• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Building Faith

Building Faith

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Who We Are
    • Our Writers
    • Author Guidelines
    • FAQs
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
  • ARTICLES
    • Articles by Topic
    • Most Recent Articles
  • EN ESPAÑOL
  • RESOURCES
    • Curriculum Center
    • Intergenerational Resources
    • Vacation Bible School
    • Webinars
    • Episcopal Teacher
  • SUPPORT US
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home/Featured/Book Review: Ancient Faith, Future Mission

Book Review: Ancient Faith, Future Mission

 

 

The juxtaposition of these two would-be opposites, popularized by Robert Webber in his numerous writings on the effects of the early church on contemporary worship, describes one important aspect of the emerging church movement. Ancient Faith, Future Mission: Fresh Expressions in the Sacramental Tradition (Seabury Books, 2010), edited by Stephen Croft, Ian Mobsby and Stephanie Spellers, draws another term ‘fresh expressions’ into the mix. While ‘Emerging Church’ has its roots in the evangelical movement, ‘Fresh Expressions’ has erupted out of the Anglo-Catholic tradition originally in England and a bit later in the Episcopal Church in the United States.

With a host of distinguished contributors including Rowan Williams, Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle, and a foreword by Katherine Jefferts Schori, the book served for me as a primer of what emerging church looks like in the Anglican tradition. It offers a history of the U2charist movement, from one of its earliest designers; descriptions of many permutations of ‘Fresh Expressions’ communities in England and the US; and even an article on how buildings inform worship and specifically how two churches transitioned their congregation by imaginatively redesigning their century-old sanctuaries. Every contributor had a story to tell and the total encourages hope for a tradition that has long struggled with the public perception as the ‘frozen-chosen.’ The inclusion of numerous websites for further study enriches the book even further. Ancient Faith, Future Mission will be on my short list of suggested reading.

 


Paula W Hartzell is the Director of the Interfaith Resource Center in Wilmington, Delaware.

About the Author

  • Paula Hartzell

    View all posts
Print PDF

December 14, 2010 By Paula Hartzell

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: emerging church, future, mission, resources, worship

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Subscribe to Building Faith

You’ll get new articles, plus free weekly updates in your inbox.

We respect your privacy. View our privacy policy here.

Search Our Site

New Articles

Close-up of an infant's right hand with medium light skin tone in the right palm of an older person with medium skin tone

Building Faith’s Top Picks for Intergenerational Curriculum

Looking for the “best” intergenerational ministry curriculum? There are a variety of options from …

Continue Reading about Building Faith’s Top Picks for Intergenerational Curriculum

Waterfall with green ledge above and gray rocks and brown logs in foreground

Season of Creation Formation Resources

The Season of Creation is a time that communities across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant …

Continue Reading about Season of Creation Formation Resources

The Abbey community in Alabama worshipping outside in their neighborhood

Cultivating Adventurous, Missional Leaders

Few will remember it—and fewer still will believe it—but when I was a seminarian at Virginia …

Continue Reading about Cultivating Adventurous, Missional Leaders

Footer

Keep in Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook

Building Faith

Lifelong Learning
Virginia Theological Seminary
3737 Seminary Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22304

Copyright © 2025 · Building Faith · A Ministry of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary

Design by Blue+Pine Creative, Inc.

Subscribe to Building Faith

Get articles and resources by email

Privacy Policy

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.
If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.