The Stories Congregations Tell
eBook - ePub

The Stories Congregations Tell

Flourishing in the Face of Transition and Change

  1. 164 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Stories Congregations Tell

Flourishing in the Face of Transition and Change

About this book

Congregations are story-telling communities. The stories they tell, which link a community's past, present, and future, can play an important role in whether a congregation flourishes or not. The Stories Congregations Tell features detailed case study research from seven dynamic Canadian congregations across theological traditions and geographical regions. Readers will encounter narratives that congregations tell themselves through a myriad of congregational and social transitions, accounts that shape how congregations interpret, frame, approach, and ultimately flourish in ministry. On the surface congregational descriptions appear specific to local contexts. Yet, cultural analysis reveals several commonalities across distinct congregational cultures that appear resilient in the face of challenge and change. These factors include visionary leadership, clear congregational identity rooted in spiritual formation, hospitable community among members, and intentional systems and structures oriented toward a congregation's mission. This book offers social scientific analysis and theological reflection on the stories congregations tell and the function those stories play for a congregation's culture, along with practical and hopeful applications to arise from this research.

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Yes, you can access The Stories Congregations Tell by Joel Thiessen,Arch Chee Keen Wong,Mark Chapman in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Christian Ministry. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Chapter 1: Congregations as Storytelling Organizations
  4. Chapter 2: Explosively Alive
  5. Chapter 3: Cultivating Repertoires of Resilience
  6. Chapter 4: Flourishing in a Post-Christian Context
  7. Chapter 5: Stories of Spiritual Formation and Growth at St. John’s Anglican Church
  8. Chapter 6: Resonant Relationships
  9. Chapter 7: Transitions Shaping Our Story and Identity
  10. Chapter 8: Caring about Ascension Cares
  11. Chapter 9: Faithful Communities of Presence
  12. Chapter 10: Congregations That Tell Meaningful Stories