Synopsis:Alan Hirsch is convinced that the inherited formulas for growing the Body of Christ do not work anymore. And rather than relying on slightly revised solutions from the past, he sees a vision of the future growth of the church coming about by harnessing the power of the early church–a movement which grew from as few as 25,000 adherents in AD 100 to up to 20 million 200 years later. Similar meteoric growth has also been recorded in history and is currently being in many apostolic movements throughout the world today. How do they do it?

The Forgotten Ways proposes the concept of Apostolic Genius as a way to understand what caused the church to experience exponential growth and impact at various times in history, interpreting it for use in our own time and place. From the theological underpinnings to the practical application, Hirsch takes the reader through this dynamic mixture of passion, prayer, and incarnational practice to rediscover the dormant potential of the modern church in the West.

From the Back Cover: “Hirsch has discovered the formula that unlocks the secrets of the ecclesial universe like Einstein’s simple . . . formula (E=mc²) unlocked the secrets of the physical universe. There are some books good enough to read to the end. There are only a few books good enough to read to the end of time. The Forgotten Ways is one of them.”
—Leonard Sweet (from the foreword)

“With The Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsch has brought us closer to the reality of seeing a true apostolic church-planting movement in the West. This is a seminal work that will change our thinking, our vocabulary, and hopefully our way of being the church in this new century. I have already read the book twice and will probably devour it again.”
—Neil Cole, author of Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens and Cultivating a Life for God

“A full-blooded and comprehensive call for the complete reorientation of the church around mission. Nothing less than the rediscovery of a revolutionary missional ecclesiology will do for Alan Hirsch. A master work.”
—Michael Frost, coauthor of The Shaping of Things to Come and author of Exiles

“A fascinating and unique examination of two of the greatest apostolic movements in history (the early church and China) and their potential impact on the Western church at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The book may well become a primary reference book for the emerging missional church.”
—Bill Easum, Easum, Bandy & Associates (easumbandy.com)

“It is refreshing to read a book relating to the missional church that provides theological depth coupled with creative thinking. The Forgotten Ways helps to rescue the concept of church from the clutches of Christendom, setting it free to become a dynamic movement in place of a dying institution.”
—Eddie Gibbs, coauthor of Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures and author of LeadershipNext: Changing Leaders in a Changing Culture

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