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How to do Mission Action Planning: a vision-centred approach

Reviewed by Emma Maggs.

This excellent book is both inspiring and extremely practical.  The authors describe their own experiences as vicar and churchwarden trying to mobilise the church they led for mission in the 1990s.  They go on to explain the Mission Action Planning (MAP) process clearly, earthing their discussion of MAP in real-life examples of the process at work.  Finally they provide evidence for the effectiveness of MAP in helping churches to become more missional and hence to grow in number.  Throughout the book, however, the authors emphasise that growth for growth’s sake is not the point.  The MAP process aims to help the church become what Christ is calling it to be: a people growing in faith and holiness, reaching out to the local community and making disciples of Jesus Christ.  Although written largely from an Anglican perspective, this is a very useful resource for church leaders from all Christian traditions.