Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture
What if the rise of secularism is good news for the church?
For decades, we set our hopes on technology, politics, and the appearance of peace. We wanted to believe we were headed somewhere better—that progress was happening. But now as our technology ensnares and isolates us, our politics threaten to tear us apart, and our cultural decline continues to accelerate, people are understandably distressed.
But throughout history these periods of decline traditionally precede powerful spiritual renewal—and even revival. What if all the bad news in this world is actually good news for the church?
Discover why there’s reason to be wildly hopeful and how to prepare yourself and your church to be a part of renewal now and in the future.
From the Back Cover
What if what looks like decline in the church is actually the beginning of a spiritual reawakening?
For decades, we Westerners set our hopes on technology, politics, and the appearance of peace. We wanted to believe we were headed somewhere better—that progress was happening. But now as our technology ensnares and isolates us, our politics threaten to tear us apart, and mass violence becomes alarmingly normative, people are understandably distressed.
But throughout history these periods of decline traditionally precede powerful spiritual renewal—and even revival. What if all the bad news in this world is actually good news for the church?
Discover why there’s reason to be wildly hopeful and how to prepare yourself and your church to be a part of renewal now and in the future.
Top Highlights
“The renewal pattern is composed of four stages through which we progress: Holy Discontent, which leads into Preparation, which then sets us up for the posture of Contending, which then moves into the formation of Patterns that center our lives around God’s presence. A group of people gathered around this process then finds each other, forming a Remnant. The process looks like this, moving in a clockwise direction.” (source)
“In the post-Christian vision, progress replaces God’s presence as the engine of history” (source)
“In renewal, the great beliefs of Christianity no longer are seen as just timeless truths but lived realities” (source)
“Live with a peaceful presence in an anxious system, and you will become a healing agent of renewal.” (source)
“Students didn’t come to be spoon-fed but to become teachers themselves” (source)
Praise for Reappearing Church
“In my eyes, Mark’s understanding of the church and culture today is unmatched. While this book could be yet another voice lamenting how culture negatively affects the church, Mark takes a different approach—showing how our changing times can actually impact the church for the better, if we’re willing to fight for a renewal. Mark’s solution? Groups of people meeting together who are hungry to move away from “things as they’ve always been” to reach more people with the good news of Jesus. This is an important book, not only for pastors and church leaders, but also for anyone searching for hope in the church’s continued ability to change the world.”
—ADAM WEBER
Lead Pastor of Embrace Church and author of Talking with God
“Mark’s new book seized me and shook me as I was slipping into a ministry malaise—deep and disappointed—and said ‘wake up old preacher, God is not dead, Jesus has not left His church or His world, His Spirit is with us, prepare for revival.’”
—SIMON PONSONBY
Teaching Pastor, St. Aldates Oxford
“Mark Sayers counters the fragility and failure of secularism with God’s renewal pattern arising from living in peaceful presence as we become living temples of His presence. He lays out an eminently livable proposal for partnering with God in renewal by fostering His presence in corporate renewal leading to revival. Don’t just read this book. Live it in remnant groups.”
—GERRY BRESHEARS
Professor of Theology
Western Seminary, Portland, OR, USA
Product Details
- Title : Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture
- Author: Sayers, Mark
- Publisher: Moody Publishers
- Publication Date: 2019
- ISBN: 9780802497833
Reviews
1 rating
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Aaron Bauer
3/17/2020
This is must read. He even anticipated a COVID-19 type event as a time of darkness that would require renewal of the church.
