ReJesus: Remaking the Church in Our Founder's Image

By Michael Frost, Alan Hirsch and Christine Caine

OUR CHURCHES NEED REJESUSING LIKE NEVER BEFORE.



We live in a fractured and divided world. Nationalism and political extremism are rife in the church, scandals involving well-known Christian leaders

• Language: English
• Publisher: 100 Movements Publishing
• Release date: Feb 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781955142144

Michael Frost

Michael Frost is an American author, engineer, mathematician and science nut, who lives with his wife and a growing collection of green things thriving in his house (apparently, their acquired tomato plant is asking for food now; however, do not turn your back on it).A published author with over 32 years of writing experience under his keyboard spanning a multitude of genres, Mr. Frost has landed with Belen Books Publishing to release his upcoming horror novels and collection works. Having published his first short story at the age of 17, Mr. Frost has gone on to write more than 200 short stories, 40 novellas and 12 completed novels, and now he shares them with you. To quote Mr. Frost: "I wouldn't look under the bed if I were you."

Book preview

Maybe the most important task for the Western church right now is to reclaim the centrality of the person of Jesus—his life, mission, kingdom, and invitation to discipleship. With so much disillusionment around church, getting our eyes back on Jesus and being transformed into his likeness with fresh vision and wonder is essential. In ReJesus, Alan and Michael call you to this exact vision. Both compelling and inspiring, this is a beautiful reminder of who Jesus is and what he calls us to. 

—JON TYSON, AUTHOR, BEAUTIFUL RESISTANCE; LEAD PASTOR, CHURCH OF THE CITY NEW YORK 

There really isn’t anything Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost write that I don’t read. And that’s saying a lot since they are both prolific writers! Alan and Michael are prophetic voices who are making a way for the King to emerge center stage again. ReJesus has a whimsical quality of wise, lived theology that invites us to reimagine the kingdom and to live the kingdom. This is what sets these guys apart from many other theological voices. The truth found in these pages has power to change things, starting with us.

—DANIELLE STRICKLAND, FOUNDER, WOMEN SPEAKERS COLLECTIVE AND INFINITUM; AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS BOOKS ON MISSION, SPIRITUALITY, AND LEADERSHIP

This is the book that church leaders must read over and over again. There is a need for a rediscovery of Christ and the mission of the church that rescues us from a counterfeit gospel and propels us toward the authentic advancement of the kingdom of God. Frost and Hirsch offer one important resource for the journey.

—EFREM SMITH, CO-SENIOR PASTOR, MIDTOWN CHURCH; AUTHOR, THE POST-BLACK AND POST-WHITE CHURCH

As both a millennial and a pastor, the diminished witness of the church has troubled me to my bones. The very people called to reflect the radiant light of Jesus have instead reflected many things but Jesus. Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost pull back the curtains on the sins and structures that entangle us and call the church to Christoformity—the way of reJesusing. In a world where the church is bleeding out young people, the clarion call to reJesus is perhaps needed more than ever. Hirsch and Frost write with a love for the church and a contagious love for Jesus. Every Christian needs this on their bookshelf. 

—TARA BETH LEACH, AUTHOR, RADIANT CHURCH

It’s hard to imagine how a book about Jesus could be ahead of its time, but this one somehow was. It feels more critical now than when I first read it a decade ago. We so need it. And it is precisely this kind of focus on and fascination with Jesus that, in every era, is both the tinder and the match for revival.

—BRIAN SANDERS, FOUNDER, UNDERGROUND CHURCH; AUTHOR, UNDERGROUND CHURCH

For almost twenty years I have watched Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch move in a peculiar grace nationally and internationally, and I truly believe they are two of many voices in the wilderness shouting, Let Jesus back into the building! In this revised edition of ReJesus, they are again challenging the church to be the bride that faithfully loves her Groom rather than being wedded to sociopolitical ideology, nationalism, or culture. In this updated book, they powerfully revisit their work and go broader missionally and deeper theologically, as well as prophetically speaking to the issues that are bruising the world through the church and splitting the church apart in the process. The West is no doubt experiencing one of the most destructive and polarized times in modern history, and we desperately need an honest, biblical, and Spirit-saturated corrective. ReJesus is that corrective!

—MICHAEL CARRION, VICE PRESIDENT, CHURCH PLANTING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, REDEEMER CITY TO CITY, NEW YORK CITY

In a day when ideologies and idolatries abound, Frost and Hirsch winsomely, prophetically, and wholeheartedly compel us to reorient ourselves to Jesus. This updated edition contains brilliant insights into the considerable and glaring issues currently facing the church. A timely and paramount work!

