Return to the Parish: The Pastor in the Public Square

Return to the Parish: The Pastor in the Public Square is a pastoral theology that challenges pastors to view their local community (rather than their congregation) as their primary sphere of ministry. Too many churches have become insular by hoarding their resources (including their pastors) and trying to sustain their own survival instead of seeking the peace and prosperity of their town or city. By breathing new life into an old idea of “parish,” this book casts a vision for pastors (and churches) to actively engage their community with the gospel rather than simply perpetuate more programs inside the church. It offers a new paradigm for pastoral ministry, where pastors model and mobilize their churches to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the public square through community involvement and cultural engagement.

The book chronicles seven young pastors (from diverse ministry contexts) as they seek to become “new parish pastors” who lead their congregations into engaging various sectors of the public square: business and workplace, science and technology, healthcare, politics, education, the arts, and multiethnic settings.

David Horn was the director of the Ockenga Institute at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, where he developed and delivered a wide variety of educational programs for pastors and parishioners for more than twenty years. He also served on the pastoral staff of the First Congregational Church of Hamilton, Massachusetts. He currently serves as the executive director of the Ockenga Fellows program and a mentor on the Doctor of Ministry Program at GCTS. He is the author of Soulmates: Friendship, Fellowship, and the Making of Christians Community.


Jason R. McConnell has served as the senior pastor of the East Franklin Union Church and Franklin United Church in Franklin, Vermont since 2004. He also serves as co-director of the Ockenga Fellows program and a mentor on the Doctor of Ministry Program at GCTS and a mentor for the Cross-Cultural Ministry Practicum at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. He is the general editor of Beholding Beauty: Worshiping God through the Arts.