Review
“Shaped by God’s Heart is a stimulating contribution to the growing and increasingly diverse engagement in the vision of the missional church. Mifred Minatrea has drawn together insights from a remarkable spectrum of resources, which he synthesizes in strategies for missional transformation and which reward careful reading and provoke further exploration. His carefully thought-out proposals invite experimentation and innovation. This constructive work is encouraging to anyone concerned about the missional faithfulness of the Christian church in North America.”--Darrell L. Guder, Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary

“Milfred Minatrea is a pilgrim not a conquistador. His book is not a map drawn by someone who’s conquered the land. It is a compass with a true north, that points to survival in the secular wilderness where Christ himself is waiting on vitality to knock. Read and the compass is yours. Knock and the door will open. This book does not point the way to church growth. It calls the reader to honest pilgrimage—to find the way to meaningful faith. Milfred Minatrea knows that where meaning is married to hope, vitality is born.”--Calvin Miller, professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

“Mifred Minatrea has distilled the essence of what it means to be a missional church. The insightful summarization and articulation of distinctive practices can be the launch pad for every courageous church leader who wants to bring Kingdom impact to their world both locally and globally.”--Carol Davis, executive director, Global Spectrum; and consultant to mission leaders around the world

“Milfred Minatrea is missional! This book will be invaluable to churches who want to join the missional journey in the twenty-first century.”--William Tinsley, WorldconneX; author, The Jesus Encounter


Book Description
Discover the tools to create a new kind of church and move from merely surviving to thriving. Drawing on an extensive two-year field study of 200 churches from a variety of denominations and geographic regions, Milfred Minatrea--a missiologist, urban strategist and practioner in minister--presents the best practices for re-energizing Christian spirituality in a congregational setting. He provides readers with the tools for assessing their congregation’s position on the continuum between maintenance and mission and for determining the actions that will move them toward becoming a missional community. He also outlines key strategies that successful churches have used to become relevant in a postmodern society without losing what is distinctly Christian in their spiritual practices.

Milfred Minatrea (Irving, TX) is Director of the Missional Church Center for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.


From the Inside Flap
Increasingly, today’s churches have become isolated from rather than engaged in the world. Many ministers and lay leaders–who have stable churches, good relationships with their congregations, and useful ministries–feel there is something vital missing. Shaped by God’s Heart reveals that it’s not the church’s activity level that defines success but whether its activities accomplish God’s mission for His church. This book helps ministers and church leaders move beyond mere survival and maintenance toward a thriving missional mode for their congregations. Missional congregations become fully relevant to today’s society without losing what is distinctively Christian in their spiritual practices. This important resource draws on an extensive two-year field study of two hundred churches from a variety of denominations and geographic regions. Milfred Minatrea–a missiologist, urban strategist, and practitioner in ministry–shows how these vibrant congregations are abandoning themselves to God’s purpose in mission and presents the best practices for reenergizing Christian spirituality in a congregational setting. Shaped by God’s Heart includes a Missional Practice Assessment tool to evaluate a congregation’s position on the continuum between maintenance and mission and to determine the actions that will move the congregation toward becoming a true missional community. As Minatrea emphasizes, knowing God’s purpose and pursuing it with deep passion, is the first step in becoming missional. Minatrea outlines the nine common practices that characterize missional churches. In addition, each of the book’s chapters contain relevant exercises for reflection and application as well as resources for additional study. Once transformed, missional churches have a profound effect on their members’ lives out in the world. Their influence results in new followers of Christ and the development of new communities of faith.


From the Back Cover
A Guide for Moving Churches from Merely Surviving to Thriving "Shaped by God’s Heart is a stimulating contribution to the growing and increasingly diverse engagement in the vision of the missional church. Mifred Minatrea has drawn together insights from a remarkable spectrum of resources, which he synthesizes in strategies for missional transformation and which reward careful reading and provoke further exploration. His carefully thought-out proposals invite experimentation and innovation. This constructive work is encouraging to anyone concerned about the missional faithfulness of the Christian church in North America." –Darrell L. Guder, Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary "Milfred Minatrea is a pilgrim not a conquistador. His book is not a map drawn by someone who’s conquered the land. It is a compass with a true north, that points to survival in the secular wilderness where Christ himself is waiting on vitality to knock. Read and the compass is yours. Knock and the door will open. This book does not point the way to church growth. It calls the reader to honest pilgrimage–to find the way to meaningful faith. Milfred Minatrea knows that where meaning is married to hope, vitality is born." –Calvin Miller, professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University "Mifred Minatrea has distilled the essence of what it means to be a missional church. The insightful summarization and articulation of distinctive practices can be the launch pad for every courageous church leader who wants to bring Kingdom impact to their world both locally and globally." –Carol Davis, executive director, Global Spectrum, and consultant to mission leaders around the world "Milfred Minatrea is missional! This book will be invaluable to churches who want to join the missional journey in the twenty-first century." –William Tinsley, WorldconneX; author, The Jesus Encounter


