EMQ » April–June 2023 » Volume 59 Issue 2
Apostolic Imagination: Recovering a Biblical Vision for the Church’s Mission Today*
By J. D. Payne
Baker Academic, 2022
224 pages
US$22.99
*As an Amazon Associate Missio Nexus earns from qualifying purchases.
Reviewed by Marcus Dean, professor of intercultural studies and missions, Houghton College; former missionary for 14 years in Colombia and Puerto Rico.
In Apostolic Imagination, J. D. Payne tackles the hot-button question of “What is Mission?”. Is it everything the Church does, or is it more limited and focused? Should all the good things the Church does be labeled as mission? In his approach to answering the question with a clear focus on disciple-making, Payne leads us on a thought journey from the early church to the present in which he develops the idea of apostolic imagination as a guide to the church’s involvement in mission(s).
In Part 1 of the book titled “Foundations,” Payne presents a concise explanation of what he means by apostolic imagination. This concept is rooted in the first century of the church where “the apostolic imagination was a Spirit-transformed mindset that helped facilitate urgent and widespread gospel proclamation, disciple-making, church planting, and leadership development” (12).
Chapter 2 addresses various voices and challenges that are a part of the church’s activity in missions that he sees as not being part of the apostolic imagination – note that he does not say these are not important. Payne then returns to a biblical study and addresses the apostolic identity or office (chapter 3) and apostolic function (chapter 4), recognizing that while none outside of the early apostles may be rightly called apostles, the apostolic function still guides the Church’s involvement in our world.
In Part 2 of the book titled “Reimagining Contemporary Missions,” Payne explores what Part 1 means for the Church today. The seven chapters of Part 2 look at reimagining missions from the perspective of the apostolic function or tasks touching on questions including how we should talk about mission (chapter 5), who is a missionary (chapter 6), what is our priority (chapter 7), what are the specific tasks of missions (chapter 8), where is the apostolic mission function carried out (chapter 9), what should be the strategy of mission (chapter 10), and what does this say to the church in the West (chapter 11).
Overall, Payne gives us good fodder for thought. While no one can once and for all answer the questions related to “What is mission?”, Apostolic Imagination helps to discuss the issues surrounding the questions. The book is both readable and replete with citations and study questions. I can see pastors and missions committees reading this book to help them decide how to focus their local work, global involvement, and resources.
Students in missions classes should read this to help explore the academic issues surrounding the question “Is everything missions?” Mission agency leaders need to read this to help them develop strategy and allot personnel and resources. It is both a thoughtful read and yet is understandable to all, regardless of missiological background. Perhaps a chart to summarize the volume of perspectives presented would help.
For Further Reading
Recovering the Full Mission of God: A Biblical Perspective on Being, Doing and Telling, by Dean Flemming (IVP Academic, 2013)
Missional Theology: An Introduction, by John R. Franke (Baker Academic, 2020)
Transforming Mission Theology, by Charles Van Engen (William Carey Library, 2017)
EMQ, Volume 59, Issue 2. Copyright © 2023 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
