Shannon Johnson Kershner

A Table for All

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“I'm grateful for the serious way Chris and his congregation engage Scripture as a living tradition. Chris builds bridges between the ancient world in which Scripture first emerged and our postmodern world. This book makes you both think and feel--which can only strengthen the witness of the church to God's liberating good news of the gospel.”

Beyond the Offering Plate

Work, Money & Leadership

“I, like many of my clergy friends, tend to either focus all my stewardship efforts on either time/talent or treasure. Depending on the year, I tip to one side or the other. Adam Copeland’s project, Beyond the Offering Plate , offers an extremely helpful corrective. Copeland, along with all the contributors, continuously holds out a much more holistic understanding of stewardship than my more programmatic approach to the church budget. I am thankful for the challenges embedded in the pages of this book, as well as the encouragement and inspiration it offers!”

Companions

Church Leadership & Ministry

“I was thrilled to have the opportunity to use some of the early Companions materials. Even though Rev. Wasserman wrote it with new members in mind, her work provided fantastic conversation starters for our Session.”

Holy Disunity

Christian Living

“I figured out I was reading something powerful and deeply faithful when I began to mine it for sermons, writing down quotations and illustrations that would preach in my congregation. I heartily recommend it for all people who find themselves drawn into the complexity and messiness of our day, even when we don’t understand why.”

Hope

Christian Living

“I have recently rediscovered a hymn that is quickly becoming my new favorite. The chorus is a repetitive ‘O Christ, surround me. O Christ, surround me.’ As I read Rev. McKibben Dana’s book on hope, I found that refrain echoing in my spirit. Her words about hope surrounded me with a renewed sense of the presence of the Holy. She reminded me of the courage that has sat dormant in my spirit over these last couple of years. I will move forward with a deeper appreciation of how hope is an action and not just a feeling. (And goodness knows I love a good, subversive action!) By doing so, I anticipate being even more deeply immersed in the presence of God who always surrounds me. I am thankful for her persistent, consistent, wonderfully disruptive reclaiming of hope.”

What Do We Do When Nobody Is Listening?

Church Leadership & Ministry

“Lovin’s new book causes me to consider the question, ‘How is my congregation taking up space and serving as a witness to our overwhelming reality of God’s love and justice in what too often feels like chaos?’ I am thankful for the way Lovin frames our current reality and for his challenge to be a kind of witness that is different.”