Shooting for Hope
Providing Preventive Patterns of Care
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
It's easy to feel scared by the increasing number of mass shootings in society. It's easy to be worried about safety in our churches. But the first step to preventing violence isn't tighter security, it's preventative care. Susan J. Presley has studied mass shootings in the United States for a decade and studies three specific church shootings in depth to understand the situation. This book offers real hope for churches by showing them what the current situation is, how we got here, and how we can help stop a shooting before a person picks up a gun. Practical tools are included in this book that can quickly and easily be put to use in churches. Sermon outlines, curriculum, and prayers can help churches move in a direction of prevention rather than reaction. Through this work the church can, and must, change the world.
Endorsements (2)
“In Shooting for Hope, Susan Presley’s remarkable study examines the stories of three mass shooters and explores in detail those shootings carried out in churches. Presley’s analysis highlights the role played by racial animus, social media, and the failure of religious communities to address hatred and racism during these young men’s formative years. In the last third of the book, the author provides excellent resources and preventative strategies as the faithful respond positively and proactively to violence in churches. This book should be required reading for all church leaders and educators.”
“Mass shootings in the U.S. are terrifying, far too common, and rarely addressed by churches. With the training of a journalist and the experience of a pastor, Susan J. Presley examines three mass shootings that took place in churches and were perpetrated by people who had, themselves, attended church. The shooters’ prior experiences in Christian churches did not address the realities of violence in our country or challenge cultural norms of violence. With clear guidance and concrete resources, Presley demonstrates how churches can work to prevent mass shootings. In a time when many Christians only offer thoughts and prayers, Presley offers hope and action.”
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