Love Big, Be Well
Letters to a Small-Town Church
- Fiction
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Published: 2017
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Publisher's Description
Jonas McAnn is a weary pastor without a congregation, trapped in a dead-end insurance job. Granby Presbyterian is a weary congregation without a pastor, overwhelmed by the prospect of finding someone who actually wants to be a pastor—not a manager, coach, or CEO. When Granby's pastoral search committee and Jonas connect through handwritten letters passed back and forth, something sparks between them—something so real and refreshing that even after Jonas and his family move to Granby, he continues the regular practice of writing letters to his congregation. Spanning seven years of his ministry at Granby Presbyterian, Jonas's letters ruminate on everything from fly-fishing to the Nicene Creed. They reveal the earthy spirituality woven into the joys and sorrows of the people of Granby, the community of the church, and Jonas's own unfolding story. Readers will discover what it means for a pastor and a church to do the slow work of ministry in community—anchored by a common place and buoyed by a life of faith that is meaningful, rooted, and true.
Endorsements (7)
“This book is a tour de force—an angle on understanding the life of both congregation and pastor that exceeds anything I have ever read. No directions, no programs, just an immersion into what really takes place in the life of a congregation and a pastor. Winn Collier’s writing is alive.”
“Collier writes strong and true, happy and sad, funny and wise, heavy and light. I never fail to read anything that he writes. If you are a lover of words and wisdom on the printed page, you should read him too. This book is a fine place to start.”
“Winn Collier here reminds us what pastoral ministry is really about—not capital campaigns, satellite campuses, growth metrics, or spine-tingling sermons, but love of Jesus, love of neighbor, love of creation, love of everything beautiful, good, and true in the world.”
“This is ultimately a love letter to the church not just for what she can be but for what she already is.”
“Shatters all of our idolatrous addictions to big and growing and oversized franchised Christianities. Faithfulness absolutely must become the church’s new big. What Collier pens here is nothing short of miraculous. These letters demand to be read.”
“In the venerable epistolary tradition of Saint Paul and François Fénelon, Winn Collier brings us glowing spiritual letters for today, wholehearted meditations on friendship, grief, hope, doubt—and faith in a loving God who is near. Love Big, Be Well is a beautiful book for strugglers and seekers, written by a compassionate pastor we come to love.”
“Love Big, Be Well is a welcome mat, a handwritten invitation, a gigantic wrap-around porch, a warm night filled with fireflies. There may not be a surefire formula for living a wide-open, hope-filled life, but this collection of earnest words comes very close.”
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