{"product_id":"churches-and-the-crisis-of-decline-a-hopeful-practical-ecclesiology-for-a-secular-age-9781540964816","title":"Churches and the Crisis of Decline: A Hopeful, Practical Ecclesiology for a Secular Age","description":"\u003cb\u003eNamed One of Fifteen Important Theology Books of 2022, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEnglewood Review of Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eCongregations often seek to combat the crisis of decline by using innovation to produce new resources. But leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows that the church's crisis is not in the loss of resources; it's in the loss of life--and that life can only return when we remain open to God's encountering presence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book addresses the practical form the church must take in a secular age. Root uses two stories to frame the book: one about a church whose building becomes a pub and the other about Karl Barth. Root argues that Barth should be understood as a pastor with a deep practical theology that can help church leaders today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChurches and the Crisis of Decline \u003c\/i\u003epushes the church to be a waiting community that recognizes that the only way for it to find life is to stop seeing the church as the star of its own story. Instead of resisting decline, congregations must remain open to divine action. Root offers a rich vision for the church's future that moves away from an obsession with relevance and resources and toward the living God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the fourth book in Root's Ministry in a Secular Age series.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndrew Root\u003c\/b\u003e (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of numerous books, including \u003ci\u003eFaith Formation in a Secular Age\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Pastor in a Secular Age\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Congregation in a Secular Age\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe End of Youth Ministry?\u003c\/i\u003e Root is also the coauthor (with Kenda Creasy Dean) of \u003ci\u003eThe Theological Turn in Youth Ministry\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Baker Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50533750866194,"sku":"9781540964816","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_31e6f169-ba21-47fc-a98b-8c1fd9b49fde.jpg?v=1731410740","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/churches-and-the-crisis-of-decline-a-hopeful-practical-ecclesiology-for-a-secular-age-9781540964816","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}