About the Book
Christ has called his people to follow the ways of his kingdom in their homes, workplaces, schools, churches, and neighborhoods. The Drama of Discipleship is a resource for being and making disciples of Jesus in the everyday tasks of being human. In each chapter, you will explore the covenantal dynamics of a particular episode in the biblical narrative, along with gestures of worship and witness that embody those dynamics in Gospel-Show-and-Tell.
No other part of God’s family has the same network of relationships as you. Your ensemble of Christ’s followers has a unique group of audiences and, therefore, a unique witness to Christ’s kingdom on your local stage. The Drama reminds us that God’s mission to “reconcile all things to himself” is being worked out in every square inch of our lives “to bless all the families of the earth.”
Each episode offers at least one group activity that is designed to catalyze action on your local stage and build your group’s practice of taking off the old ways of being human and putting on Christ. The Drama concludes with stage notes and additional tools for those who lead the heartwork and fieldwork required of those who are called to be Christ’s Body in a complex, often contentious culture.
From the Foreward
I met Greg Perry in 2013 in Grand Rapids at a conference I organized on “A Missional Reading of Scripture.” Little did I know then that I would come to know and appreciate him as one who shared many of the same passions and common experiences I did, and that this would lead me to invite him to become a faculty colleague at the Missional Training Center in Phoenix.
It is precisely those shared convictions that are embodied in this book that make me happy to introduce it to you. I recommend that you take it up, not just to read it, but work through it and learn its practices. For that is the kind of book it is.
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Greg is passionate to see churches live out their missionary identity in their particular neighborhoods. The script of Scripture does not invite us to participate in the drama as solo performers but as an ensemble or troupe. A witnessing community is at the center of the biblical drama. While many existing discipleship curriculums focus on the individual, this book opens up concrete congregational practices of outreach and communal involvement. But it also attends to the stage—the local setting where we play our part. This book is born of a desire to see churches live out their true biblical identity for God’s glory and for human flourishing in particular locations.
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---MICHAEL W. GOHEEN
Missional Training Center
