Apostolic Genius and mDNA

The center of Alan Hirsch's thesis in The Forgotten Ways revolves around two important terms: Apostolic Genius and mDNA. Apostolic Genius is what Hirsch calls the "life force that pulsated through the New Testament church and in other expressions of apostolic Jesus movements throughout history" (p. 77). mDNA means "missional DNA" and is a metaphor for how Apostolic Genius is "coded" in every single follower of Jesus. He writes, "I come to believe that every church, indeed every Christian, if truly birthed in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, has the full coding of mDNA and therefore has direct access to the power of Apostolic Genius" (p. 77).

He describes Apostolic Genius as a complex interaction of several factors which if all present and unleashed lead to a vibrant and reproducing church that is full of spiritual power. I will name the factors here and then over time unpack what he means by each factor. Apostolic Genius has Jesus at the center surrounded by 1. Disciple Making, 2. Missional-incarnational Impulse, 3. Apostolic Environment, 4. Organic Systems, and 5. Communitas, Not Community. He defines missional church as

a community of God's people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God's mission to the world. In other words, the church's true and authentic organizing principle is mission. When the church is in mission, it is the true church. The church itself is not only a product of that mission but is obligated and destined to extend it by whatever means possible. The mission of God flows directly through every believer and every community of faith that adheres to Jesus. To obstruct this is to block God's purposes in and through his people (p. 82).