Our monthly NCB’s Radix Live event featured host Matthew Steem inviting Mark D. Baker to discuss his book, Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community Without Judgmentalism (IVP Academic, 2022). A “centered-set” was presented as an alternative to either a “bounded-set” (churches with hard boundaries that could repel newcomers or make it difficult for them to join) or a “fuzzy-set” (churches with so much inclusion that they lacked a vital sense of shared faith and identity).
This Radix Live event included a conversation between Mark and our two panelists, Steve Joh, with Arbor Communities (a ministry of Rewire), and Dustin Maddox, with North Fresno Church, who had implemented a centered-set approach in their ministries. Attendees were welcomed to ask questions – and, as you’ll see, there were some good ones!
About Mark D. Baker: Dr. Baker authored a number of books in English and Spanish. He served as a missionary in Honduras for ten years and as a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for three years. From 1999 to 2024, he taught at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary (formerly Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary). He remained involved in ministry in Latin America and, since 2008, led a weekly Bible study in the county jail.
Steve Joh grew up in the Bay Area and served as a pastor for 20 years in various roles, including community leader and justice pastor. He holds a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Seminary. In 2020, he co-founded Arbor and joined Rewire to build contemplative spiritual communities. He also tutors students in East Palo Alto, and serves the unhoused in Mt. View.
Dustin Maddox is the lead pastor at North Fresno Church. Passionate about creating hospitable spaces for transformation, he helps equip others to join God’s healing work. He holds a Master of Divinity from Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and previously served at University Presbyterian Church.
Names mentioned:
Paul Hebert, Dave Schmelzer, Father Gregory Boyle, Ted Lasso (TV Character), Walt Whitman, Megan Larissa Good
Books mentioned:
Centered-Set Church: Discipleship and Community Without Judgmentalism (Mark Baker)
Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures: Biblical Foundations and Practical Essentials (Mark Baker)
Blue Ocean Faith: The vibrant connection to Jesus that opens up insanely great possibilities in a secularizing world-and might kick off a new Jesus Movement (Dave Schmelzer)
Links:
https://www.centeredsetchurch.com
https://www.centeredsetchurch.com/s/Centered-Set-Churches-Resource-page-2023.pdf
https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Downloads/Excerpts-and-Samples/A0094-excerpt.pdf