As we move beyond the “emergent” or “missional” church paradigm, pastors and other church leaders are discovering a new reality: people (especially younger generations) are coming to church not as believers, but to find a place to belong―with or without faith. This book describes the dilemma and the distractions that currently prevent congregations from being the place where that sense of belonging can unfold and guide newcomers in the discovery of faith. The authors argue that despite elaborate talk of change, spirituality, transformation, and conflict resolution, congregations are still mired in old patterns of belonging. Using broad-based career experiences, surveys of religious life, historical precedent, and insights from social psychology about what it means to belong today, the book suggests new and effective approaches to help churches make vital connections.

A Church Beyond Belief: The Search for Belonging and the Religious Future

Religion & Spirituality

Sachs, William L.

Bos, Michael S.

Christian Books & Bibles

Morehouse Publishing

Fragmented Lives describes the meaning of faith for people the Church has shown little facility for attracting but whom it would like to reach, people who have entered church doors occasionally but who have little depth of commitment. It is a book for persons exploring the basis of faith, as well as for church leaders looking to understand how their programs and message can align with faith journeys today.   While examining the growing emphasis on spirituality for those wanting "spirituality without structures," it argues that spirituality has become so elastic in its meaning that it is lacking the definition and direction people seek in finding answers to their questions.  As with A Church Beyond Belief, the authors use personal stories to animate the discussion of how faith must be construed as something other than "belief" or "assent." The authors provide a road map for discovering the journey of living into a faith tradition together. Through this journey, the meaning of faith is illumined and the Church is revealed to be the community of faith that fulfills the needs and intentions of those seeking to live a more authentic life beyond the fragmentation they experience in this age of uncertainty

Fragmented Lives: Finding Faith in an Age of Uncertainty

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bos, Michael S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bos, Michael S.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bos, Michael S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A Church Beyond Belief: The Search for Belonging and the Religious Future

Fragmented Lives: Finding Faith in an Age of Uncertainty