—LISA RODRIGUEZ-WATSON, NATIONAL DIRECTOR, MISSIO ALLIANCE

In a time when the Christian faith finds itself twisted and torn by the cyclonic winds of cultural compromise and syncretism, ReJesus challenges us to throw our idols and ideologies overboard, and instead look to our master Jesus, the only one who can silence the storm and captain us to the open seas of living water.

—MARK SAYERS, SENIOR LEADER, RED CHURCH MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA; AUTHOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS INCLUDING STRANGE DAYS AND REAPPEARING CHURCH

Amidst a church centered in celebrity leadership, performative worship, and a social activism that lives and dies on social media, Frost and Hirsch deliver the clarion call all over again: to center our lives together in the person and work of Jesus, from which all true incarnational worship, leadership, and justice shall flow. Over a decade ago, ReJesus taught us how mission springs forth from the Jesus-centered church. We needed ReJesus then. We need it even more now. I am thankful for this new and updated version.

—DAVID FITCH, LINDNER CHAIR OF EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY, NORTHERN SEMINARY; AUTHOR, FAITHFUL PRESENCE

Frost and Hirsch have done it again. Reading ReJesus provoked, frustrated, and ultimately convicted me of my need to live more deeply in the way of Jesus. If you are looking for another book on simply bolstering church as-we-know-it, this is not for you. If you and your church want to be challenged to walk in the Way of Jesus, this book delivers.

—ED STETZER, BILLY GRAHAM DISTINGUISHED CHAIR OF CHURCH, MISSION, AND EVANGELISM, WHEATON COLLEGE; AUTHOR, CHRISTIANS IN THE AGE OF OUTRAGE

Today, with a global pandemic not only in health but also in politics, the rift between evangelicals of all stripes has exposed the fragility of what we believed united us. The Jesus-as-he-truly-is has been exchanged for the Jesus-as-I-hope-for. The fissures in evangelicalism have revealed a fragmented and historically disconnected view of Jesus and his church. Michael and Alan graciously call us back to the primal identity of the church with her Founder. ReJesus is an important contribution that must be taken seriously if the church is to continue in her mission. 

—MICHAEL T. COOPER, PHD AUTHOR, WHEN EVANGELICALS SNEEZE; A FAITHFUL WITNESS; AND THE AWARD-WINNING EPHESIOLOGY

I loved this book when it first came out, but I didn’t realize at the time how prescient it was. Reading it again, I was struck again by how vital and immediate this message is for anyone who calls themselves a Christian. If you’re following Jesus, don’t just pick up a copy of it … read this book!

—DOUG PAUL, INNOVATION STRATEGIST, CATAPULT; AUTHOR, READY OR NOT

At points in this lucid and confronting book I wondered if Frost and Hirsch were aiming their criticisms at me and my evangelical tribe. My first instinct was to find fault on every page. I soon realized ReJesus is best read as a frank conversation with friends; Scripture says, the wounds of a friend are trustworthy. With a mesmerizing blend of biblical argumentation, cultural and historical reflection, and anecdotes from years of experience, the authors seek to mend what is broken in the church, strengthen the weak, and, above all, to inspire us to entrust ourselves to the King we find in our Gospels. I hope and pray this edition gets the widest possible reading.

—REV DR. JOHN DICKSON, AUTHOR, HISTORIAN, PASTOR, AND HOST OF UNDECEPTIONS

This book reads you; you don’t read it. Over and over, you will find yourself wrestling with yourself and with God. In the end you have more than a decision to make; you have a quest to pursue. What you do about that will define your life.

—REGGIE MCNEAL, AUTHOR, KINGDOM COME AND MISSIONAL RENAISSANCE

Hirsch and Frost brilliantly weave together insightful biblical exegesis, critical historical reflection, transforming spiritual discipleship, probing cultural analysis, and even a good bit of humor in ways that help readers get free from the deadening yoke of the Christian religion and rediscover the wild, untamed, life-giving Jesus of the Gospels. I hope everyone who professes faith in Christ will dare to read this book. They will not put it down unchanged.

—GREGORY A. BOYD, SENIOR PASTOR, WOODLAND HILLS CHURCH, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA; AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS BOOKS INCLUDING LETTERS FROM A SKEPTIC AND CRUCIFIXION OF THE WARRIOR GOD

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Published by 100 Movements Publishing

www.100Mpublishing.com

Copyright ©2022 by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

The authors have no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and do not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

ISBN 978-1-955142-13-7

eISBN 978-1-955142-14-4

First edition published by Hendrickson Publishers in 2008 © Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022932462

Interior design: Revo Creative Ltd

For book group orders or bulk orders, please go to rejesusbook.com

100 Movements Publishing

An imprint of Movement Leaders Collective

Cody, Wyoming

www.movementleaderscollective.com

www.catalysechange.org

DEDICATIONS

Alan

For Rich Robinson, who has become more than an exceptional co-worker—he has become something of a son. I consider him a gift of God to me in this time. #Bubble&Squeak, #Fish&Chips, etc.

