You can learn much from a person by the books they recommend, and I plan on learning a lot through the book collection of the team here in Ibiza. Thus far, I have not been disappointed.

I just finished The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church by Alan Hirsch. It's a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is passionate about advancing the Gospel and expanding the Church.

In summary, the book examines what makes up the DNA of missional church movements throughout the course of history, focusing particularly on the early Church and the contemporary underground church in China. Incorporating a wealth of scripture and a number of academic disciplines, Hirsch concludes that there are six components of "Apostolic Genius":

1. Jesus is Lord
2. Disciple Making
3. Missional-Incarnational Impulse
4. Apostolic Environment
5. Organic Systems
6. Communitas (not community)

The theological belief that Jesus is Lord is the crux of the Church, and the other five factors are essential supporting elements. Rather than explain them all, I'm just going to encourage you to read the book and quickly reflect on what challenged me most.

In the chapter on Organic Systems, Hirsch references this quote from Neibuhr:

"there are essential differences between an institution and a movement: the one is conservative, the other progressive; the one is more or less passive yielding to influences from the outside, the other is active in influencing rather than being influenced; the one looks to the past, the other to the future. In addition the one is anxious, the other is prepared to take risks; the one guards boundaries, the other crosses [boundaries]." (190)

There is a fine line between the Church being a religious institution and being an authentic movement- the Body of Christ in this world. Discerning the distinction raises many questions. For instance,  Am I working for the expansion of an institution that contains doctrines regarding the Holy Spirit or am I working toward the advancement of the Gospel by yielding to and seeking the movement of the Holy Spirit?

In his conclusion,  Hirsch explains how the Church is returning to Apostolic Genius by incorporating lessons learned from a wide range expressions of the Christian faith. His last paragraph recognizes that the Pentecostal church has yet to truly embrace the Emerging Missional Church because its structure and systems are still reaping the success of the church growth models and methods (271). He suggests that the Emerging Missional Church is missing is the spark of the Pentecostal movement's passion for the work of Holy Spirit. While this sentiment is only briefly explored at the conclusion of the book, I find it extremely interesting as I'm also praying that the charismatic church will find its place as a catalyst in the Emerging Missional Church.

Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religion in the world, especially in unchurched regions. This is the question though: is Pentecostalism concerned primarily with expanding Pentecostalism or primarily with advancing the Gospel?  I personally know a number of Pentecostal/Charismatic missionaries whose only goal is to follow Jesus and do His work. The concern doesn't lie in the examination of the heart of individuals, but rather in the heart of the Church as a whole. Are missionaries and ministries too tied to organizations and jumping through too many bureaucratic hoops to follow and serve Jesus freely?

Of course accountability and structure are key, but has organization moved us toward following the ways of our respective institutions instead of being a fluid movement that follows the Way of Christ?