Mission From Below

“a book that needs to be taken very seriously” — Philip North

“challenging lessons for the modern church” — Michael Turnbull

This is a radical and controversial challenge to the top-down leadership models that are so widespread in the church, instead making the case for a new model of people-driven servant leadership, guided by the Holy Spirit towards kingdom growth rather than church growth.

Using the example of two Loreto Sisters working alongside one of the most socially-deprived communities in North East England, we see how they listened to and affirmed people who felt forgotten and had lost hope. As servant leaders, the Sisters were gradually able to empower the residents of Port Clarence on the River Tees to confront the many injustices heaped upon them, and to take action in improving their lives.

Mission From Below is an inspiring example of how a seriously neglected community can bring about its own transformation without any fads or initiatives imposed from on high by the church.