Jennifer L. Lord

Christian Ritualizing and the Baptismal Process

Preaching & Worship

“"Christian Ritualizing and the Baptismal Process invites us to recover and renew our understandings of the baptized life. Emphasizing growth in Christ (our baptismal becoming), our lives in the world as response-gift, the relationship between the one and many in the Body of Christ, and the importance of planning and conducting pastoral ritualizations to mark life passages, Susan Marie Smith enthusiastically and convincingly summons all to a realized baptismal ecclesiology. Rich in storied examples and informed by patristics, ritual theories, and contemporary liturgical and sacramental theologies, this is a book of singular importance for teachers and pastors in this post-Christendom time.”

Common Worship in Theological Education

Preaching & Worship

“Finally, a book for those who know the influence of common worship in theological curricula, and a book to help conversations begin about the function and purpose of chapel in our schools. The essays, from diverse contexts of theological education, provoke questions. Yet each essay demonstrates the power of chapel to form our communities and the need for schools to attend to common worship as a way of learning and knowing alongside other curricular goals.”

Learning Together to Preach

Preaching & Worship

“Preachers, have you accepted stasis? Or are you open to the exploration, growth, and renewal of your preaching identity and sermonic practices? This book invites preachers into a transformative space as the authors present the elements of homiletical peer-coaching. Be guided through best collaborative preaching practices that approach preaching as a way of life, attend to the specifics of your contexts and situations, and support your personal homiletical gifts. The fresh energy here is infectious.”

Pathways to the Waters of Grace

Church Leadership & Ministry

“Beyond rules, beyond doctrine, there is a way of living. Batchelder walks us into the vast baptismal landscape and we see its topography as if for the first time. Attending to parents seeking their children's baptism, he recovers a vision and presents practical guidance for beginning and sustaining the lifelong journey of baptism. Here is a renewed way of being church that involves us all.”

This Is the Day That the Lord Has Made

Preaching & Worship

“Rooted in the scholarship of Byzantine liturgical history, This Is the Day That the Lord Has Made is a much needed comprehensive, detailed, and accessible survey of the Orthodox liturgical year and its meanings. With reliable clarity, Nicholas Denysenko invites pastoral engagement as he assesses present realities of liturgical celebrations and discusses problems and opportunities for liturgical practice. This exceptional book merits ecumenical attention. It is for all of us who yearn to ‘keep the feast.’”

Worship in the Early Church

History & Biography

“In Worship in the Early Church, Justo González and Catherine Gunsalus González present the early history of components of Christian worship with particular focus on preaching and the sacraments, and describe the various tumultuous, changing contexts that impacted the ways in which Christian worship developed in the church’s early centuries. Through this enticing and accessible text they invite a conversation between generations that ‘will lead to insights [to] enrich today’s worship.’ Worship in the Early Church will help my students engage with the ancient church’s worship practices so that we are not (to quote G.K. Chesterton) the ‘oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.’ I am very excited about this book!”