Why Congregations Matter: Interviews with Thomas Tewell, Lowell Livezey, Bob Abernethy, and Robert Wuthnow

Contents

IN FOCUS: The Mystery of Congregations
Alban Institute president James P. Wind explores the mystery of congregations—and what life would be like without them

An Island Amidst the Storm
Writer Paul Wilkes searches for “congregations with a soul”

Congregations in the Community
In the first of a two-part series, writer Marlis McCollum interviews Thomas Tewell, Lowell Livezey, Bob Abernethy, and Robert Wuthnow

Fulfilling the Great Commission
Claude E. Payne and Hamilton Beazley describe their vision of congregations as missionary outposts

FEATURES

Searching for the Key
What happens when church size theory is applied to synagogues? Alice Mann, David Trietsch, and Dan Hotchkiss find new answers—and new questions

DEPARTMENTS

FIRST CLASS MAIL
Reader Douglas Gabbard sees Sabbath as a Spiritual Discipline

PERSPECTIVES: Nurturing Oneself
Pastor Ann Svennungsen considers the congregation as a nourishing place for the pastor’s spirit

Nurturing Others
Lay leader Celia Allison Hahn assesses the congregation as a place for spiritual work

REVIEWS