| Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered: Millennials and Social Change in African Perspective Contributor(s): Gitau, Wanjiru M. (Author), Shaw, Mark R. (Foreword by) |
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ISBN: 0830851038 ISBN-13: 9780830851034 Publisher: IVP Academic OUR PRICE: $27.00 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 2018 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Christian Church - Growth - Religion | Christian Ministry - Discipleship - History | Africa - General |
| Dewey: 276.762 |
| LCCN: 2018022300 |
| Series: Missiological Engagements |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 6" W x 8.9" (0.55 lbs) 190 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Christian - Cultural Region - African |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description:
Building from a behind-the-scenes case study of Kenya's Nairobi Chapel and its daughter Mavuno Church, Wanjiru M. Gitau expands their story into a narrative that offers analysis of the rise, growth, and place of megachurches worldwide in the new millennium. In contexts experienced as deeply volatile, and on a continent reeling from the structural incoherence imposed in colonial times, megachurches provide a map of reality to navigate by, with the gospel as their primary compass. Gitau shows that recognizing the psychological, spiritual, and social destabilization of modernizing societies is the first step to valuing the place of megachurches in contemporary Christianity. Through analysis of social demography, theology, philosophy of ministry, leadership development, and strategy, Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered makes integral sense of the historical and social forces that give megachurches their growth opportunity, and reclaims them as a subject of serious theological conversation. This engaging account centers on the role of millennials in responding to the need for a home for new generations amid the dislocating transitions of globalization and postmodernity in postcolonial Africa and around the world. Gitau gleans practical wisdom for postdenominational churches everywhere (mega- and otherwise) from the lessons learned in Kenya's remarkable urban, evangelical renewal movement. |
Contributor Bio(s): Gitau, Wanjiru M.: - Wanjiru M. Gitau (PhD, Africa International University) is a research fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, pursuing a multi-year global research project commissioned by the John Templeton World Charity Foundation on contemporary religion. She is a Kenyan educated in Nairobi, Edinburgh, and the United States, with extensive global experience, including research projects from Korea to Kentucky. She formerly served on the staffs of Nairobi Chapel and Mavuno Church. |