Overview

"The church isn't about programs, buildings, or attendance, but about a community of people embodying God's presence and purpose in the world. Okay, but . . . then what? To truly embrace this statement leads to radically different ways of doing the daily work of ministry. Preparing to discard the old ways. Saving Church is a prophetic call for the future that will help you reframe, retrieve, and reclaim the Church's role as a healing force in the world. The 21st-century Church is in a state of distress. In the pulpit and the pews, people are disquieted, disenchanted, and dispirited. Some are afraid the church they love won't be there for the next generation, while others feel tired and desperate for something more. With skepticism on the rise and church attendance down, churches have a choice: cling to the way things were or stop and ask, ""Could God want to do something new in and through us?"" Saving Church is a hopeful, authentic vision for the future of the Church, rooted in the convictions that: 1) The Church is still God's chosen vehicle for accomplishing His purposes. 2) Things aren't going back to the way they were - and they shouldn't. Combining the expertise and experiences of two giants of missional theology and the Fresh Expressions movement, Saving Church will give you a fresh perspective on what church can be and help you reframe, retrieve, and reclaim the Church's role as a healing, saving force in the world."

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9781953495884

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Reviews

"""I commend this book warmly and enthusiastically. The final section, 'If we knew then . . .', is worth the price alone!"" - Michael Moynagh, author of Church for Every Context and Church in Life ""Carter and Atkins have written a deeply theological book that will help those leading mission-shaped churches and fresh expressions lean further into the commission of Christ."" - Luke Edwards, author of Becoming Church: A Trail Guide for Starting Fresh Expressions ""Saving Church provides an inspiring, challenging, and hopeful picture of how churches older and newer can be dynamically renewed by the Holy Spirit as agents of the Great Commission."" - Andrew Roberts, Methodist Presbyter, author of Holy Habits and former Director of Training for Fresh Expressions (UK) ""This book is a gem. From a deep knowledge of mission, and decades of experience in ministry, the authors call for committed and intentional Christian individuals to create new church communities which respond to God's grace and love for all people in these challenging times."" - Eunice Attwood, Church at the Margins Officer, the Methodist Church"

Author Information

Martyn Atkins is a minister in the British Methodist Conference, serving as a local church pastor, a professor (of Mission and Evangelism) and President of a Methodist College, then as General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Britain. Until recently, he was Superintendent of Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London, associated with Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, and is currently serving one year in the Florida UMC Conference. He has been involved in the fresh Expressions movement since its beginnings and served several years as the Chair of its Board. He is the author of several books. He is married with three grown children and (currently) four grandchildren. Kenneth H. Carter, Jr. is the resident bishop of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. Along with the Cabinet, he gives pastoral and administrative leadership to over 1,000 congregations, fresh expressions of church, campus ministries, andoutreach initiatives in an episcopal area that stretches across the 44 western counties of the state.Bishop Carter served as the president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church from 2018-2020, and he was one of three moderators of The Commission on a Way Forward, from 2016 to 2018. In addition to his responsibilities with the Western North CarolinaConference, he is bishop-in-residence and a consulting faculty member at Duke University Divinity School. He served as bishop of the Florida Conference from 2012-2022.Bishop Carter is the author of eighteen books, and his editorials have appeared in the Charlotte Observer, Greensboro News and Record, and Winston-Salem Journal. His commentary on Christianity in the United States has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and on National Public Radio.

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