About the Author
Milfred Minatrea is the director of the Missional Church Center for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He served as pastor of several churches before becoming a highly sought-after church consultant. Minatrea desires to be an authentic disciple of Jesus and enjoys walking with others on that spiritual journey.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Increasingly, today's churches have become isolated from rather than engaged in the world. Many ministers and lay leaders -- who have stable churches, good relationships with their congregations, and useful ministries -- feel there is something vital missing. Shaped by God's Heart reveals that it's not the church's activity level that defines success but whether its activities accomplish God's mission for His church. This book helps ministers and church leaders move beyond mere survival and maintenance toward a thriving missional mode for their congregations. Missional congregations become fully relevant to today's society without losing what is distinctively Christian in their spiritual practices. This important resource draws on an extensive two-year field study of two hundred churches from a variety of denominations and geographic regions. Milfred Minatrea -- a missiologist, urban strategist, and practitioner in ministry -- shows how these vibrant congregations are abandoning themselves to God's purpose in mission and presents the best practices for reenergizing Christian spirituality in a congregational setting.

Shaped by God's Heart includes a Missional Practice Assessment tool to evaluate a congregation's position on the continuum between maintenance and mission and to determine the actions that will move the congregation toward becoming a true missional community. As Minatrea emphasizes, knowing God's purpose and pursuing it with deep passion, is the first step in becoming missional. Minatrea outlines the nine common practices that characterize missional churches. In addition, each of the book's chapters contain relevant exercises for reflection and application as well as resources for additional study. Once transformed, missional churches have a profound effect on their members' lives out in the world. Their influence results in new followers of Christ and the development of new communities of faith.

SYNOPSIS

A Guide for Moving Churches from Merely Surviving to Thriving

"Shaped by God’s Heart is a stimulating contribution to the growing and increasingly diverse engagement in the vision of the missional church. Mifred Minatrea has drawn together insights from a remarkable spectrum of resources, which he synthesizes in strategies for missional transformation and which reward careful reading and provoke further exploration. His carefully thought-out proposals invite experimentation and innovation. This constructive work is encouraging to anyone concerned about the missional faithfulness of the Christian church in North America." —Darrell L. Guder, Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary

"Milfred Minatrea is a pilgrim not a conquistador. His book is not a map drawn by someone who’s conquered the land. It is a compass with a true north, that points to survival in the secular wilderness where Christ himself is waiting on vitality to knock. Read and the compass is yours. Knock and the door will open. This book does not point the way to church growth. It calls the reader to honest pilgrimage—to find the way to meaningful faith. Milfred Minatrea knows that where meaning is married to hope, vitality is born." —Calvin Miller, professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

"Mifred Minatrea has distilled the essence of what it means to be a missional church. The insightful summarization and articulation of distinctive practices can be the launch pad for every courageous church leader who wants to bring Kingdom impact to their world both locally and globally." —Carol Davis, executive director, Global Spectrum, and consultant to mission leaders around the world

"Milfred Minatrea is missional! This book will be invaluable to churches who want to join the missional journey in the twenty-first century." —William Tinsley, WorldconneX; author, The Jesus Encounter

Increasingly, today’s churches have become isolated from rather than engaged in the world. Many ministers and lay leaders—who have stable churches, good relationships with their congregations, and useful ministries—feel there is something vital missing.

Shaped by God’s Heart reveals that it’s not the church’s activity level that defines success but whether its activities accomplish God’s mission for His church. This book helps ministers and church leaders move beyond mere survival and maintenance toward a thriving missional mode for their congregations. Missional congregations become fully relevant to today’s society without losing what is distinctively Christian in their spiritual practices.

This important resource draws on an extensive two-year field study of two hundred churches from a variety of denominations and geographic regions. Milfred Minatrea—a missiologist, urban strategist, and practitioner in ministry—shows how these vibrant congregations are abandoning themselves to God’s purpose in mission and presents the best practices for reenergizing Christian spirituality in a congregational setting. Shaped by God’s Heart includes a Missional Practice Assessment tool to evaluate a congregation’s position on the continuum between maintenance and mission and to determine the actions that will move the congregation toward becoming a true missional community.

As Minatrea emphasizes, knowing God’s purpose and pursuing it with deep passion, is the first step in becoming missional. Minatrea outlines the nine common practices that characterize missional churches. In addition, each of the book’s chapters contain relevant exercises for reflection and application as well as resources for additional study.