Alan Hirsch

Alan Hirsch (born 24 October 1959) is an Australian missiologist, author, and thought leader in the missional church movement.

Alan is the founder of 100Movements, Forge Mission Training Network, and Future Travelers. Known for his innovation approach to mission, Alan is widely considered to be a thought-leader and key mission strategists for churches across the Western World.

Hirsch was born into a Jewish family in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1959. He moved to Cape Town, in 1963 where he spent most of his childhood and adolescence. Then, he went to university in Cape Town where he studied business and marketing and moved to Australia in 1983 with his family. Although his family was not particularly religious, he was very much influenced by his Jewish heritage. He emphasizes Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and makes distinctions between Hebraic and Hellenistic thought. He served a two-year compulsory call-up in the South African military. After having moved to Australia, he had a life-changing experience with the Holy Spirit that deeply affected him. Soon after moving, he married Debra. They have been married and in Christian ministry together for over twenty years.

During his first year of seminary at Bible College of Victoria he led a small group of newly converted Christians from various sub-cultures in inner city Melbourne" He maintained involvement with this group throughout his Seminary education.

After graduating, he and his wife were called to go to South Melbourne Church of Christ in 1989. This church was later renamed "South Melbourne Restoration Community". Hirsch spent the next fifteen years leading this community (with wife Debra). Five years after having begun ministry at SMRC, he became the director of the Department of Mission, Education and Development for the Churches of Christ Victoria and Tasmania Conference. During these years, he and his wife planted two churches on the edges of society for the marginalized and urban poor in Melbourne, Australia. Neither church is in existence today. During this time Hirsch pioneered the missional training system called Forge Mission Training Network. Forge became a strong voice and agency for training younger people in missional thinking in Australia, although is now closed. Hirsch has now moved to North America (where there are active networks in Canada and the United States).

Alan and Debra maintain that the church in North America will be a major determinant for the continued sustenance and future vitality of the church in the West. Hirsch is currently doing PhD studies at Radboud University in the Netherlands on the Phenomenology of Apostolic Movements.

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