The Fig Tree Revolution: Unleashing Local Churches into the Mission of Justice

by Bill Mefford

Overview

The locus of God's change and transformation in the world is through local groups of believers immersed in relationships among those directly impacted by injustice. Movements for justice throughout history have always been powered by grassroots people with shared passion and vision for concrete change in the face of injustice.

This book is geared to help local churches to engage in the transformative and missional work of justice. Based on the first four chapters in Esther and drawn from real stories of real people creating real change, this book is perfect for small groups, Sunday school classes, student groups, or mission teams that want to be inspired and find practical steps to take to mobilize people in their local churches to participate in God's call to change the world. Be a part of the movement among God's people for justice. Join the Fig Tree Revolution!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781532616709
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	11/06/2017
Pages:	150
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Bill Mefford has spent more than a decade with United Methodists and all people of faith building grassroots movements on the issues of immigration, mass incarceration, religious freedom, and gun violence. Bill has a master of divinity and a doctorate in missiology from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is a member of the Fig Tree Revolution (www.figtreerevolution.com), a network of progressive dreamers, thinkers, writers, activists, and organizers dedicated to building justice movements.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xv

The Story xvii

Reflection

1 The Real Problem of Poverty and Oppression 3

2 How to Get Away with Murder 18

3 Righteousness in the Light of Day 31

4 The Captivity of Detachment 46

Action

5 A Step toward Unleashing: The Power of Shared Passion and Shared Vision 67

6 A Step toward Unleashing: When Two or More Are Gathered, You Have a Team 80

7 A Step toward Unleashing: Strategies for Making the Vision Real 94

8 A Step toward Unleashing: Putting It All Together-an Organizing Model Based on Esther 111

The Last Word 125

Bibliography 129