And to all my wonderful colleagues in the Movement Leaders Collective: it’s been a joy and an honor to work alongside you all.

Michael

For Peter Horsley in gratitude for his partnership in life, leadership, and the gospel.

Contents

Foreword by Christine Caine

Preface to the Second Edition

1 Jesus Has Left the Building

2 I’ve Got a Picture of Jesus

3 How Jesus Changes Everything

4 ReJesus and Personal ReNewal

5 ReJesus for the Church and the Organization

6 Not Your Own Personal Jesus

7 Three, Two, One … ReJesus!

8 The Church That Jesus Built

Conclusion: Tell Me Again

Notes

Foreword

The wheel is come full circle, wrote Shakespeare in King Lear, a quote that aptly describes how I’m feeling as I write this foreword.¹ I first met Alan and Michael in 1995, in Melbourne, where we were a part of the first Arrow Leadership Cohort in Australia. I was challenged and inspired by their passion for Jesus back then, and I am even more so today.

Over the past twenty-six years, they have profoundly impacted and shaped so much of my thinking and practice about mission and evangelism. Through the years, I have found myself turning to their books, sermons, and social media feeds, time and time again—along with many extensive chats with Alan and his wife, Deb—to check that I had not strayed. If I had, their words would challenge me and help me to recalibrate, ensuring that my life and ministry were being informed and shaped by the Jesus of the Gospels rather than the Jesus of cultural Christianity. Hence, the relevance of the quote by Shakespeare.

ReJesus was first published in 2008, and in that same year my husband, Nick, and I founded A21, a global antitrafficking organization. We work to reach the vulnerable, rescue the victims, and restore the survivors with the hope of one day abolishing slavery everywhere, forever. When we began, I was already traveling and speaking in churches all over the world as an evangelist, so I had a great opportunity to raise awareness about this issue and rally the church to action. When I initially encountered resistance, I was stunned. In church after church, I was frequently asked why I would jeopardize my ministry to get involved with something like this. To my shock, apparently, it wasn’t appropriate to speak about sex trafficking on Sunday mornings. I was informed that people would feel uncomfortable, and I should just stick to preaching the gospel because I was obviously gifted for that.

I very quickly realized there was something fundamentally wrong when our Sunday sermon does not impact our Monday practice. When what happens within the church walls no longer leads to transformation within the communities on the other side of those walls. When our personal comfort is preferred to addressing the discomfort in the world. When singing songs about freedom and justice is preferable to fighting for freedom and justice. When the gifts of the Spirit are used to entertain the church rather than bring healing and hope to the world. When what I believe about Jesus does not lead me to act in the ways of Jesus out in the world.

It took a number of years, and great perseverance to see change, but over time and through prayer, things started to shift. People’s eyes, ears, and hearts began to open, which led to their hands and feet being mobilized to action. Consequently, today, we have nineteen offices in sixteen countries around the world and tens of thousands of abolitionists fighting to end slavery.

I tell you this story because it was the message of ReJesus that helped me to keep going in the times when I wanted to give up. To be reassured that I had not lost my mind stepping out of the Christian bubble and into the purpose of Jesus probably saved my soul from becoming calloused, and from me becoming a professional Christian.

In the years since, one experience after another has solidified this for me. When I met with five hundred leaders from the underground church in China, they asked me to teach them aspects of leadership, citing that they hadn’t received such teaching and were afraid the next generation would move away from the purposes of God. I’ll never forget when they told me all they knew to do was pray, and all they’d trained their leaders to do was how to witness to their guards when they were led away to be executed. Everyone I spoke to had spent time in jail, and most of them had been beaten. All I could do was fall to my knees and ask them to pray for me. How could I possibly have anything to teach them about leadership? I wanted to know Jesus and be willing to live and die for him like these Chinese brothers and sisters. I don’t think they needed to learn any leadership principles from me.

While visiting Qatar, I discovered that the church is required to meet in houses of worship, all built inside a walled compound, miles outside of the city. I saw people walking to church in the desert heat. It didn’t matter how many hours that took. To them, gathering in the name of Jesus, in the presence of God, mattered that much. The inconvenience was inconsequential.

When I started Propel, an organization designed for women who lead, to celebrate their passion, purpose, and potential, the mission came under fire. Supposedly, women weren’t to lead, and yet, all women do. In some sphere of influence. In some capacity. At home. Work. Church. School. In their community. Even globally.

