The Church We Carry
Loss, Leadership, and the Future of Our Church
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3.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Breaking faith, finding grace: wisdom for leading divided churches in divisive times.
Trusted and respected leader Will Willimon explores how failures in leadership and theological vision contributed to our current denominational crisis. Through the lens of a South Carolina historic congregation, this book offers a critical analysis that will enlighten today’s congregational leaders on navigating the complexities of ministry in our uncertain future.
As a retired United Methodist bishop and expert in ordained leadership, Willimon reflects on a simple-to-ask-but-complicated-to-answer question: What has become of the church that shaped his faith? Focusing on Buncombe Street Methodist Church, he examines their journey through disaffiliation to shed light on leadership challenges within our denomination, including his own role.
This insightful resource provides a candid exploration of the realities of ministry today, inviting us to confront our grief and shortcomings while embracing our duty to serve Christ’s church in the present moment. Gain valuable insights from real-life experiences, learn from those labeled as “schismatic,” and discover practical strategies for effective leadership in today’s evolving church landscape.
Customer Reviews
Thank you
Thank you Pastor Willimon. Your book describes what took place in my Church (Main Street United Methodist- Greenwood, S.C.). We remain United Methodist, for which I am eternally grateful. I am sorry for your loss. Love, Glenn
Angry man writes about himself.
For someone who claims to have written the book in order to understand what happened with the disaffilation, he sure focuses on his own life, his education, his degrees, his experience at the church in question, and the people he is mad at.
Typical of a baby boomer, another big focus is when the church accepted Blacks (his capitalization) which happened so long ago one wonders about relevance. This would not be so jarring if he did not also dismiss events from around the country (that concerned the members) as being too far away. He also conveniently leaves out those exact events occurring in the city in question (different denominations, but definitely seem relevant to explain events).
He laments a childhood event of members leaving the church due to their convictions. The positive light he castes those people in is a stark contrast to disaffiliators adhering to their convictions.
Homosexuality is central to the story and in a jarring divergence from every other topic, the author does not convey a single verse. He just says the topic is debatable, and then goes on ad nauseam about his training and degrees. If reliance on credentials is the best he could muster, it is no wonder he was ignored by a bunch of lawyers, doctors, and business leaders (who are trained to think independently). And if it was not the best he could muster, one is left wondering why these arguments could not have replaced another one of his (seemingly) infinite and irrelevant anecdotes.
In sum the book struck me as vindictive, poorly reasoned, self indulgent, disingenuous, all tied together with an indecipherable time line.