Recovering the Forgotten Ways: An Introduction to mDNA with Alan Hirsch
This week, we open a brand-new series on the six elements of mDNA, the framework Alan introduced nearly twenty years ago in The Forgotten Ways. For many of us, these ideas became the scaffolding for our imagination. They’ve shaped how we lead, how we disciple, and how we dream about what the Church can be again.
But before we talk about each element on its own, we wanted to start at the beginning—where mDNA came from, why it matters, and how it still speaks into this cultural moment.
Where did mDNA come from?
In the episode, Alan shares the moment it all “downloaded” for him. After years of asking one question that we’ve all asked, “How did the early church grow the way it did?” he describes a season of daily research, prayer, reading, and wrestling that eventually led to a moment of clarity.
That moment sparked a framework that has helped pastors, pioneers, and everyday people recover the movemental potency we see in early Christianity and global expressions like the Chinese underground church.
A quick overview of the six elements
We’ll spend the next several episodes unpacking each one, but here’s the frame Alan outlines in the conversation:
Jesus Is Lord — the defining center
Disciple Making — the way Jesus gets into us, and through us, into the world
Missional-Incarnational Impulse — going out and going deep
APEST Culture — apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, teacher working together
Organic Systems — decentralized, multiplying structures
Liminality & Communitas — the bond that forms when people follow Jesus into risk, challenge, and purpose
They don’t stand alone. As Alan says, “Touch one, you impact the whole.”
Movements happen when all six are activated together.
Where we’re heading in this series
Over the coming weeks, we’ll dive into each element with more depth, story, and practical application. We’ll talk with leaders who have spent years cultivating these areas and have created training pathways that help others do the same.
Take a next step
Share the episode with someone who is asking the same questions.
Explore your own movemental wiring by taking the mDNA Strengths Assessment at 100movements.com.