With another generation having been raised up, I believe another moment in time has come for the message of ReJesus. The global pandemic has led to a forced pause. In the church, what we thought used to work no longer does, and perhaps we are ready to address the question of how much was really working anyway. What were we measuring and why? What did we consider to be success and why? At the very least, hopefully, we have realized that the answer is not in the latest method, message, or messenger. It is sobering when we consider how many of the most influential evangelical churches and ministries of our time have unraveled in only a few short years. Whether we wanted to or not, we have been forced to stop and look in the mirror and ask ourselves where we have gone wrong. Perhaps we inadvertently placed our hope in the wrong things, and we need to rediscover the One who is the source of all hope and joy and peace. I think we will look back at this time as a profound gift, as an opportunity to recalibrate.

It’s time to reJesus. The spiritual tectonic plates have shifted. We’re surrounded by rubble that we once defined as church. It wasn’t working. Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost prophetically and practically show us how to rebuild from this place—how to be who we were always meant to be in this world. They have given us the only way forward. The hope of the church is not in strategies, programs, or methods. It always was, and only ever will be, in Jesus. This is a book whose time has come. We are finally ready to listen. It’s a new day. This generation wants nothing less than the Jesus of the Gospels, for he is the only Jesus. This book is a gift to the church.

ReJesus is one of the most important books you will ever read. Read it slowly, read it prayerfully, and read it often. Because we all need to regularly reJesus.

Christine Caine

Founder, A21 and Propel Women

Preface to the Second Edition

ReJesus was first published in 2008. We keenly felt the need to call the church to recalibrate its faith around the centrality and significance of Jesus back then. We feel it all the more today.

Maybe it’s because we recently both turned sixty. It seems the older we get, the more we want to focus on the really important stuff. We’re done with all the usual fixes that have been proposed as solutions to the church’s current malaise. From the church growth movement to seeker sensitivity to emergent to biblical manhood to the leadership industry to charismatic renewal, we’ve seen them all come and go, often leaving a trail of disappointment in their path. At our age, we just want to keep the main thing the main thing.

Or perhaps it’s because recent events have revealed some deep flaws in the contemporary evangelical church. As we write this, we are reading reports of huge numbers of pastors leaving Christian ministry because of the demands placed upon the church by the COVID-19 pandemic. One survey found 50 percent have considered leaving the ministry in the last month.¹ There are reports that something like 30 percent, or one in three Christians, have stopped attending church during 2020 and 2021,² leading to the overall church membership in the US falling below majority for the first time since records began.³

Recent scandals involving well-known and much-loved Christian leaders have shaken people’s confidence in the church. Brand-name churches like Willow Creek and Mars Hill Church have been rocked.

At a time when our culture is demanding justice, inclusion, and access for women and people of color, large sections of the church have responded with violent suspicion and fear, embracing a political agenda that shows a deep-seated spiritual and theological bankruptcy that is both utterly disappointing and a terrible witness to the Lord. While 2020 should have signaled the dawn of a new decade, it was a turning point for the church’s reputation, one that many say comes perilously close to what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called Christless Christianity.⁴

We feel more than ever the need to pray, to reground our faith around Jesus, and to call others to the same. The truth is, we can’t afford to take our eyes off Jesus and hope to get our Christianity right. But clearly Christians can, and do, lose sight of Jesus and so need to undergo regular times of purification and renewal—whether voluntarily or not. God will have us be Christlike, or he will not have us at all. It’s his eternal plan—to unite all things in Christ (Col 1, Eph 1, Rom 5). It is through this reJesus effect that we once again learn what is paramount. We have a clearer understanding of who we are in Christ, what God expects of us, and how he desires we serve him in every sphere of our lives.

The reJesusing of the contemporary church will not just involve ­celebrating Jesus as our Savior (that great evangelical reduction of the ­gospel); it must also involve active submission to Jesus as our sovereign Lord and King. This requires a commitment to pattern our lives on that of Jesus as the holy human—of Jesus as the archetypal human being, God’s living demonstration of what it means to be human. Or, as Søren Kierkegaard is reputed to have said, Christ is the truth inasmuch as he is the way. He who does not follow the way also abandons the truth. We possess Christ’s truth only by imitating him, not by speculating about him.⁵ We need to become a people who look, act, think, and sound like Jesus. And to do this, we must begin to address and heal the dangerous reductionisms that are plaguing the Christianity of our times. We believe this is even more essential in the 2020s than it was back in 2008.

Christoformity: The Crisis of our Time

While we have employed the cute term reJesus to describe this process, the more theologically accurate term is Christoformity, which describes the church’s task of conforming to the example and teachings of Christ. This task is so central because in the eyes of the world it is our legitimizing principle. The church’s mission, and the gospel it proclaims, are directly related to living out our basic confession. As theologian David Bentley Hart explains,

Only if the form of Christ can be lived out in the community of the church is the confession of the church true; only if Christ can be ­practiced is Jesus Lord. No matter how often the