Table Of ContentHirsch and Ferguson share a great blend of theory and practice that
will help you reenvision the way you do church. This is a must-read if
you want to transition your church into the future.
—Craig Groeschel, Lead Pastor, Life Church
Alan and Dave give me hope that the church can be better in the
West. Read and believe their timely words. We don’t have to settle for
business as usual.
—Darrin Patrick, Pastor, The Journey;
author of For the City and Church Planter
While pointing to a need for a new paradigm, Hirsch and Ferguson
give a needed framework for getting from where we are to where we
are heading.
—Dave Travis, Managing Director,
Leadership Network
I couldn’t put this book down. A spot-on approach for the mega-
churches and church-growth churches of the last decades to reframe
ourselves as high-impact, exponentially reproducing missional
movements.
—Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church;
author of Change the World
I truly believe God could use this work to usher in a whole new para-
digm for pastors and ministry leaders across America. Every church
leadership team in the country should be reading this together right
now.
—Shawn Lovejoy, Lead Pastor,
Mountain Lake Church
With careful analysis, thoughtful theory, and real-life examples, this
book paints what it looks like when pastors and leaders realize that
expanding the kingdom is far more important than building a bigger
church.
—Larry Osborne, author;
Pastor, North Coast Church
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd i 3/1/11 8:44 AM
On the Verge not only connects you to the possibilities but gives you
practitioner-based principles and stories to help you live and lead in
God’s gospel wave for the future.
—Hugh Halter, author of The Tangible Kingdom,
TK Primer, AND, and Sacrilege
This book does more than provide solutions; it gives hope that the
church’s best days are yet to come.
—Greg Surratt, Lead Pastor, Seacoast Church
This book won’t just make you think. It’ll make you rethink the way
you lead, the way you dream, and the way you do church.
—Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor,
National Community Church
This book is a challenge to established churches to follow Jesus into
the real mission fields all around us rather than expect the people to
come to us. My hope for the future has been elevated.
—Neil Cole, founder of Church Multiplication Associates
and author of several books
If you’re ready to move your church beyond conceptual conversation
toward real-world practice, then On the Verge is the next book you
should read.
—Rob Wegner, Pastor of Life Mission,
Granger Community Church
On the Verge gives principles that will help churches of all sizes under-
stand the missional conversation and move toward a missional under-
standing of who we are as the people of God. You must read it often.
—Cam Roxburgh, National Director, Forge Missional Training
Network in Canada; Pastor, Southside Community Church
A fantastic book showing different models and expressions of what
“missional” looks like. I loved the variety of expressions.
—Bob Roberts Jr., author of Transformation
and The Multiplying Church
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd ii 3/1/11 8:44 AM
Hirsch and Ferguson point the way toward an exquisitely hopeful
future for the church. They call upon it, in all of its various expres-
sions, to rekindle and release its essential missional DNA. Brilliant.
—Linda Bergquist, church planting strategist
and coauthor of Church Turned Inside Out
This is not a call to new and quick fixes; it is an invitation to reflect
and work hard, to question, to be open to emerging structures, and to
do all of this with a prayerful confidence in the moving of the Lord.
I highly recommend it.
—Dr. Kurt Fredrickson, Director of the Doctor of
Ministry Program, Fuller Theological Seminary
This is a must-read. Alan and Dave have masterfully described the
path to multiplication by revealing what it means to see an orchard in
every seed. This is the “both/and” approach that is desperately needed
in the church.
—Tammy Dunahoo, VP Nat’l Church/General Supervisor,
The Foursquare Church
On the Verge is an outstanding resource packed full of lessons for those
serious about engaging in this exciting yet challenging adventure. I
highly recommend it!
—Mark Conner, CityLife Church, Australia
This book is a gift to the church and a must-read for every leader. It
calls every church and Christ-follower to join God in his mission, and
gives a framework and tools we all can use to start the journey.
—Egil Elling, Lead Pastor, IMI Kirken, Norway
With this book, inspiration and encouragement are given for all exist-
ing and future churches in Europe.
