PRACTICAL THEOLOGY, SPIRITUALITY, and FORMATION
CHURCHES AND THE CRISIS OF DECLINE A Hopeful, Practical Ecclesiology for a Secular Age Andrew Root
MINISTRY IN A SECULAR AGE
Congregations often seek to combat decline by using innovation to produce new resources. Andrew Root shows that the church’s crisis is not in the loss of resources but in the loss of life, which can return only when we remain open to God’s encountering presence.
“Perhaps you’ve met Barth the intimidating theologian, but have you met Barth the pastor to pastors? Root intro- duces today’s church to the Karl Barth it never knew, art- fully putting this theologian in conversation with a church that is fearful about the future. If you are worried about the fate of your church (and who isn’t these days?), this is a book you must read.” —WILL WILLIMON, Duke Divinity School; United Methodist bishop, retired; author of Aging: Growing Old in Church “An engaging and creative work which draws us aside from the church’s current crisis to plant us back in it with new vision and hope. Root dares us to live and to lead as if God is actually alive and still cares about the world and the church.” —MANDY SMITH, pastor, St. Lucia Uniting Church, Brisbane, Australia; author of The Vulnerable Pastor and Unfettered “A marvelous achievement. Root draws on the work of Karl Barth (the pastor), Charles Taylor, and Hartmut Rosa to identify the current captivity of the church to secular metrics. He proposes a way forward that waits on the hope that comes from outside of us and among us as one of us in Jesus Christ. A must-read!” —RICHARD R. TOPPING, Vancouver School of Theology “This is theology that we need most vitally at this time. I don’t know of another contemporary theologian who is continually serving up such applicable and helpful theology to the church.” —REV. CANON CHRIS RUSSELL, Archbishop of Canterbury’s Advisor for Evangelism and Witness
MARCH 2022 • 304 pp. • paper • $27.99 • 9781540964816
Andrew Root (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. He is the author of numerous books and is the coauthor, with Kenda Creasy Dean, of The Theologi- cal Turn in Youth Ministry .
75
Request your free exam copies at bit.ly/examcopy2022
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator