Description: Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle discovered that by forming the faith of new Christians and leading them to the waters of baptism, they as a parish were renewed and revitalized for mission in the world. Faith Forming Faith describes the year-long process of faith mentoring that has become the center of this congregation's ministry. Hoffman's easy narrative style weaves together solid pastoral and theological insights with the practical, real-life stories of lives transformed by a vibrant new faith--the lives of newcomers and long-time members alike. This is a great primer...

The conventional wisdom about mainline Protestantism maintains that it is a dying tradition, irrelevant to a postmodern society, unresponsive to change, and increasingly disconnected from its core faith tenets. In her provocative new book, historian and researcher Diana Butler Bass argues that there are signs that mainline Protestant churches are indeed changing, finding a new vitality intentionally grounded in Christian practices and laying the groundwork for a new type of congregation. The Practicing Congregation tracks these changes by looking at the overall history of American...

Diana Butler Bass, one of contemporary Christianity's leading trend-spotters, exposes how the failings of the church today are giving rise to a new "spiritual but not religious" movement. Using evidence from the latest national polls and from her own cutting-edge research, Bass, the visionary author of A People's History of Christianity, continues the conversation began in books like Brian D. McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity and Harvey Cox's The Future of Faith, examining the connections--and the divisions--between theology, practice, and community that Christians...

Hardly a day goes by without some poll or news story documenting the changing relationship between the general population and religion, often accompanied by predictions of doom. The rise of the "nones" and the "dones" leaves many adrift in a world with multiple complex challenges. Providers of "spiritual friendship"--pastors, spiritual directors, pastoral counselors, concerned Christians--will need to change their approach as those with whom they interact distance themselves from the church. How should we talk with the "nones" and the "dones" about their spiritual lives? How can we be with...