Endorsements

I'm humbled and thrilled that some really great people have said some very kind things about the book. Below are the endorsements; for reviews click here.

If their nice words convince you, click here to buy the book. Otherwise click their links to buy theirs ;-)

"One of the top 5 books I have read in 2007. You MUST read this book now. Trust me, this book will rearrange your soul! A tremendous contribution."

Bill Dahl, editor of The Porpoise Diving Life

"Signs of Emergence is one of those rare books that manages to combine deep theological reflection, new science perspectives, and creative ecclesiology with a genuine element of originality. Kester Brewin has fertilized the Western church's dulled imagination with this fine work."

Alan Hirsch, author of The Forgotten Ways, and director of Forge Training Network

"A dynamic and hope-filled book to provoke the ecclesial imagination. May it help us grow closer to God’s dream for the church."
Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution

"A stonking book - original, creative, stimulating, provocative"
Jonny Baker, author of Alternative Worship

"Beautifully weaving theory and praxis, Kester Brewin has a gift for the church: by looking closely at the rhythms of the crucified life and intersections with rhythms of the city, he gives us a new way forward as Christ-followers. This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book."
Tony Jones, national coordinator, Emergent Village

"One of the best books on the emerging church written."
Jordon Cooper, über-blogger and founder member of Resonate

"Kester Brewin writes with a wise, gentle, and prophetic voice, offering a perspective on the future of the church in the Western world that is at once incisive and hopeful."
Mark Scandrette, author of Soul Graffiti

"Signs of Emergence is  Poetic... Practical....Fierce... When you read it you enter into the multi colored expression of God, mission, and hope. Finally a 'sign' that goes beyond the plentiful books out there on any emerging church stuff."
Greg Russinger, founder of Soliton and the Symbol Society.

"Signs of Emergence is a rich and luminous meditation on the nature of change, which is grounded in a deep understanding of the Christian narrative and a keen insight into the structure of organic development. With his eyes fixed firmly upon both the wonder of Christ and the wonder of nature, Kester Brewin offers us a way of rethinking and reorganizing church structures in a radical way that dances between the dangers of rigidity on the one hand and anarchy on the other. In this book we are encouraged to form fluid, ‘dirty,’ and generous structures that celebrate the virtues of openness, change, and adaptation."
Dr. Pete Rollins, author of How (Not) To Speak of God, and founder member of Ikon

"Absolutely fantastic... My only regret is that it took me so long to get to it. Signs of Emergence is one of the most insightful books available on the subject of the emergent church. With a concise yet pastoral message, Brewin guides the reader through a dynamic understanding of this major movement. This book has the potential to blow the emerging church conversation wide open."
Will Samson, co-author of Justice in the 'Burbs

"Kester Brewin invites us on a risky journey to leave behind a church that finds itself marginalized in a society that views it as increasingly irrelevant. Brewin invites us to join those on the emerging edge in rediscovering the church as a ‘constantly reforming, learning community.’ This is an invitation to wait, listen, and witness the new to which God is giving birth . . . from the bottom up. I predict this book will stimulate a very important conversation regarding the future of the church in the West. Signs of Emergence will prove an invaluable academic resource for those in leadership who are seeking to re-imagine new expressions of the church in a changing world."
Tom Sine, author of Mustard Seed vs. McWorld

"Through Kester Brewin’s eyes, pilgrims can see cities as the place where one’s dreamy theologies and ‘psycho-spiritual bull’ confronts the Concrete Christ. A highly recommended faith journey for those who dare to walk the walk and follow the trouble-making Jesus."
Becky Garrison, author of Rising from the Ashes

"In these pages are perceptive and loving words about the church, rooted in an understanding of its reality but without the need to develop idealized, romantic notions of what the church was at some point in time, then read back onto the present. Here is someone who offers important frameworks from development and emergence theory to offer churches a way of understanding how all of us can navigate the tough waters of change. I appreciate the way this book honors existing churches without shying away from the challenges they face. Brewin doesn’t write ‘almost hopeless’ over these churches; he encourages by offering guidance through a difficult transition."

Alan Roxburgh, president, Missional Leadership Institute, author of The Missional Leader

"Signs of Emergence is a revolutionary statement of intent: Jesus lives where the dirt is, which is good news for all of us, even if our religious institutions haven’t realized the implications yet. Reading this book will challenge your own boundaries. If you let it do its work, you will never be the same again."
Dr. Gareth Higgins, activist, author of How Movies Helped Save My Soul

"Kester Brewin is one of the sharpest thinkers on the emerging scene. For years, his community, Vaux, created worship spaces that engaged forbidden cultural and theological themes. His book Signs of Emergence continues this pattern and doesn’t disappoint. Brewin combines psychology, urban theory, and complexity theory with biblical reflection on church and leadership. The result? A fresh look at the contemporary scene with an innovative approach to leadership in the church. Expect your imagination to be stimulated to think new thoughts about the church in the world today."
Prof. Ryan Bolger, assistant professor of church in contemporary culture, Fuller Theological Seminary; coauthor, Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures

"A rich book... My gratitude to Kester Brewin for his book and for raising so helpfully the questions which we must address if the aspiration of being a “Mission Shaped Church” is to go beyond rhetoric. Along the way of the “Complex Christ” there are some suggestive meditations on scripture informed by patterns and images drawn from the natural sciences. This is conjunctive bible study at a point in which we are finding the compartmentalising of the intellectual universe, regarded by Weber as the essence of modernity, increasingly unsatisfactory."
Rt Rev Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Bishop of London

"Combines a theological integrity with imaginative and innovative ways of thinking about Church as a complex network. Not only does this book contribute to the current debate about the Church it is also a meditation on faith and believing in the city. It is a must read for all of those thinking through the future of the Church - in all its forms."
Dr Pete Ward, Kings College London

"This book is significant. Read it."
Steve Collins [smallritual]

"An important and unique book... A momentous achievement."
Rev Ian Mobsby [Moot]

 

 

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