Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, The Externally Focused Church. Group Publishing, 2004.
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LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is the first volume in the series, and lays out the externally focused philosophy. It is designed for two different types of churches. One is the externally committed congregation that is already dedicated to the concept but wants to excel as they learn from others. The other is the externally curious congregation that has heard of the growing movement and wants to explore the possibilities.
The first chapter describes the externally focused church. The second chapter tells the experience of LifeBridge Christian Church as they became externally focused. The remaining chapters present biblical rationale and ministry philosophy on the integration of evangelism and social action. This includes an important discussion on migrating from “mercy to justice” in keeping with the Micah 6:8 trilogy of “love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with God.” Other chapters lay out the process for organizing and mobilizing congregations to be externally focused, including casting the vision, assessing the needs of one’s community, and organizing for usefulness.
This book is easily adaptable to a small group or Bible class setting. Each chapter ends with something to think about, something to talk about, something to act upon, and a sermon/lesson idea. Also throughout the book are “Closer Look” sections, which describe externally focused churches in action that may serve as examples or spark creativity.
About the Authors
Rick Rusaw is the senior pastor at LifeBridge Christian Church and an innovative leader, speaker, author, and trainer. With Eric he is the cofounder of the Externally Focused Network.
Eric Swanson is a missional leadership specialist with Leadership Network, leading initiatives with externally focused churches that are missionally engaging their communities, cities, and the world. With Rick Rusaw he is the cofounder of the Externally Focused Network.
Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw are coauthors of The Externally Focused Church and The Externally Focused Life. They frequently speak and train at seminars and conferences on missional/externally focused churches.
***For additional information on this resource, including reviews, click the bookstore links. Check the reference at page top or the links below for resource guides on related topics.***
See Other Resource Guides on Christian Social Ministry:
- Social Ministry, Introduction
- Theological and Philosophical Foundations of Social Ministry
- Spirituality for Ministry of Social Compassion and Justice
- Strategies For Christian Social Ministry
- Perspectives and Strategies For Social Ministry Among the Urban Poor, Urban Ministry
- Christian Perspectives on Political Theory and Church-State Relations
- Christian Perspectives on Economics and Public Policy
- Evangelism