Christian Witness in Cascadian Soil
Coworkers with God in the Land of Hiking, Hipsters, and Hand-Crafted Lattes
Edited by Ross A. Lockhart
Foreword by Jason Byassee
Imprint: Cascade Books
The Centre for Missional Leadership at St. Andrew's Hall, Vancouver, has curated a dynamic collection of essays from missional thinkers in church and academy. Together, they explore both the pitfalls and possibilities of Christian witness in the post-Christendom soil of the Pacific Northwest. What does it mean to till, plant, and nurture Christian community while awaiting growth in the rocky soil of secularity, in this West Coast land better known for its hipsters, baristas, and outdoor lifestyle? Each chapter is an attempt to dust for divine fingerprints at work within the church and wider culture, giving evidence of God's activity in our midst. Within this book you will encounter women and men who are finding hopeful ways to proclaim and live the gospel that are bearing fruit and growing hope within Christian communities and the neighborhoods they call home.
Ross A. Lockhart is dean of St. Andrew’s Hall, professor of mission studies at the Vancouver School of Theology, and founding director of the Centre for Missional Leadership. He is author of Lessons from Laodicea: Missional Leadership in a Culture of Affluence (Cascade, 2016) and Beyond Snakes and Shamrocks: St. Patrick’s Missional Leadership Lessons for Today (Cascade, 2018).
“As someone who lives in Cascadia, I found myself nodding in approval, clapping in excitement, and even offering the occasional fist pump, as Lockhart and friends articulate the cultural and religious complexity of our context. Those mentioned in the book, including the pastor barber, the Christian artist, and the affable agnostic, are people I rub shoulders with every day. While Cascadia isn’t the most fertile soil for the gospel and church planting, it still nonetheless is soil. This collection of essays helps greatly in naming the difficulties, but also the hope that we in Cascadia have in God’s harvest.”
—Albert Ys Chu, Lead Pastor, The Tapestry Church
“From the heart of a region named as one of the least churched areas of North America comes a series of essays that bear witness to the power of God to bring forth new life even in the most unlikely of conditions. You will be delighted by reflections that explore themes as diverse as friendship, art, and building indigenous-settler relationships through storytelling; but more that, you will be enriched by the deep theological reflection and the practical approach to ministry. This is a must-read for leaders serious about engaging their context and bearing witness to Christ in a secular world.”
—Jen de Combe, Associate Secretary for Canadian Ministries, The Presbyterian Church in Canada
“This is an inspiring volume of essays on missional life in the Northwest. It is written by both frontline practitioners and missional theologians, who demonstrate the grounding of the missional church in the missional triune God, and the groundedness of missional life in particular locations. It shows awareness of the universal impulses of ecclesial and personal missionality and is at the same time attentive to the exegesis of specific communities in application. Every church can benefit greatly from this book, but especially those in this same Cascadia area.”
—W. Ross Hastings, Sangwoo Youtong Chee Associate Professor of Theology and Pastoral Theology, Regent College