Religion

churched is a collection of stories that detail an American boy's experiences growing up in a culture where men weren't allowed let their hair grow to touch their ears ("an abomination!"), women wouldn't have been caught dead in a pair of pants (unless swimming), and the pastor couldn't preach a sermon without a healthy dose of hellfire and brimstone. Matthew grapples with the absurdity of a Sunday School Barbie burning, the passionate annual boxing match between the pastor and Satan, and the holiness of being baptized a fifth time-while growing into a young man who, amidst the chaotic mess of religion, falls in love with Jesus.

Tom Bandy has come to be known as one of today's most insightful interpreters of congregational life and the cultural changes that are affecting it. In previous books he has addressed issues such as the addictive behaviors congregations exhibit, the cultural situation that makes this a "pre-Christian" era, and the organizational changes that must occur if bold new congregational systems are truly to work.

By evaluating the responses to all of these concerns, the author has heard a recurring set of questions: How do I help people overcome the fear of change? How do I persuade them to accept the cost? Why is there a sense that change is inherently unfaithful? When I go to my church next Sunday and drink coffee with that little group of people God has gathered in our place, how in the world do I convince them to take such risks?

Drawing on the penetrating analysis of contemporary cultural shifts that has come to be his trademark, Bandy offers detailed and pragmatic suggestions for how one can invite established church members into the mission of transforming their congregation into a place that calls and equips people to be disciples of Jesus Christ.