From the Introduction
(pp. 3-5)
Decline hurts all over. It feels like a judgment on our congregations and on us as followers of Jesus. He told us to “therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We couldn’t even keep our own children in the faith.
I believe in the resurrection power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I know we can’t get to resurrection without sitting at the cross. Even if your church is an outlier with plenty of money, full pews, and young people galore, you know the strong winds shaking most of traditional religion. The fundamentals have changed. The ground has shifted. Doing what we’ve always done, but doing it better, or doing it with some new people who love what we love, is no longer an option. Not when that yawning valley of dry bones looms just below. Not when you’re walking through it.
This book takes that valley seriously and in turn asks a serious question: Church tomorrow? Within those two words rest more wonderings: whether…