A New Monastic Handbook by Ian Mobsby and Mark Berry - Reviewed

A New Monastic Handbook From Vision to Practice by Ian Mobsby and Mark Berry has been out a few months now. This book has been a collaboration project that I've heard mention on and off for a few years now in odd public spaces including virtual ones. If I were being cynical I might suggest this and The Pioneer Gift edited by Cathy Ross and Jonny Baker (which I also picked up at Greenbelt is next on my list to read and review) have both come out now because the CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training needs some good text books to recommend, and the people have involved have realised they are the best people to write them, (Berry, Baker, Ross are all teach on the course). Even if it is a cynical view it raises an important point pioneer ministry and new monasticism are now being taken much more seriously within theological education courses, and not just within the CMS course - which has been the leader in pioneer training. That means quality text books are required and these are the best people to be writing the texts because they have been the key practitioners who have built the movement.

The book gives a good outline of what new monasticism is and using a lot of their own experience. Mobsby leads the Moot community and has also contributed to a range of books on similar subjects including a couple in the Ancient Faith Future Mission series; Fresh Expressions of Church and theKingdom of God, (which I reviewed on my old blog) and Fresh Expressions in theSacramental Tradition. Berry has led safespace in Telford in addition to contributing to the CMS course. The book also uses examples from other established new monastic groups including the Northumbria Community and 24-7Boiler Rooms amongst others to reflect upon. Thus, examples from beyond the Anglican tradition are included which is positive.

One really positive aspect of this book compared to the Ancient Faith Future Mission series is that rather than being an edited edition with a series of chapters by practioners describing and reflecting on their own experiences is this has a coherent thread which goes all the way through. This allows the book to build over time and ebb and flow between examples and deeper theological reflection. There are three main sections: Roots and Shoots, Intentionally Prayerful and Spiritual and Focused on Mission.

From the introduction onwards this book in Roots and Shoots it is careful not to fall into romanticism rather the authors emphasise the struggle and hard work which is involved in these movements not just for leaders but also for those who join them who enter a world with values which are largely counter cultural.

Whilst this book provides interesting and useful reading for those of us who are not pioneers it is essentially a guide for those who are engaging with building these types of community. Whilst not a "build your own" manual because pioneer mission and new monastic movements don't operate like that it does provide some underlying principles which are central to all movements of this type before moving on to giving a wider range of examples of such groups.

The nature of the book and of the groups the authors are involved in mean the role of these groups in developing mission which engages with the unchurched and dechurched is rightly emphasised. The discussions around formation and discipleship are framed in this context. Yet, new monasticism has also had a role in developing the spirituality of the churched too either directly through dispersed communities like the Northumbria Community or indirectly through contact with new monasticism on line or at conferences events or through it's general influence which has started to seep beyond these communities into the wider church as aspects of practice are shared. This could perhaps be further explored.

After reading this book I looked back at a post on my old blog I put up after attending a new monasticism conference in Coventry in 2008. Reflecting on this six years later some of my initial criticisms stand, particularly the emphasis on the voices of men in discussions of this topic. Yet following my reading of the Church Growth Study data on Fresh Expressions I know this is simply because many of those involved in leading this type of Fresh Expression in the UK are men.

Some criticisms no longer stand. The language is more naturally inclusive and less cringe worthy. Having read the explanation at the end of the Mobsby and Berry book on Recognised and Acknowledged communities and listened to somebody who is linked to a local new monastic community talk I also now understand the reason the emphasis on celibacy remains important.

There are other criticisms I have with this book which I didn't have then which do worry me now. The key one is back in 2008 there appeared to be a wider denominational spread of influence when looking at this topic. Because of the influence of Anglicanism on the Fresh Expressions movement I do worry that this may be something else where the Anglican voice comes to dominate, particularly since the Archbishop of Canterbury has this week announced the formation of a community at Lambeth Palace for a small group of 20-35 year olds. That said I do understand a key strength of this book was that it was rooted in Mobsby and Berry's own experience and that experience is Anglican. They did move beyond Anglicanism in some of the examples given.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, it provides a deceptively easy read which actually makes you think hard about a range of things within and more importantly beyond you.

A New Monastic Handbook From Vision to Practice by Ian Mobsby and Mark Berry, published by Canterbury Press, ISBN 978-1-84825-458-9