Transforming congregations through community
Subtitle: faith formation from the seminary to the church
By: Boyung Lee
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Louisville, Ky
Language: eng
Number of pages: 152
ISBN-13: 9780664233303
Subjects: Communities; Spiritual formation; Faith development; Christianity
Description: In this helpful book, Boyung Lee offers an encouraging vision of the mainline church's future. Lee grapples with some of the greatest challenges facing the mainline church, offering compelling responses to recurring questions: What does faithfulness to the gospel look like in this changing world? What is our distinctive voice in the larger society? How does theological education have to change if it is to serve the needs of a new century? Lee argues that the church's future is a promising one if the church can offer a richer and deeper definition of community -- one that moves beyond the excessive individualism of western culture and that helps mainline Christians understand their solidarity with one another and with all of God's people. Lee further explores the crucial role of faith formation at the congregational and seminary levels. More than mere schooling, theological education must engage all aspects of educators' and students' lives to prepare seminarians for the challenges that lie ahead. While not dismissing the mainline church's challenges, Lee offers congregational leaders and seminary educators a vision of a church transformed for the 21st century.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-148) and indexes.
Table of contents: title: Part 1: Understanding Community and a Biblical Call for Communal Faith. Individualism, Collectivism, and Communalism: What Do We Mean by Community?; title: A Biblical Call to Communal Faith and Ministry: Learning from the Hebrew Bible; title: A Biblical Community in the New Testament: The Body of Christ; title: Part 2: A Pedagogy of Communal Faith. A Pedagogy for Communal Faith: Ministry as Pedagogy; title: A Curriculum for Communal Faith: Broadening the Lesson Plan; title: Pulling It Together: Pedagogical Steps for Communal Ministry; title: Part 3: The Pedagogical Praxis for Communal Faith. Bridging Personal to Biblical and Social Worlds: Communal Bible Study and Preaching; title: Communal Bible Study II: The Traveling Bible Study; title: Creating Communal Sustainability: Communal Church Administration and Program Development; title: Being a Good Neighbor: Creating an Interculturally Communal Church.