Becoming a New Church: Reflections on Faith & Calling

In a world where the appearance of religion has eclipsed its substance, where procedures and all the tangible and visible evidences of religion make the love of God, the justice of God, and their ability to change us almost invisible, Becoming a New Church provides hope . . . It should be read by pastors and laypersons and discussed-and discussed. -Donold M. Mackenzie Jr. Minister and Head of Staff University Congregational United Church of Christ, Seattle, Washington Becoming a New Church moves from an almost painfully accurate portrayal of the anxious state of mind of liberal Protestant churches to solid insights about ministry and leadership in this new time. The chapters zing with sermonic material and are packed with truths that inform and encourage weary and worried church members. -Nancy Jo Kemper Executive Director Kentucky Council of Churches This book invites the reader to become a pilgrim, a sojourner, a searcher in the community of Jesus Christ. Sharing his personal reflections, Malcolm Warford offers both penetrating metaphors and commonsense meanings in the practices of faith for a 'weary church' . . . A fresh resource for all congregations wanting to become places of faith, mystery, and mission. -Robert K. Welsh President Council on Christian Unity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Becoming a New Church is tonic, encouragement, challenge, evangel, and ecclesiology all rolled into one and a welcome antidote for the weariness so many of us serving the church now feel. Weaving literature, anecdote, theology, and Scripture into a no-nonsense analysis, Warford invites us to exchange norms of institutional success for signs of Gospel faithfulness. -Bonnie Rosborough, Broadway United Church of Christ, New York

Malcolm Warford is Professor of the Practice of Ministry at Lexington Theological Seminary, Lexington, Kentucky. He is director of the Lexington Seminar and a consultant to the Teagle Foundation and the Lilly Endowment, Inc.