New release for Estates Ministry (£7.99)

Available from: Church in Society,

2-3 Bedford Place, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8JB

tel: 01622 755014

The most useful theology is done by reflective practitioners. In reflecting on many years of pastoral and missional experience Joe Hasler gives a great gift to the Church. His thoughtful and helpful critiques point to a genuinely holistic mission agenda. He quotes: ‘the gospel cannot be shared in a sociological vacuum,’ and responds with some sharp analysis of the life of the church as it is and the vision of the Kingdom of God. He manages to do this in a way that empowers and doesn't deskill or depress us. I hope this book is widely read, and generates more reflection and praxis as a result.

Paul Bayes National Mission and Evangelism Adviser for the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England.

Joe speaks powerfully of the challenges of being church in white working class council-built housing estates. He warns against regarding the suburban church with its professional-managerial culture as normative for the whole church seeking to express itself in new ways. In mapping different contextual theologies, he arrives at a model which takes seriously the complex interaction between gospel and culture. Joe offers a voice from the edge, raising questions for anyone concerned with the role of the local church in bringing about God's Kingdom. A thought-provoking read for anyone who takes context seriously in theological reflection and practice.'

Helen Cammeron co-editor: Studying Local Churches. SCM 2005