Compelled
Nurturing Local Missional Communities: A Pastoral Theology
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
The purpose of this book is to provide a fresh, biblical basis for the role of pastors in a changing North American context and to encourage a compelling vision for how those called to serve as pastor might live that out in the context of local congregations. Foundational to this book is a conviction about the importance of the local church. Ministry is practiced in the local, the concrete, the ordinary, and the routine. Pastors serve in this embedded space—working to form a people into Christlikeness. This book seeks to brings two broad aspects of church life together, advocating for the role of pastors and other ministry leaders as an important catalyst for a worshipping, caring, discipling, and sending congregation. It bridges and critiques the two poles of caring and sending, advancing the conviction that local congregations and pastoral leaders must not choose between these two emphases. Pastoral leaders are encouraged to recognize that both witnessing and shepherding roles are essential parts of the mission of a church.
Endorsements (4)
“Compelled is a book that both loves the church and challenges the church. With seasoned eyes, Kurt Fredrickson looks into the soul of the pastor who knows the grind of its daily tasks. Amid the cultural decay and the church’s waning he asks, ‘Can these bones live?’ and then offers pathways, not solutions. Brutal in honesty, ebullient with hope, I believe Compelled is the book for this cultural moment.”
“If the missional turn is going to reshape Christian faith and practice, it must take root in the life of the church. In this volume, Kurt Fredrickson draws on decades of experience as a pastor, chaplain, and teacher to provide a holistic pastoral theology that can lead local communities into more faithful participation in the mission of God. This is a significant contribution in the ongoing work of transforming pastoral leadership and the church.”
“As expected, an incredible, well-documented review of what it means to be the church, and a way forward for the American church. Kurt’s call is for each of us, and the church as a whole, to both re-embrace the purposes of the church and re-engage its prophetic voice, in a time of upending change. An important read.”
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