Greenhouses of Hope: Congregations Growing Young Leaders Who Will Change the World - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1566994098 ISBN 13: 9781566994095

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010

Synopsis

Do you know a church where young people regularly shape the liturgy with words that speak their truth in ways that also inspire their elders? Do you hear about congregations that reach out in quirky new ways to their ailing neighborhoods, instead of locking doors and shipping out to a suburb? Do you find churches creating hospitable space that invites the live wriggling questions and doubts of young people in unhurried, unworried ways? Do you see congregations where young people's gifts are not stored in the basement or bracketed into 'contemporary' worship services but are brought forth and celebrated? The authors who collaborated on this book launched a quest for such vibrant, life-giving, greening congregations and observed the diverse practices that grow there. They named these churches 'Greenhouses of Hope.' A Greenhouse of Hope is a Christian congregation freeing itself to experiment with both newly imagined and time-honored ways of following the path of Jesus. Its members respond to God's love through practices that genuinely embrace the gifts of youth and young adults. Out of these greenhouses emerge young leaders who want to change the world. In Greenhouses of Hope, Dori Baker and six contributors tell the stories of these remarkable congregations, helping others think about how they can create space for the dreams of young people to be grafted into God's dreams for the world

About this title

About the Author:

Dori Baker joined The Fund for Theological Education as scholar-in-residence to the Calling Congregations in 2008 after a decade of teaching practical theology at various seminaries. Dori is the author of Doing Girlfriend Theology: God-Talk with Young Women and the forthcoming Kick Off Your Flip-Flops: A Barefoot Guide to Awakening Our Purpose. Dori is an ordained United Methodist elder who served congregations before receiving her Ph.D in religious and theological studies from Northwestern University.

Review:

This collection of essays by young church folk is a primer on how to recover the vitality and fidelity of the church. These writers are deeply grounded in gospel hope, passionate about gospel inclusiveness, and convinced of a people-to-people gospel ministry. The “bottom up” perspective of this book is one to which attention must be paid. (Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary)

There are no quick fixes or magic programs in good youth ministry, just a cloud of witnesses of unique communities of faith all using their own special quirks, their context and their gifts to cultivate a sense of God's call. This rich mix of stories from across the church will encourage you to find your own path in this crucial work. Refreshingly nonformulaic and unique, this collection feels like the messy work of the Holy Spirit. (Lillian Daniel, First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ)

Where better for the church to find a fresh imagination for ministry than to stop, look, and listen to the words and lives of young people? And where better for young people in an age of isolation and disconnect to find a coherent life than in a worshiping, serving congregation? The authors invite us here into the language and practices of diverse congregations across the United States in which young people have a place to find themselves and their vocations, and having given us a sense of what it’s like to be a young person in this congregation, provoke us to discover possibilities in our own. (Thomas E. Frank, Wake Forest University)

As you turn the pages, the stories in Greenhouses of Hope will nourish you and your ministry. From each context and setting, the voices call out to us and inspire us to cultivate meaningful, intergenerational connection with young adults. But it doesn’t just stop with narratives of what’s happening in other churches. This book also provides vital tools, probing questions, and significant resources to grow hope in your own community. (Carol Howard Merritt, author of "Tribal Church" and "Reframing Hope")

This timely, vital and well-written book shatters two destructive myths: that the current generation of young adults lacks moorings, purpose and passion; and that mainline churches are doomed because of their failure to connect with the young. Read a few chapters, and you will feel a new sense of hope for the church and the world. Read the whole book and you will have a set of well-tested "greenhouse" approaches to growing young adults who can help all of us flourish in this struggling world. (Parker J. Palmer, author of "Let Your Life Speak" and "The Courage to Teach")

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1566994098
• ISBN 13: 9781566994095
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 231
• Editor: Baker Dorie Grinenko