—ND Strupler,
ICF Movement—Church Planting for Europe
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd 1 3/1/11 8:44 AM
Other Books in the Exponential Series
AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church,
Hugh Halter and Matt Smay
Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional
Church Movement, Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson
For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel,
Matt Carter and Darren Patrick, with Joel Lindsey
(More titles forthcoming)
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd 2 3/1/11 8:44 AM
series
o n t h e v e r g e
a journey into the apostolic future of the church
Alan Hirsch Dave Ferguson
and
Innovation Series
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd 3 3/1/11 8:44 AM
ZONDERVAN
On the Verge
Copyright © 2011 by Alan N. Hirsch and David W. Ferguson
This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.
This title is also available in a Zondervan audio edition. Visit www.zondervan.fm.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data data is on file with the Library of
Congress.
ISBN 978-0-310-33100 – 1
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by per-
mission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
All Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994,
1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV is [are] taken from the New King James Version.
Copyright © 1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
Illinois. All rights reserved.
Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this
book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an
endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites
and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other — e xcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Cover design: David Stevenson
Cover photography: Getty Images / Gary S Chapman
Interior design: Sherri L. Hoffman
Printed in the United States of America
11 12 13 14 15 /DCI/ 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
00331100333311000055__OOnnVVeerrggee__iinntt__CCSS44..iinndddd 44 33//2222//1111 1111::4400 AAMM
To my comrades in Forge Missional Training Network,
especially the new networks in the USA and in Canada.
It’s my joy to be identified with you.
To all the fantastic churches involved in Future Travelers.
I believe you will all get to shape the future
of Western Chris tian ity through your actions now.
— Alan
To Jon:
We shared a trundle bed growing up
and were roommates in college.
We were coworkers in the birth of a church
and the launch of a movement.
All along the way, you have been
my partner, my friend, and my brother.
Thanks.
I love you.
— Dave
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd 5 3/1/11 8:44 AM
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd 6 3/1/11 8:44 AM
Contents
Foreword by Mike Breen 11
Foreword by Reggie McNeal 13
Acknowledgments 15
Introduction 17
1. On the Verge of the Future (Alan and Dave) 23
Catalysts for Ecclesiological Shift 26
Dethroning Constantine 32
Verging the Church: Key Themes 39
A Model for Apostolic Movement 46
Part 1—Imagine
2. The Silver Imagination (Alan) 53
It’s Church, but Not As We Know It 54
Changing the Game 64
The Verge-ination: Reimagining Church in
Apostolic Perspective 68
An Imaginative Solution 70
Dave’s Response to “The Silver Imagination” 75
3. Mission to the Mind and Heart (Alan) 83
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There 84
Changing the Conversation 96
A Tithe to the Lord 99
From Here to There, Funny Things Are Everywhere 100
Dream On . . . 102
Dave’s Response to “Mission to the Mind and Heart” 103
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd 7 3/1/11 8:44 AM
Part 2—Shift
4. Apostolic Genius: The Genetic Code of Movement (Alan) 121
Apostolic Genius 124
A Mindset, Not a Technique 139
Dave’s Response to “Apostolic Genius:
The Genetic Code of Movement” 140
5. Verge Vibe: The Operating System of Apostolic
Movement (Alan) 147
Ethos As Pivot 149
The Turning Point: Aligning Ethos with Paradigm 157
Dave’s Response to “Verge Vibe: The Operating System
of Apostolic Movement” 166
6. Embodying Movement-Programming Practices (Alan) 173
Inside Out and Outside In 175
Acting Our Way into a New Way of Thinking
(Outside-In Change) 176
From Core Values to Core Practices 179
Getting Into the Swing of Things 181
Examples of Verge Practices 185
Overview of Verge Process 192
Dave’s Response to “Embodying Movement-Programming
Practices” 194
Part 3—Innovate
7. Innovate or Die (Dave) 203
Crisis Is the Birthplace of Innovation 204
Necessity, the Mother of Innovation 204
Innovation: Most Risky or Least Risky? 206
Imagination × Implementation = Innovation 207
Leadership That Values and Practices Innovation 208
Alan’s Response to “Innovate or Die” 220
8. Out-of-the-Box Innovation (Dave) 225
Nine Characteristics of Out-of-the-Box Cultures 229
Process for Creating Out-of-the-Box Culture 238
Alan’s Response to “Out-of-the-Box Innovation” 241
0310331005_OnVerge_int_CS4.indd 8 3/1/11 8:44 AM
