Driscoll, Mark. Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.
Often when we hear the word ‘missionary’ we think of those who venture overseas, learning new languages and bringing the gospel to places far and wide. What a breath of fresh air Mark Driscoll’s book Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out is. It convinces from the beginning that mission begins across the street, to our own neighbours in Frankston. He immediately breaks down the stereotype of the missionary, showing that all people are missionaries and must understand the contexts they live in. Gospel, culture and church are three key concepts to think through in reformission, requiring that we view mission as not something we primarily do, but something we are.
He begins by looking at Jesus’ life and how he connected with culture, showing that Jesus himself didn’t blend in with the culture of the day nor did he completely separate himself from it. He stood out! He was counter-cultural! He went to the outcasts of the time, those who no one else would dare to be seen associating with. Jesus showed compassion and mercy, loving the unloved. However, at other times he also had people naming their sins and seeking forgiveness and repentance. Driscoll shows that in mission, we need to do the same. What does this look like for St Luke’s in Frankston?
His comments on belonging to the Church are helpful, seeing people in his culture in Seattle as potentially belonging to the Church before believing, hence his mission-minded focus. He wants people to immerse themselves in the church, see the life-changing impacts of Jesus, and be transformed. He wants to help change people’s hearts before looking to affect their actions. I found this helpful, to think through how we include people at church, how they connect in and get involved, which areas all people can potentially serve in, and I guess how we are showing Jesus’ life-changing impact in who we are and how we live.
He has excellent tips on understanding culture, making distinctions between the positive and negative aspects of it, so we don’t hit the extremes of separation from, or blending in with, our culture. He looks at postmodernism through the lens of Scripture, especially John’s gospel. Driscoll ensures the Bible influences what he does in culture, not as a product but a way of life.
Driscoll includes interviews between chapters of people in His church who are doing mission in inventive ways (e.g.: pub owners). These interviews are helpful insights into mission in Seattle. It would be interesting to see what these types of interviews would look like at St Luke’s! Driscoll’s reformission questions at the end of each chapter are also excellent to think through.
The book ends with a practical example of reformission in Driscoll’s church. It shows his research into Seattle’s culture and his passion for seeing people know Jesus. This book is easy to read and is accessible for all Christians. It is practical and not too heavy, but extremely centred on Scripture. It also leaves you with good questions! How are we to be counter-cultural in Frankston today? How do we stand out, rather than blend in or separate ourselves from culture? Do we see ourselves as missionaries, bringing the gospel to this context?