Losing Church
The Decline, the Pandemic, and Social and Political Storms
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2022
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Publisher's Description
From Ft. Smith, Arkansas, to Princeton, New Jersey, to Kernersville, North Carolina, with a stop along the way in Asbury Park, New Jersey, to pay homage to "The Boss," Michael Gehring takes us on his journeys as a pastor at a pivot point in history for the church and the world. Along the way, we meet up with a fascinating array of characters: Barbara Brown Taylor, Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Jesus's forerunner, John the Baptist, to name just a few. But it's the questions Gehring raises that make this book not only entertaining, but compelling reading for individuals and small groups: How might the decline of the church lead us into rediscovering the gospel? Did clergy, and all of us for that matter, make a good choice investing in institutional Christianity? How would you describe the emotional price of love? What does living a soulful life look like? With the humility and genuineness of someone who doesn't pretend to have it all figured out, Gehring is the perfect travel companion. Come along.
Endorsements (9)
“In this powerful memoir, one of America’s wisest pastors brings a discerning word about the church in our time. With his eye clearly on the crises around us . . . , Gehring rejects all gimmicks and schemes designed to ‘save the church.’ Instead, he keeps a firm theological grasp and employs a deft cultural analysis to find evidence of the Spirit blowing refreshing winds of resurrection hope through the church and the world.”
“Michael gives us a memoir for the times. As the church emerges from one of its most momentous periods, Michael honestly portrays the hazards ahead, the barriers to be overcome, and the social crises to be addressed by looking back on his own vocation to ministry. Here’s a truthful yet hopeful word for the church that we need to hear now more than ever.”
“This journal is a long lament on the annus horribilis of 2020. Like all good Christian laments, it upends optimism and leaves us in hope: Christ will have a church. We still don’t know what the COVID-19 and Trump year mean. But counsel as wise as this from Michael Gehring can help us see again. I couldn’t put the book down.”
““Michael Gehring not only surveys critical historical milestones but gently and persuasively applies a spiritual indictment to the institutional church, which has sometimes missed opportunities to be a witness to right thinking, right action, or what the faith community identifies as ‘righteousness.’ Like a socially interested and passionate reporter, Gehring issues a series of prophetic challenges to the reader on a wide range of essential debates involving public theology and the sustainability of human community.”
“In a season of pandemic, a seasoned pastor reflects on his life and ministry forced into isolation. . . . Gehring surveys the history and current signs of deterioration and incivility in our social, religious, and political spheres. . . . In a time of cultural and political upheaval, Gehring yet proclaims his hope in a God who will deliver us and bring renewed life to the church, our nation, and our world.”
“With a refreshing mixture of candor and hope, Michael Gehring’s memoir of church life in these tumultuous times elicits laughter and tears. In these pages, we feel the church struggle and writhe, much as Jacob wrestles until he gets his blessing. Without shying away from politics, pandemics, or denominational turmoil, Gehring’s account allows us a glimpse into the future where God is making all things new, and we dare to hope for God’s work to continue through us.”
“With his usual eloquence and accuracy, Michael Gehring helps us relive the peculiar and painful period of 2020 to the present. Using his own journey and theological reflections, Mike brilliantly weaves insights from great spiritual thinkers, ancient and modern, in a way that helps us all, especially United Methodists, untangle the knot of denominational divide, pandemic, and racial upheaval.”
“Using a journal format that recalls the events of the world since March of 2020, Michael Gehring speaks the sobering truth about the decline of the church and our society but also effectively reminds us of where the true source of hope and restoration are found. It is a clear analysis of the fragile nature of our human journey that is blessed by the vivid reminders of God at work in our midst.”
“Gehring uniquely captures the lived experience of our pandemic journeys. As he shares the pastoral and family experiences of living, leading, and loving through all the societal and ecclesiastical turbulence, one becomes aware of the lived and shared trauma that we all have experienced through the multiple pandemics of COVID-19, racism in America, the decline and potential division of United Methodism, and political extremism. Yet, amid these storms, Michael reminds us of faith, hope, and new possibilities.”
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