Ian Mobsby

In the contemporary church, the word ‘mission’ has become synonymous with pace, expansion and results. Yet such an approach can often leave those with responsibilities in mission or ministry feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Not only that, but mission which focuses on the rapid and the growing fails to recognise the rich resources the more contemplative Christian traditions can offer our post-secular society, and especially those who would call themselves ‘spiritual but not religious’. In ‘The Seeking Heart', Ian Mobsby calls for an approach to mission which takes a deeper, slower spirituality more seriously. Drawing on the work of a wide range of figures within the Christian tradition, from John of the Cross and Hildegard of Bingham to John Taylor, he boldly calls the church to a new kind of mission which takes spirituality more seriously, and offers a model to demonstrate what such an approach might look like in practice.

Fresh Expressions of Church are key aspect of mission strategy for many denominations in the UK and beyond. Here, a stellar line-up of writers explores the central question of how Fresh Expressions turn from mission projects into authentic forms of church, developing a sacramental life of their own. Chapters include: • Lucy Moore on Messy Church and Holy Communion • Graham Cray on the sacraments for the unchurched • Jonathan Clark on baptism and mission • John Drane on seeing the world as sacramental • Sue Wallace on the sacramentality of sacred space • Reagan Humber (pastor at Nadia-Bolz Weber’s church) on liturgy and evangelism • Adrian Chatfield on healing

Two leading practitioners of new monasticism open up the movement’s spiritual landscape and its distinctive calling and gifts within today’s church. Practical experiences and stories are set alongside reflection and liturgies as a creative resource for all who are already involved in, or are exploring intentional living in community. Focusing on new monasticism's key characteristics of prayer, mission and community, this book explores: • continuity with traditional religious life • innovations, such as its use of social networking technology • potential for spiritual formation • preference for the abandoned places of society • transformative approach to mission • blend of the traditional and experimental in worship • growing international presence

Two leading practitioners of new monasticism open up the movement’s spiritual landscape and its distinctive calling and gifts within today’s church. Practical experiences and stories are set alongside reflection and liturgies as a creative resource for all who are already involved in, or are exploring intentional living in community. Focusing on new monasticism's key characteristics of prayer, mission and community, this book explores: • continuity with traditional religious life • innovations, such as its use of social networking technology • potential for spiritual formation • preference for the abandoned places of society • transformative approach to mission • blend of the traditional and experimental in worship • growing international presence

Generous Ecclesiology seeks to present a positive theological response to the issues raised by Mission-Shaped Church and For the Parish. The former reminds us that the church is to engage in creative and imaginative ways with our missionary calling. The latter affirms the place of inherited patterns and structures which cannot simply be discarded. Alert to the danger that discussion about tradition and innovation can become polarized; the editors recognize that living in relation to a generous God shapes our ecclesiology. This vocation is formed by a double constitution of worship and mission. This vocation is for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Generous Ecclesiology takes as its basis the uniqueness of the church’s calling in God’s world, a world embraced by the generosity of his love. This collection is a contribution to an ongoing conversation; to this end, it engages with a rich range of dialogue partners, historically, ecumenically and culturally as well as theologically. It seeks to offer a rigorous theological resource – inspiring us to drink deeply of the wells of our tradition and inherited patterns. Whether implicitly or explicitly, these essays reflect on or are shaped by the ordinary concerns, challenges and opportunities of ministry.

The doctrine of the Trinity has the power to resonate with us deeply. Its focus on unity and community speaks with great prophetic challenge to both the world and the church. In God Unknown, Ian Mobsby shows how the Trinity’s divine unity, open-endedness and refusal to be bound by fixed meanings can illuminate our mission, worship and spirituality today. Weaving together Trinitarian theology, cultural exegesis and new monastic spirituality, he issues a timely call to the church to become a more authentic, effective expression of God’s love in an individualist, consumerist culture.