates or declines; wherever the laity do most of the ministry, with the clergy 'leading and feeding' the laity for their mission, the church thrives and grows" (p. 117).

Many readers of Church Over 40 Newsletter will recognize themselves in Hunter's description of Old East Side Church, a fictional composite of traditional congregations. Old East Side is "in deep weeds," (p. 69), but there is hope. The book describes a few exciting congregations that have moved from tradition to mission. That many other older congregations will follow suit is Hunter's fond hope. To reach secular people, congregations must answer all five of these questions in the affirmative:

1. Do we want to know them?

2. Are we willing to go where they are?

3. Are we willing to spend time with them?

4. Do we want secular and outside-the-establishment people in our church?

5. Are we willing for our church to become their church too? (p. 187)

This book will be useful to leaders of traditional churches who want to create a holy discontent with the status quo. Like Easum & Bandy's Growing Spiritual Redwoods (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997), it splits open assumptions that choke a church's outreach potential. A discussion guide and a more complete consideration of how outreach changes us would have strengthened the book.

The winds of change are howling, but there is yet hope for traditional churches. God's Spirit blows where it wills (John 3:8), impelling caring Christians toward their neediest neighbors.