Redemptive Family by Howard Webb
You can purchase Howard’s book at
https://loveyourneighbour.nz/redemptive-family/redemptive-family-book/
‘In an age where the western church struggles to find its missional edge,
this book is a compelling alternative to the status quo.’
—Mark Keown
‘Read this book with other like-minded Christians and be ready for God to lead you.’
—Justin O’Malley
‘Thoughtful, transparent, and courageous’
—Doug Pollock, author of ‘God Space’
Does the way we do church make disciples of our people and help them fulfil their God-given purpose? There can be no apathy, restlessness or boredom in such a church! In his warm and candid style, Howard Webb shows how the scriptural model of church as a mission-centred family embracing its place is the way to both grow our people and grow the Kingdom. Here is a vision of church that has the power to transform us and our world.
Redemptive Family is a book that is sure to kick-start effective discipleship, renew missional zeal, and position churches for greater effectiveness in our generation. It also serves as a blueprint for those wishing to plant a church with relational, missional DNA.
The essence of the book
If the aim is to glorify God by doing what He asked us to do and go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, what must we do to be successful as God’s Church on earth?
In his book Redemptive Family, Howard recommends that church gatherings are adapted to become like the New Testament churches described in the book of Acts: on mission, highly relational families of believers doing life together, learning, loving, sharing food, and constantly inviting others to come and experience the family, encouragement, care, and love.
This means that the main weekly gathering is an integral component of fulfilling the Great Commission as family members invite those from the community that they have actively built relationships with, to come and experience being part of the family and be introduced to the shalom (peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare, and tranquillity) that can be experienced when in right relationship with God, themselves, others, and creation. Gatherings need to be structured so that most of the time is relational so people can share life, discuss what the Bible means for their lives, encourage each other to obey Jesus’ teachings and pray for each other. All Christians actively participate, utilising their natural and spiritual gifts to benefit the family. Worship, praise, and thanksgiving is fuelled by testimonies of how God has been active in people’s lives, and as people turn to God in supplication and dependency. The wording of the mission should be so clear that the family members know what they are to do. Success should be measured by conversations, relationships built with the community, joining God in what He is doing, new-comers feeling part of the family, Christians being disciple-makers and utilising their gifts, decisions made for Jesus, and lives transformed.
Wouldn’t it be exciting if our church gatherings came alive as active families of God with all Christians actively utilising the gifts God has given them, and full of people exploring faith, experiencing being part of the family and God’s love in action?!
It’s time to rethink, restructure and follow God’s lead.
Written by Julie Young
Redemptive Family Church Series
See the info and video promo at https://loveyourneighbour.nz/redemptive-family/redemptive-family-church-series/
The Redemptive Family church series helps churches re-imagine ways of doing simple mission together that are effective and warmly relational – and which make real-world discipleship a natural part of the process!
This six-week series is based around four big ideas:
We are a family…
In a place…
On a mission…
together.
It includes
A personal devotional & workbook for each participant
Sermon outlines
Personal devotional booklets
Small group studies
Weekly surveys give feedback to church leadership
We recommend a facilitated church-wide conversation at the end to engage the whole congregation in next steps