It's not so much that the church has a mission, it's that the mission of God has a church.
Alan HirschWhether [new Protestant church movements] place their emphasis on new worship styles, expressions of the Holy Spiritโs power, evangelism to seekers, or Bible teaching, these so-called new movements still operate out of the fallacious assumption that the church belongs firmly in the town square, that is, at the heart of Western culture. And if they begin with this mistaken belief about their position in Western society, all their church planting, all their reproduction will simply mirror this misapprehension.
Alan HirschA retreatist spirituality is not a spirituality that can, or will, transform the world in Jesus's name.
Alan HirschYou cannot sell a Christendom approach to a post-Christian world. They are anti-Christian.
Alan HirschHeroes are important not only because they symbolize what we believe to be important, but because they also convey universal truths about personal self-discovery and self-transcendence, one's role in society, and the relation between the two.
Alan HirschIn short, apostolic movement involves a radical community of disciples, centered on the lordship of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, built squarely on a fivefold ministry, organized around mission where everyone (not just professionals) is considered an empowered agent, and tends to be decentralized in organizational structure.
Alan Hirsch